Changes are afoot.
Those three words can encourage anticipation or dread
depending on your past experience with change.
The publishing industry has been on a roller coaster ride
since 2007 and the introduction of the Kindle, the marker for huge change in
the industry.
Among the changes being rolled out this week are changes to
the Kindle Unlimited page read payout. Check out the new version 3.0 rules.
Facebook is turning their attention to Groups. If you are
still annoyed by the changes to Author pages... be prepared. This doesn’t bode
well. Groups are popular among authors for fan communities and networking
groups. Boosted posts in groups will not be welcomed.
An interesting piece of news caught my eye from Harper
Collins. They are actively seeking out young writers on Wattpad and offering them print deals.
This week I’ve read two publishing commentators on the death
of the Traditional or Legacy midlist publishing career. Publishers are throwing
money at the big writers or the debut writers. The pressure is on debut writers
to have a hit right out of the box and they have no say in their contract
terms. I’m hoping that the HC/Wattpad deal protects these young authors.
Passive Guy takes a look at a recent Mike Shatzkin post on
the future of Barnes and Nobel, the largest book retail chain in USA. It is
looking shaky with shareholders calling for it to be sold. What does it have to do to survive? Is the future bookstore Amazon showrooms?
U K Society of Authors president, Phillip Pullman called this week for a return to fixed prices for books. This took publishing people
by surprise. Can you really turn back the clock?
Kris Rusch has another fantastic blog post on Branding.
Expanding your audience with slow growth. After you read her very wise words jump
on over to Joanna Penn’s interview with Dean Wesley Smith on understanding copyright, intellectual property and how to license it. Dean and Kris are
mentors to a whole lot of high flying authors. They are the best teachers of
the business of writing around.
Ruth Harris has a brilliant post on the writers discomfort zone and how to survive and thrive in it. How do you turn anxiety into
creativity?
Jane Friedman has a great post on using Amazon Ads and
Joanna Penn has another standout chapter from her new Marketing Book. If you
are thinking about publishing these are must read articles!
In The Craft Section,
3 ways to show not tell- Darcy Pattison
What is the theme of the book- Reedsy
Story Tropes – Lazy or helpful- Jami Gold- Bookmark
Rules for Self Editing- Bookmark
Writing cliff hangers- Now Novel - Bookmark
Character motivation- Angela Ackerman- Bookmark
Two rules to write by- Print Posse
The Blueprint for writing a novel- Martina Boone- Bookmark!!! (print out)
In The Marketing Section,
Building relationships with readers- Rachel Thompson -
Bookmark
Book Cover Design fundamentals- Joanna Penn- Bookmark
What your local librarian can do for authors- Mythic Scribes
The importance of categories and keywords- Indies Unlimited-
Bookmark
10 tips on working with illustrators- Kelly Mc
Morris-Bookmark
To Finish,
If you are a long time reader of the blog you will know that
I believe that authors need to work together collaboratively. It’s good for
moral. It’s good for marketing. It’s good for accountability. It’s just good. Angela
Ackerman has another six ways that working collaboratively eases the load and
helps you weather the publishing changes.
Maureen
@craicer