This week around the blogosphere articles about what to get the writer for Christmas were jostling with trends to watch in 2019. I just wish I was still in November. Every year December comes faster. Things I thought I would have finished by now still linger in the To Do pile.
December is Na No Edit Mo. The time where you take stock of your NaNo project and give it some editing love. Anne R Allen has a list of Do’s and Don’ts to consider as you embark on editing your novel.
Ingram must have an interesting To Do List for Christmas... Rumour has it that they are looking to buy Baker and Taylor- their competitor in the Book Distributor business. This could mean a jolly shake-up in the print book world for 2019.
Also making plans for 2019 Frankfurt Bookfair are introducing a new section – Rights trading for Book Tech
Barnes and Noble are still hanging in there so the winds of change must be blowing snow down the back of their necks. Speculation that this Christmas book buying season could be the one that seals their fate.
It’s been ten years of The Creative Penn blog. I can’t imagine a blogosphere without her. We got started at the same time blogging. She has become a huge influence and a force in the indie world for her lay it all out approach. This week’s post on what ten years has taught her... a must read. I’m also keen to try dictation over the summer. Joanna has a great post on that too.
The fearless duo of Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi always have great ideas of paying it forward in the author community. They are running an advent calendar style giveaway for authors. Check out their great prize draws.
Kris Rusch has an interesting blog post on generations this week. Do the older generation of writers fear or embrace the newer writers in their genre. Do the newer writers learn from or imitate the elders. When are you an elder...?
Dutton are experimenting with book sizes. They are bringing out limited edition phone sized flip books... starting with John Green’s books – all aimed at the YA market. Just like a phone but in print...
Now Novel has two excellent articles on scenes and character. Every year or big project I choose an area of craft to focus on. 2019 is the year of the Scene for me and this article on Scene is just the perfect one to launch into a year of craft study. And the one on character is pretty good too. Over Summer I hope to play with dictation so this article from Joanna Penn on the best way to do it is a good start.
In The Craft Section,
How to cope with large casts of characters?- KM Weiland- BookmarkPublishing trends/tropes
Beginnings and Backstory- James Scott Bell - Bookmark
The sample permissions letter- Jane Friedman- Bookmark
The pitfalls of self-editing- Writer Unboxed.
Do’s and Don’ts when creating villains Pt2- Kassandra Lamb- Bookmark
2 great posts from Go Into The Story- Learning the craft in 2019 and how to write one hour TV drama. Bookmark!
In The Marketing Section,
Two great posts from Penny Sansevieri- Marketing a book on Social Media 2019 and Boost your pre-order strategies - BookmarkWhat can authors get out of video content- Kevin Tumlinson- Bookmark
Top book blogs to build author brand – Dave Chesson
5 social media marketing trends to watch in 2019
How to process feedback
To Finish,
It’s the time of year when all the gift lists come out. For writers, there is always some new gadget or programme that might make writing the novel easier. Wearing Jane Austen socks and noise-canceling headphones while writing with a new rollerball pen on pristine paper in a beautifully embossed journal and sipping Writers Tear’s whiskey...Hmmmm Just needs chocolate and it would be perfect! Check out what other gifts you can ask for from these two writer’s gifts lists.Maureen
@craicer
It’s nearly time for 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. If you like the blog and want to shout me a Christmas coffee, hit the coffee button up top. I appreciate the virtual coffee love.
Pic: Flickr Creative Commons/ Marita
