Much has changed in the old fortress of publishing over the past twenty years (since the rise of the Internet and self-publishing). However, the biggest change we’ve seen in publishing isn’t the rise of eBooks, the evolution of self-publishing, or Amazon’s domination over traditional booksellers. It’s the fact that–regardless of where or how an author is published–the author has really become the book’s most reliable sales rep, marketing manager, publicity department, etc. Publishing nowadays requires AUTHORS to be the product, and the book sells based on how well the author performs. Every author needs to be active in both grassroots and large-scale marketing campaigns.  Goodreads.com is one of the most popular contemporary social media sites, and it’s centered solely around the… [read more]