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

 

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Thanks.

 

Photo by meisam saeb on Unsplash

Hunting Down Information

 

 

In Publishing News this week,

Frankfurt Bookfair is on. This Bookfair, the largest in the western hemisphere, dominates the publishing calendar. Publishing Perspectives has a run down on the issues talked about on day one of the fair. 

 

Publishers Weekly reports that libraries are hunting for partners to fill the distribution gap left by the collapse of Baker and Taylor. Ingram Content group are ramping up to offer services, but Amazon is ahead of them having quietly designed an eco system just for libraries. The library dollar is still relevant and with limited funds libraries are going to be looking for as many extras as they can get.

 

Dan Holloway of the Alliance of Independent Authors has a post on the Spotify and Chat GPT integration and the how this might play out for authors. He also explores the dangers of the new AI video app, Sora which is threatening the content creators on YouTube.  

Dan Blank uses the Sora controversy to wonder if we should all ditch social media. He explains that social media is only worth it if you are intentional with its use. How are you showing your human side?

 

Publishers Weekly has an up beat post on comic books. They are having a moment, where new readers are discovering them and sales are going up. I wonder if this is a follow on from all those graphic novels that were being launched at young readers in the last decade. 

 

The Guardian reports on a new venture – a certified organic and AI free stamp for literature, to help readers identify books created by real authors. The team behind this has plans to expand beyond the UK. They have a following amongst independent publishers.

 

Sandra Beckwith has an interview with Tal Kilim, who has launched Booksnout an innovative approach to storytelling using crowd sourcing. Does this approach sound familiar? Hopefully they have learned from the Unbound debacle earlier in the year.

 

Manda Comisari writes on Jane Friedman’s blog about the divide between art and business. Good Intentions Aren’t Enough in Publishing Deals: How Creators Can Protect Themselves. 

 

James Scott Bell always writes an entertaining article on the writing business. This week he looks at advice he would give if you are hunting a traditional publishing deal. He references Nathan Bransford’s publishing submission bill of rights, one clause is the timely response to submissions. Many writers are left in limbo over never hearing about a submission. It leaves a sour and discouraging taste about the industry.

 

Kathleen Schmidt is wondering where the big fall book is? Twice a year- Northern hemisphere Spring and Autumn, the publishing industry releases their big books. These are the ones with the marketing dollars behind them. This year the Fall books are very quiet. Why?

 

Penny Sansevieri reports that some authors are getting locked out of their Amazon Central pages. She has some tips to help you get back in and why you should be using these pages in your marketing.

 

Katie Weiland has a collection of great writing craft books. She has been updating them this year and has now updated her popular workbook on Structuring Your Novel. She is launching her second edition with a nifty giveaway.

 

In The Craft Section,

How to edit someone’s work- Sarah Hamer- Bookmark

Morning pages- tips- Gabriela Pereira

Writing using good speech guidelines-Barbara Probst- Bookmark

Creativity in Brevity- Jim Dempsey- Bookmark

The secret weapon behind character arcs- Janice Hardy- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

Selling books direct- Kindlepreneur

Standing out in a crowded market – Podcast with Joanna Penn and Steve Brock

Pinterest for authors- Bookbub- Bookmark

The best social media channels for different types of books – Rachel Thompson- Bookmark

How to build an email list before the book launch- Thomas Umstaddt- Bookmark

 

To Finish

Recently, I had a phone conversation with a family member and we started talking about dicey parts of the world and what was happening. Then I thought about what if our phone conversation was being monitored so I stopped and addressed whoever might be listening that this was an innocent phone call. Sue Coletta this week addressed the same problem that thriller writers have. Do FBI profilers mistake writers for serial killers. 

It can be tricky out there in writer search history land. I’m glad I write children’s science fiction. 

 

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.

 

 

Photo by Kaja Sariwating on Unsplash