Caution: Look Carefully At The Message.

 

 

In Publishing News this week,

 

Frankfurt Bookfair wrapped up and everyone is slowly trickling back to their offices in publishing land. Publishers Weekly has a rundown of the gossip, the political brickbats, the changes coming to the fair to make it more public facing, much to some publishers’ dismay. I think there will be a lot of water cooler conversations about the fair, especially the stats of more than 50% of European readers not reading more than one book a year, and the American ambassador feeling attacked because the German minister said AI was digital colonization. 

 

While AI might have been the subject of fiery speeches at Frankfurt there was a survey done that asked how many publishers were using AI. Some were but many aren’t for various reasons, reports Publishing Perspectives. It sounds like many publishers are dipping the tip of their little toe in the water, seeing which way the rest of the publishing world is going, and still making up their mind.

 

Nielsen released a report at Frankfurt showing which territories were having a growth moment. More than half but some were going backward rather than staying the same. Nielsen reported than NZ was locked in price discounting which stifled growth. (I wonder where those cheap books are?) 

 

Publishers Weekly reported who the top trade publishers are in 2025. Thompson Reuters took over pole position. It is interesting how Amazon, possibly the worlds biggest bookstore, isn’t on the list.

 

Barnes and Noble have got a new library distribution eco system sorted out. This is to try to fill the gap left by the collapse of Barker and Taylor. They are the latest in a stream of book distributors and publishers hoping to help libraries part with their meager funding. 

 

Meanwhile, in a glimpse into the future, Thomas Umsteddt reports that Walmart are making buy links directly into Chat GPT. Watch for this to be quickly adopted by Amazon. Thomas also talks about the changes to the Amazon algorithm now rewarding readers from outside the ecosystem coming to buy your books. Amazon ads are slowing down.

 

Victoria Strauss of Writer Beware has a post on the Army of Bots taking over the publishing scams. She has examples and screenshots of what to look for. As ever, if you see a newbie talking about the great offer they got – gently point out that publishers don’t randomly email you out of the blue to offer publishing contracts.

 

Chad Allen writes on Jane Friedman’s blog about Why Your Book Isn’t Enough and Why that’s Good News. This is an interesting article on platform. Could you engage more with your audience?

 

Insecure Writer Support Group have an interesting post on Fair Use. What is it and when can you use it? This is a good reminder that lawsuits follow when you take someone’s work without getting permission.

 

The Creative Law Centre has a good post on Author Estate planning. Protecting Your Legacy Beyond The Page.

 

Hank Quense has an interesting post of Elizabeth Spann Craig’s blog warning beginning writers not to use AI. This is sound advice. How can you know if AI is writing anything good? How will you learn to tell the difference? September Fawkes is also cautioning writers about over reliance on Beat Sheets. Yes they teach structure but sometimes they get in the way of the story. This is an excellent article from a great writing teacher.

 

James Scott Bell is starting a new project and he looks at the process of getting ready and when the big grind points will hit. If you are thinking about having a go at Novel November (NovNov) this is a good primer.

 

Katie Weiland has an excellent article on the midpoint which had me thinking about my own characters and where their mirror moment is. A good excuse to dive back in and see if I have really nailed that essential bit of the story down.

 

In The Craft Section,

Strengthening your prose through direct language- Elizabeth Spann Craig

Working with relationship driven scenes- September Fawkes- Bookmark

Clean 1 draft fiction Dean Wesley Smith- Bookmark

Coach your characters- Jackie Alcalde Marr- Bookmark

You keep using that word- On profanity- Tiffany Yates Martin

 

In The Marketing Section,

On Amazon verified reviews- Sandra Beckwith

Branding by standing out- Podcast with Joanna Penn and Steve Brock- Bookmark

Free reads- new service from Bookbub

Creative book launches- Bookbub – Bookmark

How Netgalley makes your book stand out- Rachel Thompson- Bookmark

 

To Finish,

This week I dropped into the Alliance of Independent Authors free conference on New Trends in publishing. These mini online conferences are excellent. My hand cramped writing notes. It is so good for those of us in opposite time zones to be able to access replays. Sadly, the two day grace period to watch the replays disappeared very fast. If you are hunting down information online about writing conferences check out YouTube. The 20books to 50k conference sessions are still up. Author Nation who have taken over the big 20 books conferences have a video podcast now. Draft2 Digital has an excellent series on Print or you can go down the Brandon Sanderson’s Writing University rabbit hole. 

