Indie Cool

I am sitting outside listening to the cicadas and thinking hopeful thoughts that the two weeks of summer we have just had isn’t all we are going to get. The weather suddenly turned cool and now the north of the country is getting record rainfall and floods. It’s a worry.

In the publishing world Hachette just bought a boutique ebook publisher. Why? Is it because they were niche and top of their game in the Indie publishing world? Is it because now it is cool to be seen as Indie... (In last weeks roundup Waterstones disguises their chain bookstores as Indies in the high street.)

What is in the future for the publishing industry now that colouring books are no longer the break out hit?

This week Joanna Penn interviewed a music industry veteran Dave Kusek about the changes that happened in the music business and what might be around the corner for publishers. This is an interesting article. (Merch anyone?) Along with that great article she also has a standout post on Using Amazon Ads.

And where is eCommerce going in the future? Writers need to keep an eye on the real paying world here too. After all a sale could be only as far as your smart phone.

Do you have an Epic Author One Sheet? It can make a sales difference- Judith Briles. And a Stand Out Author Bio- Epic post from Anne R Allen.

Make the reader care! Mary Kole said in her excellent article on writing feelings, so the fact that Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi are about to celebrate their 200,000th book in the Emotion Thesaurus series is a big tick from writers. I was first linking to their Emotion Thesaurus for Writers (Bookshelf Muse) site about six years ago. I have the first book in the series and it’s a nifty resource. I’m waiting for the next one on Emotional Wounds.

Productivity is the name and writers are always looking for ways to amp it up... so treadmills... yes? Abbi Perets says Walking and Writing= productivity.

The London Book Fair is coming up... and Alli are running their awesome Indie fringe online event around it. Check out the speakers they’ve got lined up... and it’s free.

In The Craft Section,

5 new ideas for outlining stories

Story structure and Hollywood- Karen Woodward

Story setting- Real vs Fiction-Zoe McCarthy

Co Authoring a book

Making a scene

Conflict and suspense in every novel- James Scott Bell- Bookmark

Cultivate reader interest- Donald Maass

What counts as a substantial revision- Janet Reid- Bookmark

In The Marketing Section,

The epic guide to book launch teams- Bookthority- Bookmark!

How to print dyslexia friendly books

Why your about page matters?- Joel Friedlander- Bookmark

3 free book marketing tools- Writelife

How to sell 100x more books – Bookbub Insight

10 ways to get noticed on Social Media

10 step book launch plan- Derek Murphy- Bookmark!!

 Publishing your first book- Frances Caballo

What writers should do right after publication- Writers Digest

To Finish,

Among the more interesting bookshops I have wandered into is The Comic Bookshop. It is a haven for the geek and nerd with collectable merch but also amazing comic books.

They are Indie in every way. Litreactor has an interesting article about 8 things a Comic book store can teach booksellers. As I was reading this I was thinking of all the bookstores I know that fit the bill. They are all Indie... funny that. Indie must be where the cool kids hang out.

Maureen

@craicer

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Pic: Flickr Creative Commons/ Pat  Ashley- Ice sculpture

The Act Of Writing

I was reflecting this week on the dark night of the soul. That’s the part of the book at the end of act 2 when the protagonist has to make a choice and carry on....

This week I was coming across articles that could have come from the dark night of the writers soul.

The Book Designer had an article about another publisher who went belly up owing millions in law suits. He did some quick author life saving. Recognise the signs and Beware Sharks!

Ruth Harris had an article on how to recognise overload in writers. Is it stress or burnout?

March McCarron had one on data loss and what to do when it strikes you.

Book works has a comprehensive article on estate planning for authors.

Tara Sparling asks if there is a slush pile on our Kindles?

And then there were the glimmers of dawn...

Heather Webb kicked off a great discussion on Writer Unboxed on what fiction trends say about us.

Joanna Penn added a list of great writing books everyone should read.

Elizabeth Craig had a great article on organisation. How do you organise your life around your writing...

The moments when the dawn shadows revealed rocks that looked like dragons...

Roz Morris on whether you are showing off or sharing your writing. Should you be killing your darlings? A great read. What is your motivation...

Fine Art Views on the depth of your fan growth. Is it quantity over quality? How can you engage them better in what you produce?

Kris Rusch on Writer finances in a paycheck world. What you should be doing with that unexpected windfall of cash.

Now the sun is up and you can see what lies in the shadows... and just when you think the way seems clear news comes out that a large bookstore chain is secretly opening up independent shops in a trojan horse play....

You need to arm yourself with the best apps for writers going into the third act.

In The Craft Section,

Zero Draft 30- An interesting writing challenge.

