Choosing Your Words

 

In Publishing News this week

 

It’s Banned Book week in the US and there are many different ways authors and publishers are drawing attention to the rise of challenged books in school sysyems. For the second year Penguin Random House are touring states with their Banned Book Wagon handing out banned books everywhere. Publishing Perspectives has a great article on what they are doing including the whopping number of books they are donating.

 

Following the bankruptcy of United Book Distributors a few months ago in the UK, the ripples are being felt throughout the UK book community reports Publishers Weekly. Verso publishers are running a Kickstarter campaign just to get their books from the distributor warehouse to another distributor. With 1 million pounds owed in book sales they are very pessimistic about receiving any money back.

 

Publishers Weekly also reports on the latest statistics on the publishing industry. Over the last 30 years, jobs in the industry have declined by 40%. Where have they gone asks Publishers Weekly. Amalgamations, bankruptcies, declining reading populations, digital publishing, rising printing costs… take your pick.

Bucking the trend is Poland who have reported rising demand for books. What are they doing right? 

 

The publishing industry in the US is crossing their fingers that TikTok lives past the US ban in some form or other… or rather Booktok. Super book girl Sam Missingham has put together a new platform connecting Booktok influencers with publishers. Dan Holloway has all the details. 

 

Recently Draft2Digital ran a survey asking authors how much they used AI tools and for what parts of their writing and editing. One of the survey questions asked whether authors would license their work to AI companies. I was surprised at the results.

 

Anne Handley has an interesting blog post on How To Write Like Robots Can’t, it’s all in the little details, like metaphor and word play. 

 

Chloe Gong was interviewed by Elle magazine on what it was like be an author online. Booktok influences had a hand in turning Chloe into a phenomenon but it’s not all Booktok. Chloe sees being online differently. Her books are great too- Shakespeare stories set in 1920’s China- addictive reading according to the teen in our house. 

 

Joanna Penn has a great interview with Mark Leslie Lefebvre on selling books at live events. He has some nifty tricks up his sleeve. Check out the podcast /transcript.

 

Kelley Way looks at the five most important clauses in a publishing contract. This is a must read for anyone who has or wants a publishing contract. Inside the very fine print after how much money you might get is some important information that often gets overlooked.

 

If you had to start your publishing career all over again, what would you do? Recently Craig Boyack published an article on what he has been doing starting a new genre and pen name. Everything completely different to what he wrote before. Interesting insights into what is useful now for starting up a new brand.

 

Russel Nohelty has an interesting article on How to Market Myself without Feeling Gross About It. This is a topic that every author struggles with. A great read.

 

Cynthia Swanson writes about how she went from debut New York Times bestseller to Publishing her 3^rd novel herself. There is a name for this, Orphaned Sequel Syndrome. When the career you thought you were going to have gets cut short and what you can do about it. 

 

In The Craft Section,

Layering your romance scenes- C S Lakin

5 pitfalls to avoid with protagonists- Savannah Cordova- Bookmark

Vulnerability not likeability is the key- Susan De Freitas- Bookmark

Why you lose motivation- Suzanne Lieurance

Story Structure the 3^rd act- K M Weiland- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

7 secrets to make your Manuscript stand out- Top Author

Social Media for authors-Evergreen authors- Bookmark

7 simple steps to build your brand- Draft2Digital

Creative reader magnets – Bang2Write- Bookmark

3 things you can do to get amazing blurbs- Sandra Beckwith- Bookmark

 

To Finish,

Sometimes events get up your nose and you find yourself on a rant. But should you write about it? James Scott Bell has an interesting blog post on writing while you are angry. Does the writing calm you down or rev you up even more? James has some great tips for when you are just burning to say something and putting it in a novel feels like a good idea.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

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If you like the blog and want to buy me a coffee, I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

Pic Photo by Johnson Wang on Unsplash

Dedicated to the Business of Writing

  

In Publishing News this week,

 

 Coming To a Book Fair near you…the Bologna Children’s Book Fair is touring to other book fairs. They are showcasing a pop up Pre Bologna experience. Porter Anderson explains why the ‘fair’ is making guest appearances and how it hopes to drum up more interest in its expanded format offerings.

