Making A Buck

 

In Publishing News this week.

After the wailing and gnashing of teeth against AI, the consensus within the trade publishing fraternity is how can we make it worthwhile for us. Jane Friedman has an interesting article on Publishers Licensing Material For AI- hopefully this will trickle down to the authors.

 

Meanwhile, the Copyright Clearance Center, (The US Copyright office) has announced a new subscription tier that can make available to AI companies content licensed for AI reuse. Publishing Perspectives have a rundown on the subscription model and the CCC’s commitment to being Pro AI and Pro Copyright. (It’s OK if your head hurts over that statement- mine does too.) 

 

To help everyone navigate the tricky world of AI rights – there are now market places for selling content rights to AI. Check out what the founder of Scribd is doing with his new startup. (There’s money in them thar AI hills.)

 

With the emphasis on writers being authentic or as Joanna Penn puts it ‘doubling down on being human’ Alison Williams has a post about the platform that authors need now – and it is not Social Media.

 

For those who have one eye on the elections happening in the near future Kathleen Schmidt has a thoughtful post on the publishing industries responsibilities to free speech and allowing a platform for divisive and dangerous rhetoric. 

We who look on from the other side of the world see the three world areas of conflict being, Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Gaza, and American vs American. All of them filling us with a deep disquiet.

 

Techcrunch reports on Spotify’s moves to have more connections between listeners and creators. They are allowing comments on podcasts and are looking to gradually roll out these and similar features across all their streaming programes. 

 

London Libraries or Librarians are promoting a new app to get Londoners to read more. It’s called ReadOn and has quiz questions, reading club, recommendations for your next book… everything to promote the beach read into a year long activity.

 

Bookfunnel has a great article from Katie Cross on creating landing pages with Bookfunnel for selling purposes.

 

Anne R Allen is taking a break from her great blog over summer as she has some deadlines to meet. However, she has links to some great blogs to drop in on so you can keep up to date. I was touched that she included Craicer in the list. Thankyou Anne.

 

Lithub has an interesting article on the millennial mid life crisis book. I wasn’t aware that millennials are even ready for a midlife crisis, I thought they had a few decades to go.

 

Joanna Penn has an interesting interview with Kimboo York on fan fiction and serialization. Check out the podcast /transcript.

 

With Katie Weiland bringing out an updated version of her story structure book she is posting a series of posts on that topic. Check out the intro to story structure article.

In The Craft Section,

How to use Goal Motivation and Conflict to test story ideas- Alex Cavanaugh- Bookmark

Mispronunciation- Kathy Steinemann

The secret to page turning scene endings-Lisa Poisso- Bookmark

Editing tricks of the trade- Terry Odell- Bookmark

The matter of titles- Barbara Linn Probst- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

August book promotion opportunities- Sandra Beckwith

Introverted writers can market effectively- Rachel Thompson- Bookmark

The lazy authors guide to platform- David Gaughran

How to change Kindle keywords- Dave Chesson- Bookmark

How to make a cinematic booktrailer.- Reedsy.

 

To Finish,

With the news cycle making everyone anxious, escaping into a good book offers the reader time out from the insanity. James Scott Bell has a great post about old time pulp writers and how they could keep the reader glued to the page. Telling emotional stories, keeping everyone spell bound. Those are our superpowers. That is what separates us from the software programs.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

Its nearly time for the monthly newsletter? If you want the best of my bookmarked links 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 virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

Pic Photo by Alexander Mils on Unsplash

Shopping For Content

 

In Publishing News this week

 

Another publisher is eyeing the content creation opportunities in mixed media. Penguin Random House has bought Boom Studios. Boom is a graphic novel publisher and film studio producing animated series for television and streaming. 

Dan Holloway reports that Webtoon, the biggest digital comics platform, has just launched on the stock exchange and is now valued at nearly $3 billion after the first day of trading. South Korea firm Naver owns Webtoon and Wattpad. Watch for other publishing companies going shopping for media companies.

 

Publishing Perspectives reports on Germany’s almost 2% growth in sales for the first half of the year. Should we be optimistic?

 

Mark Williams offers his acerbic take on the annual speech to the publishing faithful by Charlie Redmayne (yes, he is the brother.) CEO of Harper Collins. Will publishing embrace AI? It seems that quietly there are toes being dipped in the water. Speechify is promoting its text to speech app as an alternative to audiobooks and in the education sphere there is Bookbot doing text to speech for disadvantaged children.

 

Natalie Aguirre has a guest post over on Anne R Allen’s blog about tips on finding an agent. Joanna Penn recently interviewed agent and developmental editor Renee Fountain about preparing manuscripts and submitting queries for agents. 

