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 21st 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
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Pic: Flickr Creative Commons – Joe Shlabotnik