 

The Oxford University Press recently settled their employees collective bargaining contract and everything looked rosy until they abruptly terminated a whole teams employment this week. Mark Williams offers his acerbic take on the news which must be how their employees are feeling now.

 

Amazon is holding out an AI carrot to Narrators. The Verge reports that Amazon Audible Narrators can now clone their voices and use them for projects. It is in beta but still it could be a lifeline for narrators whose livelihood is under threat from AI narration.

Meanwhile there is a new kid on the block offering 50 % profits to authors who want to provide audio options for their blogs and other written material. Check out Spoken, which is also in beta. Providing audio narration seems to be the 2024 big format mover.

 

Joanna Penn recently chatted with Sacha Black on pivoting genres. This is a chance to listen to two powerhouse writers and speakers chat about their different author business and how they are staying relevant and successful. Check out the podcast/transcript.

Joanna is also celebrating 13 years as a full time author and all the lessons she has learned along the way. Every year at her anniversary she does a roundup show about her journey to where she is and how the last year has shaped up for her. Congratulations Joanna. 

 

Reuters reports that a class action has been taken against Academic publishers over their non payment of peer reviews which effectively amounts to price fixing in the academic publishing world. They report that academic publishers made over $10 billion dollars last year and paid out nothing to the people who provided the work. If you speak to any scientist you will hear this complaint constantly. When you publish an academic paper you have to pay the journal to take it. (Cost: thousands) Then the journal demands a peer review of an academic paper in the same field (which is done for free.) The journal publishes the paper and demands that the university pay a massive subscription so they can access their own research. Add in academic textbooks to a captive student population and you can see why they are rolling in money. Kudos to the neuroscientist professor who has finally had enough and brought the class action. I just want to know why it has taken so long for the scientists to do this? (career suicide anyone?)

 

Sue Coletta takes issue with a recent article written by AI on how to respond to 1 star reviews or even 4 star reviews. The advice given was Bad… very bad. Sue relates why you should never engage with reviewers.

Staying with reviewers and the fabulous Killzone blog, Elaine Viets writes about one reviewers annoyance at seeing the same things happening in book after book. Publishers should be picking up these errors. Check out the gripe list.

 

Katie Weiland has an outstanding article on trusting yourself as a writer. When do you know enough to write a good story? This is a print out and stick on the wall article.

 

In The Craft Section,

Should your novel have a prologue- Lucy Hay

How to resolve a characters internal arc- Angela Ackerman- Bookmark

Torn between two projects -James Scott Bell – Bookmark

A deep look at deep editing – C S Lakin-Bookmark

5 unexpected plot devices to consider- Savannah Cordova

 

In The Marketing Section

Two interesting articles on Book Promotion from Bookbaby- How to create revenue streams and Book promotion ideas- Bookmark

Building an author platform- Bookbub- Bookmark

Supercharge your mailing list- Cori Ramos- Bookmark

 

To Finish,

 

You have finished the book… the editor is happy. You have checked page proofs until your brain is fried. Then the knotty problem of who to dedicate the book to rears its head. Which family member … friend… inspiration… will you choose? Sophie Masson writes about the perils of dedications in books.

 

I am fast coming up to another big milestone with the Craicer blog. I have to dedicate all the many articles to the readers of the blog. Of course, as a teacher and learner I am hardwired for research and talking about what I learn so I would do it anyway. It is nice to hear that I’ve helped writers along the way with the right article at the right time or a new income stream or just greater knowledge of the world of publishing. The occasional tip into the coffee fund has been greatly appreciated over the years too. 

Thanks for reading.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

Do you want the best of my bookmarked links in a handy monthly newsletter? You can subscribe here to join our happy band.

If you want the weekly blog in your inbox, subscribe to the Substack version.

