Discoverability

 

This week in Publishing News…

Europe has been hit with another round of business closures as the country shuts down again in an effort to control the spread of the coronavirus. In France, the publishers are pleading with the government not to close the bookstores because it will affect the cultural life of the population. 

The Guardian reports that in the UK – online library lending was up. Apparently, everyone was turning to fiction to cope with isolation.

 

One bookstore has seen the need to give shoppers the bookstore experience while they send them to their online store. You can take a tour of the bookstore to get your virtual fix of bookstore love… It makes me want to visit this bookstore in person… what a great shop!

 

Staying with visibility in the marketplace Vietnamese publisher Ehomebooks has introduced a new global children’s book prize for an unpublished manuscript. They want to share the love with illustrators and authors who are trying to break into the industry.

 

For some publishers who thought the sky was falling six months ago… their balance sheets are not reflecting this. Bloomsbury (saved by Harry Potter in the ’90s) has seen a huge boost to their ebooks sales. Who knew there was money in them thar digital books? But interestingly the profits have spilled over to print as well.

 

Audiobooks continue to look like the next stealth battleground amongst publishers. Podcast sites (and their ability to host audiobook content) are being moved on by the likes of Spotify but this week another player entered the podcast market. IHeartMedia is bringing its considerable heft to publishers with a seismic shakeup according to The New Publishing Standard.

 

Kristine Rusch has part 3 in her series on discoverability in this new weird world we are finding ourselves in. She has a great article about thinking outside your writerly box and writing what you want to write because the publishing landscape will never go back to the way it was before. If you have been stuck in a niche now could be the time to break out. 

 

Over at Jane Freidman’s blog, Susan DeFreitas writes about what publication means. It is a great post on the wisdom of writing for yourself and the discovery that when you started on the publishing journey the core reason to do this hard, challenging, fascinating, drudgery… is the yearning to be seen.

 

Reedsy has an interesting post on Freytag’s Pyramid 5 Act Structure of the story… another way of tackling the first draft. 

 

 

In The Craft Section,

How to improve a story with action beats- Jami Gold- Bookmark

Developing an idea- Roz Morris- Bookmark

How to raise the stakes in your story- NY Book editors

Multiple points of view- Reedsy- Bookmark

Five writing mistakes- Krystal Craiker

5 ways to make your character hate you – Janice Hardy- Bookmark

In The Marketing Section,

How to find your books target audience- Miblart

5 most common mistakes in book cover design- Written Word Media- Bookmark

Favourite author marketing tools- Judith Briles- Bookmark

Maximising your author central page and 

November Unique content ideas – Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark

 

To Finish,

I came across this interesting post by K M Weiland today- On how your age affects your writing. As I was reading I was reflecting on the issues that I was interested in way back twenty-plus years ago when I started taking my writing seriously (said to myself), and what I am interested in now. Yes, your age and life stage does affect how you think about writing, and also the topics you tend to gnaw on as you write. Always keep learning about this frustrating, challenging, creative, business. 

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

Do you want the best of my bookmarked links in a handy monthly newsletter? When you subscribe you will also get a nifty mini book crammed full with marketing notes as a thank you. 

If you like the blog and want to shout me a coffee, hit the coffee button up top. I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

Pic: 

 

 

Book Identity Crisis

This week John Scalzi turned his blog over to an Icelandic writer who wrote an article about the difficulties of translating his own work. You might think it is just a standard article on translation but Alexander Vilhajalmsson was translating from old Icelandic, made up Icelandic, and new Icelandic fantasy ideas. So why am I linking to it? I was thinking about the shrinking globe effect. Bestsellers get translated and have a whole new life. Publishing houses get swallowed up by global behemoths. How does a writer stand out in a global entertainment industry? By being your authentic self apparently. 

 

Kris Rusch has the second part of her post Writing in the 21^st Century- Find your own voice… carve your own path. This is a great post about giving yourself the power to run your business your way

 

All we can know about the future of book publishing is that it won’t look the same as now.