If you want to grab writing craft books don’t forget to check out Storybundle’s collection, a win win win for the book authors, writers, and a charity. All this is great prep for Novel November (NovNov) coming soon. 

 

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.

 

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Shopping for Knowledge

 

In Publishing News this week.

In a surprise move, as everyone thought the Baker and Taylor Distributors had a buyer, B and T shut the door and fired everyone. Publishers Weekly reports that this leaves B and T workers, small publishers and libraries completely in the cold with no sign of redress.

 

Fox Entertainment and HarperCollins have decided to work together. They have signed a first look deal. Fox gets to develop Avon romances and HarperCollins gets to write books on Fox studio properties. If you can’t beat Netflix – Do what Netflix does… all the way to the bank.

 

If you are a subscriber to the Substack version of the blog you will have already seen the breaking news about the new searchable database for the Anthropic settlement last week. Darcy Pattison has a great article on what all the important dates around filing for the $3000 per book payout means. This is a must read. You can be sure that the other AI companies are looking at this judgement and will be taking notes. Anthropic saved themselves a $75 Billion fine by settling out of court and if you look at the numbers they come out of it pretty well. The kick in the teeth for some writers is discovering their publishers in America didn’t file a copyright claim within 5 years of publication which leaves them out in the cold.

 

On Writer Beware Victoria Strauss writes about the return of the Nigerian Prince scam and includes the new book club feature scam. With AI doing all the research work the email scams can be pretty convincing.  

 

Penguin Random House has sent its banned books wagon to Washington DC for Banned Books Week. Insert your own pithy comment on the juxtaposition of these two entities meeting in the seat of American government. The banned books on this year’s list, that they are handing out, will make you weep. 

 

Last week I mentioned an article - Publishing has a Gambling Problem and the responses from many people in publishing to its truths.

This week to add to the discourse, Karen Gillespie writes about The Case of the Disappearing Author and Why You Don’t Want a 6 or 7 Figure Deal.

 

 Agent Richard Curtis turns the spotlight onto Moral Clauses this week. He argues that the moral clause is immoral. Publishers are seeing the moral clause as a potential weapon to disassociate themselves from a high risk client. High risk? That could be a writer who disagrees with the latest edict from a political leader. Have you read your contracts morals clause?

 

Next month you can join Novel November. This is the replacement for NaNoWriMo. The list of sponsors for this free event is gathering momentum. If you want to test yourself and write a novel in November check out the site and sign up for free. There are lots of goodies on offer, including a charity donation from Pro Writing aid for every writer who succeeds in writing 50,000 words in November. This could be the month to try dictation and smash those words out.

 

Dan Blank has an interesting article on cycles of learning. What stops you from doing or learning about book marketing and connecting with readers. It can be as easy as committing to a short daily challenge. 

 

Susan Watts has one of those articles that you file away and think I must do that. It’s all about body position and health. If you have felt the strain of sitting at your keyboard Susan has some ideas for you to fix your workspace. (Stretch your body now!)

 

The Dream Team of Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi are celebrating 10 years of their website One Stop for Authors. This is their comprehensive website with articles and planners and all good things. They have some great deals to say thank you.

 

The Art Of Keeping Your Readers Hooked is what every writer wants. Elizabeth Craig has boiled it down to five important things to nail to keep your readers nailed to the page.

