One of the most interesting of many interesting launches at London Book Fair was the UK version of Swedish publisher Bonnier’s Type&Tell, a new self-publishing platform that offers authors a range of publishing services. Publishers have tried this before, most notably Author Solutions which was briefly owned by Penguin and notoriously sued for ‘deceptive practices’. It had a reputation for fleecing authors, exploiting their fervent desire not only to be published but to be associated with such a prestigious name.
But Type&Tell appears rather different, with a much wider and more flexible range of services, and a customer base that encompasses other publishers as well as authors (which indicates the pricing is realistic) and interesting possibliities such as translations and audio books, both big and currently under-exploited opportunities for indie authors.
I’m all for it: new models, new opportunities, new partnerships – bring them on. There’s never been a better time to be writing, or publishing.