In Publishing News this week.
After nine years in operation and beginning the modern serial publishing format Radish has announced they are closing their doors at the end of the year. Commentators have been noting the quiet demise of serial format sites lately. Many have linked it to the initial great payouts for authors that became unsustainable for the company.
Does anyone read New Adult? After the great publicity about this format a few years ago there was a cooling off stage. Publishers are back looking at the cross over from the Young Adult category. They are even merging imprints. Publishers Weekly looks at Penguin’s new imprint for New Adult books.
Publishing Perspectives reports on a new move by French Independent Publishers. Their annual prize winners to be translated into English and published in a rights catalogue. Let’s make it easy for English language publishers to pick up the best stories.
Dan Holloway from The Alliance of Independent Authors reports on a new service from Cloudflare which will allow publishers and news companies to charge for AI scraping of their content. It has the potential to be game changing financially for publishers.
As we roll into eighty years since World War 2 ended, a Dutch publisher is increasing the amount of holocaust stories that they publish. Publishers Weekly talks with the editors to find out why they think this is important now.
The Commonwealth of Nations, representing 2.7 Billion people, has appointed their first Poet Laureate, Selina Tusitala Marsh, a pasifika poet and scholar. The New Publishing Standard reports that this highlights the role of literature in diplomacy and cross cultural understanding. (Selina is based here in Aotearoa New Zealand and is fantastic.) Her appointment is for two years.
Literature Hub reports on an open letter from writers to publishers about the use of AI in publishing. The writers are asking publishers to not publish any books written by AI. This feels like a last ditch effort to show the real concerns in the industry about the use of AI for creativity. Didn’t we want all the drudgery to be done by AI robots leaving us more time to create and have fun?
Katie Weiland has a must read article Why Intentional Storytelling Matters in An Age of AI and Algorithm Driven Content. Katie looks at what we lose if we follow formulaic on demand content models. As writers we should be using our power of intentionality to make our writing stand out.
Alissa Butterworth writes on Jane Friedman’s blog about Using a Workshop Experience Inventory When Workshops Go Wrong. This is a powerful exercise to help make writing workshop critiques useful and beneficial to the writer and not a bloodbath arena.
Kathleen Schimdt has a great article on media opportunities. What are good media opportunities? How do you get media coverage on your book.
The SPA Girls interviewed Erin Wright on going wide strategies in book publishing and marketing. This is a fantastic podcast interview about all the ways to get your book out there.
Rachel Toalson has an excellent article on finding the heart of your story. What makes a story unforgettable. The heart of the story is what keeps you and the reader emotionally invested in the story. She uses the letters of HEART to explain the important touchstones you should be aiming for.
In The Craft Section,
How to write an unforgettable first line-Jenn Windrow- Bookmark
Understanding story theme- Tammy Burke- Bookmark
3 reasons why writers procrastinate- Colleen Story
Write like you are an endurance athlete- Miffie Seideman
Owning your voice the ultimate power move- Sarah Hamer- Bookmark
In The Marketing Section,
August book promotion ideas- Sandra Beckwith- Bookmark
How to make a book trailer- Reedsy- Bookmark
Busting Bookbub myths-Bookbub
A guide to press releases- Written Word Media
Using multiple identities- Alli - Bookmark
To Finish
I have been struggling to come to terms with the news that hit the children’s literature community in New Zealand like an earthquake. New Zealand has withdrawn from the opportunity to be Guest of Honour at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in 2027.
The Bologna Children’s Book Fair is the biggest gathering of children’s publishing people in the world. Some of our publishers have won awards at the fair for excellence.
Behind the scenes many groups and individuals talked about this amazing opportunity for globally showcasing our Maori and Pacifica voices, to each other, and to government representatives. It is going to be epic we told everyone. As a pacific nation we have been leading the way in indigenous storytelling in translation, language programmes, comics, animation, and gaming. All things children love. We couldn’t wait to show off our fantastic writers and illustrators. Children’s books are about reading and empathy for others and cultural awareness and all good things. We can represent pacific voices and everything that makes us special to the rest of the world. It will be epic.
Our books are world class. Government support for us should be a no brainer. We only want $350,000 that’s $210,000 US dollars or 150,000 GB Pounds. It’s not much. They spent half that fixing the parliament playground. The All Blacks probably spend that on afternoon tea. Norway spent 40 times more than that and promoted literature programmes in their country. In 2012 when we were guest of honour at Frankfurt Book Fair the government spent $6 million dollars with $1 million directly going to writers and publishers for it. It was epic.
But alas- our government didn’t agree with our vision.
The lack of interest from the government to celebrate their children, their writers, their illustrators, their publishers, librarians, teachers, reading advisors, and the kids on the parliament playground means there is no money for us to show the world how epic our industry is.
One of our best writers for children wrote a sad essay in response to this news today. His words were thoughtful and measured. Inside he is probably as angry as the rest of us who work in and love Aotearoa New Zealand children’s literature.
Our actions or lack of them show our true intentions. We tell children this all the time. We show it in our words and actions and in our children’s literature.
We lift you up. We have your back. We support you. We celebrate you because you are epic.
Our government had a chance to be known around the world for their support of indigenous children’s literature. Their proclaimed intentions to us about being supportive of the arts are not backed up by action.
It is an epic fail.
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 Substack version.
If you like the blog and want to buy me a coffee, I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.
Pic Private Eye satire on children’s publishing. (Which is closer to the truth than you realise.)