 

In The Craft Section,

Writer Igniter Story prompts- DIYMFA- Bookmark

How long should a series go- James Scott Bell

First draft words of wisdom- Dale Ivan Smith-Bookmark

10 dialogue tips – C S Lakin- Bookmark

What is a compelling voice-Tiffany Yates Martin

 

In The Marketing Section,

Booktok for Book Marketing- Sandra Beckwith - Bookmark

Social media strategies for authors- Rachel Thompson- Bookmark

Creating Buzz- Terry Odell- Bookmark

When your imaginary world becomes real- R J Redden

10 proven strategies to own the Amazon Algorithm- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark

 

To Finish,

October was usually called NaNoWriMo prep month. Now with Novel November prep month continues, with lots of resources around for writers to access. Kevin Anderson has put together a collection of writing craft eBooks for Storybundle with great bonus books if you buy the whole set. It’s a win win win, writers get money, you get great books for not much, and a charity gets a dollop of cash. 

To make the most of writing resources you should read Gabriela Pereira’s article on Double Take learning. It is especially interesting if you are thinking about stretching yourself into new writing directions in November.

Don’t forget to sign up for The Alliance of Independent Authors free online 24 hour conference. This year’s theme is New Trends and the agenda is up. 

Go out there and soak up the knowledge.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

It’s nearly time for my monthly newsletter of 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 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 Erik Mclean on Unsplash

 

Going Back To The Quill

 

In publishing news this week,

 

Last week I was traveling so I didn’t post a weekly roundup. This week is the last weekly roundup for the year. Down Under it’s supposed to be Summer but the rain and the southerly blowing from Antarctica are screaming Winter vibes where I live. 

As I look over the year, Artificial Intelligence and its effect on the Publishing World, from outright abhorrence to tempered acceptance in some quarters has been the major story of the year. There has hardly been a week where I haven’t reported on some AI story. 

This week, Publishing Perspectives reports that the UK Publishers Association sees the UK government announcement of open consultation, to inform the legal framework around artificial intelligence and copyright, as the make or break moment for the publishing industry. All creative people have a vested interest in the outcome. The CEO of the Publishers Association describes it as “a generationally important moment for the creative industries.” 

Techcrunch reports that the HarperCollins CEO spoke at a recent conference citing Spotify’s entry into the audiobook market and AI’s impact on the publishing industry as the most important news of the year for the future of publishing. Techcrunch has more interesting commentary from the CEO.

 

The Alliance of Independent Authors also reports on AI, with lawsuits being filed against new AI on the block Perplexity Ai. This AI company writes mini essays on topics in response to questions. But where is it getting the information from?

 

Mark Williams of The New Publishing Standard stops for a moment to castigate luddites for trying to hold onto the past when the future is changing everything around them. He is a school teacher in one of the poorest countries in the world and describes what it is like to teach a class with only one book, in a world where even dodgy internet can still deliver information to the most isolated communities. It is a luxury to be a luddite in these times.

 

Jane Friedman reminds new authors that publishing trade fairs are not for them. The world of the big trade fair is about rights selling and won’t get you that coveted publishing or agent contract. As people start gearing up for the Spring trade fairs next year, be mindful that there is always a scammer that will promise you publishing unicorns and rainbows if you will just hand them money.

 

It’s the end of the year so Publishers Weekly reports on what they think were the biggest stories of the year. I’m not sure I would agree with their list though. What do you think?

 

Being the end of the year, thoughts turn to reflecting on what you have learned. Katie Weiland looks at 8 important lessons she has learned over sixteen years and being the fabulous writing teacher that she is… it is all on craft.

 

Penny Sansevieri has a checklist of the top fifteen marketing things that you should revise or revamp to get ready for the new year.

 

Elizabeth Craig points out where new mystery writers are going wrong, they are forgetting to include the reader as a fellow sleuth. Keeping the clues to yourself is not how mysteries are supposed to work. Meanwhile, Gabriela Pereira of DIYMFA has an interesting article on why home improvement is like writing a book. 

 

It's the Christmas season and so gift giving is happening all over the place. If you are looking for writer gifts here are two sites to give you inspiration. Reedsy has their 2024 gift collection of goodies for writers. Etsy have a similar sized collection including candles that have that old library smell (without the dust.)

