Reaching A Milestone

 

In Publishing News this week

 

It’s Frankfurt Bookfair time and publishers are showing off their booths on social media.

Publishers Weekly has a report on the first of the big stage moments – the CEO’s of 3 of the biggest publishing houses talking about aspects of modern publishing and the challenges to change the industry.

 

Publishing Perspectives has an in depth chat with Philippians publishers who are guests of honour at Frankfurt about their publishing business and the challenges of a western publishing model. 

 

Amazon has released a new Kindle according to GoodEreader. Spotify have expanded their audio book business into Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and The Netherlands. The numbers of books in these languages are growing all the time. 

 

Nielsen Book data have released their half yearly global report on which countries are reading and what they were buying. Fiction was more popular than non fiction. Many countries sales were staying the same or dipping slightly except for New Zealand which has had a nearly 10% decline in book buying. (Come On Kiwi’s- buy a book!)

 

The Guardian has an article on why bookshops are the new cool place to shop. It seems everyone is looking for the curated experiences and community that bookshops bring to the shopping experience.

 

While bookshops might be the place to hang out, this is not so true for the writers who provide the books. The income of writers has been steadily declining. In a recent article many writers who in the past would have been receiving a modest income are now struggling. ‘It’s a hobby not a profession anymore.’

 

Joanna Penn has been celebrating a milestone with her podcast. It has racked up over 10 million downloads. She examines the highs and learnings she has gained from having a popular podcast.

 

James Scott Bell has a great post on how writing can sometimes feel like trudging over the tar pits. It’s a wry look at the writer’s dilemma – when the book is not working where do you cut. 

 

Katie Weiland has made it to the end of her Structure series with a close look at resolution. This has been a super series and if you have been following along you should definitely check out her book on Structure. (It’s really good!)

 

In The Craft Section,

6 cheats to tell well- September Fawkes- Bookmark

Clues to a great story- The Pixar talk- Bookmark

Using Chekov’s gun strategically- Kevin Tumlinson

How to write a short story- ProWritingAid

Murky middles and how to strengthen them- Kristen Melville- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

Authors are assets not competition- Angela Ackerman- Bookmark

Finding Readers who write reviews- Sandra Beckwith- Bookmark

When you need an author website- Grace Bialeckie

How to make a book trailer- Reedsy 

We are all marketers- Ann Marie Nieves Bookmark

 

Finish

This is my 800^th blog post. I feel like I have been talking publishing and writing forever. 

The blog has given me into some interesting insights into the publishing world. I think we can say that the experiment of the Kindle as not killed publishing. It is continually evolving. It has been interesting to see the rise of audiobooks and the changes that Indie Publishers have forced the traditional publishing houses to take. 

Staying nimble in this business is the key to success. I hope that you have learned along with me and that I have not bored you. 

A huge thanks to those who have been with me from the beginning. I’m still interested in this world, so I’ll keep going for a little while longer.

All celebrations should have cake… I’m off to find one.

 

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, or celebratory cake, I appreciate all your kind virtual coffee love, 

Thanks.

 

 

Reading The Small Print

 

 

In Publishing News this week

 

Lately there has been much discussion online about students arriving in University to study who have never been assigned a whole book to read at their high school. When questioned by professors they hear that students have been assigned excerpts or handouts to read and mark up but never a whole book. You might dismiss this as a socioeconomic problem if the Atlantic hadn’t canvassed professors at elite universities to find that their students lack the reading stamina to complete one course novel in humanities. An open letter from authors and teachers to the UK Prime Minister is being circulated in the UK to highlight this problem. 

 

Many authors have websites powered by Wordpress which is the most popular website builder and host of author websites.  Lately there have been some problems with their websites and it is all because of a stoush between the founders of Wordpress and WP Engine which hosts the websites. Techcrunch explains the drama.

 

The Frankfurt Book Fair is fast approaching and Publishing Perspectives has an interview with the Director on all the reasons Frankfurt Book Fair wants to stay out of international politics.

Richard Charkin writes in his monthly column about preparing for Frankfurt and why he thinks the Frankfurt Book Fair is the best.

