Finding our way in the year ahead

 

And we are back into 2023…another year of watching the ups and downs of the publishing industry and trying to navigate its shoals and reefs.

The last post of 2022 had us going into the Christmas season with the news that PRH CEO Marcus Dohle was stepping down. That the USA Today list was on hiatus due to the editor being let go as a cost cutting measure. That some magazine subscriptions were uneconomic for Amazon and the Rise Of The Robots… or GPT3 Artificial Intelligence was about to change life as we know it. 

 

So, what is everybody talking about in January…

 

GPT3 is still the hot topic. 

How are publishers going to navigate books written by an AI?

How will the Amazon lists crash and burn when filled up with books written by an AI?

How will writers use this new tool or are they tools for using AI to generate ideas?

Gizmodo has an interesting article on how CNET has been using AI written article for months and nobody noticed. (You still need editors.)

The Hollywood Reporter has an article on how AI will be writing movies by 2025. (really?)

 

AI tools are here to stay and while it might be tempting to put your fingers in your ears and scream loudly it is probably better to figure out how the new technology can be used or abused and how this will impact on your own author career.

There are a few articles in this week’s roundup to get you thinking of possibilities.

First up Mark Dawson’s interview with Joanna Penn- which is wide ranging but interestingly he discusses using GPT3 for marketing ideas.

Kris Rusch looks at AI audio and discusses how it can help your readers. She links to lots of articles on the topic. 

Anna Featherstone talks about all the other tech writers should be getting a handle on in 2023. What else is out there to help the busy writer?

 

Laurie McLean of Fuse Literary, has her predictions for 2023 for the publishing industry.

Laurie mentions BookTok- The Rollingstone magazine has an article on how BookTok is changing publishing and what might happen when the influencers realise the power they have over publishers.

 

Just before Christmas- Harper Collins employees went out on strike over pay and conditions. They are still on strike and the publishing industry is looking at how long this might last and the impact on Harper Collins going forward.

In the New Year news broke that a writer who had been reported as committing suicide over bullying was alive and had a new book out with the plot sounding like real life. This did not go down well.

 

Fast Company has an article on the turn around of Barnes and Noble and how James Daunt’s experiment of putting books front and center has been instrumental in book sales going up. (Who knew that would work?)

 

I was looking at a list of books expected to come out in 2023 locally and I was struck by the covers all looking text heavy. 99 designs has an article on the latest trends for book covers for 2023. Font and Text are where the designers are playing this year.

 

The Alliance of Independent Authors has a great article on why Authors should publish Gift Books.

Penny Sansevieri has an in-depth article on the changes to A+ content on Amazon pages. There are some great take-aways in here so Bookmark this article.

 

Jenny Hansen of Writers In The Storm has a great article on Why You and Your Characters Deserve Some Ikigai – This is a good article to mull over before getting back into your writing stride for the year.

 

In The Craft Section,

Knowing the difference between all those dash’s

How to revise for deep POV- Lisa Hall Wilson

Sexy scenes -open door or closed door? - Jami Gold -Bookmark

5 ways to approach your novel like a trial lawyer- Marissa Graff- BOOKMARK

Writing Insecure Characters- Becca Puglisi- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

Why blogging is essential in the era of a fragmenting social media.- Anne R Allen BOOKMARK

Can a Facebook ad really sell books- Randy Minetor- Bookmark

2 great articles from Draft2Digital -What is Content Marketing and building your personal brand from scratch

23 successful marketing strategies in 2023- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark

 

To Finish

After looking at all the predictions out there for 2023 this post gathered up a useful list to think about. It was written in November but the advice is evergreen.

Reedsy updated their Book Marketing mistakes post which they publish every year beginning. This is a reaffirmation that the same things need your attention year in year out.

 

This year looks like being an interesting one for the publishing industry. As you navigate your writing and author career through the shoals don’t forget to invest in relationships within the writing community. There is nothing so affirming as being able to moan to another writer who perfectly understands the ups and downs of the writer life. 

