Kris and I Killed Many a Good Brand… I got two different emails suggesting that it was hard to believe that business-focused writers like us could kill brands. “Must have been pretty minor brands.” Well, we can and we did. And like many writers, we only saw the real value in hindsight. For example, in 1987 I was offered a small press by the name of Axolotl. It was in financial problems and had promised a book and taken money on the book from readers, so we bought the press and got out the book and then we promptly changed the focus of the press to original science fiction novellas,…

Indie Publishers Kill Brands All the Time… Indie publishers will spend all the time and money to build up a brand, then let it just coast until dead. Why? Numbers and numbers of reasons… Here are just a few. — Indie publishers have zero idea what they are creating when they publish books and stories. — Indie publishers seldom even understand copyright, let alone brands and trademarks.  — Indie publishers just don’t care unless it helps them make a few extra sales on some Amazon measure.  — Indie publishers seldom understand licensing or what a brand might get the publisher in yearly financial return. Thus indie publishers don’t often know…