 

It was nice to see a positive news story about romance readers coming out of a media organization. Teenagers are discovering romance book clubs.

Meanwhile, Gabino Iglesias asks Does America Still Care About Authors in Esquire. He had the novel experience of being welcomed in France for his work, the same work in America gets him brickbats.

 

Jane Friedman has an interview with a midwestern publisher about what it takes to thrive away from the usual publishing cities. This is an interesting interview on being nimble and carving out your own niche.

 

The Alliance of Independent Authors has an in depth article on plotting strategies. It doesn’t matter whether you are a pantser or a plotter there are some good tips here.

 

Katie Weiland has a great post on Everything You Need To Know About The lie Your Character Believes. This is one of those AHA posts where you shake your head and wonder how you could have missed this profound principal of story.

 

In the Craft Section,

Creating Characters- Stephen Geez- Bookmark

8 different types of scenes-K M Weiland- Bookmark

Three emotional problems to avoid- Becca Puglisi

How to avoid dumb moves- James Scott Bell

Suspense vs Anticipation- Sue Coletta- Bookmark

5 steps to better sex scenes – the Bridgerton way- Bang2write

 

In The Marketing Section 

How to create an e-newsletter- Stylefactory productions

How to talk about your book before publishing- Sam Missingham- Bookmark

Ask for a review- Rob Bignell

Book cover ideas- Cameron Chapman- Bookmark

Guide to book giveaway platforms- Rachel Thompson- Bookmark

 

To Finish

I seem to refer readers to Katie Weilands story structure website every week. The reason is she is a great teacher of the finer points of character and story structure. She has written excellent books on the topic. I own some and they are very readable and straight to the point. Katie has just released two new story craft books. She has revised and updated her excellent Structuring Your Novel and released a new book Next Level Plot Structure. Check out her detailed post about the books and treat yourself to a great 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.

 

Pic Photo by Jacek Dylag on Unsplash

Belief In Your Voice

  

In Publishing News this week,

 

There were accolades and ‘I remember’s’ all over Social Media when Alice Munro died this week. Alice was a ground breaking short story writer awarded the 2013 Nobel prize in Literature for her work and was often cited as one of the finest writers in the last 50 years.

 

In audiobook news, Bonnier books joined Spotify’s audiobook premium offer. Publishing Perspectives reports that Spotify has over 200 million premium subscribers and they are listening to backlist audio books. With Harper Collins move into AI voiced audiobooks for their backlist (in the blog a few weeks ago) the publishers have found another pot of gold to exploit.

 

Meanwhile, The Bookseller reports on a hybrid first- mixing real narrator, digital voices and AI into an audiobook.

 

The EU has signed their AI Act into law and it will be in effect from June. It is more comprehensive than the United States law or the UK. The fines are whopping. Keep an eye out for expert commentary for how the law will affect publishing going forward.

 

Dan Holloway reports that Open AI, the tech firm behind ChatGPT, have disbanded their risk team. This seems particularly short sighted as a risk team might have alerted them that Scarlet Johannsson was about to launch a lawsuit against them for copying her voice.

 

Spare a thought for the Spanish language publishers. Their children’s books are in hot demand, but they can’t get them picked up in their own countries. If the book comes from America, it is a different story. Publishers are resorting to opening American offices so they can get American ISBN’s. Publishing Perspectives reports on the conundrum.

 

Anne R Allen has a great post on genre, comps and categories or where does your book belong on the shelf. This is an excellent rundown on why subcategories are important in marketing your book.

 

Dave Chesson has a must read article on the importance of making sure you have licenses for the fonts you use. Just because it’s on word doesn’t make it free to use in your print book or eBook.

 

Lisa Gardner has an interesting post on the 10 things she has learned as a crime fiction writer for 30 years. 

 

Sandra Beckwith has 9 writing tools and resources she can’t do without. Mug warmers anyone?

 

How are your endings? Katie Weiland has a great post on troubleshooting your endings to make them the best they can be.

 

Angela Ackerman is guest posting on Jami Gold’s site with a great article on the inner character arc. How do we get resolve the inner conflict and give the character layers?

 

In the Craft Section,

Character failure responses- Angela Ackerman

Writing for your readers-Linda Clare

The first million words are practice- Draft2Digital

How to avoid reader déjà vu- Jami Gold Bookmark

The three rules of point of view- Gabriela Pereira- Bookmark

Novel writing words of wisdom- Dale Smith- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

Powering through the unfun parts of the job- Becca Puglisi- Bookmark

Types of videos authors can make- Rob Bignell

Book marketing strategies on a budget- Dale Roberts- Bookmark

Human centered book marketing- Joanna Penn talks to Dan Blank-Bookmark

Converting Word docs to ePub- Jane Friedman

 

To Finish,

How do you know when you have a big enough story to tell? This is a question that can send the writer into a spin. Some compensate by throwing everything and the kitchen sink into the story. Others can’t write the story because it doesn’t feel compelling. Jane Friedman has an excerpt from Robin Finn’s book on self belief and the limits we place on ourselves when we are writing.

