{"id":2264,"date":"2012-02-25T06:19:29","date_gmt":"2012-02-25T14:19:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orcutt.net\/weblog\/?p=2264"},"modified":"2012-02-25T06:19:29","modified_gmt":"2012-02-25T14:19:29","slug":"the-indie-authors-guide-to-the-universe-an-interview-with-jeff-bennington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orcutt.net\/weblog\/the-indie-authors-guide-to-the-universe-an-interview-with-jeff-bennington\/","title":{"rendered":"The Indie Author's Guide to the Universe: An Interview with Jeff Bennington"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Greetings, readers. Today, for the first time in the history of my blog, I’m making somebody else the focus. Today I’m going back to my roots as a newspaper reporter and interviewing Jeff Bennington, creator of The Kindle Book Review and author of a new book about the indie publishing phenomenon, The Indie Author’s Guide to the Universe<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Ever since I independently published \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0A Real Piece of Work<\/em>\u00a0late last year, I’ve been struck by how collegial and supportive the indie author\/publisher community is. For example, out of hundreds of potential reviews to run on The Kindle Book Review, Jeff chose one about my novel. Grateful for his generosity, I wanted to pay him back somehow, and so I’m running this interview.<\/p>\n

The indie author\/publisher world is a fascinating one, and as one of the world’s movers and shakers, Jeff is well qualified to talk about its current state, as well as its promising future. So, without further ado, here’s my interview with Jeff:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What inspired you to write THE INDIE AUTHOR’S GUIDE TO THE UNIVERSE<\/em>?
\n<\/strong>The inspiration to write TIAGttU came from my desire to learn from my past mistakes and share those lessons with other authors. I blogged about the lessons learned for nearly a year. I was actually surprised how thankful my readers were. I thought I was just being transparent, when in fact, I was offering useful information that writers were in desperate need of. The longer I immersed myself into the world of publishing, the more I watched other authors repeat the same mistakes over and over.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You’re the founder of The Kindle Book Review. Where did the idea for that very popular website come from?
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"
Jeff Bennington<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Kindle Book Review<\/a>\u00a0was actually created as part of my \u201cauthor platform.\u201d I also wanted to help promote other authors in my genre via cross-promotion.\u00a0What I didn\u2019t know is, the blog would transform my platform in ways I never imagined. So what started as just another blog, turned into a review site, and then into a promotional tool on a larger scale. Every day the number of visitors increased. One day we had 400, and then 450 the next and then 500 and then 525 and then 600. It\u2019s just amazing how fast it\u2019s growing. We now have about 20 reviewers and several promotional venues for any budget, including a \u201cMedia Buzz\u201d promotion that is working great. We\u2019ve teamed up with WorldLiteraryCafe.com<\/a> and DigitalBookToday.com<\/a> to make this promotion extra effective.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What is the difference, as you see it, between self-published and indie-published? What are the advantages of being an independent publisher?
\n<\/strong>Good question. I address this in the book because I don\u2019t think there is clear definition. Here\u2019s what I say in the book:<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been down the roads of self-publishing and what I call indie publishing. An indie author, in my opinion, is in complete control of their publishing project, including cover design, pricing, editing, formatting, and ownership of the ISBN. As an indie author, you report to no one but your readers.<\/p>\n

A self-publisher, as I see it, is one who contracts a pay-to-publish business such as Tate Publishing, Outskirts Press, Author House or any other service that charges to publish an author\u2019s book. I include 50\/50 publishers as well because they require the author to pay a portion of the production expenses. Sadly, after all the hype, the publisher usually owns the ISBN, ultimately controls the price, and charges ridiculous fees for the simplest of tasks. In this case, you are self-published, but you are not actually the publisher.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What is the most common mistake made by indie publishers and how can they rectify it?
\n<\/strong>I don\u2019t know if I can pinpoint one common mistake. But I think the most damaging mistake indie authors make is by refusing to pay for professional editing. What I\u2019ve seen is a mentality that says, \u201cIf I sell some books, I\u2019ll afford to pay for an editor, book cover design, and proper formatting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the opposite is true. If you invest in those elements before publishing, you\u2019ll have a better chance of selling, and a better chance of NOT killing your reputation as an author.<\/p>\n

I have a checklist I refer to when an author asks me for help. It\u2019s quite simple:<\/p>\n