The recession is starting to bite in publishing land. News is trickling out that Macmillan is closing their children’s imprint. Mike Shatzkin takes a look at the rumours of Penguin Random House buying Simon and Schuster- What does this mean for the shrinking trade market? How much power is in the back list? Is this the end of general trade publishing?

 

A few weeks ago, I had an article about Spotify possibly moving into the audiobook space. So here is another stealthy move by them… commentary on your playlists. I was thinking hmm how can authors use this as a marketing idea?

 

Written Word Media has a report on how reading has changed in the Covid months. (I was about to write Covid years- sigh-looking into the future) This is an interesting look at what genres got read the most. WWM run Free Booksy and Bargain Booksy Newsletters so they have a lot of data at their fingertips.

 

If you are worried about podcasts cannibalising your audiobooks – don’t be. Mark Williams of The New Publishing Standard tells why they are mutually reinforcing factors for good.

 

Paul Dinas has an interesting article on the worth of freelance editors… (Worth their weight in gold) however he ties this to the changing acquisition structures of the big publishers. Will an editor even edit your book if they accept it?

 

Ten essential tips to eliminate distractions from your writing. (A great checklist for organizing your writing time)

 

The fabulous duo of Angela and Becca have made their collection of images and tips available for NaNoWriMo so check out this fantastic resource. Don’t forget the Storybundle of Nano books. All the authors get paid and so does charity.

 

In The Craft Section,

Compassion fatigue is it relevant for your characters?- Becca Puglisi- Bookmark

Writing Synopses and trimming words- Linda Clare- Bookmark

Learning from mistakes made by big writers- Bonnie Randall

Motivation and the writing life- Elizabeth S Craig

Writing Tools for NaNoWriMo- Angela Ackerman BOOKMARK

7 ways to disguise a didn’t see it coming plot twist- Cutsceneaddict

 

In The Marketing Section,

How Can I promote my book for free- David Kudler

Author platforms – Learn from the kids- Michelle Melton Cox- Bookmark

7 mistakes to avoid when promoting on Social Media - Shayla Raquel

Smash through creative blocks- Angela And Becca 

How to Write a killer Amazon bio and Seeing the good in a Goodreads giveaway- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark both

Consider translating your work- Angela Ackerman

 

To Finish,

Recently Netcredit decided to gather the most popular books from each country into a list so that while you were stuck at home you could read around the world. It is an interesting list full of country defining books- Thornbirds anyone? Not sure I agree with the NZ one tho. I’m happy to take suggestions for the book that defines our country. Overseas readers check out your country’s suggested books Do you agree?

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

It’s nearly time for my monthly newsletter with the best of my bookmarked links. Why not subscribe and get a nifty mini book crammed full with marketing notes as a thank you. 

If you like the blog and want to shout me a coffee, hit the coffee button up top. I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

Pic: Flickr Creative Commons – Joe Shlabotnik

 

Reframing The Writing Business

 

It is Book Fair time… online. Frankfurt is underway with over 4000 digital exhibitors. Trying to wrap your head around that is hard but luckily Publishing Perspectives has got your back and is publishing lots of articles from the Fair.  They have a quick rundown on the International Publishers Association - State of Publishing reports. This is a comprehensive series from Norway looking at the future of publishing against 7 norms. 

 

Every year around Book Fair time The Alliance of Independent Authors holds their 24 hour online conference. This year the themes is tools. Check out the lineup and carve out some time this weekend to attend virtually!

 

This week the Indie Bookstores in America are having a box out campaign to highlight shopping at Indie bookstore instead of Amazon. Indie Book Blog published an article about the shaky future of Indie Press.’ These are all the little publishers that publish niche or more challenging genres than the big 4. Take a look at your bookshelves. How many books do you have published by small publishers?

 

While we are thinking about Indie bookstores, spare a thought for all the cinemas out there who are watching the decimation of their business. Kris Rusch looks at the future of entertainment venues- how do you reframe your business in uncertain times.