 

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 Photo by Jason Rosewell on Unsplash

Avoiding the Sharks on Your Journey

 

In Publishing News this week,

 

There is a new scam going around and it is targeting authors and is particularly nasty. Anne R Allen has the details and even though it reads like a crime novel plot it is particularly horrible for people caught up in it. Before you think 'that would never happen to me', I invite you to think how you would react if you were confronted by law enforcement officers about all your identification being used to commit crimes. The horrible part is where the scammers are getting their information about you from. 

 

Back in the heady publishing days of the 1980’s when Harlequin was on the prowl buying up little publishing companies- Romance editors could see which way the wind was going and quickly set up publishing companies promising their innocent authors loads of goodies to come with them to the new digs- while they waited for Harlequin to buy them for big bucks. Authors got burned left, right, and center in all the wheeling and dealing of Romance imprints and publishing companies. I’m not saying that this new publishing house is anything like the bad old days but it triggered memories as I was looking at the news story from Publishers Weekly.

 

Ru Paul has a book club. Ru Paul has a bookstore. A big one. Taking a leaf out of the Amazon playbook Ru is catering to a specific audience and promising extra gravy to the authors and readers who sign up to be members.

Publishing Perspectives reports that the Access Copyright, a management site for Canadian Authors have been slapped with a huge court fine for demanding copyright fees on authors behalf. The court ruling seems to indicate that it is ok to copy anything you like from a Canadian author- which can’t be right or am I reading it wrong?

 

Mark Williams of The New Publishing Standard keeps an eye on what is happening outside our Western centric publishing view. He reports that the Oman Book Fair was well attended and the new trend on the rise is children’s books. With Big Bad Wolf selling remaindered English language books hand over fist in these markets, are publishers missing the sales boat on this?

 

Writer Michael Lucas comments on the Findaway saga using his knowledge of the tech world to explain how developers use Terms Of Service. While authors think that Findaway have walked back their horrible terms this might not be the case…think Bait and Switch.

Dave Chesson has been doing a deep dive into the data from a survey of authors on Direct Selling. Who is making money? Which store is popular? How many books you need? When should you jump into it? All these questions are answered with charts.

If you are trying to keep up with moves in AI and publishing here is a new way of combining the two into something that may be profitable (they have a lot of investment dollars) for someone. Tech Crunch reports on a new company that promises a bright new world- I’m not sure for whom.

 

Katie Weiland has a fantastic post on how to write deeply emotional fiction. If you have been struggling with nailing a scene or trying to convey tone or subtext read this great post. One to print out and stick on the wall. 

Tricia Jenn Loehr has a guest post on Jane Friedmans blog about emotional intimacy and how it’s not restricted to the characters in a romance novel. A great read and food for thought.

 

Gabriela Pereira from DIYMFA has a great post on writing prompts and how they build up the stamina and practice of writing. She offers some great insights here. 

 

In The Craft Section,

7 tips for compelling character motivation- C S Lakin- Bookmark

7 signs you have hidden self doubt- Colleen Story

The hierarchy of exposition- Donald Maass- Bookmark

Crafting an irresistible inciting incident- Polly Watt- Bookmark

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

 

In The Marketing Section,

8 things needed on a homepage- Corina Amos

Back cover copy formula- Sue Coletta- Bookmark

How to use crowdfunding for book publishing- Sandra Beckwith

How to promote to the right audience- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark

20 bookmarketing ideas that take 10 minutes or less- Jenn Hansen-dePaula- Bookmark

 

To Finish

As you wend your way through this blog post looking at links and trying to figure out what is most worth your time to read (all of it but I’m biased) you finally get down to the bottom and hopefully get a last gem. I have been following Suzanne Lakin for years and she always has a deeply insightful way of looking at the craft. This week she looked at how writers become proficient and the 10,000 hours mantra that Malcolm Gladwell made famous. It’s about the journey not the destination.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

I’m late with my monthly newsletter (life got in the way) but it is coming I promise. If you want the best of my bookmarked links and other assorted stuff 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. It feeds my caffeine addiction. Thanks.

