Is It A Trend?

 

 

In Publishing News this week.

 

The Anthropic court case news was everywhere.

A quick rundown of the case so far. Anthropic (Claude AI) were taken to court in a class action on unlawfully training their AI on pirated copyrighted works. The judge indicated fair use was the issue and they could have bought a copy of each book for training. However, they used stolen work- so there was a case. Anthropic settled out of court for $1 Billion. (less than 1% of their recent venture capital fundraising) Each author stands to get $3000 if they or their publisher had registered the book with the US copyright office. Authors discover their publishers haven’t copyrighted their books. The judge comes back and says hang on this settlement is not fair. Who knows what will happen next.

 

While Apple was celebrating their latest iPhone, in court news they are being sued by authors for copyright infringement and yes… they used a pirate site to train their AI.

 

Media Voices has an article about a new AI on the block that publishers can use to find places where their content has been reused or pirated without compensation. 

 

Elsewhere, Spotify is teaming up with Booktok to launch Booktok Hub a dedicated site to get Booktok recommended audiobooks through Spotify. They will use the viral power of Booktok to sell books to you.

 

This week International Literacy Day was not celebrated with joy. A report out from the World Literacy Foundation laments that literacy is going backwards. An estimated 2 Billion people cannot read a simple sentence. This is appalling. Bring back the old days when rich people funded libraries and lifted literacy. 

 

Bologna Children’s Book Fair and Shanghai Book fair have got together to produce a fair dedicated to illustration and pop culture. This looks like an exciting event to go to. Publishing Perspectives reports what’s on offer in November. 

 

With the huge interest in K Pop stories, a new publishing company has been set up to bring more of these stories into the English language. Publishers Weekly details the rise of the webcomic publisher Crossed Hearts.

 

Publishers Weekly also has an in-depth article with Agents on Middle Grade fiction and the trials of bringing these books to market in the current restricted publishing atmosphere. Despite all the hurdles they remain optimistic.

 

Darcy Pattison has an excellent article on publishing children’s books. She lays out the different models and talks about what you might want from your career. Your goals will determine your business model. 

 

Jami Gold has an excellent article on Angela and Becca’s blog about How to Differentiate Stories from AI Slop. What do you bring to the table in your writing that an AI can’t. This is a must read for reasons not to let AI do the creative work for you.

 

In the Craft Section,

It’s what’s up front that counts-James Preston

How to write stories that matter- Lynette Burrows – Excellent!

Foreshadowing in writing- Tammy Burke- Bookmark

Does my Character have to arc our of their want- September Fawkes - Bookmark

Make yourself the most useful critiquer- Lisa Poisso- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

Bookbub Ads- easy to create- Bookbub- Bookmark

How to use geniuslink to sell books- Rachel Thompson -Bookmark

Podcasts and authors- Sandra Beckwith

How to have multiple identities- Alliance of Independent Authors

Surviving author photos- Randy Susan Meyers- Bookmark

 

To Finish 

A writer just can’t help it. They have to find out what everyone is writing. Chasing Trends is always the hot topic at writer’s gatherings. Can you get in on the ground floor of a trend? Ellen Buikema has a great article on spotting trend cycles and when to just leave them alone and write your own unique story.

You might just start a trend!

 

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.

 

Pic  Photo by 愚木混株 Yumu on Unsplash

Defending Literature Around The Globe.

In Publishing News this week,

 

Copyright received another blow in the United Kingdom this week, when the amended law supported by the Upper house was defeated again in the Lower house. That meant that the new bill will not have any transparency compliance from tech companies. Publishing Perspectives covers the implications and what publishing companies can hope for in the near future.

 

Canadian authors alerted the writing community to an AI scam that is happening on Amazon. Take a hot new title… change the cover a little bit with AI. Change the author name a little bit. Scrape the insides… and take advantage of the original books marketing push to make bucks. This kind of dupe gives authors a bad name and it’s not their fault! 

 

International tax and legal services firm, PWC has released a report on the impact of AI in the workforce. It’s surprisingly positive with employees who can use AI being valued more. Mark Williams looks at the report findings for the publishing community.

