Signed John McCain Books Found to be Fakes

The stories in the book may be real, but John McCain's signature on some copies of "Faith of My Fathers" are not the real deal, according to a publisher of autographed and collectible books.

Tim Miller, founder of FlatSigned Press, a Nashville-based publishing company specializing in rare and collectible books, says he purchased books that claimed to have an authentic McCain signature and sent them to a New York City auction house to be resold. But instead, an expert there determined the signatures were likely done by a secretary and not the presidential candidate.

Miller says it surprised him because signed books up until recently were being sold on Sen. McCain's campaign Web site at a premium price.

"This one auction house and others just discovered yesterday that they have unwittingly been selling secretarial-signed John McCain books for months and now they must do the very embarrassing and financially hurtful steps of letting their customers know that they had been wrong when they had previously sold ‘signed' John McCain books as being hand-signed by the presidential candidate," says Miller.

Miller says it's not unheard of for secretaries or other subordinates to sign books instead of the famous politician author. But he says it is unusual for someone to sell "signed" books at a premium when they are not authentic which it appears is what the McCain campaign was doing.

The campaign has since removed the ‘autographed' book from its Web site.

Miller says fake autographs undermine and even threaten what is now a $1-billion industry.

"In this economy you don't want to harm any sector of the economy," says Miller. "We in the industry feel the pain when fakes are presented as authentic."

Source Web Site: http://www.flatsigned.com/

From zero to business hero with Publisher's twelve week book challenge

Co-operative publishing house Ecademy Press has set business owners across the globe the challenge to get their book from manuscript to reality in just twelve weeks and for less than the price of a typical full page advert. With businesses continuing to feel the impact of the credit crunch, "many will have overlooked the positive impact that being a published author can have on their long term credibility and ability to gain valuable market share", suggests Andy Coote, co-founder of Ecademy Press.

According to Coote, many businesses will now be revising their marketing and communications strategy in order to survive the downturned economy, with a large number looking to increase their advertising spend in order to raise brand awareness as others fall by the wayside.

However, this may not be the only way to achieve success in the long term and Coote believes that their valuable marketing budget could be put to much better use through writing and publishing a book, which could be in print within the same time frame as placing an advert in a magazine.

"Many publications have extremely long lead times and so businesses may have to wait several months before they see any return on their advertising expenditure. When you consider that you can publish a book in the same time frame and for a similar price, it is astounding that more businesses aren't turning their efforts to getting their message out to their audience through publishing a good and credible book," explains Coote, who founded Ecademy Press with internationally acclaimed 'Book Midwife' Mindy Gibbins-Klein.

"Being the author of a business book gives you credibility in your field, whether you are the CEO of a large multinational company or a self employed consultant. It can be used as a promotional giveaway at exhibitions or sold to attendees at a business seminar and you can be sure that it will be kept for longer than an issue of a magazine which carries the single advert you just paid thousands for," adds Coote.

There are many other positive aspects to directing the marketing budget into publishing a book, including the fact the Print on Demand publishing reduces waste as books are printed exactly in line with demand.

"Many of our authors have been astounded at how fast, simple and cost effective it is to get their book into print - and on to online sites like Amazon. And the great thing about a book is that business owners, consultants and specialists across all sectors can create a lasting legacy that will help them carry their business and their brand not just through this turbulent time but for many years to come," adds Coote.

Website: http://www.ecademy-press.com/

New Website Brings Multimedia Publishing Made Simple

UK website launched today delivers anyone the power to publish online multimedia documents that include video, audio and flash - easily and instantly. YUDU (http://www.yudu.com) also seeks to become a leading global marketplace selling ebooks, documents and other media: one that brings together creators and their audiences, to share, buy and sell their content globally.

Today's BETA launch of the new YUDU site is also the latest evidence that digital publishing as a whole is reaching a tipping point of mass adoption.

"YUDU gives anyone the power to publish, share and sell online," says Richard Stephenson, CEO of YUDU. But it's not just another document-sharing site. "It should appeal particularly to creative individuals and professionals who want to produce quality ePublications and monetize their creativity." It also offers exceptional value to small businesses wanting to place their publications and video-docs online for marketing purposes.

"The new site," adds Stephenson, "Takes the technology developed for our award-winning professional publishing system and offers it in a site that is free, intuitive, simple to use and delivers your publication online in minutes."

