Things I Learned About Publishing a Book

Nataly Kelly: Six Things I Learned About Publishing a Book That Very Few Books Will Tell You: ".  . . 6. Platform matters, but passion matters more. Nowadays, it is next to impossible to get a major publisher interested in a book without an established platform -- that is, a built-in audience of people who already know your work and ways to reach them. Publishers put up money, take a risk, and make an investment when they offer an advance and escort an author down the traditional publishing path. They hope that investment will pay off -- some do, some don't. The author's platform is an indicator of reduced risk, plain and simple. That said, passion is even more important, for that is really what builds a platform to begin with. Take away the passion, and the platform fades or stagnates. Enduring passion for your topic is what shows a publisher that your platform has staying power too. . ."

Amazon is gutting Barnes & Noble | BGR: ". . . The true horror here is that Nook revenues declined by more than 12% — a steeper slide than what B&N’s total sales showed. This means that combined digital content and Nook device sales are now shrinking faster than traditional hardcover and paperback sales. This is fairly disastrous . . . Barnes & Noble is the last national chain of book stores in America. And its eBook strategy simply isn’t working. This was the Christmas when the earlier collapse of the Borders chain should have boosted Barnes & Noble’s fortunes. Instead, Nook volumes declined and retail segment revenue crashed by 10.9% compared to the previous Christmas. Now, both brick and mortar as well as digital sales are spiraling down. . . . "

The Most Important Finance Books - Business Insider: "Reading a good investment book should top your list of New Year's resolutions. But these books are a dime a dozen. Book stores have sections devoted to investing in the stock market, personal finance, and how to 'get rich quick.' The 27 books we selected appear on must-read lists repeatedly.  They are the best finance books ever written."

Weekend picks for book lovers
USA TODAY
USA TODAY's picks for book lovers include Brad Meltzer's explosive new thriller and a Star Wars novel for Han Solo fans. The Fifth Assassin by Brad Meltzer; Grand Central, 436 pp.; fiction. Since the days of George Washington, American presidents have ...

Sheila Heti: 'I love dirty books'
The Guardian
Set in Heti's native Toronto, the book is based on the author's own conversations with her artist friends (the character Margaux is Heti's real friend, painter Margaux Williamson), her analyst and her relationship with Israel, the man with whom she has ...

10 Deleted Chapters That Transformed Famous Books
Huffington Post
There is a fine line between a good book and a great book. In some cases it might only take one chapter to completely destroy what could be a classic work of literature. Below are ten books—not all necessarily classics—that might have been unknown if ...

For Justice Sotomayor, Books Unlocked Imagination
NPR
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor's autobiography, My Beloved World, debuted this week, and NPR's Nina Totenberg sat down with her to talk about her youth and schooling and career. Sotomayor discusses the role that books played in her life, from ...

“In the House of the Interpreter'' by Ngugi Wa Thiong'o
Boston Globe
The author picks up the story in 1955, the year in which he entered Alliance High School, headed by principal Edward Carey Francis, a figure who looms large in wa Thiong'o's narrative, and who viewed the school as a “grand opportunity to morally and...

Boston Globe

Chloe Hooper: 'I see this as an anti-erotic novel'
The Guardian
Australian author Chloe Hooper, 39, is creating a singularly diverse literary career. Her 2002 debut novel, A Child's Book of True Crime, made the Orange prize shortlist, while The Tall Man (2009), a nonfiction investigation into the death of an ...

The Guardian

Madeline McCann book written by mother raises £1million for search fund
Daily Mail
In the searingly honest book Kate McCann explains she thought it would be 'unwise' to leave her three children with a babysitter on the night they dined at the resort restaurant. Explaining why they did not make use of the babysitting service offered ...

Daily Mail

Inaugural books
Chicago Tribune
There's been no shortage of books about President Barack Obama. Even before he became president, he had written an autobiography and had at least one biography written about him. Since his inauguration four years ago, though, the market has exploded ...

Chicago Tribune

Top 5 Social Media Books Reviewed | Social Media Today
By mindofmiller
Learn about the business social media tactics that author Jeffrey Gitomer and other online gurus are employing right now as you examine each angle of this “foundation-building, platform-building” book. These are not ideas that came by ...
Social Media Today - The world's...

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