For a fee of between $99 and $549, plus a cut of any sales revenue, Penguin's subsidiary Book Country (@Book_Country) will offer an array of tools — ranging from professional ebook conversion to a cover creator — to help a writer make their work available through digital book outlets and print-on-demand services.
The self-publishing venture could help Penguin discover new writers while creating an additional revenue stream.
Penguin Group (USA) has invested “a substantial amount of money” in technology to launch the new service, said Chief Executive David Shanks. “If some of these books hit the best-seller lists, it could be very successful.”
Also see Laura Hazard Owen's (@laurahazardowen) article in paidContent (@paidContent), "Self-Published Authors Sharply Criticize Penguin's Book Country."
Other self-publishing services by major publishers include WestBow Press (@WestBowPress), a division of Thomas Nelson (@ThomasNelson), CrossBooks (@CrossBooks), a division of LifeWay (@LifeWay); Dellarte Press, a division of Harlequin (@HarlequinBooks); and Balboa Press (@BalboaPress), a division of Hay House (@hayhouse). HarperCollinsPublishers (@HarperCollins) sponsors Authonomy (@authonomy), a “community of discovery where writers become authors.”
Also see Huffington Post Books’ (@HuffPostBooks) “How Will We Read: A Book by You?” where Cathy Rubin (@CMRUBINWORLD) interviews Kevin Weiss, CEO of Author Solutions (@authorsolutions), (the white label service providing the backend operations to several publishers above) about “new technologies and services that are helping more authors achieve their personal publishing goals, as well as helping traditional publishers and passionate readers discover new talent.”