Authors Electric

I have a lot to do. I mean I have a ‘to do’ list as long as my arm. We are moving flats tomorrow and instead of packing I just read a novel. Please don’t judge me. It is my vice, that is both addiction and coping method. Like some kind of biblioholic, I read when I’m happy, I read   when I am sad, I read when I’m anxious and I read when I have so much to do that the only way to deal with it is with a lage dose of fantasy. Preferably in another world or a version of this one which has nothing to do with the reality of packing boxes, papers, shoes and glassware to be individually wrapped in paper.     Juliet Mckenna’s new book, ‘The Green Man’s Heir’   published by Wizard’s Tower Press is perfect anxiety busting escapism somewhere between urban fantasy of the Jim Butcher variety and Charles de Lint’s more mythical approach. It’s good to see such publishers republishing great books that were never made digitally available and have gone out of print a...

2014 was a defining year for independent publishing. If we can’t see this yet, I’m sure we will be saying it a few years down the line – those people that are still involved that is. I predict that 2015 will be the year that the scales stop tipping, that more indies will try to move back to more traditional methods, or simply give up altogether. Why do I say that? My ear is always to the ground. There are links I find on facebook and elsewhere. I often retweet these (@debjbennett), if I think they will interest others. Amazon Kindle Unlimited Kindle Unlimited is surely the biggest game-changer since KDP Select. Pay a monthly subscription and you can read/borrow as many books as you like. This follows the rest of the media industry; KU is to books what Spotify is to music and Netflix is to film. BUT – and it’s a big but – KU doesn’t treat independent publishers the same way as it treats traditional publishers. For the trads (and a few selected special indies), it’s an...