Ch...Ch...Changes. (No.150.)

Three years ago, when I started this blog...the world did not know about the huge change in publishing just around the corner. 

Print was still king. E rights in contracts - do we really need to worry about them? Promotion...isn’t the book launch enough? Oh and book trailers, skype author tours, elending  and the demise of the newspaper... that is way in the future... isn’t it?

Over the last three years I have learned about author marketing, publishing trends, the rise and rise of independent publishing and the alternatives to the printed page. I’ve probably bored you silly with yet another link to Mike Shatzkin, publishing futurist and predictor of the trends that frighten you, that you hope won’t come true, except they do.

Mike is looking into the future to pick the big issues to address in nine months at the 2012 Digital Book World conference...The rise of children’s book apps are the next big thing to watch.

Kevin Kelley (of The Long Tail fame) has taken this even further and sees books existing in the cloud of web computing able to be mashed up into all different forms...in 20-30 years. His commenters take issue looking at the downside of ‘rogue’ governments controlling what people read or how they are informed by who controls the cloud and access to it...(or big business - Amazon and Google.)

With the huge upswing in epublishing in the last two years...authors becoming publishers, print publishers beginning to digitise their back lists, you could be forgiven for feeling a little shell shocked at the speed of take up. The key is to learn as much as you can before jumping in.

Elizabeth Spann Craig has a guest post on modern mythology about publishing myths...for authors and publishers. To E or not to E, that is the question.

Jane Friedman looks at who writers should trust to help them in this brave new world.

Three years ago you wouldn’t have considered book design important, or where to buy an ISBN number or whether you needed one before you flicked up your writing on the internet.

You wouldn’t have known about the importance of marketing and how to automate what you do, to make promotion easier.

You wouldn’t have known about escams that harvest content from blogs and websites, slap it into an ebook and sell it on Amazon or Kindle for $2.99.

This information is now becoming need to know and understand and presents a challenge to the writer who thought all they had to do was write.

Writing good stories has not changed in three years.

Roz Morris looks at how you can make dull scenes, that are full of information, interesting and Fictiongroupie has a good post on critique partners...why you need them and how to find them.

Over on Craicerplus (My Amplify page) I have links to articles on

Movie studios are looking for more YA books

Publishers obsession with the iPad elitist...(it’s big in the West but what about the East?)

To finish,

E Elle has a great post that will bring a smile to your face as you contemplate all the different roles the writer has.

I leave you with a video showing the emotional stages the writer goes through when writing that novel.

And a neat little spoof video.

enjoy,

maureen


pic...something yummy (Slainte)

4 Implications Of Publishing In The 'Now'

This week I presented my report on The Spinning Tales conference to my peers here in Wellington.
 As I have been writing the report over a few weeks, carefully deciphering scribbled notes up, down and sideways, I have also been looking out for articles and commentary to do with the main themes discussed at the conference.

Last week I gave you the six need to know facts about children’s publishing that were uppermost in my notes as I pulled them together for the report. This week it is the implications of some of the publishing trends of ‘now’ that authors must be aware of.

1. We are becoming a screen society. This has implications for writers, we have to be at ease writing content across all the screen mediums. (N.B. If you don’t believe me answer these questions. Do you reach for the yellow pages or access the internet? Does your child know what the yellow pages are?)

Mike Shatzkin of Ideologue discussed the furore over his reported comments that it will be hard to find a Library in fifteen years time. He makes some very good arguments...and he says we will need librarians more than ever.

2. If you are niche you are unlikely to find a publisher for your work. If your work is too short or too long you are unlikely to find a publisher. Large publishers lists are contracting and they have to have a commercial focus to survive. Small publishers are inundated with submissions. You might need to take a hard look at your publishing options and decide whether you want to stay in the game.

Roz Morris looks at what you need to decide when you keep getting positively rejected. (that is they make nice encouraging noises about your work but it is still a rejection)

3. If you are not business savvy you will be someone else’s cash cow. It happened in the music industry where mega performing stars discovered that they owned no rights to their own music and indeed owed music publishers (record companies ) millions when an album underperformed.

Check contracts for everything! Kristin Nelson talks about the rights in perpetuity clause in an agents contract.

Mike Shatzkin talks about Amazon moving to take print rights (the new subsidiary rights) from the ebooks it sells. Just flip this over and you find a big six publisher taking ebook rights off print books or no deal.

4. Independent Publishing is just as hard as traditional publishing but you own the process (and the bills and the profits.)
Bob Mayer posted a comprehensive list of things his publishing company is doing to promote his new book project. It is eye opening!

Good writing may not get noticed but you owe it yourself that anything with your name on it should stand out.

The Blake Snyder beat sheet has been retweeted all over the internet in the last week. It is excellent.
Liz has adapted it for the novel in a spreadsheet.

Erika Holt has written a must read post on standing out from the slushpile.

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

Ad supported Kindles....are they a good idea?

What Stops The Agent Reading

3 Late Blooming Writers

Em Dashes and How To Use Them.

To finish,
It is Easter...and we should celebrate...So here are two gifts for you.

The absolute comprehensive list of free tools for writers. Read it and go waaaah.

An article in the writers guild magazine written by J K Rowling...(for those still thinking about shelling out for the HP DVD this Easter.)

enjoy
maureen