This week in publishing...
Wouldn’t it be nice if someone said 'here, have some money for your art?' If you work in the creative arts and live in Ireland you might be the lucky recipient of a trial Guaranteed Basic Income for artists from the government. It is being called a game-changer by the artists who receive 325 euros a week. Read the article and weep with envy.
Last week I mentioned a couple of news items on startups in the publishing sphere who didn’t seem to know what they were doing but had been given money to make an impact of some sort in publishing and book discovery. Ireland again is at the forefront in creating an Irish author website store. The website showcases Irish authors, provides them with a sales page the author controls, and sells print books directly. Author collectives can do this to take advantage of group niche markets or marketing but I haven’t heard of a country doing it. It’s still in start-up mode but will be interesting to see where it goes.
Author Ryan Holiday has taken a different route to get money- he has opened a small bookstore in a small town. He is offering a curated book store of his picks and he has an interesting drawcard.
This week Richard Charkin wrote an interesting opinion piece on his experience of The Frankfurt Bookfair which has just concluded. Richard focused on the slogans that publishers use to try to differentiate and explain what type of books they publish. If only they were truthful, he muses.
Last week Kris Ruch published part one in looking at IP and its value to a publisher. This week she continues the theme of value and compares publishers with Netflix et al. One phrase that struck me in this great article, “ readers don’t care about new. They care about new-to-them.” Netflix understands this, publishers don’t. Do you know the value of your IP and what you as the author and owner of that IP can do with it to make money?
Joanna Penn produced an in-depth article on IP this week to explain all the ways you can use and exploit what you create to make money.
Draft2 Digital has just added a nifty feature to its free reader links sell pages… you can now link print books.
Anne R Allen has a great guest post from William Hahn an audiobook narrator on audiobooks. If you were wondering if it is worth it- take a look.
I listened to an interview today from Judith Briles from Author U with an audio producer who was reading picture books and using image descriptions for blind children and recording video with sign language for deaf children. The audio format is just a springboard to other audio innovations.
In the Craft Section,
World building basics- K M Allen- Bookmark
Common writing mistakes- K M Weiland
What are pinch points and where do they go- Sue Coletta- Bookmark
Character traits that hike up tension- September Fawkes
How to make your characters' choices more difficult- Angela Ackerman- Bookmark
In The Marketing Section,
Author and Book publicity- Sandra Beckwith - Bookmark
5 tips for scoring more book reviews- Veronica Mixon- Bookmark
Best ways to grow social media following Rachel Thompson
Are you ready for book marketing- quiz- Frances Caballo
Publishing resources- Bookbub- Bookmark
To Finish,
Angela Ackerman has a nifty newsletter full of interesting tips. This week she rounded up some great resources for authors – including a Pomodoro timer app and links to other great research resources.
It is nearly November, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) If you are taking the plunge to write a 50,000 word novel in a month, GOOD LUCK. If you want to find out more and register, check out the official NaNoWriMo blog. Check back over the last few posts to find great resources for planning and getting ready for November 1st.
Maureen
@craicer
It’s nearly time for my monthly newsletter of best bookmarked links and extras. If you would like to subscribe you will also get a nifty mini book crammed full with marketing notes as a thank you.
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Pic: Flickr Creative Commons – Pictures of Money
