Understanding The Rules

In Publishing News this week

 

In the continuing saga of Baker and Taylor distributors, the physical warehouse and staff have found a buyer. Riding to the rescue is Lakeside Book Company who have snapped up their warehouse, employees, and print on demand service. 

 

Publishing Perspectives highlights the news that Tennessee is demanding libraries comply with a directive on age appropriate books- or gender politics by another name. This has widespread condemnation with PEN America among many organisations crying political interference in library management and reading.

 

The suspension of books with AI covers from New Zealand’s prestigious national book awards was reported around the world. The online discussions ranged from it shouldn’t be about the cover to we must draw a line in the sand, and this will strengthen the argument for other book awards. One of the issues raised was the time a book is in production. If you change the rules unexpectedly instead of gradually everyone has time to prepare. 

This morning the Book Awards Trust released the new rules for the New Zealand Children and Young Adults Book Awards. There is a clear clause on AI.

“ 11. Works containing AI-authored text, in part or in whole, are not eligible for entry in any category of the awards. Use of AI for research and minor editorial or formatting support is permitted. Submitters should clarify any queries they have with the awards administrator before entering. If, after submission, a work is found to include ineligible AI-generated text, it will be disallowed. Entry fees will not be refunded and submitted materials will not be returned.

Note: Ahead of the 2027 awards, the awards organisers are consulting with the children’s book sector, including with illustrators and designers, to provide clarity around the use of AI for illustrations. Potential submitters who are currently working on books that will publish during the eligibility period for the 2027 awards (1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027) should bear in mind the potential for restrictions on its use for illustrations.”

Their gradual introduction of rules for illustration and AI use gives everyone who already have books in production a grace period. 

 

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators recently held a webinar on the state of the industry. Gone are the months where children’s books propped up publishers. In this brave new world SCBWI believe it’s time to make everything fresh again.

 

Tanzania has a publishing problem, reports Mark Williams of The New Publishing Standard. With all the English language books flooding into the country, reading in their native language is on the decline. What to do? 

 

Elle Magazine has an interesting article on the celebrity culture of using ghost writers. The quality of your ghost writer collaborator is now the hot thing. Can you get a Pulitzer Prize writer to ghost write your book?

 

Written Word Media has a comprehensive article on the latest AI scams for writers. Sigh.

Meanwhile, in another twist Victoria Strauss of Writer Beware reports that scammers are impersonating famous writers, calling you up to sell the dream.

Let’s be careful out there. Please pass this knowledge on to newbies. It doesn’t hurt to ring the company and ask if their email is genuine but do your own google search and website contact. I know of one local writer who did this and exposed a whole scam operation from a hacked financial account.

 

Chelle Honiker of Author Automations has an interesting article on using AI to streamline all her office jobs. 

Jenny Hansen also shows how you can use AI in 8 cool non writing ways to protect your work- which means not sharing it in the first place. (Yes you can turn off sharing in AI.)

AI is a tool, you can use it as such for proofreading but the accepted practice is don’t use it for creativity. AI does not have the human experience or voice.

 

Rachel Thompson has a brilliant post on repurposing content. Have you got an article or notes filed away that you can repurpose for social media, website articles or into different bite size notes? Rachel shows you how to do more with your work.

 

Kobo Writing Life has an interesting article on the three technical skills writers need to develop. This is a good advice. Are you learning your craft? Do you keep learning? Do you reread your writing craft books? This is also the last week for the Storybundle of writing craft books. Don’t miss out.

 

In The Craft Section,

Creating subtext in deep POV- Lisa Hall-Wilson- Bookmark

Edit your book as if it’s a screenplay- Lesley Krueger

Memoir examples- Reedsy

Ethical and moral dilemmas in crime fiction- Chris Berg and Paul James Smith- Bookmark

Is your character the true antagonist- September Fawkes- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

The importance of your author website- Kobo-Bookmark

The power of the free prequel- Harshini Fernando- Bookmark

Amazon Metadata mistakes- Bookbaby

The 100 rejections challenge-Libby James-Bookmark

Ebook Distribution Deep Dive – Reedsy - Interesting

 

To Finish

As we move into the last month of the year it's gift giving season with Black Friday deals, Cyber Monday deals and then Christmas. Sandra Beckwith is first off the rank with a collection of writer gifts that you might like people to buy for you. The best gift to give a writer is reviews, book sales, a coffee, and then maybe trawl the list for something they really need.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

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If you want the weekly blog in your inbox subscribe to the free Substack version.