If you like the blog and want to buy me a coffee, I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

Pic Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

A Twist in The Tale

  

In Publishing News This Week,

 

Porter Anderson at Publishing Perspectives has an in-depth article looking at why Melissa Fleming, the UN undersecretary of Global Communications is speaking at the International Publishing Association conference in Mexico this year. It all ties in with publishing sustainability. Melissa will be coming from the UN Summit of the Future. The article highlights the challenges that publishers face with disinformation, AI, and sector sustainability.

 

Dan Holloway takes issue with the big jump in subscription pricing from Canva. They justify their price hike on customers wanting AI bells and whistles. Canva still has a free tier which is pretty powerful. Just right for all your marketing graphics needs. (If you haven’t checked it out yet Go Do IT)

 

Publishers Weekly has a big article on making reading fun again. This is an answer to recent articles on the decline of children reading. Many children’s writers offer their opinions as to how to get the kids reading. Shorter, snappier, visual heavy books could be the way forward.

 

Mark Williams of The New Publishing Standard looks at how Macmillan Education is launching an AI service for teachers with the goal of helping them find the right courses for their students. But as anyone who has attempted to use AI - you have to know how to write a prompt question for it. Have they got a course on that?

 

TechCrunch reports that the music industry is reluctantly embracing AI. The Grammy awards will allow its creative use. This is opening up a big can of worms when there are lawsuits on deepfake voices out there. Last year they banned it, this year they’re flip flopping. The music industry often changes before the publishing industry so keep an eye out.

 

Alistair Sims writes in The Bookseller on dyslexic friendly books for adults. Finally, a publisher is listening. Bloomsbury is beginning to produce these format books. Can we get a snowball effect happening?

 

If you have been wondering how to get the words down without being distracted you need to look at some new nifty tools that are coming out through crowdsourcing sites.

I was emailed a link to a little screen device that operates as a word processor, just link it up with your favourite keyboard and write anywhere. No distractions. They have a successful Kickstarter campaign on, if you are interested.

 

Lately there have been some high profile authors who have tumbled off pedestals they have been put on by adoring fans. Mythcreants has an interesting article on whether you can judge the author on what they write. At what point do you separate the work from the author?

 

Joanna Penn has an interesting interview with Sword Guy – Guy Windsor on creating training courses and looking after your true fans. Check out the podcast/transcript.

 

The seven habits of highly ineffective writers or how to sabotage yourself. Joni B Cole has a guest article on Jane Friedman’s blog about how you might be sabotaging your writing career.

 

Writer Unboxed has an article from Terah Shelton Harris about rethinking your Writer Bucket list. Are you open to outside the box thinking?

 

Jami Gold has another super writing craft article on story tropes. If you have wondered about them and whether to use them this is the article for you! Lots of great learning packed in here. 

 

In The Craft Section,

Using colour and pattern to enhance your stories-One Stop For Writers

Going beyond the first 50 pages- Sally Hamer - Bookmark

7 ways to find telling in your writing- Suzy Vadori

Story structure – 2^nd act- K M Weiland - Bookmark

Story Foreshadowing – Kay Dibanca- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section

10 tips for children’s book freebies- Sandra Beckwith- Bookmark

How to title your non fiction book- Dale Roberts- Bookmark

10 things to be a successful marketer- Penny sansevieria- Bookmark

76 ways to market for free- Aspiring Author

Why content marketing can be successful- Mandy Ellis

 

To Finish

My bibliophile child was waxing lyrically on her idea of a perfect bookstore combination - Books and Cocktails. There was general laughter. Cafes in bookstores are a thing and book décor in bars are a thing but a genuine melding of the two – not likely. Or so we thought. Enter New York Book Bars. 

Where everybody knows your name and what you like to read…

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

Do you want the best of my bookmarked links in a handy monthly newsletter? You can subscribe here to join our happy band.

If you want the weekly blog in your inbox subscribe to the Substack version.

If you like the blog and want to buy me a coffee, I appreciate the virtual coffee love. 

Thanks.