 

This week a friend sent me a link to an article published locally about the problems of supply for Bookstores coming up to Christmas. I know we hate thinking about Christmas in October but in the book business that’s what you have to do. Even though this article is about buying books… don’t forget to add printing books for Christmas sales to this. 

 

Roz Morris has a great article on how to get an early start on your NaNoWriMo project. Start planning your characters. She has great tips on how to flesh out your characters and plot and how to get all your research done so you are ready for November 1.

 

In The Craft Section,

Diving deep into Point of View- Christina Delay

The ultimate guide to creating characters- Shaunta Grimes- Bookmark

Don’t  give readers a reason to reject your novel- Anne R Allen

10 quick tips to writing disabled characters- Elena Paolini- Bookmark

10 step checklist to writing a better novel- K M Weiland

Creating the authentic villain- Kyla Bagnell- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

3 amazon reader review myths- Sandra Beckwith

Setting up a course – interview with Dave Chesson

How to craft an elevator pitch that sells- Ruth Harris- Bookmark

7 steps to self publishing success- Zara Altair

105 hashtags for writers- Frances Caballo- Bookmark

Effective Social Media for your book marketing campaign- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark

How to find the right background image for your website – Nate Hoffelder

 

To Finish,

October is NaNoPrepMo. Sometimes the fact that November is just around the corner and pressure to write that novel in a month can suck all the joy out of writing. If you have been having a tough writing year and are struggling with the muse – Give yourself a break. Litreactor has a great article from Karis Rogerson about just writing for yourself by reframing your writing.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

It’s nearly time for my monthly newsletter with the best of my bookmarked links. Why not subscribe and get a nifty mini book crammed full with marketing notes as a thank you. 

If you like the blog and want to shout me a coffee, hit the coffee button up top. I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

Pic: Flickr Creative Commons – LeighKlotz

 

You Deserve An Award

 

Awards are the external validation that you have ‘made it’ as a writer. Just entering or long listing can be affirming that your work is good. This week Publishers Weekly who administers The Selfies – Awards for self-published books added a new category - Kids books.

Meanwhile, The New Publishing Standard takes The Bookseller to task for blowing hot and cold over allowing self publishers a place at the award table… or under it.

 

Rachel Thompson has a great article on Anne R Allens Blog on writing, marketing, and staying mentally healthy in these challenging times. It’s all in the quality of care you give to yourself.

 

Kris Rusch is also thinking about self-care. How are you framing the pandemic to yourself? Kris explains that this once in a generation event changes human behavior forever. Are you allowing yourself the mental space to absorb new behaviors or do you think we will get back to normal?

 

What's New In Publishing has been looking at what publishers have learned during lockdown.

They talked with three UK publishers about lessons learned and changes made in their operations which they are taking into the future. 

 

Teleread has an opinion piece of the demise of comics. It was news to me… but I understand the reason to be concerned. Comics were originally aimed at the Middle-Grade child… Has anyone seen any of these comics around lately?

 

How many of you stuck at home in the pandemic have been twiddling your thumbs over the games console? Did you know that games need stories? Abeer Kapoor writes about the opportunities for writers in the gaming industry.

 

Two powerhouses of writing in one place… Joanna Penn interviews Katie Weiland. It’s all about craft and story planning in this great episode/ transcript.

 

How long should a short story be? Reedsy has an interesting blog post on examining the short story- and you can sign up for their weekly short story competition.

 

In The Craft Section,

Timeless endings- Donald Maass

Creating Characters who clash- Angela Ackerman- Bookmark

5 exercises for honing story instincts- K M Weiland - Bookmark

Stuck in the middle- Janice Hardy

Creating Believable characters- Elizabeth S Craig- Bookmark

60 words for Just- Kathy Steinemann- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

 2 Great posts from Penny Sansevieri-Planning for holiday sales and Knowing your reader- Bookmark

Presenting Virtually- Tamsen Webster- Bookmark

Quenching your readers' thirst- Judith Briles

Author newsletters- DIYMFA -Helen Darling

 

To Finish,

October is known as NaNoPrepMo… or the preparation month before National Novel Writing Month. Angela Ackerman sets out a few good reasons for why NaNoWriMo should be on your must-do list this year. If you are looking at your Work In Progress,  you can still do NaNoWriMo… just log your words.