 

Meanwhile, Jane Friedman has written an article about What AI can’t steal from you which is your unique voice and perspective. 

 

Ingram Content Group has integrated AI tools into its marketing platform, Ingram iD. The tools will write blurbs and run campaigns across social media according to Publishers Weekly.

 

The Toronto Comics festival just wrapped up and the big talking points were how much the cross border attendance had taken a hit because of fear of gender challenges at the border. The festival has been a safe space for people from marginalized communities. Although comics are in good heart the people reading them may not be so confident.

 

The International Publishers Association’s World Expressions Forum (WEXFO) has just finished meeting in Lillehammer. The clarion call from the forum was the threat to Democracy from disinformation and censorship. They have released a report exhorting members to resist this. “World Expression Forum calls for resistance against authoritarian forces that undermine democracy and freedom of expression. Democracy is continuously under threat, and we (the undersigned) promise to strengthen our battle against disinformation, censorship and polarization–and improve literacy in our societies.”

Over in the middle east the Shajah Publishing Sustainability Fund has just helped 12 publishers to scale up their business and use new tools to make their publishing sustainable. They get so many business development goodies they must be the envy of publishers worldwide. Mark Williams dives into what is on offer for the lucky selected publishers. This is possible because of the countries commitment to literacy and education. 

 

Seth Harwood writes on Jane Friedman’s blog about the perils of Diminishing Returns in Revision. Do you know when it is time to let go. This is one of my biggest problems…if only I had another five minutes to put in that comma and take it out again four times before I’m finished… .

 

The fantastic Jami Gold is back with an excellent post on writing stand alones in a series. Yes, you can do it. It takes some creativity but we’re writer’s aren’t we? Jami has some great tips for thinking outside the series box.

  

In The Craft Section,

3 act analysis of Star Wars- Gabriele Pereira

Chekhov’s Gun- Anne R Allen- Bookmark

When the 2^nd draft feels like a step back- Janice Hardy- Bookmark

Different character arcs for the same character-K M Weiland- Bookmark

Dual Protagonists- Terry Odell- Bookmark

 

In the Marketing Section,

Conquering limiting beliefs- Kimberly Grabas- Bookmark

10 Free Book Promo ideas- Sandra Beckwith

Monitoring your author brand- Dave Chesson – Bookmark

21 marketing tips- Writing Oasis

How to define a strong marketing brand- Jenny Hansen- Bookmark

 

To Finish

It’s halfway through the year and my thoughts turn to the current novel and if I will ever wrangle it into submission. It didn’t help that I wrote out of sequence. Jenny Hansen has an excellent article on the non linear writing process. Some writers work best when the manuscript looks like a mess. 

How often do you start a writing project knowing who the audience for it is? Liz Alterman has an article on The Dynamic duo’s website about pitching the concept to yourself before you write the book. I can’t help thinking that if we did more of this we wouldn’t have half-finished novels in the bottom drawer.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

It’s nearly time for my monthly newsletter of the best of my bookmarked links. You can subscribe here if you want 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.

 

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Publishing: The Meet Cute Rollercoaster

 

 

In Publishing News this week.

 

Paris, the city of love, or if you have been following AI news, the city of the International AI Summit. 40 world organizations called on the summit to recognize the threat to copyright. Unfortunately, the summit didn’t take much note of the threat to Intellectual Property, so publishers are not happy.

 

Joanna Penn recently interviewed Alicia Wright on copyright and AI which gives you a handle on how one Intellectual Property lawyer who also happens to be a sci fi author is using it.

 

Meanwhile, The Diamond Comics Distributor bankruptcy is beginning to bite with many bookshops left hanging. Diamond distributed many niche comic magazines which may go to the wall if another distributor doesn’t buy Diamond’s business. Publishers Weekly looks at the assets on sale.

 

In book sales news, the latest monthly numbers are in. Dystopian books are outselling everything else. Is everybody looking for a how to survive the current political turmoil handbook? Publishers Weekly looks at who the big winners are in post inauguration book sales.

