With support from Amazon.com and an army of eager interns, Seth Godin’s new company promises to rewrite the tenets of big league publishing.
Is D.I.Y. or Self-Publishing Best Suited to Energetic Extroverts?
By Edward Nawotka Over the past few months we’ve featured stories on several self-published authors, including today’s profile of Steve Almond, last month’s feature by Alisa Valdes, and our earlier piece on Seth Godin. In each of these cases, the authors are self-motivated, high-energy, charismatic individuals. The came to D.I.Y. publishing after establishing their reputations by working with traditional publishers. And they have …
Literary “Rock Star” Steve Almond Does D.I.Y. and Walks Away With Fistfuls of Cash
By David Duhr I’m standing awkwardly on the dais steps between a seated Steve Almond and a line of fans waiting to buy signed copies of his three self-published books: Letters From People Who Hate Me, This Won’t Take But a Minute, Honey, and Bad Poetry. Cash only, with a heaping pile of the stuff on the table beside him. Calling …
How I Accidentally Became a Book Scout
• Todd Sattersten, a business book author became a scout by accident: a Twitter exchange led to a relationship with Spain’s Grupo Planeta. • Now preparing for his first Frankfurt Book Fair, he describes his journey into this mysterious profession and offers tips on selling books abroad. By Todd Sattersten “Really?” That’s what most people say when I tell them I …
The Ideavirus: Seth Godin as a Microcosm of Publishing’s Flux
• Following Seth Godin’s decision last week to leave traditional publishing behind, several questions have been raised. Is he really making a radical change? Or is this simply another smart marketing play? • Godin’s very public defection is just one more example of how publishing is in flux. He may be the exception to the rule, but his example sets a precedent for others to …
Is Seth Godin a Visionary or an Exception?
By Edward Nawotka Today’s lead story looks at Seth Godin’s recent decision to leave traditional publishing behind and go it alone. But the question remains: Is he a visionary making a bold step into the uncertain future? Or is he an exception, an already bestselling writer and marketing expert for whom forgoing traditional models is merely the evolution of his …
Should Famous Authors Bother with Traditional Publishers?
By Hannah Johnson As mentioned in today’s lead article, author Timothy Ferris, author of The 4-Hour Workweek, gave a presentation at LeWeb about how his personal marketing efforts with online tools and social media put his book onto national bestseller lists, while his publisher’s efforts with traditional media were less effective. Yesterday, Seth Godin released a free e-book online, and …
Seth Godin’s What Matters Now for Free
By Hannah Johnson Early this morning, Seth Godin made his latest book, What Matters Now, available as a free PDF download. You can download it here or read it on Scribd. The book is a collection of short contributions from over 70 thinkers (including authors, journalists, marketing experts and others) about issues that…matter now. The book quickly became a trending …
What’s the Buzz: Seth Godin on Publishing; Nabokov Edits Kafka; Online Conferences a Trend?
By Hannah Johnson The best of the blogosphere and social media … Last week, I found out two things: 1) there is a “Digital Publishing Group” on Meetup.com, whose goal is to “educate, inspire, and empower publishing professionals to take advantage of the digital space”, and 2) Seth Godin gave a talk to this group in New York City last …