Derek Haines

Derek is an experienced English teacher, writer, and author with a passion for grammar, creative writing, and all forms of publishing. He also enjoys experimenting with technology and tools for writers.

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Scam Agents and Publishing Sharks

New Authors Beware Of Scam Agents And Publishing Sharks

Beware of expensive vanity publishers and scam agents who prey on new authors. Publishing a book today is easy with free online self-publishing services. Some are not entirely free, but most are very cheap. However, this low-cost simplicity has made it a goldmine for shady agents and predatory publishers to mislead new authors trying to…

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Spend Wisely To Promote Your Book

Do You Spend Money On Book Marketing To Promote Your Books?

Every business, whether large, small, or sideline, has expenses. One of the essential costs for authors and publishers is to spend money on book marketing. The only problem is deciding how to spend your money wisely to promote your book. It doesn’t need to be a hefty sum. But relying on success coming to you for…

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Exclusivity Or Open Publishing

Smashwords vs Amazon KDP Select Exclusive Self-Publishing

There is a lot of discussion about Smashwords vs. Amazon KDP Select exclusivity, especially among indie authors. A blog post by Mark Coker from Smashwords sparked a debate about the pros and cons of open publishing versus Amazon KDP Select exclusivity. It is well worth reading and especially the comments on his post. Amazon exclusivity…

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Writing Income Can Be More Than Self-Publishing Fiction

Writing Income Can Be More Than Self-Publishing Fiction

When you think about income from writing, many writers would say writing and self-publishing fiction is the way to go. It’s natural because publishing books on Amazon KDP or Draft2Digital is relatively easy. Of course, nonfiction self-publishing, such as self-help books, memoirs, and biographies, is also popular. While self-publishing has its pros and cons, it…

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International Self Publishing Author Hurdles

Tax And Book Royalty Hurdles For Non-US Authors

If you are not a US author, self-publishing has some impediments to jump before you can receive your book royalties in full. You certainly need to check the Amazon tax information for non-US authors. International self-publishing requires overcoming several financial, legal, and logistical obstacles before you can expect to make money from ebook and book…

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Promote Your Ebooks Without Social Media

Promoting Books On Amazon Without Using Social Media

Social media is often ineffective in promoting books on Amazon. Using social media such as Facebook and Twitter to help advertise books and ebooks is extremely time-consuming. From my experience, social media is becoming less effective in increasing book sales. When I started using Twitter (X) and Facebook in 2010, there was definitely some benefit.…

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