Self-publishing has got a big boost as leading US trade magazine Publishers Weekly has doubled the frequency of PW Select, its self-pub specialist supplement, to monthly.
PW says self-publishing is now accepted as a legitimate option for authors and the field is expanding fast but it can be an uphill battle for an author to promote and sell books.
PW Select was set up in 2011 as a quarterly before becoming a bimonthly supplement to the weekly magazine. The PW Select Report, a monthly email newsletter about self-publishing, launched this August. Now PW Select is going monthly from October, expanding coverage and reviews of self-published books.
PW Select edtor Adam Boretz, who is also Publishers Weekly reviews editor, says, “The interest in self-publishing continues to grow. Self-published authors are looking to promote and sell their books and, with PW Select’s expansion, along with new columns, features and programs, self-published authors will have more options to get noticed.”
He adds that PW Select does not accept payment for book reviews. Each book selected for review is assessed independently by Publishers Weekly’s editorial reviews staff.
PW’s book reviews are the core of the weekly magazine and have a great reputation among librarians, booksellers and others who rely on advance reviews to discover and evaluate new books. A good PW advance review, particularly a starred review, can fuel a major media push.
PW Select lists and reviews self-published books and aims to continue publishing 25-30 reviews per issue.
Forthcoming editorial features planned for PW Select include Success Stories: how-to articles that address the nuts and bolts of self-publishing books, trends in self-publishing and Smashwords’ bestseller lists of self-published books.
Self-published authors can take part in PW Select paid programmes, including listings in PW Select and the opportunity to have books selected for review, membership in the self-publishing organization BookWorks; and an option to publish ebooks with Vook. PW has partnership agreements with BookWorks and Vook.
PW Select advertisers mainly comprise the bigger companies in the field plus many businesses that offer services for writers and self-published authors, such as editing, cover design and publicity.
“Publishers Weekly has embraced the self-publishing phenomenon,” says Jim Milliot, co-editorial director of Publishers Weekly. “As self-publishers become more sophisticated in navigating the terrain, they will need even more advice, information and services to continue writing, publishing and selling their books.”
PW Select is due out on October 14. You can get the print edition for $5.99 at bookstores and newsstands or the digital edition for $8 through Zinio