Why ISBN Ownership Matters

What makes a book traditionally, self, or subsidy published? It all comes down to two things - who owns the ISBN and payment.

Let’s tackle payment first. What did the author pay for? If the author paid a company or service to do most or all, then that is subsidy publishing. If the author paid for an editor, a formatter, a cover artist, etc., then that is likely self-publishing. If the author paid nothing and will receive royalties, that is most likely traditional publishing.

But the true test lies in the ownership of the ISBN - the 13 digit number associated with every book. ISBNs are only available from one source - Bowker. The person or company that purchases the ISBNs from Bowker is the publisher on record - forever. ISBNs cannot be sold or transferred.

If the author signs with a traditional publisher, that publisher buys the ISBNs from Bowker and is listed as the publisher.

If the author buys the ISBNs directly from Bowker, that author is listed as the publisher.

If the author buys the ISBN from Smashwords or a subsidy publisher, that entity is listed as the publisher, not the author - and the author is not truly self-published.

Before you jump into the author ring, understand the differences!

For the next two months, Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. is giving away a different audio book each. Visit @DancingLemurPre on Twitter and reTweet the pinned Tweet for your chance to win. ReTweets to spread the news also appreciated.

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group welcomes new Admins, Nick Wilford and Pat Hatt.

Nick will be running the contests page.

Pat will take over @TheIWSG Twitter.

Thank you for coming on board, Nick and Pat!

#IWriteBecause, eBook Distribution, Blogging, Hero Lost, and Loss

Today at The Insecure Writer’s Support Group site: Have you ever wondered what’s involved in putting together a writing conference or book festival? Thinking of starting your own? Let author Austin Camacho tell you what’s really involved! 

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The IWSG is also helping Reedsy spread the word today about #IWriteBecause.

The graphic says it best:

EBook Distribution

Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. recently expanded with a new eBook distributor. In doing so, many of our books were updated, both in content, links, and formatting.

One thing that had been on the back burner for me was updating my own How to Publish and Promote Your Book Now! This forced me to do so, and now the dead links and information are gone and new links are added. The updated version can be purchased here - Barnes & Noble / Amazon / Amazon UK.

12 Years of Blogging

I always seem to miss it, but April 9 is the anniversary of this blog. I started it 12 years ago after attending the Virginia Festival of the Book and hearing an author and a blog tour host discuss blogging.

Blogging has changed so much since then! When I began, there was no way to follow other blogs or show a following. Yes, GFC, which is being phased out now, didn’t even exist then. The best option was Feedburner.

Blogging has changed, but it’s still a great social networking platform and a great way to bring information and news to the world. I intend to keep this blog going for many years.

Latest Dancing Lemur Press LLC Release

Hero Lost: Mysteries of Death and Life
An Insecure Writer’s Support Group Anthology

Find at Goodreads
Purchase print at Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Books-A-Million
Purchase eBook at Barnes & Noble / iTunes / Kobo / Amazon / Amazon UK / Amazon CA




I’m so very proud of these writers and the wonderful stories they created!

Loss

Finally, and I hate to end on a sad note, but as those of you who follow me on Facebook saw on April 29 - we had to put our dear, sweet baby girl to sleep. Rocko truly was Mama’s Little Kitty.

Rocko and Spunky came to us in the fall of 2005. The vet estimated their age at four months, which placed their birth about the time we lost Calvin. So we gave them the birthday of July 18, 2005, the day after. (Hobbes was with us for one more year.)

Sadly, we lost Spunky to cancer in 2015.

Rocko was our “special needs kitty” and had some behavior issues. For that reason, I always joked that she would live to 20 just to drive us crazy.

Her yearly check up was perfect. Yet a month later, something was wrong, and I took her back to the vet for a full blood test. It revealed that she had early symptoms of kidney disease and hypertension. We started special KD food and medicine for the high blood pressure. Five days later, she became very lethargic and wasn’t eating. By the time we got her to the vet, she was blind. After that, she refused to eat and became very agitated and unhappy. Her joy in life was watching the birds at the birdfeeder, and I think without that, she simply lost the will to live.

For the first time in 27 years, our house is devoid of cats. It’s been really, really weird and very sad. We have no children of our own, so our four fur babies were our kids - and now they are all gone. Those who don’t love animals will never understand. Those who do know the pain.

In the meantime, I am coping. If I am slow to respond, know that it is due to a lack of fur on the keyboard.

The Insecure Writer's Support Group and Hero Lost

It’s time for another edition of The Insecure Writer’s Support Group, founded by Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh.

I am posting a day early due to the IWSG anthology release.

May 3 Question: What is the weirdest/coolest thing you ever had to research for your story?

I’ve had to research a lot of things for my two non-fiction books and series of five NA fiction books.

The coolest was the research I did for Book V though. Since the main character was a new assistant coach for the Clemson Lady Tigers basketball team, I reached out to the head coach at Clemson, Cristy McKinney. She was gracious enough to answer my questions regarding the duties of a junior assistant coach and what goes on behind the scenes. I could not have written that book without her help.

By the time Book V was released, Cristy was no longer the head coach. I did manage to find her on Facebook and was able to send her a copy of The Circle of Friends: Book V...Heather.

The big news for the day is the release of the IWSG anthology!

Hero Lost
Mysteries of Death and Life
An Insecure Writer’s Support Group Anthology

Can a lost hero find redemption?

What if Death himself wanted to die? Can deliverance be found on a bloody battlefield? Could the gift of silvering become a prison for those who possessed it? Will an ancient warrior be forever the caretaker of a house of mystery?

Delving into the depths of the tortured hero, twelve authors explore the realms of fantasy in this enthralling and thought-provoking collection. Featuring the talents of Jen Chandler, L. Nahay, Renee Cheung, Roland Yeomans, Elizabeth Seckman, Olga Godim, Yvonne Ventresca, Ellen Jacobson, Sean McLachlan, Erika Beebe, Tyrean Martinson, and Sarah Foster.

Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these twelve tales will take you into the heart of heroes who have fallen from grace. Join the journey and discover a hero’s redemption!

In this marvelous collection of speculative fiction, we journey through twelve wonderfully written tales to find out if the tortured hero can be redeemed. - Christine Rains, author

The authors have done us a favour by all being darned good at their craft. Recommended for fantasy fans. - Gordon Long, author

Website - Lost Hero Anthology

$14.95 USA, 6x9 Trade paperback, 226 pages
Fantasy, Freedom Fox Press
Print ISBN 9781939844361 eBook ISBN 9781939844378
$4.99 EBook available in all formats

Find at Goodreads
Purchase print at Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Books-A-Million
Purchase eBook at Barnes & Noble / iTunes / Kobo / Amazon / Amazon UK / Amazon CA

What’s the most unique thing you’ve ever researched?