Self-Published Books on the Rise...

It's another busy busy week so light on the blogging, but I wanted to get a link up to this GalleyCat post especially for the writers who came to see me speak on Saturday at the Carnegie Center in Lexington.

We talked a lot about self publishing (there were many questions about it), so here's an interesting stat from Bowker via GalleyCat:

According to the bibliographic company Bowker, 285,394 new books were published by print-on-demand companies last year--a 132 percent increase compared to 2007. In contrast, U.S. publishers put out 275,232 new books and editions in 2008--a 3.2 percent drop compared to the year before.

In case you don't have your calculator handy, that's a total of 560,626 books published in 2008.

This was also reported on in Publishers Lunch with the headline "On Demand Books Overtake Traditional Titles for the First Time."

• Click here to read about the Writer's Digest Self-Published Competition--extended deadline is May 20th.

Our Next WD Webinar:
Self-Publishing 101...

Last Thursday I hosted my very first webinar on the basics of children's publishing. I was a little nervous about this mostly because I often feel that all technology is conspiring against me in an evil plot of some sort. Technology and I got a long fine, however, and things went smoothly. (And it was really enjoyable.) I did all the talking, but the attendees submitted a number of great questions. Among them were questions about self-publishing. It never fails --whenever I address a group a writers, there are always questions about self-publishing. Should I do it? How do I do it? What's involved? Is there a stigma? Can I get published by a traditional publisher later? I've self-published--how do I get people to buy my book?

For any of you out there with these same kinds of questions, my Publisher Jane Friedman is offering a webinar called Self-Publishing 101: Learn When to Do It and How to Do It. It will be held next Thursday, February 26th at 1 p.m. EST and runs 90 minutes.

In additional to addressing some of the questions above, Jane will also discuss popular online tools and sites that can help you self-publish, and show in real time how to use those tools. She'll give tips on evaluating publishing services, creating a book from scratch, and marketing and promotion, and also provide a checklist.

If self-publishing is something you've considered, Jane can really help demystify things for you. She's both knowledgeable and approachable (and I'm not just saying that because she's my boss). If you're embarking on self-publishing it's wise to do so with some knowledge--the $99 price tag for this webinar seems like a wise investment to make before entering into a self-publishing situation that could cost thousands.

Click here for more information on Self Publishing 101.