This week in the world of self-publishing:

“They say everyone has at least one good book in them,” writes Toby Walne for ThisIsMoney.co.uk in his January 16th article, “and thanks to the internet there is no longer an excuse not to get it published.”  He is speaking, of course, about the ebook revolution, which has long been entangled with both the digital revolution, the millennial generation, and self-publishing.  Walne interviews author and expert Damien Fahy, “who runs money saving website MoneytotheMasses and is author of an ebook entitled 30 Day Money Plan” to get an idea for what indie authors should be looking to do in 2016.  Says Fahy, “just getting published is not enough – you must also think how you are going to get people to buy your book.”  Fahy and Walne walk readers through a series of recommendations––how to go about giving away free copies of your book for review, how to offer your book in multiple formats through a variety of online platforms, and when not to close the door on a publishing company (to name a few)––before closing with a commentary on crowdfunding possibilities.  For more information, see the original article here.

Jennifer McCartney of Publisher’s Weekly pulls no punches in this January 15th article, which lays the groundwork for what many industry experts believe we can expect of the coming year.  McCartney begins her preview with a brief retrospective, touching upon the self-publishing “successes” and general market trends of 2015 with particular mention given over to Andy Weir’s The Martian, Jamie McGuire’s Beautiful Redemption, Paul Kingsnorth’s The Wake, and the popularization of crowdfunding for self-publishing authors.  But McCartney doesn’t dwell on the past for long; most of her piece is dedicated to emerging possibilities.  She names McGuire as just one of a long list of authors who are either switching from traditional publishing to self-publishing or who are supplementing their traditionally-published books with side projects which are published through indie platforms––and in McCartney’s eyes, this is just the tip of the iceberg.  What else does she expect to see in 2016?  Preorders and “microtargeted subgenres” will continue to be important in driving sales for self-publishing authors; short stories and box subscription deals are growing in popularity as readers switch over to reading on their mobile devices; and the ever-present struggle to balance print and digital sales in a market where brick-and-mortar stores and public libraries remain mostly hostile to keeping self-published books on the shelf will remain at the forefront of indie challenges.  For the rest of McCartney’s article, click here.

In our second of two articles released in this week’s Publisher’s Weekly, Jane Friedman presents PW‘s readers with a series of models for indie publication in order to address the fundamental problem of newcomers to the market: “it’s hard to know whom to hire, how much to invest, and what type of marketing and publicity will make a difference.”  Her five “strategic” models are:

  1. “Reach Out Directly to an Established Audience”
  2. “Always Be Producing”
  3. “Produce Across Multiple Mediums or Channels”
  4. “Know the Right People or Start Meeting Authors with Pull,” and to create the
  5. “Right Concept at the Right Time for a Specific Market”

Friedman, who “teaches digital media and publishing at the University of Virginia and is the former publisher of Writer’s Digest,” is something of an expert on the matter––and luckily for everyone, she doesn’t just list bullet points but rather spends a fair bit of time deconstructing each point for the interested reader.  For all of that wonderfully useful information, don’t forget to follow the link!


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As a self-publishing author, you may find it helpful to stay up-to-date on the trends and news related to the self-publishing industry.This will help you make informed decisions before, during and after the self-publishing process, which will lead to a greater self-publishing experience. To help you stay current on self-publishing topics, simply visit our blog every Monday to find out the hottest news. If you have other big news to share, please comment below.

KellyABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Executive Vice President of Outskirts Press. In addition to her contributions to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com, Kelly and a group of talented marketing experts offer book marketing services, support, and products to not only published Outskirts Press authors, but to all authors and professionals who are interested in marketing their books and/or careers. Learn more about Kelly on her blog, kellyschuknecht.com.

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