Author Archives: Tim Lindsay

Uncategorized

Tellwell Indigenous Voices Grant: Now Accepting Applications!

Now accepting applications for 2024. July 31 deadline.

Tellwell is now accepting applications for our Indigenous Voices book publishing grant. We are seeking Indigenous authors with a book idea or manuscript who need help getting published.

Tellwell is allocating $10,000 of in-kind services towards one or two book projects. These services will cover things like writing coaching, editing, design and layout, illustrations, printing, distribution, and marketing support. The creation of the Indigenous Voices Grant was announced by Tellwell in Fall 2023.

The deadline for applying for the grant is July 31, 2024. Indigenous authors can apply by submitting a simple form at the link below.

APPLY HERE

Books can be in any genre, such as:

  • Illustrated children’s books
  • Fiction
  • Nonfiction
  • Memoir
  • Multi-author collaborations
Read More
Tellwell News

The New Self-Publishing Lexicon

Why “Vanity Publisher” Is an Outdated Misnomer

By Tim Lindsay, Founder & CEO of Tellwell

You’ve written your book! Congratulations on such a significant accomplishment. So many people start, but so few finish! Moreover, the book you’ve written is good (you don’t tell many people this, but it’s way better than you thought it would be). It’s so good, in fact, that you know you need to take the next step and find a way to publish.

If you begin researching book-publishing options online, it’s possible you’ll read about the exciting growth and accessibility of self-publishing—the “indie publishing” revolution that has democratized access to publishing. You may read about “authorpreneurs” taking control of publishing timelines, bypassing the old gatekeepers, earning higher royalty rates, and building intimate and direct relationships with readers. Exciting, right? 

But then the term “vanity publisher” also shows up in your search results, making you pause, since the term vanity carries with it pejorative connotations. Wait a second . . . should you be ashamed to self-publish? Is self-publishing “vanity publishing,” or is it legit? And if self-publishing is indeed a credible option, is it possible to get help, or must you do literally everything yourself? 

Read More
Tellwell News

A Canadian Perspective on Indie Publishing

What an incredible two years it has been since we launched Tellwell. In November of 2014, I set about writing a book aimed at freelance editors and other publishing professionals. The purpose of the book was to give editors a better understanding of the indie publishing industry and the opportunity it represents to them. I wanted to teach good editors how to connect with and help the growing number of authors choosing to self-publish.

Indeed, the self-publishing industry has grown remarkably in the past ten years. Back in 2006, about 80,000 ISBNs (the unique number for each book) were issued to authors who self-published in the U.S. Fast-forward nine years and over 700,000 ISBNs were issued in 2015 alone. That’s an 800% increase.

Three technology changes facilitated this growth: print-on-demand, ebooks, and e-commerce. All of these changes reduced distribution barriers, making it easier to sell books. But, these technology changes did not reduce the need for a good editor, a good designer, and help with marketing.

While the self-publishing industry has gotten bigger, in some respects it hasn’t gotten better. Amazingly, just five companies account for over 80% of self-published books. After working in the industry and studying the major companies closely for many years, I came to the conclusion that the industry has two serious problems.

Read More