Friday Morning Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast (S/o/S)

Somehow I find myself back to photo stock. What are the odds? Let me reiterate for you POD folks (or any author, for that matter): shoot your own cover. Or purchase an image that will be retired. Or have it shot by a pro. Or have it shot by a friend who hopefully has some graphic design skills. But generic photo stock is risky. And usually cheesy.

Another case in point (after the Max Barry incident): The cover of John D. Moore's CONFUSING LOVE WITH OBSESSION is incredibly similar (c'mon, it's the same image) to the CD cover of this bizarre "guitar pickin'" version of various John Mayer songs. I checked the release dates to see who was first and, sure enough, guitar pickin' dude won by a few months--and admittedly has a better cover.

Sorry, turns out your body wasn't a wonderland after all. I was merely obsessed.
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And here is some fun stuff (for everyone but me): a random, quick sampling of ten POD titles currently performing better than your Girl on Amazon (I'm wearing a blue 12,922 today.)

A PLEASANT SHADE OF GRAY by Anthony Cancelliere (iUniverse) - 12,401
ABU GHRAIB by Michael Cannon Jr. (Xulon) - 12,317
COOKIN' FOR LOVE by Sharon Boorstin (iUniverse) - 12,130 (good for you, Sharon.)
BELLIGERANCE AND DEBAUCHERY by Tucker Max (Lulu) - 10,007
THE 45-SECOND PRESENTATION THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE by Don Failla (Authorhouse) - 8,455
BEDTIME STORIES FOR WOMEN by Nancy Madore (Llumina) - 5,889
THE NEPHILIM AND THE PYRAMID OF THE APOCALYPSE by Patrick Heron (Xulon) - 5,423
ALMOST HOME by Damien Nichols (iUniverse) - 917
RAW FOODS FOR BUSY PEOPLE by Jordan Maerin (Lulu) - 773
HOW TO UPSET A GOLIATH BOOK BIZ by Willem Meiners (PublishAmerica) - 1 (with a bullet!)
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Got nothing to do today at noon? You can always check out the PODCast over at WBJB radio. It turns out that, each Friday, they run an "on air" discussion of the self-publishing world. Truth is stranger than fiction. They have interviewed various pros--including iUniverse CEO Susan (don't you dare call her Suzie Q.) Driscoll. Today they are talking with Authorhouse President and CEO Bruce Smith. If we're lucky they will get the attention of that guy who upset the goliath book biz (mentioned above.)
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And, ending on a sad note, it appears that Xlibris has not had a news item in almost 2.5 years. *sniff* Poor fellas.

It seems as though (not only is the POD industry dealing with stagnation) Xlibris is fighting their own pathetic ennui. And, unlike iUniverse and Authorhouse, they haven't updated their website in over five years. Truth is, I wasn't even sure they were still in business.
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Have a safe holiday, everyone. And remember--trips/vacations are an excellent time to catch up on some great reading. Allow me to suggest any of the books listed on the right.