If you like the blog and want to buy me a coffee, I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

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The Spirit of The Gift

 

In Publishing News this week

 

The closure of Baker and Taylor book distributors has ongoing ripple effects throughout the book publishing industry. As the biggest book distributor to libraries, publishers are scrambling to put together dedicated sites. Small publishers are left hanging and now the implications are being felt with other book distributors. Publishers Weekly reports on Lectorum Publishing’s closure. Lectorum, the largest independent distributor of Spanish language books explains that the hits kept coming and they couldn’t overcome them. 

 

Spotify is expanding its reach again. This time into the Nordic countries home of Storytel. Storytel have just posted a third quarter profit. Europe and the American continent have been the preferred audiences to chase. I wonder which one will get to Asia or Africa first. Spotify reports that more than half of its listeners are under 35. With the younger demographic of Africa’s population, the struggle for the worlds ears between these two companies is just getting started.

 

November had three big conferences for the publishing community, Sharjah, Shanghai, and Author Nation and all of them addressed the AI conundrum. Do we? Don’t we? and How much is too much?

 

One of the keynotes of Sharjah was an address by Keith Riegert about AI tools. Publishers Weekly reports on this with the title When It Comes To AI, Adapt or Die. This is stark look at the AI tech disruption in publishing. Keith Riegert says we should treat AI as “a very intelligent but inexperienced assistant.”

 

Adding his ten cents into the mix is Mark Williams explaining that book sellers did embrace AI tools back in 2023 then walked back from it. 

 

So where does that leave us at the end of 2025. Publishing Perspectives has an article on using AI for marketing, including the recording of a panel discussion at Frankfurt. Not using it is not an option, according to the panel discussion. 

 

In my opinion, if you pass lots of junior publishing jobs to AI, how will the juniors know when AI gets it wrong or how to do the job without AI? We could lose a lot of knowledge if we let a computer do the thinking. In the publishing office it should be what is the best use of my assistant’s time? Do they understand enough about my business to use AI to my best advantage? The value of AI is speed in marketing, analysis, and productivity tools. But it is a very poor replacement for creativity. It’s the doubling down on being human that distinguishes us from a machine.

 

Publishers Weekly has an article on what’s happening in children’s publishing in China.

They are not having a fantastic year. The stats are reflected throughout the world as everybody is struggling to find children’s audiences. Where are they all and who is the competition? When I was talking to children at a recent market, they all said they read graphic novels. Producing a graphic novel is time consuming and expensive. A conundrum for the children’s publishers.

 

Joanna Penn is back from Author Nation the world’s biggest indie author conference. They had over 80 presentations and every major vendor was in attendance. Joanna gives a run down on the big topics of conversation. 

 

Richard Curtis has an excellent post on the profit and loss statement. For many in the publishing world this is the most important piece of paper in the office. And one that is not talked about. Understanding this document is key to every publishing decision.

 

Rachel Thompson has an excellent article on subscribers and their importance in marketing. I was recently talking to a publisher about owning your audience and Rachel’s article explains how your free newsletter subscribers are just as valuable as your paid ones. 

 

Michelle Barker (writing on the dream teams blog) has an excellent article on the qualities of a successful writer. It is not about sales. 

 

Dave King has an interesting article on Writer Unboxed about Redshirts. This is shorthand in the writing community for the character that is only there to die. If you are thinking about killing off a character, are you using their death wisely? 

 

In the Craft Section,

Microtension- a must in fiction- C S Lakin- Bookmark

Character layer by layer reveals-Patricia CrisaFulli- Bookmark

Crafting memorable sidekicks- Elizabeth Spann Craig

Is your protagonist the main character- September Fawkes- Bookmark

3 things silent movies can teach you- Janice Hardy

 

In the Marketing Section

Bookmarketing requires patience- Sandra Beckwith

Free Bookfunnel marketing guides- Bookfunnel- Bookmark

22 ways to grow your email list- Bookbub- Bookmark!

Strategies to get into libraries- IngramSpark

Author branding – Kindlepreneur- Bookmark

 

To Finish,

It’s that time of year where everywhere you look there are Black Friday deals along with Cyber Monday deals. It’s a sign of cultural capitalistic dominance when a holiday only relevant in America spreads around the world as an exhortation to spend money as a way of celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday. Why not flip this on its head and show your thanks to your fellow authors by reviewing their books or subscribing to their patreon or buying them a coffee. If you are hanging out for Black Friday deals for writers then the dream team Angela and Becca have great website discounts. Katie Weiland has a discount on all her courses and books. Women in publishing has collected a long list of other writerly Black Friday discounts. 

