Card Decks Are Having a Moment in Publishing—and It’s Not Just Tarot
This new crop of paper products is geared toward activities, conversation starters, or introspection.
Manage Your To-Do List with Todoist
An enthusiastic user explains the life-changing power of finding the right to-do app, making professional and personal task management a breeze.
More Than Setting: Centering Nature in Your Fiction
If the natural world is important to your story, be sure to engage it on a deeper level than descriptions of pretty scenery.
The Second Edition of The Business of Being a Writer Officially Releases Today
This new edition dramatically revises and re-envisions how to best help writers understand the business they’re entering.
Links of Interest: April 16, 2025
The latest in trends, traditional publishing, culture & politics, AI, and libraries.
New Christian imprint at Andrews McMeel
Amen Editions will release eight to 10 nonfiction titles per year, including inspirational, self-care, gift, and activity books.
New agent at Azantian
Selected as a 2020 Publishers Weekly Star Watch honoree, Shelly Romero has joined as an associate agent at Azantian Literary Agency.
Update on tariffs for publishing
US publishing has escaped the worst of the tariffs, but that doesn’t mean publishing is unaffected by the tariffs that remain.
Subscription box service OwlCrate launches publishing arm: is this a glimpse of the future of publishing?
These subscription services have built a meaningful fanbase and may understand and serve specific readerships better than some publishers.
Respected independent publisher Two Dollar Radio acquired by Seven Stories Press
Two Dollar Radio will keep ownership of its headquarters and bookstore it opened in Columbus in 2017.
The Women’s Fiction Dilemma: A Contested Label Continues to Sell Books
Publishing industry professionals disagree on the definition of "women's fiction" but acknowledge its marketing value for readers.
Lay the Professional Groundwork for a Successful Nonfiction Book
If a nonfiction book is an immediate or distant goal, start thinking now about how to visibly position yourself as an expert in your topic.
Self-Publishing Assistance Is Becoming Threatened
In an attempt to crack down on bad actors, KDP and IngramSpark have made it very difficult for anyone but the author to publish a book there.
The Secret to Avoiding a Sagging Memoir Middle
The finest memoirs are distilled experiences: the more you compress, the more potent your story becomes.
Links of Interest: April 9, 2025
The latest in AI, legal issues, Amazon, trends, and culture & politics.
The Romance Rate Database
Kaitlyn Arford has launched a tool to gather info on what freelancers working in the romance space are paid for their work.
On the List: Here Be Dragons by Melanie Shankle
Shankle incentivized pre-orders by offering the first three chapters for early reading, a digital discussion guide, and more.
Book Sales Update: First Quarter of 2025
According to BookScan, print unit sales fell about 1 percent for the first quarter versus last year.
Amazon to display reading sample for ebooks on pre-order
This feature will work exactly like the “Read Sample” feature that already exists on Amazon today.
Publishers ask Congress to support libraries and fund IMLS; states and ALA file lawsuit over IMLS closure
Meanwhile, 21 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to stop the elimination of IMLS, among other agencies.
NEH grants canceled, even those made under the Biden administration
The Department of Government Efficiency has terminated funding for state humanities councils in all 50 states.
Publishers Weekly starts charging for book review consideration (with some exceptions)
The fee does not have to be paid by publishers who are Publishers Weekly site license subscribers, which carries a minimum cost of $950.
Book publishing may escape the worst of the tariffs—for now
All the tariffs just announced last week or this week largely don’t apply to books, but that doesn’t mean prices won’t go up.
Copyright cases against OpenAI and Microsoft consolidated in New York court
Some of these cases are class-action and include any writers whose work was used for AI training without permission or licensing.
Bottom Line March 2025 Bestseller Lists
Three distinctive monthly bestseller lists: top 50 hidden gems, top 50 self-published ebooks, and top 50 self-published print books.