Book Reviews
David Gaughran
David Gaughran is the author of the South American historical adventure A Storm Hits Valparaiso and the short stories If You Go Into The Woods and Transfection as well as the popular self-publishing guide Let's Get Digital: How To Self-Publish, And Why You Should.
David's Posts
Simon & Schuster Joins Forces With Author Solutions To Rip Off Writers
Columns, David Gaughran, Homepage Sub •
David Gaughran •
Nov 28, 2012
Simon & Schuster has launched a self-publishing operation, Archway Publishing, contracting one of the most disreputable players in the business to run the show: Author Solutions. Read On
Fill the Shelves
Homepage Sub •
David Gaughran •
Nov 07, 2012
Neil Gaiman, Laurie Halse Anderson, and Newsroom’s Alison Pill got involved, tweeting and blogging about Manchester’s empty shelves. Read On
The Death of Literary Fiction?
Books, Featured, Homepage Sub, Latest •
David Gaughran •
Sep 18, 2012
There seems to be a consensus in publishing that literary fiction is in trouble, that it’s something in need of nourishment and protection, and that the digital era is going to condemn it to oblivion. Read On
Penguin’s New Business Model: Exploiting Writers
Columns, David Gaughran, Homepage Sub, Latest, News •
David Gaughran •
Jul 20, 2012
The performance of Author Solutions is so poor that the press release announcing the purchase by Penguin can’t even tout their own customers’ success, and instead lists self-publishing stars such as “Lisa Genova, John Locke, Darcie Chan, Amanda Hocking, Bronnie Ware and E.L. James” – none of whom used Author Solutions to publish their work. Read On
Kindle Singles & The Little Goat That Could
Columns, David Gaughran, Homepage Sub •
David Gaughran •
Jul 04, 2012
George couldn’t quite believe what was happening. Midnight’s Tale raced up the charts. He was appearing on bestseller lists for short fiction, he was topping the Hot New Releases chart for shorter work. But what happened the following week was even more unbelievable. Read On
Writers, James Bond, and the Perils of Product Placement
Columns, David Gaughran, Homepage Sub •
David Gaughran •
Apr 18, 2012
In 2001, Fay Weldon was commissioned by Bulgari to write a novel, in which she was contractually obliged to mention the brand at least twelve times. A 2006 novel by Sean Stewart and Jordan Weisman replaced generic reference to make-up to specific mentions of Cover Girl products, in exchange for free advertising on a site owned by the parent company, Proctor & Gamble. Read On
Inside the E-book Price-Fixing Case
Columns, David Gaughran, Homepage Sub, News •
David Gaughran •
Apr 12, 2012
The respective CEOs were alleged to have met in secret in the private dining rooms of upscale Manhattan restaurants, talking about how to deal with Amazon. Read On
Barnes & Noble: If You Want Competition, Compete!
Featured, Homepage Sub, Latest •
David Gaughran •
Mar 14, 2012
“If Barnes & Noble want to truly compete with Amazon, they need to stop tilting things in favor of their friends in Manhattan. They need to stop treating self-published work with disdain, and, it must be said, their customers.” Read On
Franzen, E-books & Bathtubs
Columns, David Gaughran, Homepage Sub •
David Gaughran •
Feb 16, 2012
It seems it has become fashionable in certain circles to have a pop at e-books and e-readers. I’ve been noting the trend with some amusement, but had decided it wasn’t worth responding. That is, until Jonathan Franzen’s recent comments. Read On
Stories Don’t Need “Enhancements”
Columns, David Gaughran, Homepage Sub •
David Gaughran •
Feb 02, 2012
Readers want to lose themselves in a novel, not be dragged out of the story by superfluous bells-and-whistles which can only detract from that immersive experience they crave. Read On
