August 09, 2006
Best sellers
It may be a cliche, but sex sells - at least that's the case this month at PABD.
Top sellers include Consensual Spanking by Jules Markham and Dogging by Abby (popular in the States, who knew!)
Posted by Suzanne at 09:15 AM | Comments (0)
August 01, 2006
Available soon
We're pleased to announce that three new titles will be available next week, two works of fiction and a travel book about the Czech Republic, as usual these books can be ordered through Amazon.
The Elephant's Nest by Michael Knell
Touching Velvet by Max Boyle
and Double Dealing by Harry Gardiner
Michael will also be republishing his book "Forces of Grey" through PABD, more news to follow regarding the publication date.
Posted by Suzanne at 04:16 PM | Comments (0)
Life, love and assimilation
Kia Abdullah, author of the recently published "Life, Love and Assimilation", has been approached by the BBC regarding a radio interview.
Her book tells the story of a young asian woman growing up in London and the stuggles she faces both in and outside the home.
www.pabd.com/2006/books/kabdullah
Posted by Suzanne at 04:04 PM | Comments (0)
July 27, 2005
Free: Download The Escapist for mobile reading
James Morris The Escapist is now available in iSilo, HTML and Plucker formats. Download the book here.
Thanks to Alexander for doing the conversion.
Posted by Andreas at 06:26 AM | Comments (0)
July 26, 2005
Benjamin Franklin Awards Call for Entries
We've just received the Call for Entries for the prestigious Benjamin Franklin Awards 2006.
It's dedicated to honouring the best in publishing - and not just from the biggest publishing houses.
This year, there are 55 separate categories covering all genres of literature as well as awards for innovative marketing, book design and the fantastic 'Best new voice' awards.
The call is open to all books published through 2005. As you can imagine what a task this is likely to be, the PMA (who run the awards) are splitting the submission process. If the book was published prior to July 2005 then the submission date is August 31, 2005. If it is going to be published before December 31 2005 then your submission has to be there prior to that date.
As with most of these things, there is a small fee for submitting an application. But the kudos of just making the short list is worth it.
If you'd like a bit more information on the awards and how you could submit your book just drop us a quick mail to info@pabd.com
Posted by at 06:13 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 24, 2005
More free books
Cory Doctorow's book "Somebody comes to town, somebody leaves town", is now available for download from the Free Books section.
Posted by Andreas at 10:57 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Free Books - Update
Please take a look at the free books section of the shop. Available for download are Peter Watt's books Starfish and Maelstrom.
Peter has recently released pdf versions of both these books under the Creative Commons License.
Quill and Quire has this to say about Peter:
"Peter Watts is one of the foremost contemporary science fiction writers, a skilled craftsman with a visionary imagination firmly rooted in hard science. ... The trilogy is a must-read for even a passing science fiction fan."
Download and share away.
Posted by Andreas at 08:08 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 21, 2005
Free Books. As in free beer.
Starting immediately we're offering Personal Selling Pages to authors who wish to give away their books for free. Before you think we've lost our collective marbles, let me explain:
We're talking about e-books only here. Traffic to the PABD bookstore is increasing week on week, we're going to add a section to it called 'Free Books'. From there authors can distribute books they have written but aren't ready to publish yet, books they're holding the rights to but have published elsewhere or books they just want to get out into the market to gather feedback from their readers. You do not need to be an existing PABD customer to take advantage of this free service, we're happy to help with the distribution of any e-book as long as you own the rights to it.
To get your book included into our shop just send a mail to me. Click here.
Why should you do this? Let me quote award winning author Cory Doctorow, who is making all of his books available for free download on his website: "I've given away more than half a million digital copies of my award-winning first novel, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, and that sucker has blown through five print editions (yee-HAW!), so I'm not worried that giving away books is hurting my sales."
Please note that we currently do not offer any payment facilities for e-books. All books submitted must be available for free download.
Posted by Andreas at 11:13 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 19, 2005
Dutch bookstore orders Stereo Viewers
Keith Clatworthy's guide to stereo viewers is gaining sales momentum. We've just received a substantial order from a bookstore in Holland. Well done Keith for getting your book out there.
The marketing handbook is nearly there. We're still waiting for the last US content, but it is designed and ready to be uploaded otherwise.
Posted by Andreas at 07:58 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 17, 2005
Wil Wheaton on Getting Your Creative Work Out There
This caught my eye this morning on the excellent PigPog blog.