 

 Photo by Whitney Wright on Unsplash

 

Creativity With A Side Of Madness

 

 

In Publishing News this week,

 

The Internet Archive is back in the news again with the appeals court handing down their verdict. The archive wanted to scan eBooks and make print copies of them. They didn’t see a problem with it because they were nonprofit. This week the appeals court upheld the decision against Internet Archive. Four years in the courts and now we have the definitive ruling on Fair Use (Don’t publish in another format- when you aren’t the publisher of record.)

 

Also in the courts, writers, students, and teachers protesting the book banning law passed in Florida. High profile Young Adult writers have joined this action claiming censorship is happening in schools. 

 

NaNoWriMo.org has found itself in hot water over their stance on AI. Many writers have been vitriolic about their stance that denying the use of AI tools is Classist and Abelist. The Verge looks at the arguments.

 

Mark Williams looks at Wiley’s windfall of $44mill and their claim of operating in the best interests of their authors by seeking AI deals. It’s all about the money.

 

Draft2Digital is dipping its toes in the AI ocean but before they make any big decisions they are asking their authors to fill out a survey on AI. Dan Holloway of the Alliance of Independent Authors has the lowdown on what they want to know. 

 

Publishers Weekly reports that the team behind the successful Black List, film screenplay market place, are looking at expanding to novels. If you think your novel would make a great film but you don’t know where to start- The Black List could be the solution.

 

Don’t Forget to check into Writer Beware every now and then to find out the latest scams. Lately there has been a proliferation of fake literary agencies.

 

A few years ago, I gave a speech on what may be coming down the track for authors. I mentioned blockchain. Hardly anyone understood it and many have confused it with bitcoin but blockchain is still around. In these days of trying to track down what AI is scraping your work, blockchain could be the answer. The founder of Raddish thinks so and has set up a company with over $80 million in the pot to prove it. 

 

Rob Hart wrote an interesting blog post on his successful writing career and what happened when his publisher dropped him because his book didn’t sell amazingly, just pretty good. This is an honest look at being a writer in the publishing industry. Those amazing deals aren’t always wonderful for the writer.

 

What do you do if you lose track changes? Kelley Segroi has a great article on Women On Writing’s nifty little blog with handy tips on managing your documents.

 

KimBoo York has an interesting article on Jane Friedman’s blog about Creative Intuition. She mentions that Creative Intuition is knowing the trope and subverting it. It’s a great article with helpful tips on developing this super power.

 

Donald Maass has a super post over at Writer Unboxed about character and character driven stories. This is a must read on what propels your character to action. 

 

 

In The Craft Section,

The missing link in 3 act structure- Lisa Poisso- Bookmark

Story Structure Midpoint- K M Weiland – Bookmark

Hook lines and stinkers- P J Parrish- Bookmark

Common POV violations- C S Lakin- Bookmark

Tips for writing physical comedy- Charles Yallowitz

 

In The Marketing Section,

Building a website- Bookbub- Bookmark

5 reasons for book endorsements- Sandra Beckwith- Bookmark

10 ways to market a book- Rachel Thompson

3 free marketing strategies- Draft2Digital

How to write an awesome personalized query letter- Tiffany Hawk- Bookmark

 

To Finish,

I try to keep up with my podcast listening but sometimes when life gets super busy I end up skipping episodes. I did this with Joanna Penn’s podcast a few weeks back and then I heard that the episode was getting a lot of attention so I hunted down the transcript (Thanks Joanna for always doing a transcript) to A Touch of Madness- Joanna Penn talking to film maker Larry Kasanoff. What a standout episode! This touches on creativity and taking chances and is so inspiring. If you need a creative pick me up or even if you don’t… take a chance and listen/read this. Our best work comes from being in touch with our creative madness.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

Do you want the best of my bookmarked links in a handy monthly newsletter? You can subscribe here to join our happy band.

If you want the weekly blog in your inbox subscribe to the Substack version.

If you like the blog and want to buy me a coffee, I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

Pic: Photo by laura adai on Unsplash