 

While dystopian fiction is on the rise- Mark Williams is taking acerbic aim at HarperCollins and how they may have only just come to realise that the world has changed in publishing. 

 

Spotify are happy. Dan Holloway reports that they have made a profit after a year of making audiobooks available. They are also very keen on their Spotify for Authors platform.

 

Anne Carley has a guest post on Jane Friedman’s blog about the messy creative process. Nothing is ever straightforward in the creative life. This is a great post on recognizing when the process gets unstuck and how to get creative again.

 

Colleen Story has a great post for when you don’t think your writing is good enough. This happens to every author. It doesn’t matter how many best sellers they have. If you are feeling down about your writing check out this great post. Jenny Hansen takes it a step further looking at Book Structure for Disorganised Writers. No, you are not at fault... in fact there is no fault. 

 

Kathleen McCleary has a great post on Writer Unboxed about working obsessively on the beginning of your novel and why it’s important to nail these pages.

You have to make the reader care… really it’s just a reader meet cute.

 

In The Craft Section,

5 questions to ask before adding a subplot- Janice Hardy- Bookmark

How to use traits to create character arcs- Sarah Hamer- Bookmark

Deepening a story with theme echoes- Jami Goild- Bookmark

Redeeming your villain- Becca Puglisi

Overcoming plot constipation- James Scott Bell

 

In The Marketing Section,

Book advertising- David Gaughran- Bookmark

How to promote like a pro- Ingram Spark

How to build a loyal audience- PR by the book- Bookmark

25 ways to promote your book- Marika Flatt

2025 Literary Calendar dates Sandra Beckwith- Bookmark

 

To Finish,

The romance story outsells every other genre. The romance authors are the savviest book marketers on the planet. The romance brand gets the most brickbats. I don’t know whether it’s jealousy because of the sales, or covering up sentiment by doubling down on hate, or some mistaken idea that cool people don’t like romance. With savvy marketing, huge sales, and the stories promoting being nice to each other, everybody should be celebrating the genre. September Fawkes writes on how every story needs a meet cute scene. 

It’s got to be better than doom scrolling.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

It’s nearly time for my monthly newsletter. If you want the best of my bookmarked links You can subscribe here to join our happy band.

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A Twist in The Tale

  

In Publishing News This Week,

 

Porter Anderson at Publishing Perspectives has an in-depth article looking at why Melissa Fleming, the UN undersecretary of Global Communications is speaking at the International Publishing Association conference in Mexico this year. It all ties in with publishing sustainability. Melissa will be coming from the UN Summit of the Future. The article highlights the challenges that publishers face with disinformation, AI, and sector sustainability.

 

Dan Holloway takes issue with the big jump in subscription pricing from Canva. They justify their price hike on customers wanting AI bells and whistles. Canva still has a free tier which is pretty powerful. Just right for all your marketing graphics needs. (If you haven’t checked it out yet Go Do IT)

 

Publishers Weekly has a big article on making reading fun again. This is an answer to recent articles on the decline of children reading. Many children’s writers offer their opinions as to how to get the kids reading. Shorter, snappier, visual heavy books could be the way forward.

 

Mark Williams of The New Publishing Standard looks at how Macmillan Education is launching an AI service for teachers with the goal of helping them find the right courses for their students. But as anyone who has attempted to use AI - you have to know how to write a prompt question for it. Have they got a course on that?

 

TechCrunch reports that the music industry is reluctantly embracing AI. The Grammy awards will allow its creative use. This is opening up a big can of worms when there are lawsuits on deepfake voices out there. Last year they banned it, this year they’re flip flopping. The music industry often changes before the publishing industry so keep an eye out.

 

Alistair Sims writes in The Bookseller on dyslexic friendly books for adults. Finally, a publisher is listening. Bloomsbury is beginning to produce these format books. Can we get a snowball effect happening?

 

If you have been wondering how to get the words down without being distracted you need to look at some new nifty tools that are coming out through crowdsourcing sites.

I was emailed a link to a little screen device that operates as a word processor, just link it up with your favourite keyboard and write anywhere. No distractions. They have a successful Kickstarter campaign on, if you are interested.