 

Publishers Weekly has an article on whether POC representation in publishing is going down in real terms. After the push to highlight that lack of diversity in Publishing and efforts to rectify this in recent times, has anything changed?

 

Mark Williams highlights an article in The Hollywood reporter on AI being the new darling of the film industry. After the writer’s strike you would think they would be pushing it away with a big stick. Not So.

 

Joanna Penn has a great interview with Dave Cohen on writing humour. Can you make them laugh? Where is the line between comedy and offense and how careful should you be when crafting humour.

 

 A few years ago, publishing pundits wondered if print books would become collectable items as the world embraced digital editions of books. I couldn’t help but think this as I read the news that Macmillan Publishers have launched a new imprint. Think finely crafted handmade papers, limited numbered editions, full colour illustrations etc. Yes, they are a trade publisher. 

 

Robin Henry has a guest post on Jane Friedmans blog about structure. She takes a deep dive into Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. After 250 years what makes her novels stand the test of time? A great read.

 

Katie Weiland continues her great series on structure this week she looks at the beginning of the third act with the third plot point that builds the story to the climax. 

 

In The Craft Section,

Character ideas- Fictionary- Bookmark

Crafting a killer motivation- Laurel Osterkamp

Writing flawed characters- Angela Ackerman

Using tropes- Becca Puglisi- Bookmark

How to use setting to reveal character- C S Lakin- Bookmark

Write fight scenes the comic way- Carla Hoch- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

November Book Promo ideas- Sandra Beckwith

Author newsletter data- Infographic

Getting more reader reviews- AJ Yee- Bookmark

Amazon Central Author pages- Clayton Noblit

How to optimize wide digital sales- Kelley Mc Daniel- Bookmark

 

To Finish,

A cautionary tale from Donald Maass who aside from writing great craft articles is also the founder of a well known Literary Agency. He writes about a WFH (Work For Hire) contract that set all the red flags flying. This is an article all writers should read. WFH contracts are increasingly being offered to tie up multimedia deals for streaming. Donald even references Rock Bands asking for WFH book tie ins. Do you know the flags to look for? Do you even know that your WFH is not yours even if they make a movie and franchise out of it? Always be clear on who owns your IP. Is it you?

Maureen

@craicer

 

It’s nearly time for my monthly newsletter to go out. If you want the best of my bookmarked links 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 Scott Graham on Unsplash

It Used To Be So Simple Back Then

 

 

In Publishing News This Week,

Last week I mentioned Scholastic and its diversity boxes which they were making optional in the book fairs to the disgruntlement of their authors. Scholastic listened and backtracked. They published a contrite letter telling everyone that it was a mistake to segregate the books. Authors are calling it a win. It could be the 1500 author and illustrator signatures to the open letter (many from scholastic authors) in two days that tipped the balance. Scholastic promises to lead the fight “and redouble our efforts to combat the laws restricting children’s access to books.” 

 

Frankfurt Book Fair has wrapped up. After the rocky start the book fair got down to the business of rights selling and self-congratulation. ‘Having a presence here is indispensable to your business,’ says Jurgen Boos CEO of the Frankfurt Fair. Publishing Perspectives writes about the highs and the big talking points at Frankfurt.

 

Mark Williams notes that the report from the American Association of Literary agents which was released during the Frankfurt Bookfair makes for tough reading. The agents are working super hard in a challenging environment. Does the commission model stack up as a means to pay the bills? Is there a better way to be an agent? This is a long thoughtful article on some unsung hardworking publishing professionals.

 

Good E Reader reports that the latest Kindles are getting integrations with Goodreads that means you can have the app open in your kindle and have it update all your reading and reviews immediately. If you are behind on your reviews this could be helpful.

 

Writer Unboxed has an interesting article on why engaging in multiple creative activities can help your writing. While you are digesting that article read this article from Lisa Cooper Ellison on how to use the right brain waves to make the most of your writing time. This is a fascinating peak at the science of brain waves intersecting with creativity.

 

The Alliance of Independent Authors has an interesting article on that age old eBook question KDP Select or Going Wide. It’s all about what you want to achieve. They also have a comprehensive article on how to design a great book cover.

