All I want for Christmas is....

This week around the blogosphere articles about what to get the writer for Christmas were jostling with trends to watch in 2019. I just wish I was still in November. Every year December comes faster. Things I thought I would have finished by now still linger in the To Do pile. 

December is Na No Edit Mo. The time where you take stock of your NaNo project and give it some editing love. Anne R Allen has a list of Do’s and Don’ts to consider as you embark on editing your novel.   

Ingram must have an interesting To Do List for Christmas... Rumour has it that they are looking to buy Baker and Taylor- their competitor in the Book Distributor business. This could mean a jolly shake-up in the print book world for 2019.

Also making plans for 2019 Frankfurt Bookfair are introducing a new section – Rights trading for Book Tech  

Barnes and Noble are still hanging in there so the winds of change must be blowing snow down the back of their necks. Speculation that this Christmas book buying season could be the one that seals their fate.

It’s been ten years of The Creative Penn blog. I can’t imagine a blogosphere without her. We got started at the same time blogging. She has become a huge influence and a force in the indie world for her lay it all out approach. This week’s post on what ten years has taught her... a must read. I’m also keen to try dictation over the summer. Joanna has a great post on that too.

The fearless duo of Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi always have great ideas of paying it forward in the author community. They are running an advent calendar style giveaway for authors. Check out their great prize draws.

Kris Rusch has an interesting blog post on generations this week. Do the older generation of writers fear or embrace the newer writers in their genre. Do the newer writers learn from or imitate the elders. When are you an elder...? 

Dutton are experimenting with book sizes. They are bringing out limited edition phone sized flip books... starting with John Green’s books – all aimed at the YA market. Just like a phone but in print...

Now Novel has two excellent articles on scenes and character. Every year or big project I choose an area of craft to focus on. 2019 is the year of the Scene for me and this article on Scene is just the perfect one to launch into a year of craft study. And the one on character is pretty good too. Over Summer I hope to play with dictation so this article from Joanna Penn on the best way to do it is a good start.

In The Craft Section,

How to cope with large casts of characters?- KM Weiland- Bookmark

Publishing trends/tropes

Beginnings and Backstory- James Scott Bell - Bookmark

The sample permissions letter- Jane Friedman- Bookmark

The pitfalls of self-editing- Writer Unboxed.

Do’s and Don’ts when creating villains Pt2- Kassandra Lamb- Bookmark

2 great posts from Go Into The Story- Learning the craft in 2019 and how to write one hour TV drama. Bookmark!

In The Marketing Section,

Two great posts from Penny Sansevieri- Marketing a book on Social Media 2019 and  Boost your pre-order strategies - Bookmark

What can authors get out of video content- Kevin Tumlinson- Bookmark

Top book blogs to build author brand – Dave Chesson

5 social media marketing trends to watch in 2019

How to process feedback

To Finish,

It’s the time of year when all the gift lists come out. For writers, there is always some new gadget or programme that might make writing the novel easier. Wearing Jane Austen socks and noise-canceling headphones while writing with a new rollerball pen on pristine paper in a beautifully embossed journal and sipping Writers Tear’s whiskey...Hmmmm Just needs chocolate and it would be perfect! Check out what other gifts you can ask for from these two writer’s gifts lists.

Maureen
@craicer

It’s nearly time for my monthly newsletter I round up the best of the bookmarked craft and marketing links as well as some other bits and pieces. When you subscribe you will also get a nifty book crammed full with marketing notes. If you like the blog and want to shout me a Christmas coffee, hit the coffee button up top.  I appreciate the virtual coffee love.

Pic: Flickr Creative Commons/ Marita

Are You Chasing Literary Glory?

As we head into the last few days of NaNoWriMo… remember that December is 

Na No Edit Mo. Don’t forget to pat yourself on the back for getting to the end with something written! Take a break and check out some other stories… These are the ten best podcast fiction websites.

Writers Beware is a fantastic website that doubles as a consumer watchdog for writers. Worried about an agent? Think your contract maybe shonky? Check out Writer Beware. This week they have an interesting article about what happens when your agent or publisher files for bankruptcy. And yes this is very important. If you think you get your rights back....

While that is in your mind check out Kris Rusch’s latest blog where she talks about the Sears company. They have filed for bankruptcy. If you think it is not relevant to writers... read Kris and her examination of the Sears business model and how it has been the blueprint of other successful bookselling behemoths in the business world. What happens if Amazon fails? 

If you are wondering about whether a potential publisher or service is scammy... You can check them out on the Alliance of Independent Authors (Alli) review. They have recently updated their A-Z list of publishing providers.

Mike Shatzkin always has his eye on what is happening or about to happen in publishing. In his latest blog he looks at the success of Lightning Source and the mind shift publishers need to make about just in time printing. Readers will be aware that the recent success of Wonky Donkey on the global stage 7 years after it was published illustrates perfectly what Mike is talking about. (Mike will be in NZ in January if anyone wants to catch up with him.)

Penny Sansevieri has leapt off the block with the first of the what to do in 2019 regarding book marketing. What is really interesting is how book marketing is changing and what worked in in the first half of 2018 isn’t working now. This is a must check out list of great ideas.