 

Pic Photo by Jared Rice on Unsplash

Living Your Unique Public Life

 

 

This week in Publishing News,

I thought this was very last century but here it is again… Let’s put clothes on any illustration for children that might even hint that they are naked, including fantasy creatures. Yes, there are teams out there drawing clothes in books. Because In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak is worse than gun violence in American schools.

 

While we shake our heads at the above story – The Arts Council of England is laying down the law. No political statements. But isn’t it an artistic right to speak truth to power? And what kind of political statements do you mean? The Guardian has the artists reaction.

 

Publishing Perspectives reports on the dates for the Shanghai Children’s Book Fair. They are working with Bologna Children's Book Fair and their creative team so it will be interesting to see how this develops. 

 

Publisher’s Weekly reports that the Lawsuits authors have brought against Open AI for using their work have hit a snag with the judge.

 

Mark Williams of The New Publishing Standard looks at the news the Spotify is paying out millions to authors. I haven’t heard of anybody getting a payment yet, but Spotify say they are paying rights holders… so you might want to check with your publisher and see if they are passing on this money.

 

Joel Pitney writes about publishing red flags on Jane Friedmans blog. He goes into the type of language used and how to spot the bad actors. This should be shared around your writing groups. There are publishers out there who are out to fleece your wallets while feeding on your dreams.

 

Writer Unboxed has their monthly Book PR blog slot and what you should focus on this year. Being authentic without being sleezy.

 

Orna Ross of The Alliance of Independent Authors talks to Joe Solari about the Author Nation conference- which replaces the 20booksto50k conference. Joe talks about what is changing and what is still going to be the same for the biggest writer conference in the world. 

 

Katie Weiland has a great post on how to rediscover the joy of writing if you are suffering from Writer Business Burnout.

 

Quill Magazine for journalists has an interesting article on Ghost Writing.

 

Book Riot shares the latest romance writing trends and Sarah McIntyre has a great article on Curtis Brown's website about what it takes to be a Picture Book Illustrator.

 

In The Craft Section,

How to develop your unique writing style- C S Lakin

Four must haves in your first two paragraphs- Suzy Vadori- Bookmark

Dumb little writing tricks that work- Scott Meyers

Crafting the sidekick character- Victoria Grossack- Bookmark

Deepening our story theme- Jami Gold- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

Stop quoting yourself in social media – Sandra Beckwith

Your unique writing proposition- James Scott Bell – Bookmark

Have you found your best book marketing niche- Colleen Story

How to create tag lines and slogans - Judith Briles.- Bookmark

8 tips to entice readers- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark

 

To Finish,

 

Have you got a brand? How big is your newsletter? Do you have loads of Social Media followers – Do Publishers really care about these questions?

If you are feeling tired and annoyed reading these questions- there is a small rainbow. Jane Friedman has a great post addressing the fact that author platform is not a requirement to sell your novel or children’s book. That said, an understanding of how to present yourself  and your book in public is a good thing. Don’t be like the author who recently asked Social Media influencers (mostly Young Women) to feature his book in nude photos. (See Writer Unboxed link.)

Instant Career Burn.

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 shout me a coffee, I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

 

Pic Photo by Redd F on Unsplash

Are We Really Scoring?

 

In Publishing News this week...

The fall out from the Hugo Award controversy has continued (see last week) and now members of the committee have been pushed out the airlock. Locus Magazine has the news release on who and why the award committee members have got the chop.

 

Gobbling up smaller publishers is still a menu item. Publishers Weekly reports Greenleaf partnering with Wonderwell. Partnering implies equal status … No. If you read between the lines they’ve dumped everyone, kept the name and boss to ‘run’ the imprint and terminated the authors. 

 

Goodereader has an interesting article on Spotify paying tens of millions to audiobook publishers. Everybody is waiting for someone to announce they got paid from Spotify streaming their audiobooks. Any numbers? Is it worth it? Mark Williams has his usual acerbic take on whether Spotify is good for publishing- If it takes chunks out of Audible he is all for it. Meanwhile, Audible and Storytel are tightening belts.

 

Lithub comes out on the side of Lana Bastašić who had a blistering response to a German Literary Festival dropping her letting over comments about the war in Gaza. They reprint the letters in full. Ouch!

 

Simon and Schuster are celebrating 100 years in the business. In 1924 they started with a crossword puzzle book to take advantage of the puzzle craze sweeping the world. They are profiling the most influential books they have published in 100 years. (Their founder, Richard Simon also gave the world Carly Simon - So they can be vain this once.)

 

Debbie Burke reminds us there is always more to learn about publishing, right when you think you know it all. Elizabeth Craig has a great article on Keeping up with Writing and Business. You can’t have one without the other so figure out how to use your time. She has great tips.

