I just came across this:

http://kriswrites.com/business-rusch-publishing-articles/the-business-rusch-publishing-series/

which I'm finding a fascinating intro into some aspects of the publishing industry that I haven't come across so far (but I'm a newbie so I probably haven't come across most of it) but particularly, some unexpected and interesting stuff on the self-publishing of ebooks and its impact on the industry as a whole, including what it means for writers and particularly the midlist.

It has some very interesting stuff on scams that are starting up as people move in to try to exploit authors who are self-publishing and not used to dealing with aspects of the business other than writing.

I thought this was of wider interest than just the self-publishing group so thought I'd bung it on the forum.

I've often said on here that Kris Rusch is someone worth taking seriously. She's always operated from a strong sense that you have to be responsible for your own career. She and her husband, Dean, often get knocked for bashing at writers' tendency to want to be looked after, of relying on agents, and so on. But for me most of what they say makes a good deal of sense, and bears out my experiences with publishing (even if I wasn't aware of it at the time).

If there's any way you can ever get to one of Kris's workshops in Oregon, you won't regret it. It will move you forwards in huge leaps, both in terms of craft and getting your business head together.

Thanks, Terry. I could do with being moved forward in huge leaps at the moment.

I'm reading all of her posts on the publishing industry - I'm on about the seventh now. Fascinating stuff for a newbie, especially, but I have the impression from what she writes that a lot of writers aren't familiar with the business side of the industry and stand to get ripped off (even more) as things change rapidly in the next few years.

When I went to Kris and Dean's masterclass in 2008, part of the reason was because I knew my grasp on the business side of writing was pretty shaky, to the say the least. Once there, I found out it was virtually non-existent! It's probably the same in most of the arts, but a lot of writers are hopeless with business. Which is one of the reasons agents became so powerful, I think. But you're right, now is the time to start becoming more responsible. It's rather odd, at one level, that so many writers are still chasing a deal with a publisher and looking for an agent, seemingly oblivious to the fact that any contract they get is probably going to be a lot less generous than they probably expect. More and more senior writers are turning down publishers' contracts and going it alone.

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Just heard a rumour that Kris and Dean are going to start some online workshops in October, including one on pitches and blurbs.

True about arts people and business, I think. An artist friend of mine went on HMRC's free one-day course on tax for the self-employed and he said that the tutor said, "If you remember only one thing from today, remember to collect all your receipts and put them in a shoebox." I asked my friend what else the tutor had said and my friend said that he had had a massive lapse of attention after that, which lasted for the rest of the day and that that was all he could remember.