Every year Kevin J Anderson curates a writer's bundle of craft books on Storybundle. There is a great collection this year. Check it out- Cheaper than an award ceremony you can’t attend.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

Do you want the best of my bookmarked links in a handy monthly newsletter? When you subscribe you will also get a nifty mini book crammed full with marketing notes as a thank you. 

If you like the blog and want to shout me a coffee, hit the coffee button up top. I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

Pic: Flickr Creative Commons – Fennec Cooper

 

 

The Art of the Dare…

 

 

In The Publishing Blogosphere this week,

 

In rare book news today… The BBC reports on the find of year- The lost rare books that were stolen from an auction house. The heist was the stuff of spy movies.

 

How much do you know of the Romance Book Industry? If you asked the average reader, they might say not much. But do you know how big it is? Why don’t we hear about it? If it was on the stock exchange it would be as big as Apple…

 

Publishing Perspectives reported on an alliance between three nations, and opening up to anyone else, for a new green book consortium dedicated to the publishing industry supply chain. They intend to promote and publish books and events in the publishing industry to do with Climate Change. (Remember Climate Change?) This looks like an important stake in the ground for amplifying ethical practice and collaboration.

 

Mike Shatzkin took a deep dive into the interview BISG did with James Daunt on the plans he has for Barnes and Noble. Mike looks at what he did say but also what he didn’t and that should be more worrying. Has James missed a few important facts?

 

Recently Joanna Penn interviewed David Gaughran on her podcast. Any time these two get together is full of golden tips and ideas. Do yourself a favour and check out the interview. You can read the transcript here or listen to Dave’s Irish voice in the podcast.

 

Mark Williams of The New Publishing Standard (Happy 3^rd Birthday) has been writing a nifty series on global publishing for the Alliance of Independent Authors. Recently he wrote about the big global book distributors, Apple, Google Play, and Nook and their reach across the world. This week he turns his attention to the biggest global book player… Kobo. If you want to learn about publishing around the world, start with these articles.

 

Recently the talk was Amazon wanting to start a bookclub. It seems that these are becoming a virtual rage. A startup has launched a Bookclub which they are basing around the popular Masterclass model. Techcrunch took a look. 

 

Rachel Thompson has 5 strategies to help you squeeze more out of your writing time. 

 

In The Craft Section,

A hack for getting to the heart of your story- Sharon Bially

Writing the fight scene- David Farland

Inciting incidents and climactic moments – K M Weiland – Bookmark

Image tips- Angela Ackerman – Bookmark

Climax and tension- H R D'Costa

Writing Flash fiction with a twist- Charles Stross- Bookmark

How to write a plot twist- Reedsy video - Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

Create content in less time- Sabrina Ricci

Updating your cover 101- Melinda Van Lone

Author branding Secrets and October content ideas- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark both

Plan for publishing success- Orna Ross- Bookmark

How to get reader reviews – Anne Meick

How to do honest and legal giveaways- Chrys Fey- Bookmark

 

To Finish,

Dean Wesley Smith has been writing for years. He has done everything you can think of in publishing, so he has a wealth of experience. He is most known amongst writers for his writing in the dark, style of writing, which many find useful. Here he shares his secret to why he is so prolific- Dare To Be Bad.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

Do you want the best of my bookmarked links in a handy monthly newsletter? When you subscribe you will also get a nifty mini book crammed full with marketing notes as a thank you. 

If you like the blog and want to shout me a coffee, hit the coffee button up top. I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

Pic: Flickr Creative Commons – M01229