Sue Coletta has a great article on Mindset- writing is like turning an elephant… 

 

Ruth Harris has an interesting article on Sex. When should it be used? Is it overused?  Should you just leave the door closed? 

 

In The Craft Section,

How to write Fantasy Characters- Krystal Craiker- Bookmark

Picture Book Critique questions- Mindy Weiss

Characterize with clothing choices- Becca Puglisi

How to generate powerful story conflict- Angel Ackerman- Bookmark

How to show emotion in characters who hide their feelings- Eldred Bird- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

Improve your book rank by updating book descriptions- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark

5 key areas to check to boost sales- Top Author

7 simple steps to start building your brand- Chase Neely

Book marketing overwhelm- Sandra Beckwith- Bookmark

Back cover copy formula – Sue Coletta - Bookmark

 

To Finish,

Recently Draft2Digital hosted a heavy hitters podcast looking at the publishing world of 2023 and forward into 2024. Mark Coker, Orna Ross, Jane Friedman, Joanna Penn and Dale Roberts all shared their thoughts about the big things to think about in publishing and the changes occurring. Joanna termed 2024 as Year Zero. It’s a great podcast to get you thinking about your writing and publishing career going forward.

 

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 shout me a coffee, I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

Pic Photo by Joppe Spaa on Unsplash

Christmas Shopping

In Publishing News this week,

It’s that time of the year when everyone is shopping for presents. Penguin Random House has been shopping and they’ve just bought Hay House. But are they going to keep it the same?

 

This week KKR, the hedge fund that bought Simon and Schuster, announced who is on the new board of Simon and Schuster. There is a lot of interest in this news as moves like this can signal where the focus of the publishing house will be in the future. Mark Williams has a run down on where S&S might be heading.

 

With a more multi- media focus on IP filtering through publishing houses, the programming of the Publishing senior level conference in New York in January looks on the money. Publishing Perspectives checks in with Mary Pender, who will be a speaker at the conference in January. Mary is an agent specializing in book to screen deals.

 

Mills and Boon are launching a new imprint – Afterglow. This is to take advantage of all those romance TikTok influencers out there and their young and hungry market. Always check in with what the romance community is doing they are usually way ahead of everyone on trends.

 

The NY Times has an opinion piece on whether Spotify will kill audiobooks the way they have strangled the music industry. You may need an eggnog or two after you read it.

 

Why does a publishing house close an imprint? Jane Friedman interviews three industry commentators on why imprints come and go.

 

Kelley Way has an interesting post on what happens to royalties after I die- This is where your literary executor comes in handy.

 

Mark Williams has a guest post over on Anne R Allen’s blog about the hard job that agents do. He was a fly on the wall for a week. Eye-opening.

 

Rachel Thompson has a great post on 10 proven strategies for writers to boost focus and enhance creativity for next year. Get your planning in early.

 

Writer Unboxed has their final marketing segment for the year with words of encouragement from writers in the business. Over at the Alliance of Independent Authors Orna Ross is talking with Anna Featherstone about baking the marketing into the book as you write it. (podcast transcript)

 

Jami Gold has another brilliant post on how to portray strong friendships. She has been studying the Loki mini series for tips on Bromance style friendships and how to write them well. 

 

In The Craft Section,

5 signs you are ignoring your antagonist- Colleen Story- Bookmark

8 keys to becoming a successful author- C S Lakin- Bookmark

Writing a sympathetic antagonist- Kristin South

Your book means something- James Scott Bell- Bookmark

Write your way whole- Kathleen McCleary

 

In The Marketing Section,

How to market a book- K M Weiland - Bookmark

2 great posts from Penny Sansevieri - 11 clever promo ideas - and Customise a book marketing plan - Bookmark

Author websites and book marketing – PublishDrive

2024 Literary Calendar- Sandra Beckwith - Bookmark

 

To Finish,

'Tis the season to be jolly…. 

The last quarter of the year is often the time that writers push through against fatigue and Christmas overwhelm and try to get their 2023 projects squared away. This can make you even more anxious as you run up against the December calendar. You might like to check out gifts you can give yourself or pass on to family to get for you. Don’t forget to check out Angela and Beccas free writing gifts. 

For creativity you can put your feet up and try some fun writing prompts with a Christmas theme. Put your own Genre spin on it. A Dinosaur Christmas Romance with Sparkles and Zombies …

 

Next week is the last blog post for the year and the bumper Christmas newsletter will be out. If you haven’t checked out my books sales go over to my books website and grab some bargains.

 

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 shout me a coffee, I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

Pic Photo by freestocks on Unsplash