7 things that will doom your novel- Writers Digest

How to write a book in excel- Author Tech

A quick tip for getting to know your characters- Janice Hardy

The dark night of the soul- Sara Letourneau – Bookmark

Improving your writing style- Pamela Hodges

Creating conflict with multiple antagonists- Hannah Collins

In The Marketing Section,

The perfect back cover blurb- Writer Unboxed

Optimising the back cover-Bookworks- Bookmark

Social Media Checklist- Caitlin Burgess

9 things authors need on their landing pages- Karen Dimmick-Bookmark

Is expecting help to market your books lazy?- Excellent discussion from Rachel Thompson

Newsletter surveys- Kate Tilton – Bookmark

To Finish,

Chuck Wendig has put together his vital list of writing advice that you cannot ignore as you head out into the third act salt mines and to the eventual glory of writing the words... The End.

Maureen

@craicer

The latest Writers Island podcast is up. Just click the link in the sidebar. Thank you to the wonderful people who have bought me a coffee using the Kofi button.

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Pic: Flickr/ Creative Commons/ A Birken Caghan

Collaboration and Innovation

This week I was preparing for my first podcast of the year and thinking about the general themes of 2017, Collaboration and Innovation.

This week Amazon announced a new imprint. Yes another one.  But this one is their second in the German language. Translations are becoming a hot property. Amazon is also trying to figure out India with a proposed launch of Audible- the audio publishing arm of Amazon into  India. Nate Hoffelder warns that price is going to be the biggest driver of whether this will work.

John Biggs from TechCrunch asks What’s Next for Books? We all would like to know... Is it mobile reading or mini bookstores?

If it is mobile reading, Wattpad has introduced a new app that delivers stories as a conversation... A very interesting idea and built for your mobile phone. Writers could have some fun with it and grab the teen market on the way.

Elizabeth Craig has been guest posting over at Anne Allen’s blog. Her article -Yes you can make a living from writing fiction, has been shared all over the place. Elizabeth shares ten tips on how to make a living from your fiction. While you are digesting that read Rachel Thompson’s great post on why you might not be achieving your goals... and take note!

Jane Cable talks about how a group of authors can collaborate effectively in a promotional setting. Over the last few weeks I have seen a few articles and blog posts about the power of collaboration. Creatively it can be a lot of fun. The FABO team of children’s writers are starting to think about what we will do this year... only because people keep asking us to start soon.  

Jami Gold has a great post on story arcs over trilogies. If you thought plotting an arc over one book was hard try keeping the details of a trilogy together. She has a stack of useful tips for trilogy story structure.

I’m in edit mode for my ten book junior fiction series... That’s why I can’t quite bring myself to hit 100% on my target widget. I absolutely wouldn’t be without my A3 Visual diary to keep track of story arcs.

In The Craft Section,

What to do with a stalled novel- WriteToDone

8 mistakes beginner writers make- Elizabeth Andre

How to make your settings come alive- GoTeenWriter

Manuscript rejection feedback – What to heed what to ignore-WritersDigest- Bookmark

Using Text to Speech software- WritersHelpingWriters- Bookmark

2 questions to ask for stronger characters- Janice Hardy

Ultimate guide to a structural edit- WritersEdit- Bookmark

In The Marketing Section,

7 book marketing trends author should expect in 2017- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark

How to make blog images tell a story- Jami Gold- bookmark

Social Sharing Tricks – The Writelife

2 great posts From Joanna Penn Using Pinterest and Help my book isn’t selling

What you should spend your marketing budget on- AllIndieWriters

To Finish,

How to work magic with your writing? Everybody wants to do it and what better inspiration than the Queen of Magic herself, J K Rowling, to show the tips to keep motivated.

Maureen

@craicer

Pic From Flickr/ Creative Commons/ Chris Lott

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Great Expectations

This week I have been thinking about expectations. This was sparked by Kris Rusch’s excellent blog post on the Indie and the Bestseller. Do you even know what questions to ask for your writing career or are you asking the wrong people? This applies to both Indies and Traditional published people.

Meanwhile Bob Mayer was also thinking along the same lines but looking at being an Introvert writer in an Extrovert world. How do we even cope?

John Scalzi takes a look at what life is like for the writer at the top of the heap. It is not all Champaign and roses.

Kelly Van Sant has an interesting blog post on Pub Crawl about what previously published means to an agent. She explains her reasons on why she doesn’t take on manuscripts from Wattpad. Read the comments for other schools of thought on this.

Do you have a media kit? What is in it? Joel Friedlander has an excellent article from Joan Stewart on what things make your media kit stand out. Dressing up your Media Kit.