I’m off to 20Books Auckland- (if you are there too, come and find me. I will be wearing a scarf and behind a mask. That pesky virus isn’t over yet.)

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

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

Thanks.

 

Pic: Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

 

 

And Another One Is Gone

In publishing news this week.

Another one bites the dust and another one’s gone – you know the rest. Yes. Publishing houses buying up publishing houses. Harper Collins, smarting after missing out on buying Simon and Schuster, have bought Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. They smacked cash down to buy the backlist- however, the frontlist looks good too. When you read the news report it is clear that backlist is important. Publishers asking for all rights must see the potential money to be made. This is where last week’s blog post from Kristine Rusch is important reading and then you can follow that up with part two published today from Kristine on why Hollywood is bypassing their own writers and rushing to woo book agents for books to turn into films.

 

This time last year there were rumblings of disquiet as the pandemic began to bite into those big events that mark the publishing industry. Would the London Book Fair go ahead and then all the others… This year the same uncertainty is happening. LBF isn’t making a definite answer, yet again. Others are delaying or deferring.

 

Meanwhile, some interesting stats on the 2020 publishing year have been issued. Mark Williams casts his weather eye over the news from the UK that they had a record publishing year despite bookstores closing. That seems odd. Where did they make their money?

 

The New Publishing Standard looks at the publishing industry right around the globe. The English-speaking world tends to look at just the U.S and UK markets but the bulk of the English speakers are outside of these two countries. That’s why it was interesting to see Mark Williams talking about China Literature wanting to grow their North American writers to 100,000. The numbers are mind-boggling. Read the article for the first inklings of how the publishing world will be changing in the future.

 

Anne R Allen and Ruth Harris have a fantastic blog. They have a wealth of great articles to trawl through and always have a weighty nugget to get you thinking. This week Ruth looked at the Look Inside- the make or break of a sale. It is timely to ponder how this important feature is overlooked.

 

Jacqui Murray has an interesting article on writing collaboratively. I did this years ago and it was heaps of fun. (but also hard work.) I know a few writers who are writing stories in a linked up world and they are having loads of fun together. Now take a story where everyone writes a different chapter. This is taking it to the next level.

 

Every now and then I dream about the perfect writing office. The amazing writing desk that I will write epics on. Open Culture recently had a great article on Writing Desks. These stunningly beautiful desks made for royalty are swoon-worthy for writers.

 

Jenny Hansen from Writers in the Storm has written a beautiful article on The Simple Writing Resolution That Changed My Writing Career. This is one of those articles that hit you in the feels and will resonate throughout your writing life. A must-read!

 

In The Craft Section,

Tips for dividing your story into chapters- 10 minute novelists- Bookmark

How writing improves your relationship with yourself-K M Weiland- Bookmark

Getting the motivation to write- Now Novel

Writing exercises- Reedsy

Handling perfectionism- Elizabeth S Craig- Bookmark 

 

In The Marketing Section,

13 book marketing ideas to consider before publishing- Penny Sansevieri

Narrating your own audiobook- Patty Jansen- Bookmark

5 little changes that make a big difference- Frances Caballo 

What to do when a writer is weary of social media-Edie Melson- Bookmark

Engage readers with your emails- Heather Gardner- Bookmark

 

To Finish,

It had to happen sometime. We needed to be able to let go. But it was hard to read that Beverly Cleary died this week aged 104. When I read the news, I had to stop and say thanks for the fantastic stories and the inspiration to write. 

When Beverly was a librarian she was challenged by a young boy who asked her where were the stories about kids like him- ordinary kids. And Henry Huggins began to take shape in her incredible mind. There have been many heartfelt reactions to Beverly’s characters but this one about the value and the challenge of Ramona Quimby is the best one I’ve seen this week. 

R.I.P. Beverly Cleary - forever 8 yrs young.

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 of 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.

 

 

 

Becoming A Super Hero

In the publishing blogosphere this week...

The Digital Reader reports on the news that the audio market was bigger than anyone thought... how big? Pick a number and put a lot of zeroes after it. This really has implications for contracts, rights and as I posted last week... audio only deals.