 

It is nearly time for NaNoWriMo. Over the last few weeks I have been posting articles on preparing for the month long push to write 50,000 words. However, sometimes doing NaNoWriMo can bring up some horrible creative writing memories or entrench habits that aren’t helpful. Anne R Allen has a great article on creativity wounds. You might have them and not know it. Doing NaNoWriMo could be the worst writing advice for you.

 

Kris Rusch has an interesting blog post on how author careers have diverged from what they thought they were signing up for. Since the 90’s publishing has changed dramatically and what was a career then is completely different to now. Even the big household names of the 90’s acknowledge they won’t see the sales numbers like they used to have. But have the publishers moved on?

 

Name an overused opening… David Griffin Brown has an article on how to avoid the cliché opening and figure out a better way to get into the story.

 

In The Craft Section,

How to write more in less time- Sarah Kuiken

What to do when your villain is the protagonist – Janice Hardy- Bookmark

Two excellent posts from Mythcreants- Five fake turning points storytellers keep using and How long can you let tension fall before the reader gets bored- Bookmark Both

Tightening Prose dialogue tags- Diana Peach

 

In The Marketing Section,

2 great posts from -Penny Sansevieri - Crafting an irresistible book pitch and 11 book promotion ideas- Bookmark

How to promote a book on social media- Andy Slinger

5 unique book marketing ideas - Rachel Thompson- Bookmark

Everything to know about book proposals – Reedsy- Bookmark

 

To Finish,

Recently Joanna Penn interviewed Patricia McLinn about keeping up with the changes in publishing. If you immediately felt tired or negative about that previous sentence, don’t feel bad. Everybody is struggling with changes in social media or direct sales or AI or whatever big thing is being talked about on whatever social media you are on. Joanna and Pat talked about overwhelm and taking back control by really looking at what you need to do and what you want to do. It’s a great interview. You can listen or read the transcript. One line stuck with me. … ‘through all of this tech and business stuff keep the writing…because without the writing what’s the point of all this.’

Let’s find the joy in the words we had, when we started writing.

 

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 shout me a coffee, hit the coffee button up top or here. I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

Pic: Photo by Jamie Albright on Unsplash

Sending The Wrong Message

In Publishing News this week,

Frankfurt is often touted as the biggest book fair in the world. This is where countries get invited to showcase their literary works and deals are done in rights trading and translations etc. It is a general book fair covering all genres. It opened yesterday. Everybody had high hopes that it would be a standout year after the pandemic years. The wheels started falling off yesterday with a mass walkout of nations over the withdrawing of a prize ceremony for a Palestinian writer. 

 

Scholastic is in hot water with writers after they put together a diversity box for school bookfairs. (These are a big deal in American schools. Scholastic provides all the books for display and kids buy.) It’s not that they put a box of diversity books together it’s that they made it an opt out option bowing to book banning groups.

 

Staying with Kids books- There is a distinct drop in sales in the mid-grade and teen categories or as some librarians insist a non-existence of books for the 12- 15 age group. Everybody has been waiting for a breakout hit and they are still waiting.

 

The New Publishing Standard has a look at the subscription numbers for audiobooks in Europe and the news that Spotify is rolling out subscription in the UK. Subscription is here to stay says Mark. He has other pithy observations to make on audiobook subscription and how consumers are using it. If 30 % of the listeners are speeding up their playback speeds does this mean they can listen to more books in their subscription hour? And would they notice if it was an AI voice?

 

Victoria Strauss of Writer Beware has been shining a spotlight on the shonky payment systems of Cricket and its associated children’s fiction magazines over the last couple of years. She updates the post to tell what one writer did to finally get their money after 3 years which might help others in the same boat. 

 

I sent out my monthly newsletter with the comment that every lead story in September was on AI. Poets and Writers magazine has an article on the AI lawsuits and how suddenly you can’t get excerpts anymore of famous writers work (but they are probably still there.) Joanna Penn has a great transcript on a how to double down on being human. This is your point of difference from an AI

 

If you have been mulling over whether to try yet another social media site Anne R Allen has a timely post on social media etiquette for any social media site.  Great advice.

