Book Identity Crisis

This week John Scalzi turned his blog over to an Icelandic writer who wrote an article about the difficulties of translating his own work. You might think it is just a standard article on translation but Alexander Vilhajalmsson was translating from old Icelandic, made up Icelandic, and new Icelandic fantasy ideas. So why am I linking to it? I was thinking about the shrinking globe effect. Bestsellers get translated and have a whole new life. Publishing houses get swallowed up by global behemoths. How does a writer stand out in a global entertainment industry? By being your authentic self apparently. 

 

Kris Rusch has the second part of her post Writing in the 21^st Century- Find your own voice… carve your own path. This is a great post about giving yourself the power to run your business your way

 

All we can know about the future of book publishing is that it won’t look the same as now.

The recession is starting to bite in publishing land. News is trickling out that Macmillan is closing their children’s imprint. Mike Shatzkin takes a look at the rumours of Penguin Random House buying Simon and Schuster- What does this mean for the shrinking trade market? How much power is in the back list? Is this the end of general trade publishing?

 

A few weeks ago, I had an article about Spotify possibly moving into the audiobook space. So here is another stealthy move by them… commentary on your playlists. I was thinking hmm how can authors use this as a marketing idea?

 

Written Word Media has a report on how reading has changed in the Covid months. (I was about to write Covid years- sigh-looking into the future) This is an interesting look at what genres got read the most. WWM run Free Booksy and Bargain Booksy Newsletters so they have a lot of data at their fingertips.

 

If you are worried about podcasts cannibalising your audiobooks – don’t be. Mark Williams of The New Publishing Standard tells why they are mutually reinforcing factors for good.

 

Paul Dinas has an interesting article on the worth of freelance editors… (Worth their weight in gold) however he ties this to the changing acquisition structures of the big publishers. Will an editor even edit your book if they accept it?

 

Ten essential tips to eliminate distractions from your writing. (A great checklist for organizing your writing time)

 

The fabulous duo of Angela and Becca have made their collection of images and tips available for NaNoWriMo so check out this fantastic resource. Don’t forget the Storybundle of Nano books. All the authors get paid and so does charity.

 

In The Craft Section,

Compassion fatigue is it relevant for your characters?- Becca Puglisi- Bookmark

Writing Synopses and trimming words- Linda Clare- Bookmark

Learning from mistakes made by big writers- Bonnie Randall

Motivation and the writing life- Elizabeth S Craig

Writing Tools for NaNoWriMo- Angela Ackerman BOOKMARK

7 ways to disguise a didn’t see it coming plot twist- Cutsceneaddict

 

In The Marketing Section,

How Can I promote my book for free- David Kudler

Author platforms – Learn from the kids- Michelle Melton Cox- Bookmark

7 mistakes to avoid when promoting on Social Media - Shayla Raquel

Smash through creative blocks- Angela And Becca 

How to Write a killer Amazon bio and Seeing the good in a Goodreads giveaway- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark both

Consider translating your work- Angela Ackerman

 

To Finish,

Recently Netcredit decided to gather the most popular books from each country into a list so that while you were stuck at home you could read around the world. It is an interesting list full of country defining books- Thornbirds anyone? Not sure I agree with the NZ one tho. I’m happy to take suggestions for the book that defines our country. Overseas readers check out your country’s suggested books Do you agree?

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

It’s nearly time for my monthly newsletter with the best of my bookmarked links. Why not subscribe and 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 – Joe Shlabotnik

 

Reframing The Writing Business

 

It is Book Fair time… online. Frankfurt is underway with over 4000 digital exhibitors. Trying to wrap your head around that is hard but luckily Publishing Perspectives has got your back and is publishing lots of articles from the Fair.  They have a quick rundown on the International Publishers Association - State of Publishing reports. This is a comprehensive series from Norway looking at the future of publishing against 7 norms. 

 

Every year around Book Fair time The Alliance of Independent Authors holds their 24 hour online conference. This year the themes is tools. Check out the lineup and carve out some time this weekend to attend virtually!

 

This week the Indie Bookstores in America are having a box out campaign to highlight shopping at Indie bookstore instead of Amazon. Indie Book Blog published an article about the shaky future of Indie Press.’ These are all the little publishers that publish niche or more challenging genres than the big 4. Take a look at your bookshelves. How many books do you have published by small publishers?

 

While we are thinking about Indie bookstores, spare a thought for all the cinemas out there who are watching the decimation of their business. Kris Rusch looks at the future of entertainment venues- how do you reframe your business in uncertain times.

 

This week a friend sent me a link to an article published locally about the problems of supply for Bookstores coming up to Christmas. I know we hate thinking about Christmas in October but in the book business that’s what you have to do. Even though this article is about buying books… don’t forget to add printing books for Christmas sales to this. 

 

Roz Morris has a great article on how to get an early start on your NaNoWriMo project. Start planning your characters. She has great tips on how to flesh out your characters and plot and how to get all your research done so you are ready for November 1.

 

In The Craft Section,

Diving deep into Point of View- Christina Delay

The ultimate guide to creating characters- Shaunta Grimes- Bookmark

Don’t  give readers a reason to reject your novel- Anne R Allen

10 quick tips to writing disabled characters- Elena Paolini- Bookmark

10 step checklist to writing a better novel- K M Weiland

Creating the authentic villain- Kyla Bagnell- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

3 amazon reader review myths- Sandra Beckwith

Setting up a course – interview with Dave Chesson

How to craft an elevator pitch that sells- Ruth Harris- Bookmark

7 steps to self publishing success- Zara Altair

105 hashtags for writers- Frances Caballo- Bookmark

Effective Social Media for your book marketing campaign- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark

How to find the right background image for your website – Nate Hoffelder

 

To Finish,

October is NaNoPrepMo. Sometimes the fact that November is just around the corner and pressure to write that novel in a month can suck all the joy out of writing. If you have been having a tough writing year and are struggling with the muse – Give yourself a break. Litreactor has a great article from Karis Rogerson about just writing for yourself by reframing your writing.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

It’s nearly time for my monthly newsletter with the best of my bookmarked links. Why not subscribe and 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 – LeighKlotz