Influential authors in the English publishing world are speaking out about the poor payments to writers in a recent Guardian article. The news continues to be really bad with most authors working below minimum wage. What does this mean for the future of Literature... nothing good says Philip Pullman.

This week Joanna Penn had a podcast on writing with depression. Her guest Michaelbrent Collings talked about how to manage a writing life if you are also trying to manage a severe mental illness. This was a fascinating podcast and one well worth checking out and referring others to.

Ruth Harris wrote this week about writers and the F word. Failure. Failure is part of the writing landscape. How do we cope with it? Do we let it derail us? This is a great post on redefining the word and learning to deal with ‘Failure.’

Sometimes our ‘Failure’ come from the lies we tell ourselves as writers. Katie Weiland has a great post on the 5 big lies that writers believe and what we can do about them.

This week Kris Rusch talks about opportunities and how writers need to be open to learning more about the business so they can make informed decisions. This touches on Writer Fear... fear of learning because you don’t think you can... But are you open to try?

Writers residencies... sometimes seen as the Holy Grail... a chance to work uninterrupted in a spectacular place and get paid for it... How about a Swiss Tree house...

The eight stages to writing a book by Leigh Shulman details a step by step process for the beginning writer. This is one of those posts you direct people to... when they ask How do you do it...?

Jane Friedman is always a source of well thought out great content. She has a new university textbook out, The Business Of Being A Writer. Jane has updated her post on How to evaluate small publishers. If you are wondering whether small press publishing is for you check out this article. Jane hosts Dave Chesson this week on her blog. He has written a meaty article on the psychology of Author Marketing. Dave has a popular podcast on the subject so check out the article.

The first million words are practice says Kevin Tumlinson of Draft2Digital. This is an interesting article on targets and goal setting and the theory of writer apprenticeship.

In The Craft Section,

Description and setting in deep POV- Lisa Hall Wilson- Bookmark

Creating Stunning Character Arc’s- K M Weiland _ Bookmark

The 12 stages of physical intimacy to build tension in your fiction-Jenny Hansen- Bookmark-Read inside a brown paper bag...

How Structure affects pacing- September Fawkes- Bookmark

Main Character life changes – Mary Kole

Literary Devices- Repetition- Peter Rey

Good Character flaws create complex antagonists- Now Novel- Bookmark

In The Marketing Section,

Grow your mailing list with these  7 tools- Digital Reader

7 avoidable rookie errors- Debbie Young- Bookmark

Author Brand 101 turn readers into fans- Bookmark

YouTube creators monetization- This news is important reading if you have a YouTube channel

Important author website metrics to monitor- IngramSpark- Bookmark

3D cover mockups- Derek Murphy- Bookmark Bookmark !!! Check it out... you will see why...

To Finish,

In this unsettled landscape we need to find ways to be calm and achieve a Zen mindset so we can productively put words on the page. With the right mindset and a few tools you can overcome anything so boost your creativity with these helpful oils, fragrances and crystals... and become a super hero.

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 also get a nifty book crammed full with marketing notes. If you just want to say thanks for the blog you can hit the coffee button up top... Thanks.

Pic: Because you are a super hero to someone!

Taking A Bite of 2012

I’m here in the winterless North of New Zealand wondering where the sun went.

This is supposed to be the middle of summer... but no we have rain, rain and more rain. Today the sun taunted us and came out...We soaked it up wearing bathing suits and light clothing...and then went back to sweatshirts and raincoats. Nothing else to do but stay inside and eat...

Over on the blogosphere the rumours are flying... Apple may be about to launch a publishing company...in competition with another company starting with A. Check out the gossip on Passive Guy about how things could impact for the author.

Also on the ‘if you can’t beat them, join them front’ check out this link about indie bookstore becoming publishers...if you know a bookstore owner tell them to check it out, it might tickle their tastebuds.

There is a new blog on the block that is making a stir. Passive income author aka Skellie examines what works about author and eBook marketing and is writing some great posts to help others. Check out these two - The uncommon truth about marketing and 5 tactics to get more eBook sales per reader.