 

I’m often surprised when I come across writers who don’t really understand what copyright means. There are so many layers to a piece of intellectual property. For an introduction masterclass on the subject read this piece by Dean Wesley Smith.  

 

Barbara Linn Probst has an excellent article on Why We Write. Artistry, Identity, Legacy.  She explores the art and the craft of writing, finding your tribe and bearing witness. It’s a must read.

 

If you are looking for some inspiration for short stories- have you tried mining the lyrics of songs. They are chock full of emotion and little moments that are really stories in disguise. 

 

In The Craft Section,

10 signs your plot is weak and how to fix it- September Fawkes- Bookmark

Navigating inner conflict- C S Lakin- Bookmark

Getting beyond stereotypes- Now Novel

Foreshadowing vs spoiling what’s the difference- Jami Gold- Bookmark

Printables for NaNoWriMo- Payton Hayes

 

In The Marketing Section,

2 great posts from Penny Sansevieri - Preorder strategies and 7 genius AI strategies – Bookmark Both

Marketing and promo plan for indie authors - Emma Lombard

3 things your author newsletter should do - Colleen Story

The best free marketing tool is in your head- Lisa Norman – Bookmark

 

To Finish

The Alliance of Independent Authors is running their next 24 hour free conference starting October 21^st The sessions will be up for 3 days. Check out the agenda and feast your eyes on all the fabulous speakers. This conference is on Mindset. Do something for your writing mind and sign up.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

 If you want the best of my bookmarked links and some extras you can subscribe to my monthly newsletter here. Come and 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 shout me a coffee, hit the coffee button up top or here. I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

Pic Photo by Lee Soo hyun on Unsplash

Staying Connected

In Publishing News this week,

Following on from last week’s news on the rise of Artificial Intelligence Voices for Narration, Publishing Perspectives has an article on a new exhibitor to the Frankfurt Bookfair- Speechki. They aim to fill that gap of quick production of audiobooks. Meanwhile, Richard Charkin explains why he is looking forward to attending the fair in person along with 1500 other exhibitors. (If that raised a small chill, you are not alone. It’s going to be a while before we’re all comfortable again in crowds.)

If you are still curious about AI narration check out the Alliance Of Independent Author's interview with Bradley Metrock.

 

The New Publishing Standard has a short story on Bloomsbury and the acquisition of a video streaming service and their plans for it. Publishing- Are we looking at an all-media one-stop shop?

 

Jane Friedman has an in-depth article on supply chain woes where she details what is happening to the publishers and their print runs. It is a great backgrounder in how the consolidation of publishers and the demise of magazines has created this problem.

 

This week Kris Rusch muses on the omnichannel approach and what authors must remember as they get swallowed up in companies that operate this way. Don’t be a footnote in a Disney-style dispute.

 

This week Joanna Penn and Mark Leslie Lefebvre released The Relaxed Author. This is a book that aims to give you tips and plans to get your writing business wrangled so you can enjoy writing. They have a great podcast interview on how they came to write the book. As ever, Joanna provides a transcript to her podcasts.

 

It is nearly October and that means checking out all the neat ways to jazz up your social media posts with October themes for Book Marketing. Penny Sansevieri has a great collection of fun dates to play with.

 

Writer Unboxed has a great guest post from Deanna Cabinian who writes on the Time vs Productivity paradox for authors. What is it about squeezing time to write that makes you productive?

 

Ruth Harris has a great post on the four deadly writer sins. How many are you guilty of and can you recognise them when you see them? Clea Simon has an interesting post on what playing in rock bands taught her about writing.

 

In The Craft Section,

Choose your story plot points- K M Weiland - Bookmark

What are character arcs- Chelsea Hindle

12 writer woes and the books to cure them- Roni Loren

How to get emotion onto the page – Lisa Cron- Bookmark

How to snag the best freelance editor- Jodie Renner- Bookmark

4 secrets to making unlikeable characters work- Plot To Punctuation

 

In The Marketing Section,

2 great posts from Penny Sansevieri- Key strategies for book marketing online and Book Marketing strategies for older titles- Bookmark

5 secrets to writing book marketing copy- Casey Demchak and for extra credit listen to this fabulous SPA 

Girls podcast with Jacob McMillen on copywriting for book marketing. Bookmark.

