by Tom Ashford

Welcome to the SPF Weekly Write-Up, where each Wednesday we collect together the self-publishing news of the week so you don’t have to.

This week: Killing Eve wins some BAFTAs, trad authors don’t earn enough, and a helpful guide to setting up UK Amazon Ads.

Killing Eve Wins Some BAFTAs

Yes, I know that the BBC television programme, Killing Eve, is hardly a self-published production in itself, and yes, I know that the book Killing Eve is based on (Codename Villanelle) is no longer self-published. But it was self-published originally, as four indie novellas, and it’s a nice reminder of the impact and success that self-publishing can have, regardless of which route you eventually choose to take.

For those who don’t know, BAFTA stands for British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and their awards are fairly prestigious in the UK. The adaptation of Luke Jennings’ work scored quite a few, including Best Drama Series. Not bad!

Once Again, Traditionally Published Authors Don’t Earn Enough

Who knew? Once again, a big-name news outlet has reported on the plight of the struggling traditionally published author… and once again has overlooked the considerably more profitable indie approach.

The report states that the average professional writer makes less than £10,500 a year, and that most writers have to supplement their income with other jobs (non-writing sources of income resulting in a total figure around £27,000). Whilst this is obviously a little concerning, as is the clear trend for published authors to still be white, male and living in the South East, no mention is made of the opportunities self-publishing provides. Aside from opening up the field to a much wider variety of voices from people of all walks of life, there’s clearly the potential for authors to make a lot better living than the traditional route.

You can read the original article here.

How to Set Up an Amazon UK Ads Account

That’s right – a UK Ad Account. It’s always been a lot trickier to advertise in the UK Amazon store than it has in the US, but it might have just become a little easier… at least thanks to a helpful guide from the folks at ALLi.

Here’s the link.

It seems pretty straightforward, and it’s a less competitive Ads market. Good luck!

Tom Ashford

Tom Ashford is a professional copywriter, author of numerous dark fantasy and sci-fi novels, and the Head of Content at the Self Publishing Formula Blog. His books include the Blackwater trilogy and the Checking Out series.

He lives in London with his wife, in an apartment that doesn’t allow pets. Find out more about Tom here.