Two interesting posts from Mark Williams of The New Publishing Standard have bookended my week.
The first was an examination of the new digital publishing and subscription 'Kid On The Block', Legible. They have launched with bold claims about publishing to the world, but Mark thinks they’ve tripped up by focusing on North America first.
The other post, out today, is the realisation that some of Australia’s literary treasures are out of print and lost. They won’t be the only country where this is happening. Don’t publishers have a duty of care to their nations?
The London Book Fair is on the horizon. This year’s virtual fair offers up three weeks of virtual workshops for writers for the author HQ area of the fair. Publishing Perspectives takes a look at the program.
Recently, Sotheby’s were about to auction off rare Bronte manuscripts until various Bronte societies and libraries heard about it. They want them preserved for the public. Sotheby’s has agreed to delay, which means the libraries have to come up with some cash soon.
In the various author groups that I am part of, there is huge respect for Kristine Kathryn Rusch. She writes valuable posts about the business of writing. This is where many writers come unstuck. Business is hard. This week she turns her spotlight on the raft of laws about to go through congress aimed at taking apart tech firms. What will happen to authors if Amazon is forced to sell off its publishing arm? This is an important read for anyone in the Amazon ecosystem.
The long-running joke in writer and reader circles is when the next book in Game of Thrones might be published. Spare a thought for George R R Martin who is struggling with regret and writing a book that the TV show changed direction on.
Nate Hoffelder has written a great article on Anne R Allen’s blog on introverted authors. Yes, some of us struggle with the public face of being an author. Nate has some great tips to overcome fears.
How many of you are curled up like a pretzel when you write? (Guilty, right now.) You know that you need to build healthy writer habits. Here are a couple of posts to jog you into some good habits. Why writers need healthy habits. and Why walking is the best exercise for writers. And don’t forget your mental health too. Writing can be such a slog that it is tempting to quit. Here is a helpful post on when it all gets too much.
My comfort books when ill are Georgette Heyer- her historical research was gold standard. A family member is a regency writer and I often dip into her extensive library of research books from the period. If you are venturing into historical fiction – know that your readers are going to be looking to see if you got your facts right. Check out 5 tips for creating a fully realized historical setting. (Georgette was often in a rare tweak when other writers would crib her words for their novels- the effrontery!)
In The Craft Section,
What to do when you can’t connect to your characters- Ellen Brock
What is your characters emotional shielding- Angela Ackerman- Bookmark
Trick yourself into finding time to write- Suzanne Henshon- Bookmark
What is an unsympathetic character- Anne R Allen- Bookmark
The 7 laws of successful villains- Lisa Voisin
In The Marketing Section,
Choose the perfect pen name- Lewis
Use your email signature for book marketing- Sandra Beckwith - Bookmark
Indie author marketing and promotion plan- Emma Lombard – Bookmark!
10 books to help with your writing life- Rachel Thompson
2 Great posts from Penny Sansevieri- 10 minutes or less to a polished author brand and Monopolise your indie author real estate- Bookmark Both
To Finish,
Back at the beginning of April, we struggled with articulating the loss of Beverley Cleary. (OK 104 years -we need to let go.) Vulture writer, Kathryn VanArendonk, has examined the mastery of emotion that Beverley exhibited in her Ramona stories. I think she has put her finger on just how brilliant Beverley was at close 3rdperson writing and evoking emotion in adults and children.
Oh to write half as well.
Maureen
@craicer
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Pic: Flickr Creative Commons – MaxiuB
2 comments:
Another thing I've pondered about that could impact the book industry is censorship. I had five short stories rejected by Hoopla for "didn't meet our standards." No other explanation. There's been a lot of that in general lately, with people being suspended from social media for vague reasons. One writer's Medium account was suspended over a post on the death of his dog. Again, no explanation. What if that happens on a bigger scale? Amazon suspends a writer's entire account without any way to find out why or appeal?
You are so right Linda!
Censorship is a tricky thing to defend if your site is committed to free speech. Bob Mayers account being suspended by Medium was really weird. The death of Cool Gus, the most recognised dog in Indie publishing, was a news story. Their site their rules. I guess the only thing to do is to not limit yourself and your message to one site- effectively giving them all the power.
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