 

In The Craft Section,

Writing novellas- Tara Deal

Tough love approach to backstory- Barbara Linn Probst-

Bookmark

Three ways to set your character apart- Lucy Hay- Bookmark

Three act analysis of Pride and Prejudice- Gabriela Pereira

8 elements to create tension- Margot Conor- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

5 do’s and don’t’s to save money- Penny Sansevieri- Great advice!

15 book marketing articles from 2024- Sandra Beckwith- All you need, really.

Charles Duhigg talks Nonfiction book proposals with Joanna Penn- Excellent!

 

To Finish

In our family we mark important educational milestones with a Christmas gift of the same significance. On starting high school, a nice watch, on starting tertiary education, an engraved fountain pen. For the postgraduates in the house the fountain pen is similar to their working tools. But the youngest will be going into a completely sound orientated field. She still got a fountain pen, but it was of the feather quill variety which I note turned up in one of the writer’s gifts lists.

I came across this interesting article on fountain pens and their ability to unlock the creative in us, so it’s still an appropriate gift. If you need an excuse for getting an old-fashioned feather quill and ink, it could unlock your next fulfilling creative project.

 

Have a restful and safe holiday season. I will be back half way through next month after I have recovered from the extensive family traveling and gathering schedules that our end of year revolves around. 

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

Do you want the best of my bookmarked links in a handy monthly newsletter? The last newsletter for the year coming soon, 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 for Christmas, I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

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Forewarned is Forearmed.

🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩

In Publishing News this week,

 

Australia’s online book retailer Booktopia has gone into voluntary administration. This caught everyone by surprise, including Australian booksellers and publishers who are seeing a big hole opening up in distribution. The June redundancies should have given everyone a heads-up. Now will they flog it off and who to?

 

Amazon announced its dates for Prime Day and immediately Indie Bookstores got into action. Dan Holloway talks about the concerted actions to drive sales away from Amazon by TikTok and the American Booksellers Association.

 

In the UK, Waterstones have announced the new Children’s Laureate, Frank Cottrill-Boyce. Each laureate serves for two years, and they campaign for a cause associated with children’s literature. The new laureate is passionate about the freedom to read.

 

Over in the USA, librarians have been discussing the freedom to read problems that they are having, especially soft censorship. That’s the censorship when you think a book might be challenged and so you don’t buy it. Authors filling a need for books for marginalized communities are being hit in the pocket with this type of censorship.

 

The complaints about Baillie Gifford using their fossil fuels money to finance book festivals in the UK resulted in them pulling their funding of the festivals. Now the festivals have to find alternative funding. Some publishers have stepped up. 

 

Roz Morris has a great article on the six main hustles that are targeting writers so far in 2024 and what you can do about them. Over at Writer Unboxed, Michael Castleman writes about why we are seeing more writing scams than ever before and how we can avoid being ripped off. Make an effort to read these articles. Forewarned is forearmed.

 

Ruth Harris writes about the sting of rejection. It’s not about you the writer. She points out that there can be many things that generate a No response. David Lombardino writes about successful editor author relationships. Who is in charge?

Elizabeth Spann Craig talks about procrastination and being kind to your future self.

 

Draft2Digital is working hard on integrating Smashwords into the fold. They are also renaming their book cover acquisition. If you haven’t checked out D2D lately, they have a pretty comprehensive distribution network and loads of free stuff for authors and publishers.

 

What makes timeless fiction timeless? Donald Maass asks the writers golden ticket question. ‘Timeless characters stand in for us but are larger than we are.’ This is a fascinating read from a master agent.

 

 

In The Craft Section,

Creative ways to brainstorm ideas- Becca Puglisi- Bookmark

How to use antagonists in your story- K M Weiland- Bookmark

Developing a scene outline- C S Lakin- Bookmark

Using tone in literature- Reedsy

Handling a cast of thousands- Terry Odell - Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

Book Promotion timing – Sandra Beckwith

Positioning your book-Jane Weisman

Choosing an author name format- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark

2 great posts from Authors Red Door- table of contents sales tool and copyright page marketing- Bookmark Both

 

To Finish,

This week I have been listening to Joanna Penn and Rachelle Ayala talk about AI tools and how authors are using them on the Creative Penn podcast. Whichever side you come in on, I really think you should give this transcript a read, or listen to the podcast episode. I had a few aha moments. Rachell is a romance author with a PHD in applied maths and a background in computing. So straight away she was able to explain what an AI is and is not and how it works. This was a super interesting episode. If you have been dismissive or fearful or bewildered by the changes that are coming like a runaway freight train towards you, take some time to understand what sort of tool AI could be in your writing business. At the very least you will be more informed of the possibilities even if you don’t choose to actively use them.

