Apologies for missing in action last week. After two years of being extremely careful, doing everything I can to stay well in the pandemic, I fell victim to the virus. It has not been a fast recovery.
This week in publishing...
The big news - Amazon finally listening to authors about the returns policy which had been pushed by Tiktok influencers (Return the book after you’ve read it for a refund.) With authors being stung for the file delivery costs and knowing that the books were being read in full, it has been a long time coming for redress, and still won’t be happening until the end of the year.
Cover designers are feeling unloved as AI image bots sample all their pictures to make up an AI generated image. This was the argument put forward by writers a few years ago. AI Bots were sampling out of copyright books to learn how to write. If they use your IP shouldn’t you get paid? Image sites are now banning AI images.
The Economist has an article on the changing physical nature of print books. Back in World War 2 there was a huge shortage of paper and ink so books were printed in small font on thinner paper. Now we are seeing this rationing come back.
Spotify has launched its audiobook service. Findaway is encouraging authors to sign up for an account to get access to Spotify. Many commentators are likening this to the advent of the Kindle and how it changed publishing.
Storytel has launched into France and is using this as a springboard to the French speaking world. Audio subscription is the future of publishing. Books are an entertainment medium and will be folded into subscription services one way or the other.
The Bookseller has a hard-hitting article from an editor who stepped away from publishing. After a year working on their mental health, they felt ready to shine a spotlight on the publishing culture that needs to change.
Katie Weiland has a wealth of interesting craft focussed posts on her site. Recently she posted an interesting deep dive into plotting and how to tell if your story is too complicated. This is a great post that offers much deep thinking on plot motivations.
In The Craft Section,
Why Plots Fail- Tiffany Martin
What to do with a stalled first draft- Ruth Harris- Bookmark
Writer Brain hacks- Kelsey Allagood- Bookmark
How to form your bestseller in 10 days- James Scott Bell- Bookmark
Fun tricks to freshen up plot- Janice Hardy
In The Marketing Section,
Audiobook marketing for authors- The Alliance of Independent Authors- Bookmark
5 ways to use community marketing- Amanda Miller
2 Posts from Penny Sansevieri - How to sell your book to bookstores and
October content marketing ideas for Social Media
How to make a boxset and other ways to repurpose your book -Written Word Media- BOOKMARK
To Finish,
Joanna Penn interviewed Barry Nugent recently on Transmedia projects and Graphic Novels. It is a wide-ranging interview but what struck me is the way a creative team was pulled together to work on one project which then morphed into a whole world of stories and creative projects set in the original story world. There are a few groups out there who are using this creative model to launch publishing companies.
When you are lying sick in bed it can be tempting to just let your mind float into someone else’s story world and create an adventure without the grind of inventing the story world to start with.
Maureen
@craicer
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Pic: Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash
