Reading Between The Lines

 

In Publishing News this week,

Last week publishing social media was full of comment from disgruntled authors discovering they had been let go from a prominent author agency. I didn’t link to it at the time as tempers and opposing viewpoints were swirling and I figured that everyone might calm down and things were not as bad as portrayed. Then the Authors Guild got involved to try to sort out the mess of over 20 authors with contracts in various states of negotiating being hung out to dry. So yes, things were bad. The fallout has probably permanently tarnished the reputation of the agency. There are no winners.

 

This week a hybrid virtual/in person book fair in New York was held over three days. It’s the only Book Fair that attempts to be a national book fair for the USA. After the demise of Book Expo America and virtual Digital Book World offerings, the flagship shows like London or Frankfurt aren’t happening for the U.S. Mark Williams looks at the problems of running a big book fair. Does the English language publishing world really need another bookfair?

 

Germany has just published a survey on reading in their country and the declining levels of literacy among children is alarming. They are embarking on a huge campaign to lift literacy. However, recently their teen reading levels have been huge. Is it the power of TikTok influencers?

 

James Daunt CEO of Barnes and Noble recently spoke on how his policies have changed the face of the bookselling company. The secret is in curation, and local curation at that. Also shelving non-fiction books by subject instead of alphabetically. Wow. Who knew that might work?

 

Jane Friedman has a guest post by Joni Cole on cover woes and what you can do when your publisher gets it so very wrong. Her publisher though she would be happy with an explicit cover on a book about… writing craft. 

 

Randy Peyser has an interesting post on what publishers want. This is not a specific post but does have some interesting ideas for what you should keep in mind when approaching them.

 

Ingram Spark has a useful article on choosing readable fonts for your book. If you are into designing print interiors check it out. Warning- once you go down the typeface rabbit hole you will discover a wonderful new world that can be quite addictive. 

 

Recently the Spa Girls writing podcast had an interview with Matt Bird – a writing craft teacher on the secrets of story. It’s a great interview with different ways to look at scenes and characters.

 

September Fawkes has a great article on things she wished she knew as a beginning writer. This is a must read. It doesn’t matter if you are beginning or not, there are gems to think about… print out…carve on your wall, in here.

 

In The Craft Section,

7 cool tricks for beating the maddening middle- Holly Lisle

Hero’s journey structure and examples- Lisa Taylor- Bookmark

3 steps to engaging your readers- Angela Ackerman

The difference between Character Archetypes and Tropes- Becca Puglisi- Bookmark

How to create insanely complex characters- K M Weiland- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

Marketing to Libraries- Goodstory company- Bookmark

12 ways to promote your book- Green Leaf

First impressions, Book Covers-Mibl Art-Bookmark

Relaunching with audiobooks- Bookboss Academy

Moving the needle- Huge Marketing post from SCBWI – BOOKMARK

 

To Finish

Lisa Cooper Ellison has a great column on Jane Friedmans blog, this week she writes about Beta Readers. Lisa looks at  how important they are and how you can help them out. If you prepare questions and manage their expectations it should be a positive experience for everybody. If you haven’t really made use of Beta readers before this is a handy article on how to get started with them.

 

Go Forth and Read.

 

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

 

Pic Photo by Matias North on Unsplash

 

Reading gymnastics- or how many ways you can curl up with a book.

Holding On To Your Own Creativity

In Publishing News this week…

Amazon is raising their subscription price for Kindle Unlimited by $2. This comes on the heels of the lowest page read payout to date. Today writers using Amazon Print were informed that the cost to print would be going up. 

 

Recently The Association of American Publishers had their AGM and the big event of the night was the CEO Maria Pallente addressing the issue of AI and publishing. Porter Anderson  has a full report of her speech. If you are keeping an eye on AI you will know that this week the CEO of Open AI has been asking for a regulatory framework from US lawmakers to control AI going into the future.

 

Pearson Textbooks has taken issue with the use of their IP content to train AI’s. They have started sending cease and desist letters and taking legal action. This is because they have plans to train their own AI on their own content so they can expand their business.

 

Scholastic are finally embracing digital publishing. Apparently paper mills see no extra value in making book pages. Mark Williams of The New Publishing Standard has some pithy words for the publishing industry as the head of Scholastic points out just how shaky the print arm of publishing is.

Mark also shines a spotlight on HarperCollins India and their search for a realistic AI Indian voice to change the face of audio narration in India.

 

Bookriot reports on PEN America and Penguin Random House taking a school district to court over book banning. This is a warning shot in the battle for freedom to read. How many school districts can take on these giants and win?

 

If you live with anyone whose profession is the subject of TV dramas you will be used to the constant comments about unrealistic work portrayals. Melodie Campbell takes a look at unrealistic portrayals of crime scenes.

 

Katie Weiland has a great article on Why There Is No Such Thing As ‘Just A Story.’ 

Suzanne Bennett has a great article on what to do with abandoned manuscripts… you don’t have to junk them. 

 

In The Craft Section,

How to write organic themes- K M Weiland- Bookmark

Setting and sense of place- Joanna Penn

Does your story make sense-Susan DeFreitas

5 ways to avoid white room syndrome- Linnea Gradin- Bookmark

Ignite with the inciting incident- Lynette Burrows- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

Infographic 7 tips to grow your social media platform- Barb Drozowich

Get reader reviews- Sandra Beckwith

Data on author newsletters- Written Word Media- Bookmark

Booklinker article on Bookmarketing- Bookmark

Tips to improve newsletter design- Sue Coletta – Bookmark

The Rebel Author Podcast -advanced marketing strategies (great episode)

 

To Finish,

What are you doing to fill your creative well? This is a question I often asked my teaching colleagues. You can’t keep giving out creatively to others if you don’t fill your well. Kris Rusch has been musing on the nature of cross training for your brain. This is a good article to mull over at the change of seasons. Are you stretching your writing brain by doing something else?

 

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

 

Pic: Photo by Amritanshu Sikdar on Unsplash

 

Breaking The Rules

 

If you have been anywhere on Social Media today, you might have caught a trending topic called Bigolas Dickolas. The owner of the name decided to tweet their appreciation for a four year old book. The tweet went viral and all formats of the book rocketed up the charts. You never know when a book review will change an author’s life!

 

In the academic world, news that the entire editorial board of major academic publisher Elsevier resigned over the fees the journal was charging academics to publish, hit like a thunderclap. The eyewatering prices are detailed in the Guardian along with the complaints of greed from academic institutions. Everyone will be watching the boards of other academic journals – will they follow suit? Meanwhile, the editors are taking their reputations and starting an online journal which will be much cheaper.

 

Many writers are keeping one eye on the current strike happening with Film and TV writers. If you haven’t been seeing your favourite shows lately or found out their seasons have been cut short, the strike by the writers of these shows is the reason. Kris Rusch breaks down why it is so important that writers know the reasons for the strike and how it might affect you in the future.

 

The children’s writing community was shocked this week when a recent book on grief got unexpected publicity. The author wrote the book for her children dealing with the shock death of their father. Unfortunately, the author was arrested for the death of her husband.

 

Our household has an affection for Mo Willams and his Don’t let the Pigeon Drive The Bus and its various spinoffs. Mo has launched a production company to control his IP. If you have an iconic character this might be something to look into.

 

Scribd has altered its Terms of Service (contract) to take into account AI. Publishing Perspectives writes on how EU lawmakers are using these new terms to inform copyright law.

 

Anne R Allen has a good run down on scammers and the methods they are using at the moment. Please be aware of the pitfalls and tell others about them too. Book scammers prey on dreams and Newbies are their favourite targets. However, seasoned hands have been caught so keep your eyes open. 

 

Recently Publishers Weekly held a webinar on best practice for publishers in a changing marketplace. The main points have been summarised in an article on Publishers Weekly. The sky is not falling you will be pleased to know.

 

Recently Orna Ross and Joanna Penn from The Alliance of Independent Authors sat down for an in depth chat on crowdfunding books. If you have been thinking about this- drop in for the podcast or read the transcript. The Alliance (Alli) have a wealth of great resources, they recently did a deep dive on selling books from your own website.

 

Beta Readers are an important step in the publishing process. As first readers they can flag plot holes or scenes that just aren’t working. Check out this article on How Beta readers might save your book from disaster.

In The Craft Section,

How to edit your novel- Alli Blog- Bookmark

What is the big deal about ‘was’- Terry Odell

Top 5 mistakes with sex scenes- Bang2Write

How to build a flesh and blood character- Angela Ackerman- Bookmark

Human moments- Donald Mass- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

How writers can be successful in media interviews- Anne Alenskis

Tips for working with a cover designer- K M Weiland

5 book marketing tasks that can be done in 5 minutes- Sandra Beckwith- Bookmark

4 cornerstones to success for book marketing- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark

Branding tips for authors- Shayla Raquel- Bookmark

 

To Finish

Rules- you need to know the reason for the rules before you break them is a popular saying. In writing, there are many lists of rules floating around. Some are common-sense and some are more obscure but can be the difference between a readable sentence and not. (*wink*) 

Check out this article on writing rules to make you shine not whine.

Many writers want to finish the story before they tell anyone about it. Jane Friedman has a guest post from Catherine Baaab-Muguira  on why you should start promoting your writing before you are ready.

 

Breaking Rules can be empowering.

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

Pic: Photo by Alex Lvrs on Unsplash

Under The Skin

 

In Publishing News this week,

Many writers muttered Hallelujah when Ingram Spark announced they were making print file uploads of Print On Demand books free along with free revisions for the first 60 days. There was general joy all around the publishing socials. They wouldn’t have changed their policy because every other print POD service is free would it?

 

Business Insider reports that Tiktok has registered a publishing press trademark. I wonder how they are going to advertise their books to readers or reviewers or even how they will go about getting books to publish? Now all they need is a buy button…

 

The Writers Guild of America called their TV writer members out on strike. This last happened about 16 years ago… and suddenly there was lots of Reality TV popping up. The writers have been screwed by streaming. The New Yorker lays out the case.

 

The arrest of a Taiwan publisher visiting relatives in China is making the Asian book industry nervous. The disappearance of the writer and publisher is being highlighted by news agencies around the world, reports The Guardian.

 

The UK Publishing Association reports that they had a bumper year last year with physical book sales up. Mark Williams of The New Publishing Standard points out that their reported numbers have huge million dollar holes. What happened to their digital book industry?

Mark also points out the double standard over Storytel Norway being accused of favouring their own brand on their own platform. Who knew that was unethical? *coughAmazoncough*

 

Kris Rusch writes this week on the gradual breakdown of favourable terms for writers from Amazon. She has been an advocate of going wide for years. This is her last heads up blog post on the danger of putting all your sales eggs into one basket. All the signs are warning of an iceberg ahead.

 

Ruth Harris has an interesting post on Outlines, AI, and Stormy Daniels. Ruth tries her hand at using AI to write a blog post and concludes that the prose is very boring. Then she thought about a biography of Stormy Daniels….

 

Lit Reactor has a great article on books with a lack of character development and concludes it is not a problem. Do we really need to see the characters grow and change? Sometimes the fact that they don’t is comforting. 

 

In The Craft Section,

Assuaging the pain of punctuation- Tiffany Yates Martin - Bookmark

5 things to know about writing for teens- Jennifer De Leon

The difference between character archetypes and tropes- Becca Puglisi- Bookmark

What is a psycological thriller- Cailean Steed- Bookmark

What we can learn from reading bad fiction- Richard Thomas

 

In The Marketing Section,

7 tips for strategic pricing- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark

Critique sites- Kathy Steinemann

Should you pay an influencer- Sandra Beckwith

What goes on the copyright page- Darcy Pattison- Bookmark

Readerscout- new free tech from Kindlepreneur- Bookmark

 

To Finish,

The 122 page book, Death Of An Author has been making small waves after it was recently published by Seth Godin’s press Pushkin Industries. 95% of this murder mystery is written by AI. The New York Times reviews it fairly. Some will like it. Some will hate it. 

Creativity is not under threat- yet. 

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

 It’s time for my monthly newsletter? If you want the best of my bookmarked links and other extras why not subscribe and join our merry band.

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

Pic: Photo by Possessed Photography on Unsplash

https://claudeai.uk/ai-blog/

Longing For The Good Old Days

 

 

In Publishing News this week…

 

Publishers Weekly highlights a problem facing manga translation freelancers, poor pay. While Manga is surging in the sales lists the money isn’t trickling down to the people actually doing the work in translation ($1 a page isn’t fair) You may as well get an AI to do it… and really scramble the translation.

 

The New Publishing Standard sounds a warning to publishers who are relying on Booktok to boost their sales. Tiktok is facing bans in some states… Don’t put all your publicity eggs in one basket.

 

There was lots of chat this week as the first ads inside audiobooks started rolling out on the Audible platform. Audible promises there will be only 8 ads every 24 hours.

It’s another marketing platform which is probably here to stay. 

 

Recently a writer alerted me to this very damning report from The Bookseller on publisher and agent support to authors in the last few years. I have heard of instances of all these issues highlighted. Publishing is not like it used to be with editors nurturing writers and guiding careers last century (or even 30 years ago)

 

Kris Rusch writes this week on the way the past can highjack a writers expectations and stop them from trying new things. She compares two different writers she knows who are struggling with new ways of doing things- spoiler alert it’s not the 80 year old writer who has publishing blinkers.