Slashdot has published an interview with Wil Wheaton. Wil used to be an actor on Star Trek and has since self published his book Dancing Barefoot to critical acclaim. The whole thing is well worth a read - funny, smart, and full of tips, stories and humour. He has some great comments on getting your creative stuff out there to the world.
"Create something, and release it yourself. You don’t need anyone’s permission, and the traditional rules about distribution just don’t apply anymore.
The long answer to your question is: First, create something for yourself. You asked about acting, but this applies to a book, a ‘zine, a website, a web-comic, a short film . . . whatever. Don’t wait for someone else to give you something to do, or give you permission to do it. Just create something."
Posted by Andreas at 10:14 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 15, 2005
Talking about giving books away for free
Now, I understand that the idea of giving your books away for free, for example by making them available for free download, might sound like total madness. Why should anybody actually buy your book when all they have to do is download it and read it? Won't it kill sales?
The reality is quite the opposite and more and more marketing savvy writers are catching onto this idea. PABD author Stephen Che Chillun left 100 copies of his book Butter Side Down on buses, in cafes, bars and even on park benches. The back cover directed the reader to Stephen's website where they can learn more about the author, read further writings and buy additional copies of his book.
Award winning author Cory Doctorow is making all of his books available for free download on his website. To quote Cory: "I've given away more than half a million digital copies of my award-winning first novel, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, and that sucker has blown through five print editions (yee-HAW!), so I'm not worried that giving away books is hurting my sales."
Something to think about? If you want to make your books available for free download just send me a mail and we'll add the relevant information to your personal selling pages.
Posted by Andreas at 09:35 PM | Comments (0)
Using Fiction to Sell Fiction
There's an interesting article on the Wall Street Journal website.
Alfred A. Knopf, a who are publishing Bret Easton Ellis's upcoming novel "Lunar Park", have set up a website promoting the book. For the self publishing author there are a couple of very valuable marketing hints that you might want to copy. They range from making the book freely available for download to advertising on other people's blogs.
Links:
Wall Street Journal
Book site
Posted by Andreas at 11:40 AM | Comments (0)
Ottakar's interest in PABD writer
Author James Morris is generating quite the buzz for his book The Escapist.
The latest is that Ottakar's, one of the UK's main book selling chains, have called to put in an order. More news to come on this one, so watch this space.
Posted by Andreas at 07:10 AM | Comments (0)
July 11, 2005
'The Escapist' slashdotted
James Morris book 'The Escapist' has been reviewed on slashdot.org, sparking debate not only about the book itself but also about the merits of self publishing and independent publishing.
As per usual, the slashdot crowd doesn't mince opinions or words, so be prepared for some spirited postings.
Posted by Andreas at 11:12 PM | Comments (0)
July 08, 2005
PABD, James Morris and the Creative Commons blog
We're beginning to see some serious traffic coming over from our friends at Creative Commons. That's excellent news, not just for us but also for featured author James Morris, who's book The Escapist has been selling steadily all day, mostly to readers in the US. You can buy it from his Personal Selling Page or from amazon.
Here's the kind of reader reaction he's been getting:
A reader from Ghey, UK
In a stunning display of imagination and zeitgeist, the author propels you across the planet with a willie-curdling jolt that leaves your slippers behind !
Reviewer: A reader from CHICHESTER, W SUSSEX United Kingdom
Don't ask me to explain the plot, but this novel is an hilarious, satirical romp of a page-turner that flips the shlock-sci-fi genre on its head and spits it down the back of your trousers. Read it for the one-liners alone. Set in an indeterminate future with striking similarities to our own, Morris has a warped eye for the modern zeitgest, and tweaks it until it hurts... coffee flavoured mineral water, cloned leather arm chairs. The future is now! Read this book and tell your friends, but do it soon. This is a coming cult classic and you don't want to be left behind.
Thanks for blogging about us guys, your help is much appreciated.
I added an interview with James to his personal selling page today. If you're interested here's a direct link. His ISBN is 1-905290-05-5
Posted by Andreas at 07:52 PM | Comments (0)
June 05, 2005
Secrets of University success
Richie Macefield's latest book is making it's pre-launch appearance in our store.
We're pretty excited about this. Richie's last book, which was published with a conventional publisher, sold over 70,000 copies. His latest effort is being received very well and has already attracted comments like this:
“This is a must read for students of all ages and aspirations who are about to start or are already studying at University. I am privileged to have been taught the skills contained within this book by its author first hand. As a result, my module grades improved dramatically. By applying many of the book’s principles I attained a first class degree”.
Dave Buckley. Former student representative
Posted by Andreas at 02:56 PM | Comments (1)