In Publishing News this week… money, opinions, and craft.
As writers and publishers are waiting for the cheques to arrive from the Anthropic settlement, The Authors Guild is calling on the publishers to share the wealth around.
Many publishers are claiming for out of print books where they have had no correspondence with authors for decades. Is this fair? asks the Guild.
Ed Nawotka reports on a study by the Book Industry Study Group on their survey of AI use by publishers. This was the second year the survey was run. As expected, publishers are using more AI, however there is a marked slowdown amongst their employees, causing a clear fault line. Interesting reading.
Publishers Weekly has an interview with literary tastemaker, Jordan Moblo. This book influencer’s day job is an IP buyer for Universal. How does he decide what books will make films and TV series?
When I attend author events, here in NZ, I often get asked what writers should keep an eye on overseas. Occasionally I send links to publishers and booksellers, interesting ideas I find in research for the weekly roundup. The recent Sharjah Booksellers conference had some interesting ideas that I have passed on to some booksellers.
Publishing Perspectives reports on the recent Babelica conference of independent publishers. The focus this year was bibliodiversity. Publishers from 60 countries took part and there were six language tracks. The Alliance of Independent Publishers will be celebrating 25 years next year.
Mark Williams of the New Publishing Standard wrote another of his strongly worded essays on the London Book Fair. With the recent news of other conferences joining the fair will LBF grow, or get swamped by all the competing players in their space?
The Alliance of Independent Author are looking into the 2027 crystal ball and noting the four trends they see sticking around from this year. Their upcoming conference is future focused so this essay is a great lead in.
Becca Syme has a great essay on why you can’t find any good workshops at writing conferences. It’s not the conference, it’s you. She deep dives into competence building and how the closer you get to mastery the less you learn at workshops. Fascinating stuff.
Ines Johnson writes about why she still goes to conferences… it is all about the networking. How often do you talk to the vendors at the conference? She explains how their insights have improved her business.
Craig Martelle, of 20booksto50K conference and short video writing craft tips fame, recently wrote an interesting essay on writing series books. It should be the reader who determines series length.
Tim Grahl of The Story Grid has an epic 144 writing tips learned over 15 years. He has recorded this in a video. Click on the pinned post under the video to see each time stamped chapter. Make sure you have a large drink and lots of time. A writing conference in miniature.
In the Craft Section,
Dialogue Beats- Michelle Barker- Bookmark
Before you publish eBooks- Indie Author Training
Specific characters equal Universal Characters- Tiffany Yates Martin
The Virtuous character doesn’t need to be boring- Vaughn Roycroft- Bookmark
Character misdirection tricks- K M Weiland- Bookmark
In The Marketing Section,
What does your swag say?- Amy Reade
2 interesting posts from - Kimberley Grabas-How can authors elevate their brand and
A comprehensive guide on branding using AI- Bookmark
3 keys to running a successful author business-Audrey Hughy- Bookmark
Time savers for serial fiction writers- Simon Jones
To Finish
As I write this, children’s authors will be packing their bags and heading towards the New Zealand Storylines Hui for Children’s Writers and Illustrators. It is a big commitment in time and money to attend an author conference. You want to go to everything to get your moneys worth.
Having organized a few of these conferences- The sleepless nights and hair pulling behind the scenes to make sure that attendees do get their money’s worth is also top of mind, along with where is that important thing which I can’t remember the name of… why can’t I find pain killers, and who drank the wine?
It is a juggle to provide a program that informs the newbie and stretches the seasoned professional. Time spent with other authors is important. Nobody understands writers like other writers and some of your best conference takeaways will be outside the sessions, just chatting with other writers.
If you can’t make an in person conference, check out the Alliance of Independent Authors conference happening in October. There is a great line up of speakers and it’s free.
Maureen
@craicer
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Photo by Wan San Yip on Unsplash
