Where Will You Find Your Next Read?

This Week In Publishing News,

 

Authors behaving badly can be a career killer. This week an author called out a reviewer for only giving her 4 stars. The backlash over the author's vitriolic comments to a hapless newbie reviewer had a slew of 1 stars being attached to the book. Then the publisher dropped her.

Note to all authors- Never comment on reviews. It’s the safer way. Read Anne R Allen’s excellent article from a few years back for a refresher on not taking reviews personally.

Anne’s latest post is on readers pet peeves- They are not the same as writers pet peeves. You shouldn’t ignore them.

 

Publishing Perspectives had an exclusive article this week. Elsevier’s director of sustainability, Rachel Martin, recently spoke at an international congress on sustainability and announced that within a few years all mainstream printed books would be displaying labels specifying their environmental credentials. 

 

The Audio Publishers Association in America reported that their annual earnings were up by 10% to $1.8 Billion. More than half of the population had listened to an audiobook. 

This fits in well with the report from Publishers Weekly over the latest trends in children’s publishing. Audio is the hot trend across all age groups. Paper is driving midgrade and everyone is looking for graphic novels and Webtoon stories.

 

Business Insider reports that tropes are where its at if you want to go viral on TikTok. This speaks to the importance of knowing and using tropes in your books. (It’s how you use or twist the tropes that make you stand out.)

 

Grace Bialecki has a guest post on Jane Friedman’s site about when an author needs a website. These days a website can be many different things and on many different platforms.

 

Two big AI articles came out this week.

Publishers Weekly had a widely read post on how AI is about to turn the publishing world upside down. This huge post from Thad McIlroy talks about whose jobs are under threat.  Thad also takes a positive view that being human will be the biggest advantage. 

“You can only understand the perils surrounding a new technology after you fully appreciate the opportunities that it affords.”

 

The other big AI article comes from Peter Houston and the way AI search is set to upend online publishers who rely on ad sales on their websites to generate income. AI is just going to scrape the content and not refer the user to a website. This could be problematic if you rely on your website to sell books.

 

Katie Weiland is always a must read for me. She usually puts her finger on what might be troubling me writing craft wise. This week however she took a different tack and looked at Imposter Syndrome. This is a stand out post on how writers can deal with that inner critic. A must read.

 

Joanna Penn recently Interviewed John Fox on crafting the linchpin moments of your novel. This is a deep dive into why we need these plot points to work and how to strengthen scenes.

 

In the Craft Section,

2 Great posts from Sue Coletta- How critical distance improves writing and Why readers love anti-heroes. Bookmark Both

The nemesis as the protagonists shadow- Scott Myers – Bookmark

Connection Love Loss Hope- Donald Maass- Bookmark

7 ways to ensure you reach your writing goals- Jordan Kantey

 

In The Marketing Section,

Choosing a title that hooks your reader- Draft2Digital- Bookmark

8 ways to market your book- Brian Feinblum

Using drip marketing- Thomas Umstattd- Bookmark

Working effectively with your book designer- Andrea Reider- Bookmark

5 things I tell authors that really annoy them- Sandra Beckwith

Successful self promotion- Penny Sansevieri

 

To Finish,

This week Kris Rusch talks about curation and how over the years the places and people you used to be able to rely upon to tell you what to read or listen to have changed. Combined with this recent article from the UK Booktrust on how many parents feel they lack the skill to help their children to read, I asked my teen how she discovers books and music. Spotify was her answer to the music one but she surprised me when she said the School Library. With all the published angst about book influencers on TikTok – the humble school library is still in there. This makes the survival of the school library so important. They are shaping readers of today and tomorrow- if we don’t support them we won’t have a publishing industry.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

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

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 Shunya Koide on Unsplash

Surfing The Waves Of Change

 

In Publishing News this week,

 

Recently a publishing industry analyst in America predicted that 2023 would be a year of transition for the publishing industry. Change is scary for a conservative industry. Many big publishers will hang on to old ways of doing business for as long as possible while closing their eyes to the swells gathering momentum, ready to break over their heads. Mark Williams has a quick rundown on what publishers should be preparing for. 

 

Meanwhile in the UK, the BBC reports on Welsh publishers who can no longer absorb rising print and paper costs. Either they stop publishing or they raise prices. What will they do?

 

Over in Germany, RTL Deutschland, owned by Bertelsmann, is responding to the “rapidly changing media landscape” by closing 23 magazines with the loss of over 500 jobs.