 

Lately there have been some high profile authors who have tumbled off pedestals they have been put on by adoring fans. Mythcreants has an interesting article on whether you can judge the author on what they write. At what point do you separate the work from the author?

 

Joanna Penn has an interesting interview with Sword Guy – Guy Windsor on creating training courses and looking after your true fans. Check out the podcast/transcript.

 

The seven habits of highly ineffective writers or how to sabotage yourself. Joni B Cole has a guest article on Jane Friedman’s blog about how you might be sabotaging your writing career.

 

Writer Unboxed has an article from Terah Shelton Harris about rethinking your Writer Bucket list. Are you open to outside the box thinking?

 

Jami Gold has another super writing craft article on story tropes. If you have wondered about them and whether to use them this is the article for you! Lots of great learning packed in here. 

 

In The Craft Section,

Using colour and pattern to enhance your stories-One Stop For Writers

Going beyond the first 50 pages- Sally Hamer - Bookmark

7 ways to find telling in your writing- Suzy Vadori

Story structure – 2^nd act- K M Weiland - Bookmark

Story Foreshadowing – Kay Dibanca- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section

10 tips for children’s book freebies- Sandra Beckwith- Bookmark

How to title your non fiction book- Dale Roberts- Bookmark

10 things to be a successful marketer- Penny sansevieria- Bookmark

76 ways to market for free- Aspiring Author

Why content marketing can be successful- Mandy Ellis

 

To Finish

My bibliophile child was waxing lyrically on her idea of a perfect bookstore combination - Books and Cocktails. There was general laughter. Cafes in bookstores are a thing and book décor in bars are a thing but a genuine melding of the two – not likely. Or so we thought. Enter New York Book Bars. 

Where everybody knows your name and what you like to read…

 

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.

 

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Publishing: The Irony

 

 

In Publishing News this week,

 

Oh, the irony.

The Guardian reports on a Florida school book ban. Yes, they have banned a childrens book about book bans. Imagine if the kids knew that they could protest against book banning.

 

Publisher’s Weekly reports on the Ukraine Book Festival. Yes, they are still managing to celebrate books in the midst of the war. However, one of their biggest printing plants was targeted which has destroyed the books printed for Summer release. 

 

Elsevier, science publishers have just published their report of gender diversity in scientific publishing. It’s been twenty years since the last report, has anything got better since 2004? They have a breakdown of countries who are publishing their woman scientists.

 

Elsewhere in Europe, Publishing Perspectives reports French editor Arnaud Nourry has formed a collective of independent publishers. This might not sound so exciting but collectives can amplify everyone involved. And in a canny move Arnaud has made some first look agreements with some very big publishers. A model of publishing to keep an eye on.

 

Draft2Digital has partnered with an international rights broker. If you are a D2D author you now have a sweet deal on foreign language translations and rights selling.

 

Convertkit is a premier email service that many authors love. They are shaking up their email service by providing a free tier especially for newsletter builders. Check it out. 

 

Dan Holloway has an article on publicity costs and how the big authors are now having to pay for their own publicity.

 

The Alliance of Independent Authors has a roundup of the latest scams and phishing attacks targeting authors. Check out the list for a heads up.

 

Should you show your Work In Progress to your friends and family? Anne Allen talks about the pitfalls involved in sharing your work with people who don’t really understand what you do. She has advice for how to survive the drama.

 

Sandra Beckwith has an article on how to get kicked out of Facebook groups. This is list of don’ts if you really want to stay in them, which is pretty much why we are still on Facebook.

 

Jami Gold has a super post on backstory. How can you structure your story when you need to get a lot of backstory into the front story. 

 

Suzanne Lakin has an interesting post on theme. Ask yourself why you are writing the story? Therein lies your theme. Suzanne has 3 ways you can infuse your story with theme.