Jody Hedlund takes a thoughtful look at what skills she thinks writers will need in 2012.

Yesterday, because I was on holiday, I was able to join in the weekly kidlit twitter chat. The topic was predictions for 2012 for kidlit writers. One of the most discussed predictions was an increase in book trailers for mid grade. I am interested in this as I have a mid grade book coming soon and I have created a book trailer for it. Some good ideas were tossed around in the chat. You can go

to Kidlitchat host Greg Pincus’s blog to check out the transcript...it might not be up just yet but it will be soon in the meantime check out the other topics Kidlitchat has chewed over in 2011.

Chewing over meaty topics is what Mike Shatzkin and Jane Friedman do best.

This week Mike has taken a hard look at children’s publishers and what 2012 may hold for them. He particularly examines Picture Book publishers as they are the only ones doing well in print. He asks the hard question, Can digital really deliver an immersive reading experience?

Jane Friedman responds to a readers question this week - How do you know if your agent is any good? Jane lists questions to ask the agent and advice to follow. Do they stack up?

In the craft section,

The brilliant Adventures in Children’s Publishing blog have posted a ‘print out and stick on the wall’ checklist of 40 questions to ask your manuscript.

Over at wordservewatercooler they have a post looking at the emotional development of your characters. You can’t afford to ignore their emotional growth....

New challenges get underway this week around the writing blogosphere.

You might like to get involved in Row80 (a Round Of Words in 80 days) the wonderful Jenny Hansen is sponsoring this first quarter.

If you are picture book inclined there is a 12x12 in 2012 running over at Julie Hedlunds blog...Tara Lazar kicks it off looking at PB endings.

Today I was asked if I thought small far flung communities of writers could get together and promote their work through eBooks and a website. I most emphatically said YES.  Groups of writers are doing it all over the place from Killzone to Readergirlz. What better way for an isolated group of writers to get readers and support by joining together with a common goal.

 Go on... Take A Bite!

maureen

Major inspiration video follows....  

http://www.youtube.com/v/-GCm-u_vlaQ&hl=en&fs=1&autoplay=1

Being The Doorman

My last post for June was on Gatekeepers and their shiny new keys and as I look down the list of interesting links I have for you today I can’t help thinking that the theme today will also be Gatekeeper but from a different perspective.

First up Bob’s great article on Authors as Gatekeepers....I urge you to read it and think about what he is saying...I found myself nodding a lot...10 great points. Sweat Equity...I know so many writers who fit into this one...

Media Bistro reports on an Author Guild court case that is ringing alarm bells. The increasing laziness/underhanded actions of some publishers who source content online and then try to register it as orphan...all attempts were made to find the owner of this work....when a Google search and phone call located the author in three minutes....sadly this is not a one off.

Greg Pincus has taken a close look at Facebook and the changes that are happening. Do you want subscribers to your Facebook status?

Elizabeth Craig has a great post on being your own Social Media Gatekeeper....she has a list of useful tips to help you manage your online life to make time for your writing life.

Agent Scott Eagan looks at Blooms Taxonomy And The Author and explains where he thinks authors should be before they submit...A very good look at the stages of writing leading up to creating....Go check it out!

Audiobook Creation Exchange has a great little article about an author who used Kickstarter to get the funds to create a professional audiobook. Neil Gaiman has been tweeting about this as a great way to think outside the box to get leverage...OK it was his idea.....

Tony Eldridge has got some great links to promotion and marketing ideas for your books...Did you know you can print your book cover on M&M’s...and it is not that expensive....

The best resource of the week, Tony has ever pointed me to, is this one (this week)...A Royalty Free Music Site intended for use as soundtracks to short films, book trailers, commercials, Youtube projects. It is absolutely stunning...and I am saying this with my musician hat on. I have already shared this around to editors and teachers who are making films with children. Combine this with Audacity and you have a recording studio and full orchestra at your disposal for free. Kevin MacLeod is a genius! Bookmark It!

Over in the Craft Section,

Jenny Hansen has written a great post on Story DNA on Writers in The Storm.

