News — books

It’s Black Friday, and many people will be out shopping today in big stores, searching for good deals. But did you know that many of your own friends may be self-employed, freelance, or independent? This is a good day to ask them if they’re offering any sales or deals too.

Marketing books is hard at the best of times. It requires most of us to put ourselves out there and ask people we know (or barely know) to buy our work. And a book is more than a product manufactured and sold by...

One of the things that makes publishing a challenge is bringing great books to people at an affordable cost. This is always a tricky balance because if the books sell at too low a price point, the publisher takes a loss and often can’t afford to remain open. This has happened to countless small presses as the cost of publishing rises and sales dip.

It can be disappointing to see a favorite author’s new release at a price out of reach because everyone’s been hit so hard in our economy. We all have...

If you are like me and grew up in the 1970s, 80s, and early 90s in the US, you probably remember the ABC After School Specials. If not, or if for some reason you were entirely unaware of this phenomenon (which spread to multiple other networks), here’s what Wikipedia says:

The American Broadcasting Company coined the term after school special in 1972 with a series of made-for-television movies, usually...