Go Forth and Give Thanks.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

Do you want the best of my bookmarked links in a handy monthly newsletter? You can subscribe here to join our happy band.

If you want the weekly blog in your inbox subscribe to the free Substack version.

If you like the blog and want to buy me a coffee, I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

Photo by Jess Bailey on Unsplash

Creator Imposter Syndrome

 

 

In Publishing News this week

 

As you read this the Shanghai Bologna Children’s Book fair gets underway in Shanghai. It is billed as the largest Asia Pacific region book fair dedicated to children’s books. Looking at the geographic representation… there are a lot of Asian countries quite a spread of European countries but none from the lower Pacific Rim. Is it geopolitical politics that is keeping them away?

 

African publishing is having a geopolitical publishing problem, reports Publishers Weekly. The problem is Wakanda. This mythical nation is being seen as the default African experience by international publishers There are 53 nations in Africa, apparently they all sound like Wakanda, and look like Wakanda. African publishers are trying to separate themselves and be true to their own voices.

 

Scotland libraries have highlighted a real crisis happening at home and across the world, the closure of libraries. They are calling for more financial and contextual support for libraries. What happened to the billionaires who funded libraries? Where are they now?

 

Mark Williams reports on Audible’s huge investment in Harry Potter, specifically a full dramatized audiobook production. A cast of hundreds, a fan base of millions, a match made in heaven or at least the accounting ledger. He sounds a warning to others who might think this is a good idea.

 

Publishing’s survival depends on data, says the Elsevier chairman Y S Chi. He was speaking at Sharjah Publishers Conference and knows what he is talking about. This is a fascinating article from Publishers Weekly. He gives publishing five years before it is irrelevant if they don’t take action now with their proprietary data. I wonder how many publishers still have their head in the sand on this. Data and what you can learn from it is one of the big discussions in the independent publishing community.

 

Amazon has a news release that they have Kindle Translate in Beta. They are just looking at Spanish and German translations at the moment. I wonder if they picked those two because of the huge book selling markets they have.

 

There are still 200,000 books unclaimed in the Anthropic settlement. Writer Beware is warning of scam law firms who want to help you get your payout. This is really annoying the actual lawyers who are overseeing this case and the payout. Not every law firm is your friend especially if you might be coming into money. 

 

The terrible, horrible, no good, very bad imposter syndrome crisis writes Rachel Toalson for Writer Unboxed. (I don’t know a single good writer who doesn’t suffer from this.) Why is this such a problem in the writer community? Rachel suggests we get out of our own head.

 

Anthologies. It’s lovely to be asked to contribute to these. But there are some pitfalls out there for the unwary author. Matty Dalrymple and Mark Leslie Lefavbre have a chapter from their excellent short story writing craft book on Jane Friedman’s blog. Before you say yes to the anthology.

 

Joanna Penn recently had a great interview with Wendy Dale on Memoir and why structure matters more than you think. For anyone writing or editing a memoir, this is a must read.

 

In The Craft Section,

The art of intimacy in writing- Sarah Hamer- Bookmark

How to mine early memories for children’s stories- Marilyn June Janson

Secondary characters should have motivation- Anne R Allen- Bookmark

Stop labeling the process and trust the story- Yasmin Angoe

Is your writing good enough- Suzy Vadori- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section

How I use Bookbub ads to market full price books- Mathew Holmes -Bookmark

The Instagram Glow Up – Sandra Beckwith

The power of the prequel- Written Word Media- Bookmark

Book Promo ideas- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark

Wither Social Media -James Scott Bell- Interesting 

 

To Finish

 

Rachel Thompson’s posts on book marketing are always must reads for me. Her latest post Why Creators Fear Bad Reviews and How That Fear Makes Us Better is one of her stand out articles that all writers should read. She explores the psychology behind creator fear and how we can harness it to turn it into creative fuel. 

Creative fuel comes from many sources. The Storybundle collection of writing craft books is only available for another three weeks so go check it out. You will kick yourself if you miss out.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

Do you want the best of my bookmarked links in a handy monthly newsletter? You can subscribe here to join our happy band.

If you want the weekly blog in your inbox subscribe to the free Substack version.