The sharing aspect of the new site works like a video- or photo-sharing site but with documents at its core. It lets you upload your own publications and view other people's. Users can publish multimedia brochures, magazines, catalogues and books, plus photos, video-docs, music, podcasts, and visual bookmarks for websites; and to add and organise them in their own personal YUDU library - for sharing, selling or just their own private reference.

Users who do not wish to publish themselves can still earn money on YUDU from referral sales, by embedding content onto external websites and blogs. Any sales made by new visitors who are attracted to the site to buy will pay out referral commissions.

Five Self-Published Authors Earn Over $50,000 in Royalties

Outskirts Press, the fastest-growing full-service self-publishing company, announced that its top-five earning authors combined to gross over $50,000 in royalties in the second quarter of 2008. This is on the heels of a first quarter in which five Outskirts Press authors combined to gross over $75,000.

"Three of our top-five earning authors are different from the first quarter," stated Outskirts Press CEO Brent Sampson. "This demonstrates that not only does Outskirts Press produce bestselling books month after month, but that any author's book holds the potential for incredible success when published through Outskirts Press."

What increases an author's chances for success?

Write a good book and have it professionally edited. No amount of marketing muscle can overcome a poorly written or edited book. Authors with Outskirts Press take care of the writing responsibilities, and then have the option of partaking in optional copyediting service for the finishing touch.

Don't cut corners on the cover. Your front cover has three seconds to attract a buyer's attention. And since the majority of self-published books are sold on retail websites like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, the cover is more important than ever. Just ask Bob Seldon, a top-five author, whose book, What To Do When You Become The Boss (ISBN 9781432714284), features a custom cover from Outskirts Press. "I had my own initial design which I thought was pretty good," stated Mr. Seldon. "However, the custom cover designer at Outskirts Press played with my original concept in a way I had not thought of. The result is a striking cover that really stands out amongst similar type books in the management genre."

Promote your book! Your destiny is in your hands and no one else's. Just ask Frank P. Stiles, top-five author of Evil Brothers (ISBN 9781432710422). "I have given over thirty talks to various organizations since February. My book is in all the local libraries and I have been invited to a big book sale in Monroe, Michigan. Only thirty authors were invited from Ohio and Michigan."

And that's just for starters. Marketing support like the exclusive Marketing Coach provides Outskirts Press Diamond authors with promotion advice and marketing suggestions via email for years after publication. Four out of the five top-earning authors in the second quarter published with the Diamond package.

"In this day and age of print-on-demand, people are discovering that any old company can print a book," states Sampson. "But what good is that? Successful writers are separating themselves from the pack by publishing their book with Outskirts Press, a full-service, custom publishing company that provides authors with support before, during, and after publication."

Website: http://outskirtspress.com/

2008 Trends in Publishing Online by Lance Winslow

There are so many ways that allow authors and writers to put their work online now that it seems we have entered a whole new era in self expression. Even folks who many not have even ever considered writing a book or anything of that nature are getting their starts blogging, posting poetry, participating on forums and even writing and posting articles online. Better yet with the increase ability of word processing programs folks are even considering self-publishing an eBook or two.

The best part about this is the cost is nominal and they can concentrate on creating their work or telling their story rather than trying to chase down a publisher or go between. And even if their work is not perfect, it's a start and the more they do the better they get. Putting in pictures, formatting, and using templates is all something a new writer can learn quickly. Then they can publish in a .pdf file and post it onto the Internet for all to see.

In fact, there are websites online that allow authors and writers to post their poetry, articles, pictures, stories, essays, and even eBooks. Each sector has its niche players and some are quite substantial. One online article submission site has over 100,000 authors, many of whom are completely new to the writing scene. The online publishing trend is growing and we are noticing that the human race has a whole lot of information and insight still waiting to be collected and so this trend continues and there is no stopping it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
"Lance Winslow" - Online Blog Content Service. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/.

Ghost in the Machine Podcast Welcomes Editors Lou Anders and Alethea Kontis

Lou Anders talks with Gail Z. Martin about his latest books and the state of the sci-fi and fantasy industry, and Alethea Kontis shares her thoughts on books, editing and what makes a great story.

Ghost in the Machine features bi-weekly audio interviews with science fiction, fantasy and paranormal authors on topics of interest and controversy. Podcasts are available via RSS (http://gzmartin.audioacrobat.com/rss/gailzmartinpodcast.xml). Archived podcasts can be download from iTunes and on http://www.chroniclesofthenecromancer.com/.