Laurence O’Bryan has put together an interesting project called Author Teams. Check out what he thinks authors can do in collaboration with others.

Joanna Penn has been down under recently. While here in NZ she conducted workshops and found time to announce her new press imprint. She writes here about why she decided to go into what looks like being a Traditional publisher. Fascinating Joanna!

The Winter SCBWI conference has just wrapped up in New York and if you are interested in children’s books you need to check out the conference blog. They have a team of writers live blogging the whole event so it is chock full of interesting bits and pieces.

Tahlia Newland has been looking at audio companies. She has a comparison about who is best and why you should choose them for your audio book production.

In The Craft Section,

5 things to think about when hiring an editor

Ten Writing tools

5 things I learned when switching genres- Stephanie Morell

10 tips for choosing the right book title- Anne R Allen- Bookmark

Writing Cues- Prolifiko

Joanna Penn interviewed on her writing and research

Top Time Savers for Writing- Elisabeth S Craig-Bookmark

Three types of character arcs- Sarah Letourneau- Bookmark

  

In The Marketing Section,

The top emerging Social Platforms

Book Cover Font Guide- Bookmark

Why email marketing rocks- Frances Caballo - Bookmark

6 Essential Book descriptions

5 reasons authors should blog- Anne R Allen-Bookmark

Book Cover Design- Reedsy-Bookmark!!!! (with amazing infographic)

10 content marketing mistakes- Jeff Bullas

To Finish,

Suzanne Lakin is always a great Go To when looking for inspiration for your writing. In this great post she looks at that old standby of authors... Procrastination. What might be behind it?

If you have always been a careful writer, and therefore are slow to finish writing then this article by Pamela Hodges on vomiting out the first draft and why you should could be a writing life changer.

Vigilant readers will see a new icon on the right hand side... It’s nearly ten years of weekly blogging. It would be nice if the blog bought me a cup of coffee.

Maureen

@craicer

My first newsletter of the year is out. If you want to get a monthly roundup of my best bookmarked links and other goodies... Subscribe here.

Gazing Into The Crystal Ball

Over the last week I have been watching agents trying to figure out on Twitter what kinds of books might be popular in the upcoming few years based on the political upheavals in the U.S.

If you type in #MSWL in the Twitter search bar you can get a snapshot of what they are looking for. It got me thinking about what people read in times of political upheaval. Do they read safe stories or stories about how to cope when a society is disintegrating?

Kris Rusch has a great blog post on writing in difficult times. I think it’s a must read for every author.

Tara Sparling takes a different tack and screams for Book Heroin from Publishers who are playing it safe.

Slate has an interesting post on using sensitivity readers. These are readers representing the various communities you may be writing about to give your MS a beta read. But can their wishes change the story too much.

Litreactor has decided that we all need to take a deep breath and not post on Social Media about certain things. The list is not long but it is very pointed.

Getting a book distributed is a tricky thing if you are a self publisher. Jane Friedman has written a quick guide to get you started. New distributor on the block, Pronoun, has one upped Createspace. Looks like interesting times ahead.

Jeff Goins has a few words to say about book launches and he should know... He is one of the fastest selling non fiction authors around.

Simon Owens talks about using Patreon to support various writing projects. This is an interesting alternative to crowdfunding. Build your own paying tribe... which may be what's needed as The Guardian reports that Award winning writers are forced out of full time writing.

In The Craft Section,

Effective ways to make memorable characters- Dean Elphick

How to use schedules to write- Scott Myers- Bookmark

Formatting interiority- Mary Kole

What does an agent look for- Chip McGregor

Does your character description work?- Michael Hauge- Bookmark

Conflict between protagonists- Chris Winkle - Bookmark

Story hooks- K M Weiland- Bookmark

How long should your series be- Rachel Aaron- Bookmark

In The Marketing Section,

7 essentials for your book launch-Keely Keith- Bookmark

Content marketing and Selling Non Fiction Books Two great posts from Joanna Penn Bookmark

DIY Marketing tools – IngramSpark

But I don’t want to blog- Indies Unlimited

Online education as book marketing- Publishers Weekly

What’s new on your marketing list – Molly Greene

Are indie authors following the music script- Interesting article from Bookbaby

Going from launch to 1000 sales in 3 weeks- Kboards- Bookmark

Social Media Marketing myths- Bookmark

To Finish

A few years ago Anne R Allen published this great blog post which is still relevant. 12 signs your novel isn’t ready to publish. This checklist is always a good wakeup call. If you can tick all the boxes you might have the next book answer to that difficult question, what to read to escape from real life.

Maureen

@craicer

I’m nearly ready to send out my first newsletter of the year. If you want to get a monthly roundup of my best bookmarked links and other goodies... Subscribe.

Pic: Flickr Creative Commons Mr Muggles 

Everything You Thought You Knew....

The Digital Book World conference is still being talked about. Ron Vitale has a great round up of important points to think about going into 2017 and DBW has a great article on the changing role of agents in 2017.

Kris Rusch has a Must Read post on the breakdowns of the Author Earnings presentation at DBW. Click through to the slide show presentation that Data Guy from Author Earnings shared at the conference- Mind Blowing.

Mike Shatzkin takes a look at Amazon’s dominance in the bookmarket and concludes that Traditional Publishers should be working with, not against, the Zon. But how should they...

(see Data Guy’s slideshow for the facts!)

Waterstones are in the black. (Booksellers cry hurrah!) Is this the beginning of Good Times Ahead for bookshops? Waterstones put in cafes but really it was children’s books that saved them...

Book Promotion- Do This Not That- This is a standout post on The Book Designer by Amy Collins. And while we’re on Book Promotion ideas check out Jane Friedman’s best of 2016 articles. WOW!

Joanna Penn interviewed John Lee Dumas and it was a jawdropper. Have you ever looked at those premium journals and thought ‘I wonder who thinks these up?’ Wonder no more! And if you ever had a hankering to make one... It’s a must watch!

Bookworks take a look at academic publishing and wonders if 2017 will be the year academics go Indie. There are some really interesting new players in this field.

In The Craft Section,

The most important question in storytelling- Jami Gold-Bookmark

What I learned from James Patterson

Whose head is it anyway – Omniscient P.O.V.- Janice Hardy

How do you write a book- Catherine Ryan Howard (on trying to write Bk2)

British American Speak-Joanna Penn- Bookmark

What might be behind your procrastination- C S Lakin- Bookmark

Powerful scenes- setting counts- Angela Ackerman- Bookmark

In The Marketing Section,

How to do Goodreads giveaways and why you should- Catherine Ryan Howard- Bookmark

How to publish hardbacks cost effectively-

5 author networking tips- Molly Greene

4 effective book marketing strategies- Rachel Thompson

Worldwide book sales- Bookbaby

How to use a Facebook ad- Mark Dawson - Bookmark

To Finish,

Jane Friedman posted a link to a Book Marketing case study using Goodreads and Netgalley. This is an interesting and informative case study done last month.

Ruth Harris has a great post on Author Resilience- The key to reaching your writing goals. This is a thought provoking read... especially if procrastination has been your friend lately!

Maureen

@craicer

 Catch up on the best of my bookmarked links every month. Subscribe to my newsletter.

  

Pic : Flickr Creative Commons/ Les Sachs

The Merry Go Round

As I write this, news is filtering out from agents and publishers on Twitter about changes to the New York Times Bestsellers List. In 2015 The NY Times added a lot of categories that were seen as good news for publishers and authors in the diverse and children’s markets. Not any more. It seems that most of the children’s books categories have been pulled leaving only MG and YA Hardcover and Picture Books and Series. Mass Market Paperback and Graphic Novel bestseller lists have been pulled. Print and Ebooks have been combined.

I haven’t been able to find an official report on this but I expect it will come soon. (Edit Update, Now out from Publishers Weekly) 
Publishers and Agents are already flagging that unless you have a lot of marketing dollars to go hardcover, chances will be slim to get on the list in future.

In other news George Orwell’s 1984 is topping the Bestseller lists... I wonder why?

In the decline and fall category, but in a good way... Writer Beware points to the latest Bowker statistics. The drop in ISBNS issued to Author Solutions companies...

Now that the Digital Book World Conference is finished, people are reporting on all the great ideas to take forward into 2017. Jane Friedman and Porter Anderson have a comprehensive roundup of ideas, themes and tips discussed. And Goodreads gets specific with their 7 Savvy Insights for Book Marketing from DBW17.

Take some time to look at what everyone was talking about.

Publishing Perspectives took a look at New Zealand’s Storylines Festival changes. If you haven’t caught up with the news... coming to a small town somewhere in the provinces this year...

Joanna Penn has a guest post from Rachel Amphlett on her popular site about getting into libraries. However if you are in Auckland on February 11^th you can see Joanna Penn in person and learn lots of tips about Self Publishing and Marketing books in person. Joanna also talks about 5 ways to make money from your books in 2017.

Elizabeth Craig has a great post on preorders. She has been trialing them and she writes about what impacts they have on her writing and sales.