 

Publishing Perspectives reports on China’s rapidly declining bookstore sales but there is an upsurge in digital book sales. Once again children’s books are saving the publishers.

 

Around the Indie publishing watercooler, the talk is the rights grab clause appearing in Findaway Audiobooks contract. (Schedule D) Apple is able to use your audiobook to teach its AI voice. ‘Not on,’ scream the writers. However, it’s not the writers who lose out, it’s the narrators. They own the rights to their voice. An article on the problems of voice over artists and AI spells out what is coming.

 

AI isn’t all bad, says David Meerman Scott. He has an interesting article about how he uses the tool to work with articles he has already written. Think of it as a super-fast word processing assistant that can repurpose your own content.

 

Kelley Way has collected the top articles on Intellectual Property from 2022 that appeared on the Writer Fun Zone. If you need a quick refresher on what is your IP and how to use it to your advantage- check out this comprehensive list. 

 

Victoria Strauss has a roundup of last year’s big writing scams, shonky contract clauses and vanity publishers who rip people off. Remember that money flows to the writer. If a publishing company asks for money to print your book…tread very carefully as you run in the other direction. 

 

The Guardian reports that the Women’s Prize Trust is expanding their writing prize to include a new Non Fiction prize.

 

Anne R Allen has a great post on Beta readers. What they are and how to manage them. First, figure out what you want them to focus on when they read your book.

 

Scott Myers has a great article on high concept vs strong concept in writing. Check it out to see which one is best.

 

In The Craft Section,

Are you writing a shiny idea or a robust story- Sandy Vaile- Bookmark

A books worth of character development questions and articles- Now Novel – Bookmark

How to write a rich setting- Donna Jo Stone

How to write physical pain- Becca Puglisi- Bookmark

Tips for dealing with the passage of time- K M Weiland

 

In The Marketing Section,

24 quirky March promotions for your book- Sandra Beckwith- Bookmark

The lazy authors guide to platform building- David Gaughran

How to use comp titles- -Robin Currie-Bookmark

Why you should have a blog- Nina Amir

A step by step guide to using Booktok- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark

To Finish,

Roz Morris has an interesting article on how easy reading is hard writing. In it she reflects on the writer process and how every writer has their own unique way of coming to grips with a story. Many writers take years to nail down a process that works for them.

Kris Rusch also writes about process in her latest blog post. When the world feels like its falling apart your process can get you through the tough times. When sales drop off, when marketing feels useless. When you slog through the story.

You write the book word by word. And that is all that is needed.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

Do you want the best of my bookmarked links in a handy monthly newsletter? 

You can subscribe here. 

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 Matt Paul Catalano on Unsplash

Finding Bargains

 

In Publishing News this week.

The news dust is still swirling after Spotify’s purchase of Findaway last week. While everyone was venting opinions the Futurebook conference happened in London. Dan Holloway from The Alliance of Independent Authors goes over the main talking points, subscription, sustainability and the rise of new digital products. How bad is the print publishing industry for the climate? Are eBooks just as bad? 

 

Meanwhile, Mark Williams from The New Publishing Standard shone a bright light on the Futurebook conference interview with the CEO of Penguin Random House. Mark was wondering where the hard questions were about the Simon and Schuster merger and the rise of subscriptions as a marketing model. PRH pulled all their books from subscription sites. Will this change?

 

Publishing Perspectives reports on Ingram Lightning Source opening their new Print On Demand facility at Sharjah Publishing City. The world's first publishing free trade zone was announced in 2018 with a commitment by Ingram to the East and African book market. Print On Demand does have the ability to reduce at least one of the unsustainable practices of the publishing industry, returns.

Penny Sansevieri has a guest post on Anne R Allen’s blog about creating reader connections. How many readers do you need to make a difference in your sales. It’s all about the right readers, says Penny. 

 

Have you got an idea for a book but are not sure where to start? How to blog a book takes a look at how you can get started by blogging the book. They use the idea for marketing the book right alongside.

 

Have you tried writing with soundtracks? Many authors swear by the practice. I find them distracting because I tune into the music instead of writing. Matt Frick has another way of using soundtracks. He uses them to write the book when he isn’t writing. This idea could be super inspirational for story crafting.

 

Ann Patchett has an article in Lithub on creating the workspace that you need. Are you really sitting well? Do you have the right keyboard?

 

Jami Gold turns her lazer eyes onto the Dune Movie and looks at the Plot Arc focus vs the Character Arc focus. Jami is an excellent writing craft teacher so make sure you read this.