 

In The Craft Section,

How symbols can support your writing- Lisa Tener- Bookmark

How to write non mean barbs or banter- Chris Winkle

Increasing the emotional impact of your story- Angela Ackerman- Bookmark

Outline your book 10x faster- Dale Roberts - Bookmark

Picking the right names for your characters- September Fawkes

 

In The Marketing Section,

Tips for event bookselling- Sharon Woodhouse- Bookmark

Advanced reader engagement strategies- Dale Roberts

Can introverts market effectively- Rachel Thompson- Bookmark

Things to bring to book signing events- Michelle Millar

How to pick topics for your blog or newsletter- LA Bourgeois- Bookmark

 

To Finish,

Booklife has an interesting article from Brooke Warner, an editor/publisher about how the constant layoffs are changing the culture inside the big trade publishers. When the people who still have a job, have to do 2 or 3 other jobs as well, you get delays all along the pipeline. However, Brooke thinks there is an upside for publishing. The real energy and innovation is happening right in front of us with the publishing professionals that were laid off.

Ironic huh.

 

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 and other extras.

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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Call Yourself A Writer

 

In Publishing News this week,

This week the London Bookfair started in its new calendar slot as the first of the Western centric Bookfairs. The opening day was busy and Publishing Perspectives editor Porter Anderson reported that interest was high in the publishing business talks that are happening at the fair. Porter reports on the talking points from day one.

 

Publishers Weekly also has a profile on The London Book Fair. They report on the way publishers are dealing with AI and copyright and the problems of innovation.

The big moves by the European Union to regulate AI has everyone looking to see whether this will act as the sheriff in the Wild West world of Large Language Models. One of the interesting moves is to hasten each member countries establishment of compliance authorities. 

 

One of the big issues in the publishing world is sustainability. Not only do we need to keep the business afloat but we must be kinder to the planet while we do it. This year the CFO’s of publishing houses were invited as a group to LBF to talk about good sustainable practice.  Publishing Perspectives has an interesting article on this including links to white papers of research. 

 

Scholastic has shelled out a lot of money to buy an animation company outright. So what do you think they will do with it. Well, they have a lot of intellectual property and animation is pretty big in the kid centric visual world….

 

It looks like the way to get your new Kickstarter style platform really moving is to invite Brandon Sanderson to run a campaign on it. Brandon was only looking for $2,000,000 to create leather bound copies of one book. Along the way he has created another record and he’s up to $18 million and he still has the rest of the month to go.

 

The Alliance of Independent Authors has a very comprehensive post on how to write to trends. First you do your research.

 

Sam Missingham has a great website with loads of advice and resources for authors. Recently she made an archive section where she has gathered a lot of free resources together. She also has a great newsletter full of tips. 

 

Jodie Hurst has a guest post on Anne Allen’s blog about writing in the age of AI. This brings up interesting questions that writers have been wrestling with how much AI is too much.  

Given most writer tools like Grammarly use AI we are probably interacting with it more than we think. 

 

Two great posts from writers at Killzone Authors caught my eye this week. Debbie Burke has tips on finding the right critique group who can help you grow as a writer.

James Scott Bell has the answer to when you can call yourself a writer.

 

Jami Gold has an excellent writing craft post on avoiding déjà vu in your series. How many times can you remind readers about what has gone before. Jami has some brilliant ways to make this work for you. A must read! 

 

In The Craft Section,

Building a writing practice- Rachel Toalson- Bookmark

Optimising word counts – Rachel Thompson

Timelines and plotting your novel-Cindy Sproles

Guide to backstory- K M Weiland- Bookmark!

3 techniques for powerful writing-Janeen Mathisen- Bookmark

Story Planner Success- Now Novel- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

Don’t waste the dust jacket- Sharon Woodhouse

Marketing on a budget- Karen Cioffi- Bookmark

After your book wins an award-Book Award Pro

Who reads books – Sandra Beckwith - Bookmark

Best promo sites – Written Word Media- Bookmark

 

To Finish,

Becca Puglisi has a great article on 8 steps from Amateur Writer to Pro. If you have ever wondered what makes the difference it is not sales, it is attitude. Becca outlines the attitudes you must have. This is a timely reminder for writers – how well are you doing with your writing practice and learning? It’s all part of the pro writer tricks of the trade. 

 

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.

 

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