IndiePaper
Web and SaaS
self-publishing platform
SHOW HN2021
146points
54comments
#342of 2,533 in 2021
Top 14%of 2021 by points
How HN took it
MixedNo clear lean
5 positive, 12 neutral or asking, 1 mixed, 8 critical, out of 26 comments about the project. Thread score -0.07.
Docs: 1 for, 2 againstIdea: 2 for, 1 againstDesign: 2 for, 0 againstExecution: 0 for, 2 againstPricing: 0 for, 1 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Good concept with room in self-publishing space.
From 2 comments
This is an interesting project! There's a lot of room for improvement in the self-publishing space! I'm currently self-publishing a series of books about software development &…
dSebastien on HNAs someone that just finished an ebook[0] and went through making it a reality[1], I welcome the effort to make this step effortless. I don't think anyone really nailed this up…
strzibny on HN
Platform looks slick.
From 1 comment
The platform looks slick. Great job! - It would be nice to have a sample book or two featured on the homepage. - About print-on-demand, where is it printed and shipped from?…
knadh on HN
Objections
Copy has grammar and punctuation errors.
From 3 comments
> We know you love it, you're readers will love it too. This should probably be replaced with: "We know you'll love it, and your readers will too." Prose-minded customers might…
hardwaresofton on HN> Need to have someone professional check the copy out. Professional author here. It's a major, eye-rolling turn-off to see the grammar and punctuation errors, and to be honest,…
jawns on HNHere are a couple more things you might want to look at: - you need a comma after Hey (Hey Authors) - audiobooks are "narrated" not "dictated" - inconsistent capitalization in…
Zanni on HN
Editor is unreliable; autosave and no local caching risk data loss.
From 2 comments
> This is a preview of what the authoring experience will look like. Even though we have autosave it is advised to write your manuscript elsewhere and edit it here once finished.…
gwbas1c on HNHey, like I said, it's just the first preview version of the platform. Even though the editor auto saves every 200ms to the server, there is no local caching. So even if we lose…
aswinmohanme on HN
Solution may be unnecessary given KDP and Blurb.
From 1 comment
I think this a solution in search of a problem. Using some open source text editors these days you can print to ebook formats (ePub, etc.) and both Kindle Direct Publishing…
jamescampbell on HN
Tax handling for international sales is unclear.
From 1 comment
When I come across a service that helps indie-anyone (authors, musicians, artists), my first question, always, is: what about taxes? This is something even big services often…
sinyug on HN
Requests
Add an FAQ and sample books.
From 3 comments
The platform looks slick. Great job! - It would be nice to have a sample book or two featured on the homepage. - About print-on-demand, where is it printed and shipped from?…
knadh on HNA good approach for people who wants to start their career as a writer. I definitely recommend to put FAQ section, this will definitely help people understand and learn more…
alexdrue on HNCongratulations on getting something out there! I'm not an author myself, but the first thing I am curious about is concrete examples of ready-made books; especially if one of…
usrme on HN
Support import from Word, Markdown or AsciiDoc.
From 3 comments
9% ? I'm guessing you mean 9% of net profit, as I don't believe you can print and ship for 9%. You should specify what percent of gross sales the author actually gets, as it's…
_tom_ on HNThis is an interesting project! There's a lot of room for improvement in the self-publishing space! I'm currently self-publishing a series of books about software development &…
dSebastien on HNThanks for the support! I still haven't decided on what input format I should be using, most authors are familiar with a WYSIWYG style editor, but technical authors are more…
aswinmohanme on HN
Export manuscripts.
From 1 comment
> This is a preview of what the authoring experience will look like. Even though we have autosave it is advised to write your manuscript elsewhere and edit it here once finished.…
gwbas1c on HN
Questions
Where are books printed and shipped from?
From 1 comment
The platform looks slick. Great job! - It would be nice to have a sample book or two featured on the homepage. - About print-on-demand, where is it printed and shipped from?…
knadh on HN
What binding options are available?
From 1 comment
So it's like DriveThruRPG but with higher fees and automatic layout. I like the concept. What binding options are available?
bovermyer on HN
Will technical books with code snippets be supported?
From 1 comment
As someone that just finished an ebook[0] and went through making it a reality[1], I welcome the effort to make this step effortless. I don't think anyone really nailed this up…
strzibny on HN
Alternatives named
Kindle Direct Publishing and Blurb
From 1 comment
I think this a solution in search of a problem. Using some open source text editors these days you can print to ebook formats (ePub, etc.) and both Kindle Direct Publishing…
jamescampbell on HN
DriveThruRPG
From 1 comment
So it's like DriveThruRPG but with higher fees and automatic layout. I like the concept. What binding options are available?
bovermyer on HN
Packt
From 1 comment
This is an interesting project! There's a lot of room for improvement in the self-publishing space! I'm currently self-publishing a series of books about software development &…
dSebastien on HN