If you like the blog and want to buy me a coffee, I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

 

Photo by Llanydd Lloyd on Unsplash

 

Standing Out

 

 

In Publishing News this week,

 

The Sharjah Bookfair is on. As Publishers Weekly explains it centers on the Global South, Africa, Asia, India, and the Middle East. That’s a fair chunk of the world catering to a young demographic. Over 118 countries and over 2,300 publishers represented. It’s a networking extravaganza.

In an interesting side event at Sharjah the PublishHer- Women In Publishing, networking event was held over three days. Publishing Perspectives reports that the mood was upbeat. ‘What a time it is to be a publisher,’ said Gvantsa Jobava, president of the International Publishers Association.

 

Dan Holloway reports on the European and International Booksellers Federation’s new AI charter. They have a list of 11 points that they want to make clear to the technological industries. Dan makes a good point about the confusion between assistive AI and generative AI. The 11 points are easy to understand and a good guideline for the publishing industry.

 

Everybody seems to be launching a website company for authors. Publishers Weekly reports that Tertulia book discovery platform is launching a website building platform for authors that will instantly populate their books and sell them using Ingram for shipping. It’s in Beta at the moment, but with the current move to direct selling it looks like a good solution to an author problem.

 

A while ago (Before Covid) I delivered a big speech on the future of publishing where I talked about the potential of blockchain technology. At the time many people shook their heads and muttered that it was all too much for them to understand. It was interesting to come across this company who want to take the concept of books on the blockchain and run with it. Publishing Perspectives writes about the Written site. It’s a pity that their website is so horrible though. 

 

Writer Beware has the best guide to the Anthropic AI case. This is a what you need to know, all the links you need to claim compensation, timeframes etc. If you still are wondering how to claim your $3000 from the settlement this is required reading.

 

Kevin Kelly, of 1000 true fans fame, has an interesting take on AI. Paying AI’s to read my books. This is a completely opposite idea to the prevailing concerns in the publishing industry. If AI is going to be the search engine for everything don’t you want your books and ideas inside the box being discovered? A fascinating point of view here.

 

Gabriele Pereira has a great article on DIYMFA- Two Things AI Can’t Take Away From You. This is a good reminder that the importance of your voice and how you write is what distinguishes you from every other writer out there.

 

Agent Richard Curtis has an interesting article on the Droit Moral clause and what happens when you waive it in a contract. This is eye opening. This is a clause that is in contracts for film rights. If you waive the clause – the film can do anything they like to the story.

 

Rachel Thompson has a great post on writers block. If you are settling in for Novel November this is the last thing you need. Rachel writes that it’s not your muse that has gone missing but something else in your life.

Ellen Buikema continues this theme with a look at writer self doubt. She has some great tips to get over your fear of not being good enough.

 

Chelle Honniker of Indie Author magazine has a sideline in devising author automations. She is an expert at streamlining author business with innovative uses of software. I was intrigued with her post on branding. She dives into things I never thought of before on author branding. 

 

Cathy Yardly writes on The Art of Propulsive Fiction for Writer Unboxed this week. This is the fiction that sits between pure commercial and literary. Is it plot driven or character driven? Cathy writes that this is the wrong focus. It’s about the goal of the main character. Sometimes that gets lost in the story.

 

In The Craft Section,

Five commandments of Storytelling- StoryGrid- Bookmark!

Connecting points keep the story moving- K M Weiland- Bookmark

6 tips for creating great character chemistry- Becca Puglisi- Bookmark

Crafting real relationships between characters- C S Lakin

The fastest way to make a character sympathetic- September Fawkes

 

In the Marketing Section,

3 common book marketing tactics that are useless- Sandra Beckwith

Book marketing Blueprint- John Kremer- Interesting

Author event ideas that sell books- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark

Adventures at book signings- Terry Odell- Bookmark

 

To Finish,

Elizabeth Spann Craig has been writing great articles for years on her author blog. It’s a great blend of her cozy mystery books and her articles for writers. Recently she had an interesting article on the importance of author promo instead of book promo. She writes “Readers remember the author who taught them something or made them laugh, not the author who just posted cover reveals.” This is a great mantra to remember as we head into the Christmas selling season.

Maureen

@craicer

 

It's nearly time for my monthly newsletter? You can subscribe here to join our happy band and get the best of my bookmarked links.

If you want the weekly blog in your inbox subscribe to the free Substack version.

If you like the blog and want to buy me a coffee, I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

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