Clearly, 2011 is a tipping point for self-publishing–moving this new publishing model from backwater to the forefront of the publishing world. It’s all happening despite the bow-tie traditional publishers who still would have authors believe
Having run the Stanford Publishing Courses for over 15 years, I had the good fortune of working with some of the most eloquent and polished speakers in the country–including John Kennedy, Jr., Guy Kawasaki, Brendan
One of the most common questions that indie authors ask: which fonts should I use in my book? The typefaces you use matter. They set the tone for your book. They affect readability. And they
What does it mean to be an author? How do you deliver ideas powerfully? How can technology help? Since it’s the beginning of a new year, I think it’s a good time to grab a
The biggest problem with self-publishing your book: distribution. The companies that help authors self-publish (Amazon’s CreateSpace and others) generally have options that will get your books into the databases of traditional distributors such as Ingram
It’s been a big week for Palo Alto. Last night Obama showed up for a $30,000-a-plate dinner at the home of Google VP Marissa Mayer. The Dalai Lama spent two days speaking on altruism at
Recently I asked several self-publishing companies to send me samples of books they’d produced. I told them I wanted to check the production values of those books–paper quality, binding, cover stock and so forth–before deciding
When I was Director of Stanford Publishing Courses, I often tried to arrange visits to IDEO–the brilliant, Palo Alto-based design firm that was spun off from the work of Stanford professor David Kelley. IDEO uses
I’ve yet to see a book trailer that makes me want to buy a book. I know they’re all the rage right now, but because they’re made by wordsmiths and not by filmmakers, they often
One of the best ways to promote your nonfiction book is to position yourself as the expert in your field. How do you do that? One simple way is through HARO — short for “Help