 

In The Craft Section,

3 critical elements in opening scenes 

Award season PDF’s of screenplays- Scott Myers- Bookmark

5 tips on writing fiction- DIYMFA

Avoiding excessive detail in your descriptions-Mythcreants- bookmark

Writing using Word Styles.- Libertabooks- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

What is an Author Platform? Rachel Thompson – Bookmark

Unique marketing ideas for December and How to sell direct to the consumer

Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark

How to track book marketing activity- Sandra Beckwith

Case study with Bryan Cohen on Amazon Ads

 

To Finish,

The Black Friday Sales are on. Everywhere you look there is an Ad for something. For writers there are sales on subscriptions or courses or books. Dave Chesson has compiled a long list of  Black Friday gifts for writers. Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi have found some great Black Friday bargains as well. If you are thinking of stocking up gifts for Christmas check out Robyn Roste’s list of writer gifts. 

Don’t forget this week is the last week to get the NaNoWriMo Storybundle  Craft Book collection- which has often been my yearly gift to myself.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

It’s nearly time for my monthly newsletter where I share the best of the bookmarked links and other things that have caught my eye. 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- GoFishDigital

The Battle For Your Ears

 

This week in publishing,

The news that Spotify has bought Findaway broke like a thunderclap around the publishing world. Spotify aims to be a one stop shop for everything audio and Findaway is the biggest competitor to Audible in English language audiobooks. They are keeping the Findaway team on and will throw some serious money and muscle into the audiobook world. The reaction is mixed. Some herald it as a fantastic opportunity to go wide with Spotify bringing its subscription dominant model to audiobooks. Others note with caution the negative impact Spotify has had on musicians' take-home pay. 

 

Meanwhile, Storytel was acquiring a big audiobook publisher of its own. Their acquisition of audiobooks.com marks their first foray into the English language market. They have plans to expand in other little-served English language markets. The New Publishing Standard has an interesting analysis.

Audiobook subscription is here to stay. Authors will have to decide on what company has their best interests at heart.

 

The Futurebook conference is about to kick off in London. This is run by The Bookseller and a quick look at the programme shows what they think will be the big moves in publishing and the book trade in the next few years. 

 

Miral Satter has an interesting article on the importance of audio metadata. Increasingly people are asking their smart devices to find content and entertainment. Audiobooks are obviously chock full of audio metadata. You want to be found by search engines, don’t you?

 

Kris Rusch casts her laser eye over the proposed merger of Simon and Schuster with Penguin Random House. The DOJ has halted the sale while they wrangle about causing a monopoly Kris points out it might be too late.

 

The Guardian reports that UK store John Lewis who is known for their iconic Christmas Ads is being sued by a writer who thinks they have ripped off her book. It all hinges on copyright and proving who had the idea first.

Written Word Media published their survey findings on the state of Indie publishing in 2021. 

Becca Puglisi has a guest post on Anne R Allen’s blog on finding conflict. You don’t have to look far just allow your characters to speak. If you peel back a few layers your characters have enough conflict to punch up your story stakes.

 

Recently, Sarah Penner wrote an interesting article on Writer Unboxed about the cliffhanger. Readers love to be teased she says and the art of the cliffhanger is the best way to keep them reading. So how do you write an effective cliffhanger?

 

In The Craft Section,

The First Chapter Checklist- K M Weiland

Plotlines points and sequences- Scott Myers- Bookmark

How to write fight scenes- Write to Done

How to show emotion in non viewpoint characters- Becca Puglisi- Bookmark

How to deal with writer's block- Dave Chesson- Bookmark

 

 

In The Marketing Section,

The literary calendar of 2022-  Sandra Beckwith- Bookmark

 2 great posts from Bookbub- Boost reader engagement and 

Promoting multi-author book series- Bookmark

Marketing Book ARC’s- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark

Amazon keywords and Atticus – Dave Chesson- podcast 

transcript with Joanna Penn- Bookmark

 

To Finish

Christmas decorations are everywhere. This means the agony of Christmas shopping. With the supply chain problems the earlier you nail down those presents the better. The Alliance of Independent Authors has a gift buying guide for writers. 

Don’t forget to check out the Storybundle of NaNoWriMo craft and marketing books. It is available until the end of November which isn’t that far away.

The Dream Team of Angela and Becca have put together a list of Black Friday deals for writers. Check it out. 

 

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 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.

 

 

Are We There Yet?

