Former guests and friends of the Hybrid Pub Scout podcast contribute their book publishing insights to our blog.
Author and researcher John B. Thompson analyzes recent publishing history’s rapid changes. Publishing methods, opportunities, and battle fronts have multiplied more over the last twenty years than ever before. Author and researcher John B. Thompson walks us through the archipelago of these issues in Book Wars: The Digital Revolution in Publishing (2021, Polity Press). It … Read more
Microcosm continues teaching publishing lessons with a People’s Guide to Publishing vlogcast. by Joe Biel [Psst—Go check out our interview with him in episode 15!] Four years ago I sat in my office with a star intern, Sidnee Grubb. She had utterly exceeded every expectation and task that I set at her feet. She asked … Read more
by Amylia Ryan How to bring a literary magazine into the world (and keep it alive for a while). Astral Waters Review just published its second issue, wrapping up its first year in the digital lit mag world. As the founding editor and editor-in-chief of this fledgling publication, I’ve learned a lot about what goes … Read more
First thing’s first. Amazon is the absolute worst, and in no way do I appreciate or condone the way they run their monopoly. Nor do I appreciate the way they’ve replaced so many of Seattle’s treasured landmarks—among my favorites was a bar/venue/laundromat called Sit & Spin, where I wiled away many a collegiate afternoon drinking … Read more
By Julie Swearingen What can you expect from a bookstore event? I’ve worked at four bookstores: Barnes & Noble in Bend, OR; Barnes & Noble in Reno, NV; Amazon Books in Portland, OR; and Roundabout Books in Bend, OR. In over five years as a bookseller, department manager, special orders manager, and now events manager, … Read more
Contributed by Brianne Marie Robinson What does it take to become an indie author? The answer to that question depends many different things, to be completely honest. You need to go into independent publishing with the right mindset. There are three options for how to approach it: Writing for the art of it without caring … Read more
Like it or not, getting book endorsements is vital to your marketing efforts. There are lots of factors that contribute to the decision to buy or a book or not—the cover, the reviews, the price—but something that’s just as important as any of those are endorsements. Also known as blurbs, these are declarations of praise … Read more
If you want to sell a million copies, it pays to know how not to market your book. So you’ve written a book. Congrats! The easy part is over! Now it’s time to take your baby into the marketplace and sell, sell, sell! Most authors are less than enthused about this part, usually because they … Read more