Gail Z. Martin is the author of The Summoner and The Blood King in the Chronicles of the Necromancer series, published by Solaris Books. Learn more at http://www.chroniclesofthenecromancer.com/

Download Gail's new ebook "154 Power-Packed PR and Marketing Tips" for free at
http://www.dreamspinnercommunications.com/page/page/5319972.htm

E-Books & Electronic Publishing Drive Growth in the World Publishing Industry

Internet, e-books, electronic editing, and emergence of online subscription business models have all irreversibly changed the publishing landscape. Technology innovation has helped publishers save time and money, and has afforded the flexibility to publish any type of information at the earliest with lesser turnaround time and minimal costs. Emergence of electronic commerce, and the ensuing efforts to digitalize publication has expedited the process of publishing virtually any kind of publishing material from newspapers to databases, in addition to reduction in cost of binding, distribution, printing, shipping and warehousing. On-line publishing is gaining in importance given the potential of this platform to reach wider audiences throughout the world.

Key factors wielding an influence on the world publishing market include favorable economic conditions, lifestyle trends, population growth, purchasing power, ethnic diversity and age composition, education standards, and foreign trade. Electronic publishing or on-line publishing is the fast catching popular medium for publishing books, newspapers, magazines, and other types of publications. There has been rising interest in the field of CD-Rom publishing with increasing number of publishers offering the CD-Rom version that enables convenient storage, search and retrieval. Due to the rising acceptance of on-line publications, several key magazines, local newspapers, regional newspaper and wire services have started offering on-line services.

The global publishing industry is highly fragmented with large numbers of publishers jostling for a foothold in the market. Besides commercial publishers, the publishing industry also comprises of non-profit publishers, university presses, and scholarly associations. In an attempt to retain global competitiveness, big publishing houses are seeking opportunities to achieve synergies in their operations through acquisitions and consolidation. Time Warner, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Random House and Penguin dominate the book-publishing market while Reed Elsevier, Thomson Corp, Wolters Kluwer, and McGraw-Hill take the lead in the professional publishing market. Reader's Digest Association and Time Warner represent popular publishers of magazines while lulu.com, xlibris.com, authorhouse.com, and upublish.com offer latest in dot.com publishing.

The United States and Europe dominate the global publishing industry. Book publishing market in the US is witnessing an upward trend and is expected to sustain growth in imminent years. Sales of elementary/secondary education and higher education books are expected to grow at a moderate rate in the coming years. Paperbacks and hardcover sales are also expected to increase across all the segments including adult trade, juvenile trade, and mass market. The scientific publishing market is composed of books, journals, and databases, and between the three, the share of journals continues to grow, while that of books and databases is stable.

Emergence of newer forms of information media and entertainment has adversely affected the traditional publishing industry. Widespread use of mobile phones, the Internet and increased patronage of "new used book" stores that offer newly published books at considerably reduced prices have beset industry prospects. Internet sales have thrown in new challenges to both fixed-price sales and supplies from publishers through the distribution agencies to retail bookstores. A host of online bookstores such as Amazon.co.jp distribute books directly through the Internet. Besides, the electronic versions are available at a substantial discount as compared to the paper versions. Major players in the book-printing segment are investing in novel technologies and equipment, in order to compete with electronic media and Internet.

In conclusion, transition of book, newspaper, magazine, and journal publishers from traditional to on-line publishing is a continuing trend in the industry. Online publishing market will gain a significant competitive edge over traditional publishing based on cost competitiveness, time saving, and quick access to mass market. AuthorHouse.com, iUniverse.com, CafePress.com, and Xlibris.com are the new-age publishers offering on-demand, instant publishing of books. Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and Borders.com distribute books through the Internet.

The report titled "Publishing Industry: A Global Outlook", published by Global Industry Analysts Inc, provides a collection of statistical anecdotes, market briefs, and concise summaries of research findings. The research paper provides a condensed overview of the global market, and extensively enumerates the recent mergers, and acquisitions together with latest industry developments. The reader stands to gain an understanding of the macro picture prevalent in regional markets across the globe. Annotated with 4 market data tables, the US market is briefly summarized. Other synopsized regional markets include Canada, Mexico, Japan, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Australia, China, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Taiwan, Latin America, Argentina, Brazil, and Ecuador among others. Also included is an indexed, easy-to-refer, fact-finder directory listing the addresses, and contact details of 616 companies worldwide.

For more details about this research report, visit http://www.strategyr.com/Publishing_Industry_Market_Report.asp.