Around the world, there are murmuring from publishers about getting back to face-to-face book fairs. Three weeks ago I was hearing the same conversations at the New Zealand Book Awards and now here we are in lockdown. Mark Williams of The New Publishing Standard talks about the last-minute cancellation of Beijing’s bookfair and the new normal going forward for book fairs.

 

The big news if you are an Erotica writer is the closing off of websites and income that were previously open to you due to banking regulators tightening up rules. The Alliance of Independent Authors news team talks about the latest developments in a fast-changing story and a possible solution. 

 

Kris Rusch has an interesting article this week on social shopping. If you miss shopping with your friends there is an app for you. (There is always an app.) How can authors turn this into a social experience for readers?

 

Anne R Allen has a great guest post on negotiating author agreements from Joseph Perry. This is a good roundup of terms to be familiar with when you look at your own contracts. Just remember you can change your contract- You don’t have to take everything they say. 

 

If you have come across the term author platform and are struggling with it, read this great article from Rachel Thompson. 

 

Scott Myers has an interesting article on organising your writing time. 

 

Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi have a team of guest writing coaches that they feature on their website. This week Suzanne Lakin is back with a fantastic post on nailing the purpose of your novel's scene. It’s a must read! 

 

In The Craft Section,

Using triggers for emotional wounds- Angela Ackerman

How interviews can help a book project- Shalene Gupta- Bookmark

Style sheets – Ruth Harris – Bookmark

Writing emotions effectively- Litreactor- Bookmark

Describing old characters-Kathy Steinnmann

 

In The Marketing Section,

Boost your chances for a Bookbub featured deal- Bookmark

Author collaboration – does it work?- Angela Ackerman- Bookmark

Use your Amazon bio- Penny Sansevieri

Fun September holidays for marketing- Sandra Beckwith- Bookmark

Facebook ads for books – Dave Chesson – Bookmark

 

To Finish,

You have a great idea. You know there is a story in there. Where do you start? Ross Hartmann has a great article on how to expand your story idea, where to start from and what questions to ask. 

 

Sometimes it is really hard to get motivated to write. Lockdown can either drive creativity or completely sap it. Look after yourself and your mental health. Schedule a dance party for one.

 

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

It’s nearly time for my monthly newsletter 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 – Wendelin Jacober

Publishing Formats or How Many Ways To Profit.

 

 

In Publishing News,

While various publishing houses are trying to open up their offices, Sourcebooks, one of the big independent publishers has rethought the way their staff will be working. Publishing Perspectives reports that Sourcebooks are asking their staff to decide if they want to come in or work from home in the future. (Allowing staff to live in 7 states if they want to.)

 

The Stats are in for the US publishers for the first half of the year. Sales are up. The lions share going to hardbacks…. This should make the publishers happy as there is a race to bring out the political analysis books over the final year of the Trump presidency with some eye-watering sums being thrown around for advance money. The publishers have to get it back somehow and hardbacks have the biggest profit margin.

 

Mark Williams of The New Publishing Standard keeps one eye on the global publishing market. He lives in Africa, so has a ringside seat to the biggest internet-connected nation in the world. Nigeria. They are about to have their international bookfair – a mix of in-person and digital events celebrating women. Nigeria publishers are looking to go digital.

 

Meanwhile, Overdrive, the world’s biggest digital library has just completed the acquisition of Kanopy, a video streaming service for public and academic libraries. Entertainment and knowledge all in one big digital package for libraries. 

 

Authors, with all the digital consolidation, keep an eye on your contract language. It might be time to revisit this excellent post by Dean Wesley Smith on The Magic Bakery. (AKA what rights are you selling.)

 

In our own corner of the world, the talk was all about New Zealand’s National Library playing recklessly with pirates.

Agent Kristin Nelson wrote this week about a topic that no one really talks about- When the author dream is no longer a dream. 

 

Bookfunnel is often cited as an indispensable tool for Indie publishers. It enables fast delivery of eBooks and storefront advantages for authors. They have added a few new features that make them even more spiffy. 

 

Kris Rusch this week takes a look at the ongoing black swan event that is the pandemic. She makes a forceful argument that business is will be an ongoing car crash due to the many people who refuse to be vaccinated. One point she brings up- kids younger than 12 will not be vaccinated. The sneaky virus is constantly mutating. Do you want to save kids?

 

Writing craft expert, Jerry Jenkins has an excellent article on the unreliable narrator. If you are tempted to have one of these, you have to find a way to make them consistently believable. 

