Gone are the days when only the 'real authors' published books. Anyone other than established authors and University professors could only really be fans and consumers of books.  Back then, most of us knew of someone who had diligently spent a good few years writing (and then editing) their very special book, only to receive dozens of rejection letters from traditional publishers.  Nowadays, of course, seemingly everyone is either already an author or has a "book inside them" and as a result, there are a great deal of very average books stacked up in garages around the world, never having seen the light of day. This is a shame. Just because we now have access to an affordable book publishing service, doesn't mean that we should all gather various paragraphs of writing stored in folders on our laptops, haphazardly put them together and then send it off to a self publisher, and denying the opportunities for Print On Demand and Ebook di...

A common myth is that only writers or authors can produce a book. In other words, if you are a respected scientist and decide to publish a book about a ground-breaking concept that you have discovered, it is not possible unless you also happen to be a great writer. However, like any other skill, some people are adept at writing and others are better off "sticking to their day job." And then, of course, writing it is just the beginning. Everything else that is required just adds to the overwhelm; including creating unique book cover designs, how to go about book typesetting, and finally, of course, sourcing affordable book publishing. So what does this mean for all the other respected professionals, and indeed anyone with an interesting story to tell? Do they then just miss out on the opportunity to publish a book? Maybe you actually can do a half decent job at writing: You may have already published a couple of books that have been well received in their cate...

I am sure we can all relate to those days when we set out with the best intentions; a full day of uninterrupted writing time. The coffee has been made and accompanies you at your desk. The cat and dog are sleeping beside your feet. Your mobile phone is on flight mode, and you have even gone to the trouble of preparing a bowl of healthy nuts and some fruit to keep your energy levels up as the morning, and your manuscript, progresses. Before you know it, you have been sitting behind your laptop for a good three or four hours. You have made excellent progress on the snacks, and have enjoyed a third cup of coffee. You are also up to date with the local, and national news, having checked out your favourite news site, as per your morning routine. You have also made your way through all new emails, and carefully unsubscribed from all the unnecessary newsletters and announcements blinking at you from your inbox.  You have also been very productive with online banking, paying ...

The business world has changed in multiple ways, largely because of the introduction and growth of the World Wide Web. Just as other industries have evolved, so too has the publishing industry. Published books are no longer available to a select few authors; nowadays, almost anybody can have their book published for the right amount of money. However, ease of access doesn't necessarily make publishing a book a good business decision. Just as your own book and expert author status could catapult your business into the stratosphere of success; it also has the potential to cause your business to come crashing down. The World Wide Web has opened our eyes to a Universe of possibilities. Whereas, before we may have stayed in one chosen career our whole lives, now entrepreneurs have their hands in multiple cookie jars, all at the same time. Publishing is one area that was opened up to entrepreneurs and business leaders, who realised that publishing their own book would raise...