Why your hard sell is a fail- Rachel Thompson- Bookmark

 

To Finish,

It is nearly time for The Alliance of Independent Authors FREE online conference. The alliance is a great organisation that hosts 3 big online conferences every year in conjunction with the big Book Fairs. The last one of the year is dedicated to Craft. Jump over and look at the speakers. Something for everyone here.

 

Even though we may all be sick of Zoom – there are some great conferences out there with virtual components. This can at least keep us feeling like we are still connected to the wider writing community. 

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

It’s nearly time for my monthly newsletter with the best of my bookmarked links. 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 – Damian Gadal

 

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

 

The Diverse Future Of Publishing

It’s been a busy week in publishing.

The wait is over and everyone now knows who won The Man Booker. The type of book is a little eyebrow raising. The author writes in 166 different voices to tell the story. Literary writing is becoming very experimental.

While everyone was waiting for the award to be announced, that perennial favourite in publishing, diversity, was back in water cooler discussions. Has the publishing industry got any better since the last time we all said we needed more diverse voices in publishing?

Chris Jackson has an essay on Lit Hub about the need for social diversity in publishing. Are we just getting the same old stories being selected by the Ivy League grads?

Diversity in children’s publishing is also a hot topic. At the recent trade fair in the Pacific Northwest booksellers were told that the majority of American kids are not white and children’s publishing is moving to reflect that.

Also in children’s publishing Macmillan has created a new imprint and handpicked a team to lead it. It’s all about interactivity... the hot new thing in non fiction children’s books...

While Macmillan gears up to change the children’s book scene... Hyperion has launched a new digital hub for children centered around Rick Riorden. Are they copying anyone?

Createspace closed its doors on its online bookstore this week. Did you know they had a bookstore? Me neither.

Remember last week... Yes it was so long ago, when I introduced my blog saying the big talking points at Frankfurt were the rise of audio books and free speech. GQ magazine explains the history and rise ofAudible and why audio books are an addiction.

Besides the rise in audio being discussed at Frankfurt there was also a future look at a new looming disrupter to the publishing industry.Blockchains. Try and get your head around this possibility. Every item created will have its own identifier which will enable the purchaser to pay the creator instantaneously.

If you haven’t checked out the Indie fringe conference... The videos are up. Immerse yourself in a treasure trove of content all about Author Business.

Kris Rusch has a great post on author subsidiary rights. Do you know what these are and how you can earn money from them?

In The Craft Section,

How to write good endings- Roz Morris- Bookmark

Plot planners – Martha Alderson

How Google Docs can improve your writing

Occupation Thesaurus- Angela Ackerman

5 tips for telling resistance stories- Mythcreants- Bookmark

Brainstorming  a great novel hook- Janice Hardy-Bookmark

How to write a webseries

Tips to train your writing brain DIYMFA

In The Marketing Section,

How to crush social media as an introvert- Bookmark- Frances Caballo

Tips to get noticed on Social Media

How to improve your About Me page- Bookmark

Selling direct from your site and other goodies from the SFF Marketing podcast team. You should 

watch it.

Writing to match genre categories- Debbie Young -Alli Blog

To Finish,

Two CEO’s were talking at Frankfurt about their industry. One was optimistic that Young People would continue to read lots of print books and that publishing was doing well. The other talked about the huge amount of customers who used to come to them but no longer do... Mike Shatzkin reflects on their speeches and what the messages might actually be.

N.B These CEO’s head up two of the biggest publishing houses in the world.

Looks like murky waters ahead...

Maureen

@craicer

In my monthly newsletter I round up the best of the bookmarked craft and marketing links as well as some other bits and pieces. When you subscribe you will also get a nifty book crammed full with marketing notes. Feel free to hit the coffee button. I live on the fumes of that most excellent drink.
 

Pic: Flickr Creative Commons- Stad Amsterdam – Denna Jones