 

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 Jan Canty on Unsplash Due to a glitch the photo hasn't loaded but you can check it out here. https://unsplash.com/photos/a-large-orange-object-with-a-flag-on-top-of-it-yIImaRNGro8.

 

Speaking Truth to Fear

 

In Publishing News this week.

I wonder how an organisation becomes so frightened that it gives in to any perceived threat, even by one person. Publishers Weekly highlights the latest book banning nonsense. In Virginia a community book reading event of the Wishtree by Katherine Applegate, was derailed because one person worried about a tree having two reproductive systems.

You know you can thank the complainer for bringing it to your attention and invite them to NOT PARTICIPATE rather than giving in, ruining the community event, and making yourself a laughingstock internationally.

 

A new way of getting your book noticed in this busy world is to record the audiobook in a novel place. In this case 900 feet down a mine. The author thought it would be a good idea as he set the novel in the mine. I don’t think the audio production company and his publishers were that excited by his plan though.

 

Mark Williams reports on the latest numbers released by Amazon on their payout of Kindle Unlimited. There must be money in subscription after all everyone is getting into it. Mark compares numbers and looks for trends in Amazon’s financial reporting.

 

The London Book Fair wrapped up and a good time was had by all Porter Anderson gives a run down on all the news from the fair and looks forward to Bologna – the big Children’s Book Fair in April.

 

Joanna Penn has a great interview with Claire Taylor on The Enneagram and how it can help you sustain an author career. It is super interesting and well worth listening to or reading the transcript. These two authors give so much to the writing community. 

 

Wired recently had an article on training an AI on out of copyright material to prove it could be done. This might be gold for all the lawyers currently representing authors in court cases.

 

Elizabeth S Craig has a great post on setting yourself up on the path of least resistance to accomplish your goals.

 

Have you read any fan fiction lately? Before you shudder and express horror, consider the freedom in trying out ideas in someone else’s sandbox where you don’t have to do all the leg work to establish the world. Laura Samotin writes on Gizmodo that playing with fan fiction can be a shortcut to finding out what topes resonate with your reading audience. A great read. 

Anne R Allen has a great post on breaking the rules. Sometimes authors can be so scared of breaking the show don’t tell rule that their writing suffers from it. Anne talks about when the rules can go too far.

 

Samantha Cameron has an interesting post on writing underrepresented characters. Do you let fear get in the way of attempting to tell their stories? Samantha has some steps to overcome this so you can write great three dimensional characters.

 

In The Craft Section,

4 mistakes to avoid when writing dialogue- Rose Atkinson-CarterBookmark

Writing fiction based on real life figures- K D Alden

How to write a psychological thriller- Lucy Hay

Writing protagonists without a strong goal- September Fawkes- Bookmark

Beginning your story introducing your characters- K M Weiland-Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

The secret to a compelling bio- Lucy Hay- Bookmark

How I sell at live events- Ben Wolf- Bookmark

How to market a book that doesn’t exist yet- Rachel Thompson

How to go viral on TikTok- Hina Pandya

5 effective strategies to avoid engagement farming- Rachel Thompson- Bookmark

 

To Finish

Heather Webb has an interesting article on Writer Unboxed about the big truths in fiction. Recently she was on a book tour, wearing her read banned books tee shirt and was asked in a panel discussion ‘if you were to write a banned book, what topic would you choose.’ It opened up some interesting ideas to think about. This is a thought provoking read. Does your writing reflect ‘the big truths?’

 

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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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.

 

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