US book sales update
For now, 2023 is performing comparable to 2022 (roughly 1 percent down), according to NPD BookScan, which tracks print book sales.
Simon & Schuster is officially up for sale again, as expected
Simon & Schuster’s parent company, Paramount, is said to be shopping for a private equity buyer to avoid further antitrust scrutiny.
Association of American Publishers reports 2022 results
According to the AAP, which consists of traditional publishers in various sectors, consumer sales dropped 6.2 percent in 2022 against 2021.
Findaway Voices authors worry about machine learning at Apple
A machine learning clause in the Apple terms of service with Findaway Voices has been giving authors and narrators cause for concern.
Draft2Digital strikes deal with Digital Public Library of America
Draft2Digital, the popular ebook distributor in the US for independent authors, just announced a distribution deal with DPLA.
Catapult closes non-book businesses
Literary publisher Catapult, which includes Soft Skull Press and Counterpoint Press, will suspend its online magazine and writing classes
Deal reached in HarperCollins strike
After being on strike for three months, the HarperCollins union has reached a tentative agreement with HarperCollins.
The Business Skill I Wish I Could Grant to All Writers
Writers often view themselves as without power, but you can’t wait for permission or the “right time” to negotiate a better deal for yourself.
Querying & Submitting in 2023: Q&A with Jeff Herman
Jeff Herman is the author of Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents, 29th Edition.
Links of Interest: February 1, 2023
The latest in traditional publishing, Barnes & Noble, bookselling, trends, Amazon, AI, and politics & culture.
New imprint at Big Five publisher Hachette
The imprint will “develop and acquire works from underrepresented voices across multiple genres, fiction and nonfiction,” and for all ages.
New publisher to focus on Asian American and Pacific Islander voices
Third State Books, based in San Francisco, will release its first titles in 2024.
A new independent publisher, Great Place Books
The press will start with three titles plus creative writing classes (perhaps to help pay the bills).
New YA imprint at Page Street
Independent publisher Page Street plans to double its number of YA titles to 24 new titles per year and house them under a dedicated imprint.
Notes on 2023 Digital Book World, Part Two
BookBub, Open Road Media, and Ingram all offered presentations on selling books via email advertising.
How Authors Can Sell Books Direct to Reader
One author builds profitable direct sales using Shopify, ThriveCart, and BookFunnel.
Spare continues to break sales records
It’s official: Spare by Prince Harry is the fastest-selling nonfiction book of all time in the UK.
Romance was the bestselling category in 2022
According to year-end figures, here’s how major print categories performed in 2022 versus 2021, with romance in the lead.
Litigation commences against AI art companies
In the UK (and possibly the US), Getty Images is suing Stable Diffusion for scraping millions of images from its site.
Amazon Author Pages get a redesign
Amazon has dramatically redesigned the Amazon Author Page, removing the ability for authors to include supplementary media.
ACX announces reduced prices for audiobooks
ACX, a service used by self-publishing authors to distribute and sell audiobooks on Audible, recently emailed creators about price changes.
The Department of Justice sues Google on antitrust grounds
The DOJ is attempting to break up Google’s advertising business, which dominates supply and demand in the ad tech market.
American Booksellers Association starts linking to Bookshop
In March, the American Booksellers Association will stop pointing to its own IndieBound store for book purchases and instead link to Bookshop.
HarperCollins and workers’ union agree to independent mediator
As of this writing, the union, which consists of about 200 HarperCollins employees, has been striking for 60 days.