 

Google has quietly launched some new tools for writers and publishers. If you have been wondering about patreons or substack or some sort of mailing list or paywall, Google has got a new subscription tool for you.

 

Joanna Penn has an excellent interview with Halima Khatun on how to get  free publicity from newspapers etc. It’s all in the way you pitch a press release.

 

Congratulations to the Dynamic Duo of Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi – They have reached 1million copies sold of their Emotion Thesaurus Book series. If you haven’t checked these books out yet you are in for a treat. They are often cited as essential textbooks in writing courses. Being the Dynamic Duo – they are celebrating by having a huge giveaway of cool prizes.

 

Anne R Allen has a great blog post on that old chestnut- everybody has a book inside them (and there it should stay.) She has the 10 do’s and don’ts for people thinking that they might want to write a book someday.

Of course many people procrastinate and never write that book – if you want some tips on productivity check out these gems from BangtoWrite.

 

In The Craft Section,

Backstory Techniques- Part2- K M Weiland- Bookmark

Choosing scenes to cover the right information- Mythcreants- Bookmark

Heinlein’s rules for writing – Becca Puglisi

How to decide what story to write- Scott Myers

Tell Don’t show- Terry Odell- Bookmark

Using Sensory Perception – DiAnn Mills

 

In The Marketing Section,

How to pitch a book to readers- Penny Sansevieri

Silly fun June dates for promotion- Sandra Beckwith- Bookmark

Book Marketing Plan guide-Adacted

Free resources - Shayla Raquel- Bookmark

5 pieces of blurb advice to avoid- Written Word Media – Bookmark

 

To Finish

If you are constantly scribbling plot points on bits of paper you might like this planning tool. 

It is like mind mapping plot points but on a screen.

If you are thinking about audiobook production – check out whether there are audiobook narrators in your area. One of our local audiobook narrators is keen to rent out her studio and coach and edit if you want to narrate your book yourself. (If you are in NZ email me for her details.)

It could be the start of a whole new career.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

If you want to get the best of my bookmarked links and other extras you can subscribe to my monthly newsletter. 

If you like the blog and want to shout me a coffee, hit the coffee button up top or here. 

I appreciate virtual coffee love. 

Thanks.

 

PicPhoto by Hannes Wolf on Unsplash

 

Who would have thought...

 It’s my Blog Birthday.

Fifteen years ago the word on the publishing street was ‘life is good in the trade.’ People in publishing were excited by the new 13 digit ISBN number. Publishing companies were looking sideways at the new Hachette conglomerate, made up of several big publishing houses and a host of smaller ones. Mergers were still scary stories told over drinks at publishing conferences. Amazon was a small outfit selling second hand books, odd digital stories and a new device called the Kindle. 

Into this gentle pool I waded… not able to see the drop off or the funny fish with the lights.

The Global Financial Crisis happened. Publishers began merging or disappearing and the Kindle blew open the publishing world. 

Fifteen years later, publishing conferences are just coming back again after the Covid years. 

In Publishing News this week...

London Book Fair launched this week with all kinds of fanfare and a shocking arrest as Publishers Weekly details.

Meanwhile, publishing pundit Brian O’Leary thinks it’s time to shake up the publishing supply chain (there must be a better way after 15 years of the same old thing.) 

 

Fifteen years ago Publisher’s Weekly would have never published an article on how a traditionally published children’s writer dumped by his publisher went Independent and made money.

And they wouldn’t have given the time of day to Manga and how the format has gone global changing the way graphic novels are being read everywhere.

 

The Alliance of Independent Authors crunched the numbers on their writers income survey which makes interesting reading. I guessed that the Romance Authors were printing money but it surprised me how high the children’s writers were on the survey.

 

While every writer wonders if anyone is reading, Nielsen took a look at who was buying translated fiction- it turns out everyone is. Men making up nearly half of the readers…along with women under the age of 24. 

 

Joanna Penn has an interview with a small press publisher about the challenges of niche publishing. It’s full of advice and best practice.

 

Have you challenged yourself to write a multi point of view story? Barbara Linn Probst on Writer Unboxed has an article of how writers have tackled telling a story with many different voices.

