In Publishing News this week,
Last week the big news was Bookshop.org partnering with Draft2Digital. This week it’s Bookshop.org partnering with Spotify. You can buy the audio books you are listening to and Spotify also has a nifty new feature which could be a real game changer in inter device use. With all these deals Bookshop.org is becoming a global player. Hopefully they will see the rest of the world exists soon.
In other global player publishing news, Microsoft has just launched a platform marketplace to facilitate the buying of licenses to train AI’s. They are looking at fast churn news stories to get up to the minute information but there may be scope for publishers to market their IP. After all the Anthropic judge did say that it was fair use to buy a copy of a book to train an AI. HarperCollins leapt in quickly to license their back list. Mark Williams takes a deep dive into the pro’s and con’s of this announcement and what it means for fiction publishers. While Microsoft has already made the marketplace Amazon is shouting that they are making one too. It’s nearly here. Soon.
The next AI training court case is nearly upon us. Google is in the hot seat trying to defend themselves against a class action. Two publishers have recently joined the class action and Google is shouting not fair. Publishing Perspectives has an article on why the publishers were so late to the party.
Forbes has an article on why Publishers are employing AI engineers. This has been quietly happening for about a year now. Publishers using AI’s in the business and demanding no AI use in making the books. Why has it become a news issue now, sadly because the entry level jobs in publishing are being done by AI. I have a recent publishing graduate in the house looking for their first job and it’s tough out there.
I have been writing some non -fiction articles recently and while my brain was wandering into this head space, I read this article in Publishers Weekly on the top best sellers for 2025 in children’s books. They have divided the list into front and backlist. One of the things that caught my eye was the amount of back listed titles sold in huge numbers that were first published sixty years ago or more. The perennial value of this Intellectual Product couldn’t have been foreseen when they were first published. It makes you think about your own backlist and how every title, no matter when it was published, can be new to a reader.
Who has the biggest Book Fair in the world? If you said Frankfurt, you would be wrong, India is second biggest. But for sheer size check out Egypt. The New Publishing Standard has a run down on all the numbers and why publishers should be seriously looking to have a presence there.
Last year I linked to articles about Ireland’s Universal Basic Income scheme pilot for artists and writers. It was such a success that they are rolling out for real. Scotland has taken a look at Ireland’s model and are considering doing the same. It could be a movement…
Do you remember joking about wanting robots to do the boring work and let you be free to do the fun stuff? I had the feeling we were getting close to that with Chelle Honnikers article on code last week and then she followed it up with Agentic AI, which is where AI is going this year. Your own personal AI agent worker. Chelle is an expert in author business automations and the programmer for the Author Nation conference. It is worth while reading the articles for a look at the future.
Russel Nohelty writes excellent articles on author mindset and business. This week he has a great article on how authors need to treat their business like a startup. There are some key road map signs to look for in being successful.
If you are looking for some quick author upskilling, The Get Published summit is on soon. There are great speakers, many of whom have featured in this blog so go on over to the website and grab your free ticket.
Katie Weiland has a fantastic article from James Scott Bell about the mirror moment in fiction. I had one of those AHA moments when I read James’ book on the topic. The article is excellent and I highly recommend the book too.
In The Craft Section,
The scene between the beats- Ines Johnson- Bookmark
The beginning page- Kathleen McCleary- Bookmark
Single or multiple viewpoints- Becca Puglisi-Bookmark
Get paid as a writer Suzy Vadori- Bookmark
What does your character fear – September Fawkes
In The Marketing Section,
How one author got ripped off- Sandra Beckwith
25 things I wish every writer knew- Dan Blank- Bookmark
Explaining KDP expanded distribution- Memoir Mentors
Reader magnets- Ines Johnson- Bookmark
Book Marketing metrics that matter- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark
To Finish
If you have been in the traditional author space or reporting on it for a few decades you would have noticed the gradual decline in publishers taking an interest in their authors. A few decades ago a publisher or an editor would nurture a writer and spend time polishing the manuscript or giving them opportunities to grow their career.
Ah the good old days.
Richard Charkin comments on the power shift in publishing that has happened almost without publishers realizing it. And they only have themselves to blame. Aligned with this thinking ,Agent Richard Curtis talks about the importance of negotiating rights in your contract. Who is looking after your best interests? It should be you!
Maureen
@craicer
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Picture- The great Tom Gauld nailing it again.