Larry Brooks has an interesting post on the bottom line explanation of why authors fail. This is a must read and a soul search.

Roni Loren has an inspirational post on choosing a word that will encapsulate your writing year.

The 12 by 12 Picturebook challenge is on. Every year I say this year will be the year to do it... and then I get sidetracked. Go and have a look. It is awesome!

Reminder also Write On Con is coming soon...

In The Craft Section,

Reverse Outlining- Purdue University

Storyboarding your plot arcs- Bookmark

6 vocal tips to cultivate voice

How to make your home office work for you

An authors guide to Book Subtitles-Ingram Spark  Bookmark

Writing Memoir- Think outside the book- Anne R Allen- Bookmark

How to make a good story in 9 steps – Now Novel- Bookmark

In The Marketing Section,

5 tips to create a cover that sells

Tech tools to produce and sell children’s books

7 things authors must do differently in 2017- Penny Sansevieri- 

Bookmark

Sell sheets – Judith Briales- on The Book Designer- Bookmark

Essential tips to promoting Non Fiction on Goodreads

Podcasting for authors -Sean Platt-Bookmark

The Bookblogger list- Bookmark

To Finish,

The SFF Marketing podcast is well worth your time. The team of Lindsay Buroker, Joe Lallo and Jeff Poole have great guests and the marketing discussions are universal. Their latest podcast is on the 80/20 marketing ruleand tips learned in 2016. 

And if you are looking for more resources check out this list of Apps for the Serious Writer.

Everyone is heading back to school and work this week. Get your writing plans locked in and jump on the Merry Go Round again.

Maureen

@craicer

Pic from Flicker Creative Commons- Forsaken Fotos

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Steaming Into 2017

Hello 2017.

I was surfing the internet today looking for inspiring blog posts for the first roundup of the year and an avalanche of great thoughts from the publishing blogosphere came thick and fast.

While the Southern Hemisphere is taking off to the beach and shutting down for Summer, the Northern Hemisphere, where the bulk of the Traditional Publishers have their head offices, are planning and implementing changes.

The demise of publisher All Romance Ebooks hit romance writers hard. A going out of business email on the 28^th of December giving everybody 4 days notice is particularly nasty. Kristine Rusch writes about this and how it might have come about. 

If you are involved in publishing with a small press PLEASE READ IT! Even if you are not, you should read it because this scenario will be played out again and again with publishers big and small. This is a publishing economics lesson!

(And then read part two!)

If you are writing in the educational market then news that PRH is selling Pearson may be a small shock. Is 2017 going to be the year of big change in the textbook market?

Jane Friedman had a great roundup post of the important changes in publishing in 2016.

Jane references the Digital Book World conference, which is on at the moment and there is some great stuff coming out from that. (#DBW17) Porter Anderson talks about the opening day themes and where publishing might be heading in 2017.

Susan Spann is also looking at things writers might need to do differently in 2017. As a writer and a practising lawyer Susan is a fund of great information.

WriteOnCon, the online writing conference, is happening in February. For the first time there will be a charge but it is only $5. Take a look at the Schedule and drool.

Jane Friedman has two great posts on distribution. The new kid on the block, Pronoun, is offering great deals for authors who sign up with them and Should you be in an exclusive relationship with Amazon? (With 50% of print and digital sales, can you afford to turn your back on them?)

Ricardo Fayet of Reedsy has some great observations about author collaboration and how important he thinks it will be in 2017.

In The Craft Section,

How to start a story- Reedsy- Bookmark

Pacing and momentum in revision- April Bradley- Bookmark

Two interesting posts from Sara Letourneau. Writing Blurbs and Plot Arcs, pt 1. Bookmark both.

5 ways writers can screw up their characters

How to maximise your time for writing

Writing your next book.

In The Marketing Section,

7 Bookmarketing services to question- Jane Friedman- Bookmark

Book Cover credits- Mallory Rock

Setting Self Publishing goals, - Bibliocrunch

How to choose the best software for Print Design- Sarah Juckes for Alli - Bookmark

Negotiating Contract Options- Susan Spann

Tutorial on Using Canva for Social Media- Barb Drozdowich- Bookmark

How to market children’s books- Karen Inglis- Bookmark

To Finish,

Joanna Penn interviewed Kris Rusch recently and a fantastic interview it was too. Over the years I have learned a lot about how the business of writing works from Kris and Dean, her husband. Kris is free with her advice and time on her blog and there really is no one better to provide you with the long view in publishing and writing. 2017 is a new year. Kris talks about empowering authors to go out there and kick butt.

Maureen

@craicer

Pic: Flickr Creative Commons – Milo Bostock

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