Bookforum closes after nearly 30 years
When its sister publication, Artforum, was sold to Penske Media, Bookforum became financially untenable without Artforum’s income.
USA Today bestseller list on “hiatus”
After a round of layoffs at USA Today, the longtime editor of the USA Today bestseller list, Mary Cadden, lost her job.
Before You Hire a Developmental Editor: What You Need to Know
Three editors discuss the types and stages of editing, whether publishing industry experience matters, hiring guidelines and much more.
What I Learned From 90 Queries
Even with an excellent query and opening pages, you’ll still get rejections. A lot of them. Success comes to those who refuse to give up.
Blurb Matters: A Quiet Manifesto
If we were to reposition blurbs as affirmations as opposed to marketing tools, would that also shift the way we traffic in them?
How Writing Your Synopsis Can Fix Your Book
More than just a tool to sell your book, your synopsis is a roadmap to making the next draft of your manuscript much stronger.
What If You’re New to Writing and Don’t Know How to Fix Things?
Like writing, editing and revision are skills that take time to learn, and they develop only with practice.
Links of Interest: December 7, 2022
The latest in traditional publishing, supply chain & inflation, bookselling, TikTok, audio, AI, Amazon, and culture & politics.
Draft2Digital authors can now sell in the Smashwords store
To get started, Draft2Digital authors need only login to their account.
New agent alert at Westwood Creative Artists
Based in Vancouver, Sara Harowitz has joined as a literary agent. She seeks narrative nonfiction, essays, and memoir.
IMHO: Hive, Post, and Pretty Much Whatever Else Arises
When considering alternatives to Twitter, there’s more to keep in mind than simply what’s new or popular.
Spotify Seeks to Grow the Audiobook Market
The audio streaming service wants to target casual listeners who have never listened to an audiobook by making the format easier and more convenient to try
Book Visibility on Amazon Has Changed (for Now)
Amazon has new category ranking limitations; whether these changes are intentional or a glitch remains unclear
Book sales update: December 7, 2022
According to NPD BookScan, this holiday season is underperforming compared to 2021.
Speculation begins on new potential buyers for Simon & Schuster
Parent company Paramount may seek or prefer a buyer that doesn’t require yet another review by the Department of Justice.
Nearly 200 agents express support for HarperCollins strike
A large group of agents have signed an open letter supporting the HCP Union, which has been striking since Nov. 10.
Bob Dylan apologizes for autopen signing
Bob Dylan posted on Facebook that, owing to a combination of vertigo and the pandemic, he wasn’t able to sign art prints or his latest book.
ChatGPT is the talk of the town
OpenAI, the research laboratory responsible for GPT-3, recently debuted ChatGPT, a general-purpose chatbot that uses GPT-3.5.
Build Your Writing Self-Efficacy
Here are four ways to help create the mindset that we can realistically accomplish something we’ve never tried before.
Unlock Better Reach: Bridge the Gap Between Online and Offline Activities
To build an audience, close the gap between your offline-self and online-self by showing up with consistent value on your core topics.
An Argument for Setting Aside Arc in Story Development
It might not be essential to impose a standard arc structure on a character who’s non-traditional or isn’t affected by the story’s actions.
The Necessity & Power of Sitting With Your Critiques
We writers know that critiques are an integral part of improving our work. But we rarely learn how to receive feedback or what to do after.
Nobody Knows Marketing Like Romance Authors: Q&A with Kitty Thomas
The author of dark- and paranormal romance discusses negative attitudes toward the genre, why sex scenes are the hardest to write, and more.
Links of Interest: November 23, 2022
The latest in traditional publishing, social media, Amazon, and culture & politics.
Linktree rolls out Payment Lock (still in beta)
The new feature, for pro tier users only, allows you to turn any story, photo, or video file into something people have to pay for online.