Dave Chesson has been busy doing guest blogs around the blogosphere. This week he popped up on Jane Friedman’s blog and wrote an interesting article on the SWOT analysis for writers. Have you ever looked at your writing this way? Strengths. Weaknesses. Opportunities. Threats...

Recently Joanna Penn interviewed Michael Brent Collings and it got writers talking about mental health and writing. Today I came across Michael’s ten steps to overnight success. This is one of those posts that is a must read (all the way to the end).

In The Craft Section,

Avoiding he said she said dialogue

Radical revision- Ruth Harris- Bookmark

How do we create realistic villains- Kassandra Lamb- Bookmark

The delicate art of character folding- Aerogramme Studio- Bookmark

Screenwriting and the need for original hooks- GoIntoTheStory

When your NaNo project is a hot mess-10 minute novelist- Bookmark

In The Marketing Section,

Your book needs a presale period- Steven Spatz

How to make pretty facebook pages- David Gaughran- Bookmark

How improving your website sells more books- Book Designer- Bookmark

5 tips to rock your next open mic reading- Sarah Letourneau- Bookmark

How to write better marketing copy- Jane Friedman

5 Book Marketing myths- Rachel Thompson

To Finish,

The New York Review published this interesting article today. Is Literary Glory worth chasing? As you read it, you are struck with so many parallels about life today and the pressures of being a writer in the modern age. Which is pretty neat considering it was written in 1824.

Maureen

@craicer

In my monthly newsletter, I round up the best of the bookmarked craft and marketing links as well as some other bits and pieces. When you subscribe you will also get a nifty book crammed full with marketing notes. If you like the blog and want to shout me a coffee hit the Kofi button up top. 

Pic- couldn't resist when I saw it...

Are you part of the resistance?

Hands up if you have listened to a podcast lately.

Hands up if you have read a book or a long-form essay on your phone.

The rise and rise of audiobooks and podcasts are making traditional publishers sit up and take notice. Publishing trends reports on the voice first generation. With the rise in voice AI assistants such as Alexa and Siri able to take on audiobook narration, publishers need to be thinking about audio books first not last.

I was interested in an article this week from Publishing Perspectives about the rise in children’s publishing in China. This was an almost non-existent market fifteen years ago. In the usual China fashion when the behemoth makes a decision the market can change almost overnight and so it is with children’s publishing. Stop and think what an opportunity awaits the savvy entrepreneur who markets into their school system.

Mailchimp is a popular email newsletter provider. If you have ever subscribed to an email list chance are high that you have received it from Mailchimp. Many authors use their platform to send out newsletters. (myself included) Mailchimp has recently teamed up with Square to offer a point of sale shop on a landing page. For any author who has wondered about direct sales, this is an interesting development.

Staying with tech tools for writers- Dave Chesson has pulled together his favourites. There might be something in there for you.

Joanna Penn has an interesting article on 7 mistakes that Non-Fiction writers make. How do you know if your idea is a good one, is one of them? 

Kris Rusch has a great article on resistance. Are you getting in your own way when it comes to making a decision about projects? If you have ever second-guessed yourself or put writing projects away because someone else told you it wouldn’t fly... READ THIS ARTICLE! 

Anne R Allen has two great pieces of writing advice. Confessions of a slow writer... and  Stupid writing rules. They are both timely for NaNo and important just for the freedom to write without a nagging sense of doubt. Share them around with your writing groups.

In The Craft Section,

Can you put lyrics in your book- Bookbaby - Bookmark

Showing vs Telling, how do you choose- Jami Gold - Bookmark

What makes a good story - Now Novel- Bookmark

Finding your unique planning style – Megan Barnhard on Joanna Penn’s site-Bookmark

Writing the small town setting - Elizabeth Craig

Classic Story Structure- Jess Loury on Jane Friedman’s site

Resources for NaNoWriMo

Deliver critical backstory using setting

How to focus on writing right now.

How to power through the 30k slump

Don’t forget to check out the Storybundle Nano collection. There are some great books on offer here going very cheap!

In The Marketing Section,

How to throw a book launch party that’s not a waste of time- Bookbaby

8 tips to give a book talk like a pro- Bookbuzzr

Creating promo copy that works – Marcy Kennedy Bookmark

5 questions on book production and marketing- Joel Friedlander

Easy template for writing query letters- Debutanteball- Bookmark

KDP vs Ingram Spark Paperbacks- Bookmark

To Finish,

The first of the holiday gift lists for writers have appeared with Write Life first off the mark this year. As it’s Thanksgiving in the US there are lots of specials on hand for writers in the tech scene Nate Hoffelder has the list. 

If you relaxing after stuffing yourself... Take a look at this iconic Thanksgiving song by the master storyteller Arlo Guthrie. 

Maureen

@craicer

In my monthly newsletter, I round up the best of the bookmarked craft and marketing links as well as some other bits and pieces. When you subscribe you will also get a nifty book crammed full with marketing notes. If you like the blog and want to shout me a coffee hit the Kofi button up top.
Apologies for being late this week...

Pic Flickr Creative Commons – Paul VanDerWerf