Tools and Services
The Internet Archive and traditional publishers come to a proposed agreement
The Internet Archive has long scanned print works then lent them as ebooks through its website.
Prosecraft shut down by its creator after author outrage
Computer scientist and computational linguist Benji Smith took down his site Prosecraft after authors expressed outrage at its existence.
New USPS shipping service: USPS Ground Advantage
For authors and publishers who don’t use USPS Media Mail, USPS has a new shipping service that replaces first-class packages.
Draft2Digital Establishes Author Success Division
D2D is dipping its toes into paid services for authors.
Top AI Tools for Writing, Reviewed by an Author
To be effective, storybuilding AI requires careful and high-quality input from writers.
New promo stacking service at Written Word Media
Written Word Media, a book marketing service primarily for authors, now offers promo stacks to help schedule and run book promotions.
Scribe Media in turmoil
Apparently, Scribe’s assets are in the process of being sold off, although a buyer has not yet been determined.
A New Subscription Platform Designed Just for Authors
Ream recently moved out of beta and is open to any author who wishes to join.
Shepherd now has genre filters
Book discovery site Shepherd (see our 2022 coverage) has rolled out new features that make searching for recommendations easier. You
Free summit on subscriptions for authors
If you want to learn how to earn money selling subscriptions direct to reader, the folks at Ream are hosting a three-day summit May 5–7.
IBPA launches PubSpot, a new online resource for authors and publishers
PubSpot gathers all the educational content that IBPA has produced—articles, webinars, podcasts—and puts it in one spot.
Draft2Digital print program is now open to all
Draft2Digital is now opening up its print-on-demand service, which is powered behind the scenes by Ingram, to all authors.
BookBub Advertising: Principles for Success
Testing and targeting can make or break your BookBub ad.
New tool for self-publishing authors: Amazon attribution links
Indie author Nicholas Erik calls it “nothing short of a marketing gamechanger.”
Ingram shuts down Aerio
Aerio allowed anyone anywhere to immediately become an online bookseller at no cost, using the power of Ingram to fulfill orders.
IMHO: Hive, Post, and Pretty Much Whatever Else Arises
When considering alternatives to Twitter, there’s more to keep in mind than simply what’s new or popular.
ChatGPT is the talk of the town
OpenAI, the research laboratory responsible for GPT-3, recently debuted ChatGPT, a general-purpose chatbot that uses GPT-3.5.
Draft2Digital authors can now sell in the Smashwords store
To get started, Draft2Digital authors need only login to their account.
Linktree rolls out Payment Lock (still in beta)
The new feature, for pro tier users only, allows you to turn any story, photo, or video file into something people have to pay for online.
A Very Early Look at Mastodon
Mastodon is becoming a popular choice for those leaving Twitter as well as those seeking conversation and community.
BookFunnel launches bulk delivery
BookFunnel has long been a popular service for authors wishing to distribute digital review copies or giveaways to individuals.
Patreon Works for Writers Willing to Hustle
Successfully building a community of patrons and maintaining it can result in a quality-of-life income boost for authors.
IBPA Updates Its Hybrid Publishing Criteria
While the IBPA doesn’t currently vet member publishers, authors are encouraged to reach out with questions.
