WPC-138 - Twitter for Authors with Jesper Schmidt

Jesper Schmidt is a fantasy author, living in Denmark, but has a Finnish sauna to thank for getting into writing. 

CONNECT ONLINE:

Website(s): www.jesperschmidt.com 

Twitter handle(s): @schmidtjesper 

Facebook: http://bit.ly/28NJQXO 

Amazon Author page: http://amzn.to/28VRmvr

THIS WEEK’S INDIE PUBLISHING NEWS:

Will Amazon offer 50% royalty? — If you’ve published using Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing service, you’re probably aware that Amazon offers two royalty options: 35% if your ebook is under $2.99, and 70% if it’s priced $2.99 to $9.99. But this past week, Amazon snuck in a surprise 50% option. It wasn’t clickable, and it disappeared as suddenly as it appeared. And as yet, no one knows what it might mean for sure. But the rumor mill has it now, and speculation is running wild. The most common hope/rumor: Amazon  may start offering 50% royalty for non-exclusive books, and allowing authors to utilize services currently reserved for exclusive works. What do you think? Is a non-exclusive KDP in our future? And what would that mean for indie authors? https://goodereader.com/blog/digital-publishing/amazon-accidentally-drops-a-50-royalty-bombshell

Wattpad gets $51M —Toronto-based Wattpad is a storytelling app that allows users to write and publish shorts stories, articles, and even books, a chapter at a time, for readers to enjoy, comment on, and upvote. The company has just gotten a pretty significant financial boost from investors and venture capitalists, to the tune of $51million, bringing Wattpad’s total funding to $117.8 million, US so far. The company will fold this cash infusion into improving its tech platform, in an effort to “empower diverse storytellers all over rate world, helping them build a community of passionate readers,” according to CEO Allen Lau. Lau also said that an objective of the company is to connect Hollywood with stories that could have a bigger audience appeal. What could this mean for indie authors? Is this an opportunity to grab at a movie deal, or will Wattpad be just another slush pile for studios to pick through?   http://deadline.com/2018/01/wattpad-gets-51m-injection-from-investor-group-will-expand-its-tech-1202248461/

Could Amazon Same-Day Delivery Disrupt Book Printing? — John Conley, CEO of Borderland Advisors, has 42 years in the business, and he believes Amazon has a shot at redefining book printing as an industry, stating that Amazon’s same-day delivery requirements will force a necessary change to the business. Offset printing isn’t going anywhere, Conley insists, but digital and on-demand are causing a building tsunami that will alter the DNA of the industry. Could this give indie publishers a strategic advantage? With authors regularly writing and publishing at an astoundingly rapid rate, will same-day delivery be the tool that tips the balance of power in publishing? Let me know in the comments.   http://www.piworld.com/xchange/business-management/john-conley/

 

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Pick something up to read that will be tough to put down—Archeological Thrillers, Science Fiction, YA Fantasy and more, at https://kevintumlinson.com/books 

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