 

In The Craft Section,

9 hidden problems in your Scene writing- Tim Grahl

Finding the beginning – John Gilstrap- Bookmark

Prologues vs Flasbacks- K M Weiland- Bookmark

Before beginning the first novel-Luke Lovelady

Short stories can have character arcs- Jami Gold-Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

Trade Book Reviews- Behind The Scenes- Sandra Beckwith

Updated how to publish a book on Amazon- Dave Chesson- 

Bookmark

8 book marketing strategies to master- Penny Sansevieri

How to get the best cover design- Vasalysa Zaturets- Bookmark 

Tiktok for Authors video workshop- Shayla Raquel- Bookmark

 

App Sumo have a fantastic deal for the Depositphotos website. 100 photos for $39. Every time this deal comes along designers, publishers, marketers jump on it. Everything is royalty free and you have unlimited time to use the pics/videos/animations/ vectors/ illustrations.

 

To Finish,

I have been in and out of a now spare room trying to figure out how I would organise my writing office. After 15 years I might finally get one that is not the kitchen table or the armchair or a friends spare room. It’s a big step. First, I have to get rid of all the accumulated stuff in there. Then, I might have to get rid of some books. When I ventured this thought, my family thought I had a fever. Articles like sprucing up your writing nook offer lots of incentive…. 

 

If you have been reading from the beginning THANK YOU  for sharing the journey with me. It has been a rollercoaster ride. Every now and then someone shouts me a coffee and makes me feel particularly special. This week I’ll be eating cake with the coffee. 

 

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

If you want to get the best of my bookmarked links and other extras you can subscribe to my monthly newsletter. 

If you like the blog and want to shout me a coffee, hit the coffee button up top or here. 

I appreciate virtual coffee love. 

Thanks.

 

Pic:

Photo by Ilya Chunin on Unsplash

In The Trenches

 

In Publishing News this week…

In the continuing war against books… a Texas county has lost their court case to ban books from their library, in consequence they are considering closing the library. (Fill in appropriate words here $#@#$@&*)

The value of books and open access to knowledge is under threat. Don’t be complacent because it is happening over there… It might happen on your doorstep next week. 

 

Mark Williams has two related stories in The New Publishing Standard  on subscription models for readers this week. Kobo plus is expanding into more countries including the UK and the US and Bookbeat had a bumper quarter after getting rid of the all you can eat subscription model, which other digital reading services use. There will a lot of eyes on this result. Is this the new model for the future of digital subscription?

 

This week an article on Medium by Ash Roberts caught my eye. Why web3should be part of the publishing strategy for authors. It is a meaty article on the evolution of technological advances. When these advances impact on publishing, authors should be embracing them rather than running the other way. What do you think?

 

Around the publishing water cooler Children’s Authors are commenting on this story of a double standard. Maggie Tokuda Hall has a lovely picture book about her grandparents who met in an internment camp published by Candlewick – Scholastic wanted it for its educational division which would apply rocket fuel to sales- however they wanted the author to make changes that in all conscience she couldn’t make. Maggie explains the Faustian bargain on offer.

 

Publishers Weekly spoke to a panel of children’s book editors about the longevity of the Rick Riorden effect on mid-grade books.

 

Kris Rusch has a post on how writers fail… they get too successful. This is an interesting look at the way success can screw up your writing goals. Are you prepared?

 

Kathleen McCleary posting on Writer Unboxed asks how long does it really take to write a novel? Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in six weeks… why can’t the rest of us do that?

 

Anne R Allen has a great guest post from Becca Puglisi on Theme and Symbolism and

Kay Di Bianca explains how to plot with post it notes. Find a handy wall…

 

In The Craft Section,

Understanding 3^rd person point of view- Tim Grahl- Bookmark

How do you move beyond the 3 act structure- Tiffany Yates Martin- Bookmark

Have you chosen the right POV for your story- K M Weiland- Bookmark

Does your story need conflict- Angela Ackerman- Bookmark

The benefits of writing longhand- Elizabeth Craig

 

In The Marketing Section,

BookDesign Templates are having a sale until 17th April (midnight) Use coupon code summer23 for 30% off – (I use these interior design templates and they are great.)

Booklinker have a comprehensive post on marketing- Bookmark

Mastering amazon ads one tweak at a time- Sandra Beckwith- Bookmark

2 interesting posts for Di Ann Mills -What is a one sheet and why do you need it? and

Enlisting your readers for blog ideas.

 

To Finish,

Sometimes writing and publishing can feel like a slog uphill while dodging falling boulders. Writing should be fun or at least energy giving. Heather Wood has five writing habits that you should incorporate into your writing routine to shake yourself up and Colleen Story has a fun alphabet of helpful tips for writers. 

Go forth and conquer that story.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

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 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 or here. 

I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

Pic:

Photo by British Library on Unsplash