Hachette vs. Amazon: Do Writers Benefit?
Jeff Bezos spoke at the Stanford Publishing Course for several years running in the ’90s. At the time, the only thing Amazon was selling was books, and we loved books. But he tipped his hand
Best Fonts for Book Covers
I’m working with an author on a book cover for a nonfiction book with strong commercial potential. Since the cover is among the top 3 reasons why readers buy a book, we’re working closely with
An Author’s Guide to Amazon: 7 Tools To Help Increase Book and Author “Discoverability”
Below is a terrific summary of practical things you can do to make your book more visible on Amazon. It comes from the enewsletter of Smith Publicity, Inc. Kudos to Book Publicist Jennifer Tucker who
The “Truthiest” Font Is…
If you don’t think fonts matter, take a look at the article in Friday’s New York Times. Errol Morris describes the informal experiment of a university student who found that he could raise his grade
Helen Gurley Brown, editor of Cosmopolitan, dies at 90
Folks who came through Stanford Publishing Course will remember Helen Gurley Brown, the editor of Cosmopolitan, who gave such memorable talks about her rise to the top of the New York publishing world–alongside her husband,
Best Book Covers
Just back from BookExpo in New York, where I saw some extraordinary book covers. Over at Pinterest, I’ve put together a little board with comments on why each deserves special attention. If you believe, as
Tips for Hiring an Editor
Do you really need an editor? Yes! Absolutely. Without question. Regardless of how good your writing is, you need a professional editor to work with you before you publish. Think of it this way: your
How to Find a Literary Agent
I’m often asked by writers who want to take a traditional publishing route: how do I find an agent? The best answer to that: check out the discussion that has been percolating over at Book