Rapping On Book Sales

This week seems to be a theme on future book buying models. Who is buying and who is selling.

It could be just me, with my one eye fixed on the children’s book market... the readers of the future. How are kids reading in Germany? (Does print still rule?) Who is publishing children’s books in China (Now that the govt is encouraging fiction for children...) How  publishers are waking up to children’s author backlists.

Or it could have been sparked by the comments on Cory Doctorow’s post on a ‘new’business model for authors. Sell the books yourself.  How many reader fans do you need to not  be dependent on booksellers?

If you do want to operate a store front, check out Gumroad designed for creatives who sell their own work.

Joanna Penn has a great interview with Ron Vitale about being a successful writer and working a full time job. This kind of interview is always a reality check. The first check is to think about what your own goals are... and work from there.

Last Month Ruth Harris talked about Stress and Burnout in authors and how to recognise it. In Part Two She looks at how to cope with Stress and manage Burnout. These two posts are essential reading for writers.

I keep saying that authors need to group together and pool their talent to extend their reach... and then I see that literary agents think it’s a good idea as well.

Over the last week I have come across three interviews that reference Kris Rusch and Amazon Earnings data as being essential reading. So here is Kris on Data Diving and Data Guy with an amazing must watch presentation on the latest data from Amazon Earnings and how he gets it. (mind blown!)

Writer Unboxed has an article from Susan Spann  on recognising possible scam artists in the publishing world. Don’t think that it is easy. They are getting pretty canny at lifting your money and leaving you with nothing.

Writer’s Digest has a guest post from Kaitlyn Johnson on Twitter Pitch contests. PitMad was last week but there are so many others to choose from.

K M Weiland is one of my go to writer craft book sources. This week she wrote a stunning post on 7 stages that writers experience. This is a must read.

In The Craft Section,

Two great posts from 10 Minute Novelist- 8 awful ways to begin badly and 10 questions for scene writing

Four ways to make your novel addictive- Killzone

Top short story writers secrets- Anne R Allen- Bookmark

Writers guide to British vs American English

The emotional rollercoaster: Why characters resist change- Angela Ackerman- Bookmark

How to write a book blurb.-Trish Nicholson- Bookmark

In The Marketing Section,

How a series helped sell 100x more books- Bookbub

5 steps to sell more books on Amazon-Written Word Media - Bookmark

Making Book Charms

Using Back Matter to sell books- Bookmark

From fun to serious - how I use pinterest now- Frances Caballo- Bookmark

What can I do about blurry Canva images

3 proven marketing strategies you should avoid- Mike Bungay Stanier

To Finish,

Lit Reactor often has thought provoking posts. And this one was no exception. What are the 7 things that rappers do that writers should copy.

Try and guess them before you read the article...

Maureen

@craicer

Every month I round up the best of my bookmarked links and put them together with some other goodies.  Subscribe to my monthly newsletter for writers.Thanks to the lovely people who feed my coffee habit. It is much appreciated.

Pic : An incognito reader.... who could be a rapper...

Flickr Creative Commons Morris County Library

Go Out And Conquer

This week I went into the radio studio to record my monthly podcast slot and felt depressed. The topic was writer incomes. The latest stats were out and NZ writers weren’t earning very much at all. As we were talking about the report we both were realising that we knew authors who didn’t fit the criteria and so weren’t surveyed. Then I came across a mention of the report on Passive Voice and the comments were enlightening. So all I can say in this brave new publishing world is Do Whatever Works For You and Good Luck.

Kris Rusch has got a great blog post on Taking Control back to the writer. This is important if you want to plan your career and take advantage of opportunities.

March is London Book Fair and the Indie Author Fringe which was a 24 hour blast of great content for authors. If you didn’t get a chance to watch in real time you can always go and access their great sessions from their website. I binge watch and scribble notes constantly. It’s like a private conference just for you.

Publishers Weekly reported on the London Book Fair describing it as a Keep Calm and Carry On affair. PW also asked agents heading to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, which is traditionally two weeks after LBF, what they would be looking for. Mid Grade is still the holy grail and everybody wants to find the next breakout hit crossover teen....etc etc.

Meanwhile The Guardian wrote about the dubious rise in celebrity authors writing books for children because its sooo easy. (Bring me a barf bucket-stat! -is how all children’s book authors feel.) Are publishers losing out big time on these deals?

Derek Murphy of Creative Indie has set up a website where you are encouraged to do writer sprints with your friends. It is set up in 15 minute increments and you can win free stuff. Derek is hoping to write 5000 words an hour.

Kiwi Katherine Hayton writes about giving InstaFreebie a trial. She added thousands to her email list and got hundreds of preorders.

Ali Luke talks about writers having multiple streams of income and the rise of novellas. Rachel Thompson talks about Branding for Authors. All of these articles explain why and how you should be working with your author business.

Joanna Penn interviewed Mark Dawson about using Amazon ads. This podcast is packed full of great information and is a must listen. If you don’t have the time to listen, read the transcript.

If you are looking for story ideas Now Novel have got a great list of 15 easy ways to generate story ideas.

In The Craft Section,

15 tools for writers- R L Stedman- Bookmark

What should an author blog about- Anne R Allen – Bookmark

How to know your writing is improving- Peter Rey

6 bad habits you can write without- C S Lakin

4 ways not to F up your tenses- Sacha Black

3 craft elements –Elizabeth Craig- Bookmark

5 world building mistakes enthusiasts make- Mythcreants- Bookmark

How to write a sequel- K M Weiland - Bookmark

In The Marketing Section,

How to publish an ebook- Jane Friedman

3 email marketing rules

Emotional triggers to hook subscribers

Sell more books with new cover design-Joanna Penn

How to get going with email marketing

Listing your books with Google Play- Elizabeth Craig – Bookmark

Managing Social Media Followers- C K Syme- Bookmark

Back Matter in your book- Bookmark

To Finish,

Tara Sparling has a great recipe for making the modern bestseller. This is a fun read that will lift your spirits. Then you can read Chuck’s latest post on being a professional writer.

Go out and Conquer.

Maureen

@craicer

Every month I round up the best of my bookmarked links and put them together with some other goodies which you get if you subscribe to my monthly newsletter.
Shout out to the lovely people who bought me a coffee this week. It is much appreciated!

Pic: Flickr Creative Commons/ Moyan Brenn