Bologna trends: people want middle grade. They want funny middle grade. MIDDLE GRADE IS BACK. #bbf14
— Ginger Clark (@Ginger_Clark) March 24, 2014
This week in the publishing blogosphere the news has been about what everyone should be doing...
because the publishing world has shifted again,
because the next big thing is right around the corner,
because the Bologna Book Fair is on,
because the world has changed.
In my Twitter feed this morning was an announcement that Diesel e-books was shutting down after 10 years of indie publishing however new
startups are happening all the time and another to hit the starting blocks
tomorrow is this new subscription model.
While this is happening Digital Book World is talking up
that Apple is now the second largest book store...what does that mean in
reality?
Passive Guy shares a rant that got everyone talking this
week about what Penguin Random (or Random Penguin) isn’t doing and what they should be...Read the comments they are all entertaining.
Mike Shatzkin followed this up with his very pointed summary of what the Big Publishers should be doing and aren’t (this could be helpful
with your own promotion...once you get over the comment of don’t read the book
to find the metadata tags...)
This must read post from Elisabeth Spann Craig looks at her experiments with hybrid publishing and the very real questions she has about
continuing down that road. Elisabeth has been blogging about her journey over
the last year and it is a very honest look at the realities of publishing now
for a writer with a traditional back list.
That happy block quote at the top came from Agent Ginger
Clark who hit the Bologna ground running, her appointment book already full
before she got there.
Publishers Weekly gives the low down on what are the biggest
sellers... requests...talk ups at the Worlds largest Children’s Book Fair.
Book Fairs are tricky beasts for authors... It is all about deals...principally foreign rights and authors don’t usually negotiate these...here is where Agents earn their money. However if you were thinking about translating...Susan Kaye Quinn has just done it in an interesting Indie move and she has a great post about how she did it.
Jody Hedlund looks at the value of agents and the difficulties of hunting for a new one.
Because the world is changing and writers have to hang in
there,
Bob Mayer has an article on the true grit you need to be a
writer and K M Weiland has one on the five motivations of the writer.
Chuck has a rant on his answers to common writing questions... (pro writers will laugh)- usual warnings apply.
Meg Rosoff also has a heartfelt post on what keeps you from writing, which can also fuel you... (especially good post for those of you who
juggle many things before writing.)
The wonderful Catherine Ryan Howard has a rant about contact details on writer’s websites...coz she just may have a deal for you and how can
she get hold of you...(this reminds me to check my writing email inbox.) and
Fastcompany shares the best PR advice, which writers should think about.
In the Craft section, you should be doing...
Y A High Fantasy – How to do it (only if it’s your thing)
and How to create names for it.
Road trips – How to take readers on one and How to write active settings (great post!)
Author Voice – How you can find it and How you can use it to keep your readers up all night
Writing fast – How you can do it faster and The tools you need to help you get there. (great post on Scrivener)
In the Marketing Section, You should be....
Learning from the worlds best marketers...(great post!)
To Finish,
In the end all the writer has is their own creativity and a
willingness to get out there and just create, so here is the 18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently because that’s what writers do.