Victoria Mixon has interviewed Larry Brooks on this topic as well.

HarryPotterForWriters is continuing their focus on clues and raising questions for the reader to answer...which also strengthens your book.

On Craicerplus, (My Amplify Page) I have a link to

Authors Say Agents Want Straight YA. This has been much talked about on the blogosphere and Twitter.

To finish,

To Celebrate 50 years of Roald Dahls work...You have a chance to connect with Quentin Blake in a live streaming event...

As the political gatekeepers threaten the UK Library system, in Scotland random beautiful paper sculptures made from and celebrating books have been appearing in libraries and stores with little messages highlighting the work of the libraries...Check out the article and marvel at the beautiful work of a secret paper engineer.        

enjoy,

maureen

pic is from an article about a Doorman strike....

Taking A Punt

This morning in my inbox was a little heads up email from Publishers Weekly with the round up of children’s publishing news. 

A quick glance down and this takes my eye. Scholastic, Ruckus in joint venture. On the surface it’s another business merger with the biggest children’s publisher. Ho hum. But look a little deeper and think about what this is telling us now about children’s publishing.

Ruckus Media was started a year ago this week by the former head of Simon and Schuster’s Children’s Publishing division. He got together with a web developer to take a well known children’s audio book company Rabbit Ears into the digital age and create apps for the new iPad.  They promised a 12 week turn around time and to release an App a week. They were going to acquire new content and had signed up some impressive authors. Ruckus also promised that eventually they would go into partnership with a publishing house.

So a year to the day they are going with Scholastic.

While the big publishing houses have had a wait and see approach or are nervously dipping a toe in the water of digital publishing. Their top brass have been jumping to get into the market knowing that eventually the publishing houses would have to come to them for their expertise. These guys aren’t going to lose their shirts on this, they are businessmen. Print publishers are now seeing the huge market for new content in Games and Apps and want a piece of the pie.

Ruckus published new digital content first and now they are partnering with Scholastic to bring it into Print.

Writers, You don’t have to sell print rights first...(Do I hear the sound of pennies dropping?)

Children’s writers need to look at their manuscripts and see it as suitable for submission to Digital Media publishers as well as print...especially junior and mid grade writers. Illustrators too could begin submitting portfolios into these smart publishers.

After all if Scholastic can take a punt why can’t you?

Also in the news this week...

These three links have generated much comment around the blogosphere.

Bob Mayer explains his statement That Fear Is The Downfall Of the Publishing Industry

A publisher explains why they won’t carve off ebook rights from a contract.

On the popular Publishing Perspectives blog a literary agent puts up his argument against agent publishers.

If you are wondering about marketing your new book, Cory Doctorow tells it straight with his to the point article for Locus. Why should anybody care? This is a great article which has generated heaps of comments all over the blogosphere.

Also in the same issue of Locus there is a spotlight on Ultra Cool Children’s Writer Bruce Colville. He has an audio publishing company that puts full cast audio productions together....(wish I was living near him, I would love to be a voice actor for a book...)

 M J Rose is interviewed by Jungle Red (a mystery writers group blog) about starting the company Author Buzz and how successful it has been. There are some great marketing tips for authors in this article.

Jenny Hansen from Writers in the Storm, examines social media and how that impacts on your Author Brand. This is a useful post because she breaks down the use of hash tags on twitter...and the best people to follow. (you can follow me if you like..:)

40K has a great roundup of trends currently happening in publishing. They use up and down arrows with great effect.

Over on Craicerplus (My Amplify Page) I have links to Articles on

Internal and External Inspiration

25 tips for Queries, Synopsis and Treatments. (This is a great article but comes with a content warning hehehe Cover your ears....Chuck lets rip.)

In the Craft Corner,

The wonderful Casey McCormick has a guest blog from Martha Ramirez on how to deal with critique editing.

Superheronation tells you how to critique something that is just plain awful...

To finish,

 Cheryl Reif has a great little blog post about deadline tricks and how they can boost your productivity...

Explore all avenues....take a punt!

enjoy,

maureen

pic is a punter on the Avon River in Christchurch