Getting Your Ducks In A Row

In publishing news this week, there was consternation as the generous donor to the Bookshop hardship fund was revealed. Was it a PR coup, genuine, or a sarcastic tribute from a company that is loathed by brick and mortar stores. 

While governments are scrambling to keep their economies going in the wake of the pandemic…there have been calls to see books as essential to the well being of communities. The UK publishers set out a 5 point list of demands. Meanwhile, a couple of agents took a different view and wrote why books aren’t essential in a Publishers Weekly column.

This week Publishing Perspectives reported that China’s bestsellers seemed to have bucked the slump in sales that has hit everywhere else. It’s a fascinating look to see what makes the bestsellers list over there.

If you want a deep dive into analytics Alex Newton of K-lytics fame made his analysis of the coronavirus impact on the book market free today. Well worth a look.

Bologna Bookfair is rolling out a series of online events next week as they move the trading hall to a virtual marketplace that replaces the postponed fair. They are using the postponed dates 4-7^th May for their virtual fair. This is probably going to be the way of the future so all eyes will be on Bologna to see how it works out.

Has reader behavior changed through this uncertain time? Are you reading more or less? New books or old favourites? Digital or Print? Bookbub has a revelatory article on what they are seeing.

At the end of last year, Joanna Penn interviewed Andrea Pearson about productivity. Andrea runs her writing business from home while homeschooling young children and hosting two podcasts. If you need tips on how to juggle life… check out the transcript or listen into the podcast. (She is a juggernaut!)

Kris Rusch is always my Go To. (As if you didn’t know- LOL)  She makes sense of this crazy world of publishing and how we can approach it. This week she warns that Traditional Publishers who are delaying book launches until later in the year could be doing themselves and their authors a huge disservice. She has some good advice. 

Today I saw in my Twitter feed the first of the publishing layoffs of editors and book designers. Sadly, this is just the beginning. I think we will see a very contracted book industry before the end of the year.

In The Craft Section,

The difference between an inciting incident and a plot point- Jami Gold- Bookmark!

Writing through distractions- Jody Hedlund

Never mow the same grass twice- Michael Bjork

Mastering the basics of point of view and dialogue-James Scott Bell- Bookmark

How to outline a novel- Roz Morris- Bookmark

How to avoid writing a dull series-David Farland- Bookmark!

In The Marketing Section,

Amazon cuts KDP ebook minimum for Euro countries- Roger Packer- News

4 ways to market YA titles- Jennifer Tucker

Public Speaking for writers- Sally Jenkins

Build a community of readers- Karen Lock Kolp-Bookmark

Unique content for May – Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark

To Finish,

Just when you feel overwhelmed at all you should be doing, struggling to create writer energy, along comes Ruth Harris. Her gust of common sense stops you in your tracks and makes you rethink what you are doing. 10 ways to feel like a writer when you can’t write thanks to the coronavirus is a MUST READ. I played around on book cover sites and invented books for the hell of it and along the way did some learning and it was great for my mental outlook. I could float along without feeling that I was paddling furiously to get nowhere.

Note To Self- Be more like a duck.

Another year has ticked over in the life of the blog. It is nice to see that people I linked to way back, in the beginning, are still hanging in there. What changes we have seen in the last 12 years. We are definitely living through interesting times in publishing. 

Maureen

@craicer

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When you subscribe you get a nifty mini book crammed full with marketing notes as a thank you. 

If you like the blog and want to shout me a coffee, hit the coffee button up top. I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

Pic: Flickr Creative Commons- Keith Ellwood- Mallard Ducks

When we get back to normal- will it be different?

This week there were interesting anecdotes from around the book publishing community on how the continuous lockdown has affected book sales. 

Audiobook sales and podcast listening has tanked. When I thought about my own life I realized why. There are no commutes. People’s consumption of podcasts and audiobooks during their work commute drove audiobook sales. I’m behind in so many episodes in my regular podcast listening I should just escape to the car for an hour and catch up on them in the driveway. 

Recently I managed to listen to The Six-Figure Author podcast and they were mentioning that Google Play had come back on stream again for author sign-ups.

One country that seems to be bucking this trend is Sweden- they aren’t in lockdown therefore audiobook sales are booming.

Mike Shatzkin has been looking at the cracks that have been exposed in the publishing industry because of the pandemic. How reliant is everybody on a functioning supply chain? With paper produced in China in short supply… alternative editions seem to be the way forward but for the price-conscious having an ebook priced the same as a paper book is not going to cut it. 

