Self-Publishing
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On Digitization, Democracy, and Dignity
Several times now we’ve referred to the dignity of small audiences in arguing for self-publishing as a worthy endeavor, which should be celebrated rather than stigmatized. I’m glad to see the great Jeremy Waldron (incidentally a former professor of mine, and one of my favorites) has come out with a new book on the subject. Continue reading
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Beta Readers: New Jacke Book Shipping Today!
Definition of a good day: A Halloween post on the indie-publishing spirit of nineteenth-century France (did you miss the Halloween connection? look again!) Shipping out copies of the next Jacke Wilson book to my fantastic early readers I’m trying a new tactic this time: hard copies, a comment sheet, and a return envelope, postage paid. Continue reading
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Independent Publishing: What Would Stéphane Mallarmé Do?
Steve Moyer provides a fascinating look at the intersection of technology and publishing in nineteenth-century France. As Moyer observes, Stéphane Mallarmé not only excelled in poetry, essays, and translations, but in reconceptualizing the nature of the book: He was given to imagining new possibilities for the book, and in the 1870s and 1880s, he worked to Continue reading
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Independent Publishing: What Would Marcel Proust Do?
This is an easy one: we know what Proust would do, because he did it: Still, for all the brouhaha, many modern readers still find themselves in agreement with the two French publishers who turned down Proust’s manuscript [Swann’s Way] in 1912. A third agreed to publish it, provided that Proust himself cover the expenses. I Continue reading
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Embrace Your Inner Homer (and Publish Your Book!)
Okay, before we begin, please watch this video. It’s by far the best use of 24 seconds you’ll spend today: What does this have to do with self-publishing? Well, I could point to the dignity of the little robot with his little tennis racket arm, and the moving way he pulls himself down the road Continue reading
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Self-Publishing: How To Get It Done!
Readers! I’m pleased to announce I’ve joined the ranks of writers who have managed to complete all the steps to make one of their books available to the world. And with actual sales! Hooray! But this is not about me. It’s about YOU. You may be sitting there, as I was, wondering how in the Continue reading
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Self-Publishing: On the Respectability of Small Audiences
I was still feeling the afterglow of the Alice Munro announcement, so I headed over to Munro’s Paris Review interview. One of the things I was struck by was her description of the first fifteen years or so of her career: MUNRO I was about thirty-six [when my first book came out]. I’d been writing Continue reading
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Independent Publishing: What Would Dr. Johnson Do?
Okay, let’s see. What do agents and publishers have to offer a new author? Free editing? Nope. Marketing, surely? Not much of that either. So… you edit everything yourself, before it gets to the publisher. Maybe you even hire someone to help. Then the book comes out and you are left to your own devices Continue reading
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An Open Letter to Laura Miller
Dear Ms. Miller, We have not always seen eye-to-eye in the past. And my tone was perhaps inappropriate. However, I will try to do better. I think your heart is in the right place and I have long appreciated your devotion to good writing and good literature. I am a fan of yours when you’re Continue reading
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An Update of the Self-Publishing Update
When I put together the last progress update I forgot I had to buy my own ISBNs. I bought the block of 10 from Bowker which set me back $250, dramatically increasing my costs thus far. That climb from Level 8 to Level 5 just got a lot steeper. Ah well. I guess the fair Continue reading
Jacke Wilson 