FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Christi Cassidy,
+1-505-986-1142 or +1-917-217-4269
Publishers Weekly Expands Coverage and Reviews of Self-Published Books
PW Select Goes Monthly, Increases Self-Publishing Resources for Authors and Writers
NEW YORK—September 10, 2013—Self-publishing has exploded onto the book scene, with self-publishing itself now a legitimate option for authors, even within the literary community. Still, it can be an uphill battle for an author to promote and sell his or her own book. Resources may seem vast at first, but once writers have committed to self-publishing, the real challenge is to find and tap an audience that is willing to open its wallet. In book-publishing parlance, this challenge is known as “discoverability” and falls directly within the realm of promotion and sales.
And it was into this realm that Publishers Weekly, long the leading trade magazine for the book publishing and bookselling industry, launched PW Select in 2011, first as a quarterly and then as a bimonthly supplement to the weekly magazine. The PW Select Report, a monthly e-mail newsletter about self-publishing, began in August 2013. Now, PW Select goes monthly, beginning in October, expanding its coverage and reviews of self-published books.
Adam Boretz, Publishers Weekly reviews editor and PW Select’s editor, says, “The interest in self-publishing continues to grow. Self-published authors are looking to promote and sell their books, and with PW Select’s expansion, along with new columns, features and programs, self-published authors will have more options to get noticed.” He notes that PW Select does not accept payment for book reviews; each book selected for review is assessed independently by Publishers Weekly’s editorial reviews staff.
Publishers Weekly understands full well the power of book reviews in the market. Its own book reviews form the core of the weekly magazine, serving a community of librarians, booksellers and others who rely on advance reviews in order to discover and evaluate new books and make purchases. For publishers, a good Publishers Weekly advance review, particularly a “starred review” granted to notable books, can fuel a major media push. With PW Select, which lists and reviews self-published books, self-published authors have a widely recognized and venerable “name” with which to promote and sell their books. PW Select intends to continue publishing 25-30 reviews per issue.
Upcoming editorial features planned for PW Select include “Success Stories”; how-to articles that address the nuts and bolts of publishing one’s own book; trends in self-publishing; and Smashwords’ bestseller lists of self-published books. Celebrity profiles round out the new offerings, among them interviews with the actor (and now children’s book author) Jim Carrey and with the Doors’ John Densmore.
On the business side of discoverability, self-published authors may participate in PW Select paid programs that include directory-style listings in PW Select and the opportunity to have books selected for review; membership in the self-publishing organization BookWorks; and an upgrade option to publish e-books with Vook. Publishers Weekly has partnership agreements with BookWorks and Vook.
As Publishers Weekly noted in an October 2012 article, the number of self-published books has ballooned 287% since 2007, with more than 235,000 print and e-books self-published at the close of 2011. And while self-publishing is a DIY undertaking, its infrastructure is made up of a handful of influential, mostly large firms—Amazon’s CreateSpace for print; Smashwords for e-books; the Penguin Group’s Author Solutions; and North Carolina–based Lulu Enterprises. PW Select advertisers are comprised of the larger players as well as the numerous businesses that offer services for writers and self-published authors, ranging from editing to cover design to publicity and beyond.
“Publishers Weekly has embraced the self-publishing phenomenon,” says Jim Milliot, co-editorial director of Publishers Weekly. “As self-publishers become more sophisticated in navigating the terrain, they will need even more advice, information and services in order to continue writing, publishing and selling their books.” He adds that Publishers Weekly, as the voice of the publishing industry since 1872, has a lot to offer this burgeoning community.
PW Select is due out October 14, 2013. Copies are available for purchase for $5.99 at bookstores and newsstands. Digital copies are available for purchase for $8.00 at Zinio, http://www.zinio.com/www/browse/product.jsp?productId=500328487. PW Select articles may be viewed at http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/pw-select/index.html, and more information is available about PW Select paid programs at www.publishersweekly.com/pwselect.
Click here to download a hi-resolution PW Select logo.
For more information, to schedule an interview with PW Select’s Adam Boretz or to request a copy of PW Select, contact Christi Cassidy, +1-505-986-1142 or +1-917-217-4269.
About Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly is the international newsmagazine of the book publishing industry. Founded in 1872 and published continuously since then, the weekly magazine boasts nearly 400,000 Twitter followers; publishes eight e-newsletters; five blogs; and a robust Web site that has reaches more than 5,000,000 unique visitors annually. The magazine has also launched a mobile edition, digital editions and apps. Each year, Publishers Weekly reviews nearly 9,000 books, as well as e-books, apps and audio books, in addition to featuring author interviews and news and analysis about the world of publishing.
Source:
Publishers Weekly, “Self-Publishing Sees Triple-Digit Growth Since 2007,” October 2012.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/54482-self-publishing-sees-triple-digit-growth-since-2007.html
Contact:
Christi Cassidy
Publishers Weekly
+1-505-986-1142 or +1-917-217-4269
ccassidy@publishersweekly.com