Kris Rusch has been looking into the past to see how publishing fared the last time there was a big disruption to the publishing industry. There wasn’t an indie book scene back then so what happened to writers. The title of her post is train wreck so that should give you some ideas. She explores the ways that writers could be much better off this time.

Penguin Random House, the biggest publisher, has been doing some experimenting according to The New Publishing Standard. They have opened an online branch in India’s Amazon platform… get ready rest of the world?

Litreactor has an interesting post on how to help writers through the pandemic and also how writers can help themselves.

Anne R Allen has a great post on successful writers and detectives. They have lots in common. Check out the post to see your alternative career.

In The Craft Section,

Know your genre- Scott Myers

How to create characters that come alive- Dana Bate

How to use sequels in scene structure- Jami Gold- Bookmark!

How to get your book written this year- Belinda Pollard

Writing fight scenes for female characters- Aiki Flinthart- Bookmark

In The Marketing Section,

Tips for marketing children’s books- Karen Whiting

How to make an awesome book trailer- Victor Blasco

9 tips for creating Amazon ads that convert- Dave Chesson - Bookmark

8 ways to sell books locally- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark

The art of condensing an entire novel into a sales pitch- Florence Osmund- Bookmark

To Finish,

The new normal is working from home surrounded by others who are also working from home. Trying to retain sanity and normality can be challenging. The virtual world is at your beck and call. Here are some ways you can keep in contact with your fans and peers. Just remember to have a great bookshelf behind you. The above picture would be just perfect!

Maureen

@craicer

It’s nearly time for my monthly newsletter. If you want to subscribe you get a nifty mini book crammed full with marketing notes as a thank you. 

If you like the blog and want to shout me a coffee, hit the coffee button up top. I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

Pic: Flickr Creative Commons- Susan - Library

Lockdown Blues

Here we are still in the middle of the pandemic and thoughts and discussions abound on-line as to how the world will be when we get out of this. Will life be the same as before? Will we be able to go back to our local bookstore or will it have disappeared? What will the book industry look like on the other side?

The New Publishing Standard posted an interesting article on what publishers need to understand about the new normal of publishing that is fast evolving. 

Meanwhile, Anne R Allen had a great wake up article on getting your social media affairs in order just in case…Do you have a social media executor? (This also is a time to contemplate literary estates.)

The Alliance of Independent Authors has a great article on how to run online conferences or workshops. Yes, this could be the new normal for the rest of the year with conferences and book fairs transitioning online.

The ever trusty David Gaughran has an extensive article on Author Platforms. They are now more important than ever. And no, it is not just your website. It is who you are!

This week Kris Rusch talks about keeping sane as a writer in this mad mad world… She is also running a Kickstarter for writing craft bundles… with some good giveaways so you should check it out. 

William Kenower has an interesting article on Writers Digest about the cold open. When you are staring at the blank page. How do you get into the story and engage your creative mindset. He shares some tricks of the trade…

In The Craft Section,

2 great posts from Janice Hardy- 5 ways repetition is hurting your novel and plotting in 3 simple steps- Bookmark Both

How to submit to magazines- Writers Digest

Evoke reader emotions with surprisingness- C S Lakin

Active vs Passive voice- Jami Gold Bookmark

In The Marketing Section,

2 great posts from Rachel Thompson- Promoting your books right now and Get ready for 2020 NaNoProMo- Every May Rachel hosts and teaches book promotion- Bookmark both

18 questions to ask when refreshing your author website- Nate Hoffelder- Bookmark

Book Promotion during a pandemic- The Book Designer

To Finish,

Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi have a great website for authors. It is chock full of great resources. I often link to interesting articles on their blog. Today Angela wrote a great article on goal setting for writers during a pandemic… Great advice

I have been thinking about how much this pandemic has been showing us what is important in life. The unsung heroes (usually the lowest paid,) that keep the food arriving in the supermarkets… that clean the hospitals and streets… that work long hours doing essential work but never getting the good recognition they deserve. While these people are out there, the rest of us are consuming creative content to keep entertained. Entertainment also created and delivered originally by unsung heroes (also usually the lowest paid.)

The Romans were right. Bread and circuses… Marcus Cicero 

Maureen

@craicer

(LD Day 22)

Do you want the best of my bookmarked links in a handy monthly newsletter?

When you subscribe you will also get a nifty mini book crammed full with marketing notes as a thank you. 

If you like the blog and want to shout me a coffee, hit the coffee button up top. I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.