It's difficult to believe it's already May! Especially considering the weather. Nevertheless, it's time once again for your monthly Indie Author News.
A recent announcement by Amazon suggests we're on the verge of another shift in the publishing industry that is reflecting the reading habits of Millenials. In line with this, Utility Fog Press would like to encourage authors to try out our Campfire Stories writing group. We also share with you our top five alternatives to Amazon KDP and another change to our office hours.
So, without further ado...
Amazon - Kindle Vellum
If my teenage daughter is anything to go by (and apparently, she is), the reading habits of Millennials (born 1980-1994) and the iGen (born 1995-2012) may be shifting away from books and toward episodic stories the likes of which you might find on services such as WattPad, Radish, or any number of far-east platforms.
Or Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing.
To join this growing trend, Amazon has recently introduced the Kindle Vellum service to their US authors. This publishing option is managed as a new option under an author's Kindle Direct Publishing account and allows authors to publish short (500-6000) word episodes in a growing story.
Although many authors will publish individual chapters in their book with KDP Vellum before compiling them into one book, I tend to think of this as more akin to writing a soap opera.
Regardless, Authors get paid by readers giving them tokens to read their episodes, with the first three episodes in any story being free.
If this service proves successful, it will undoubtedly come to international KDP authors soon. So, if this suits you're style of writing, dust off your most relevant piece, or get your writing cap on to create a new one, and get ready!
Campfire Stories - Fun Author Collaborations
Are you an author who gets inspired by working with others, or who prefers writing short pieces rather than longer prose? Or perhaps you have trouble deciding on plot directions in the middle of the story and you wish someone else could give you some inspiring ideas.
Campfires Stories could be for you.
Campfire Stories is a collaborative story writing project created by Utility Fog Press to enable authors to work together on interesting and fun stories. You can join a story to write just for fun, or we can help you publish the finished project under a royalty-sharing scheme.
Campfire Stories has completed one 7-author novella, Murder at the Mill, and is in the middle of a 3-author novel, The Dedanite Consignment. Both of these can be read for free by following the links to our website, or they can also be read on WattPad @Campfire Writing.
We have a few story ideas on our website but we're open to facilitating any and all story ideas you might have. If this sounds interesting to you, why not sign up and tell us what you'd be interested in working on.
"Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) dominates the self-publishing market and many, if not most, self-publishing authors feel obliged to use it at least as a part of their publishing strategy. But there are other options. Some have been around for a while, and some are fairly new. Each has its own pros and cons, so let’s take a look at the top five alternatives to Amazon KDP."
First there was Lulu.com, then there was Amazon Createspace. Then, for a while, it seemed there was only a choice between Amazon KDP or IngramSpark. However, in recent years self-publishing platforms have begun to flourish. Each has its own niche and its own strengths and weaknesses.
While some authors will stick by Amazon and their KDP Select program, a growing number are advocating 'going wide' and publishing to as many platforms as possible.
If your knowledge of the self-publishing industry ends at KDP and IngramSpark, this article is for you.
Alanna Betambeau is a children's author based in Bournemouth.
Although she's been writing 'her whole life' Alanna didn't get interested in publishing her work until she became a mother. The thought of reading her own books to her daughter has been her inspiration.
Alanna has published several children's picture books as well as a chapter book series for early readers. This MOUSE series features the adventures of a young mouse as he leaves home, meets new friends, and uncovers mysteries of his family's past. Alanna is currently working on the third book of the trilogy
With an estimated 20+ unpublished picture books in her writer's drawer, look for more in the coming years from Alanna!
"The bakery door closed with a click behind him and Mouse took a deep breath. He coughed and choked. The smell of the street was intense. Gone was the familiar aroma of freshly baked croissants, and Mouse’s nostrils were hit by strange, strong scents. He twitched his whiskers and held a paw to his mouth as he tried to get his bearings. The road was busy with cars and motorbikes racing past, chugging out fumes. Mouse’s tail flicked towards the bakery door as if urging him to turn back."
If you're looking for answers to your questions about writing, publishing, or marketing your book, or you'd like to discuss with us what services we offer, we have weekly office hours.
Please be aware, we are again modifying our office hours system.
We'll be trialing an online office space from Gather.Town which we'll eventually be converting to a general virtual writers' retreat.
Office Hours will be:
Friday:
May 7 & 21 --> 11:00am - noon
Wednesday:
May 12 & 26 --> 4:00pm - 5:00pm
You can, however, visit the office to look around or meet others at any time.