 

In The Craft Section,

The key to character introductions- Scott Myers - Bookmark

Relationship thesaurus: Forced marriage- Becca Puglisi

How do you know your story is finished- Tiffany Yates Martin- Bookmark

How to write plays children will love- Christina Hamlett

Four ways to create inter-character conflict- Angie Hodapp- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

10 tips for working with an independent editor- Valerie Brooks- Bookmark

Unconventional book launch ideas- Ricardo Fayet

6 ways friends can help promote your book- Sandra Beckwith- Bookmark

Bookbub ads- Bookbub

5 simple marketing strategies for your series- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark

 

To Finish,

I’ve been having an up and down couple of weeks. Some of it is school holidays and some of it is an intractable computer problem. Judith Briles has an interesting article this week on being an author procrastinator. I’m trying not to tick the boxes.

On the other hand, Sue Coletta has an interesting take on multi-tasking. Apparently, it can be bad for our brains. So time to focus on …

Maureen

@craicer

 

It’s nearly time for my monthly newsletter. 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 – Trish Hartmann- Venice bakery

 

Can You Hear The Rising Voices?

 

 

In publishing news this week,

NBC News published an opinion piece on the conflicts in publishing coming from the staff of publishing houses challenging the books that their publishing houses are publishing. In this week's challenge- It’s Mike Pence’s memoir. There have been rumblings around publishing Twitter on whether some books should be published, citing free speech and a balanced viewpoint against books that should never have been picked up because of their subject matter and/or author. (See last weeks blog) Are the publishing house’s only doing it for a quick buck to finance other books in the production list?

 

A task force of authors has come together to highlight the Disney-Must-Pay campaign. This campaign is gathering momentum. After all if the boot was on the other foot and people were using Disney’s exclusive content for their own gain – Their lawyers would be all over it.

 

Two interesting articles caught my eye this week from Mark Williams of The New Publishing Standard. Wattpad has paid out over one million dollars to writers in their subscription model. Apple is moving into podcasts with a subscription model. Are subscription models really worth it to writers or are we stuck with the new payment model for entertainment? Will we be seeing subscription wars soon between the big digital players?

 

Horrified magazine-(Guess the genre) have an interesting article on the revolution happening in their genre – The female experience of fear. Bram Stoker nominee Gemma Amor writes about the rising number of women writing in the genre.

 

Bookriot has an interesting article on disability in children’s books. How often do disabled children see themselves in a book in a positive way? How many books do you know where the protagonist wears glasses? Such a little thing but a huge deal to a child who doesn’t see themselves in a book. I remember my child running up to me clutching a book saying, ‘Look the boy has glasses just like me!’

 

Joanna Penn recently interviewed Mark Leslei Lefebvre on his new book Wide For The Win.

This is a great book on publishing wide – across all marketplaces, not just Amazon. The Title comes from the great Facebook group Wide for the Win which is full of authors who are working out how to market across all platforms. I have the book and I’m in the group. I recommend listening to/ reading this great interview.

 

Ruth Harris has a great blog post on the eight stages in the life cycle of a writer. This is a read and share post. Every writer will relate to the life cycle… and then we do it all again.

 

It’s the last week of April and that means a third of the year has gone. If you are still trying to make sense of this year and marketing books, take a look at Bookbub’s comprehensive list of ways to market in 2021.

 

A lot of the time I have, hopefully, inspiring blogs and links for you to think about to help you in your writing. Today I came across the anti-post. What writing advice do you love to hate?

 

In the Craft Section,

The importance of subplots- Scott Myers- Bookmark

How Can I have a Jerk Love interest- Mythcrants

Writing an audio first novel- Sophie Masson

Archetypes – The Negative King- K M Weiland – Bookmark

10 ways to write better plots- Now Novel- Bookmark

Debunking 6 myths on Steadfast flat characters- September Fawkes- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

How to create a YouTube channel- Hootsuite- Bookmark

30 days of Social Media content Infographic- Barb Drozdowich

Instagram Book marketing ideas- Bookbub- Bookmark

How to write a book title- Written Word Media-

Author Branding- Sandra Beckwith- Bookmark

 

To Finish,

Nalini Singh is a publishing superstar who writes in the paranormal genre. Recently, she was interviewed by Mitzi Rapkin from First Draft Podcast. Nalini talks about the unnecessary divide between Literary and Genre fiction.

Literary Fiction is just another genre, in my opinion. 

What do you say?

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

My monthly newsletter full of the best of my bookmarked links will be going out soon. When you subscribe you will also get a nifty mini book crammed with marketing notes as a thank you. 

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

 

Pic: Flickr Creative Commons- Kimba Howard 141119