Links of Interest: April 17, 2019

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News

  • Scribd is the latest subscription service to invest in original content. Scribd Originals will be available exclusively to Scribd subscribers in ebook and audiobook; most pieces will be less than 50,000 words. Terms for authors are unknown. About half of Scribd’s 1 million subscribers are outside the US. Read Jim Milliot in Publishers Weekly.
  • The mayor of Baltimore sold a half million dollars’ worth of her self-published children’s books to Baltimore universities and schools. Add it to the list of author marketing strategies: attain public office to secure bulk book orders. (Kidding.) Read Mary Carole McCauley in The Baltimore Sun.
  • The Authors Guild evaluates how new EU copyright laws could affect those in the US. Overall, they characterize the development as positive. Read at their blog.
  • Small press Curbside Splendor is not doing so well. The Chicago-based publisher has stopped communicating and paying royalties. Read Claire Kirch in Publishers Weekly.
  • The fan-fiction site Archive of Our Own has been nominated for a Hugo. Founded in 2008, the site is built, run, and written primarily by and for women. The nomination is a big win for writers of fan fiction. Read Casey Fiesler in Slate.

Trends

  • What BookBub readers are buying. The book discovery and promotion service highlights popular categories right now: science, middle-grade fantasy (light-hearted), educational children’s, narrative histories, and lots of romance. Read at their blog.
  • The fastest growing independent publishers, according to Publishers Weekly, likely include some companies you haven’t yet heard of. The article also discusses what’s driving sales at each press. Read Jim Milliot and Claire Kirch.
  • The race is on to lead podcast distribution. The key players are Spotify, Apple, Google, and the BBC. Read Mark Sweney in The Guardian.
  • Religion publishers give Millennials a fresh look. Millennials might be leaving the church, but publishers expect to acquire more titles for, about, and by Millennials. Read Ann Byle in Publishers Weekly.
  • Macmillan Learning earns Benetech’s first accessibility accreditation. The college and high school publisher is creating “born accessible” content now for a range of disabilities and will bring its backlist up to code. Read at Publishing Perspectives.

Culture and Politics

  • The fight against racism in romance novels continues. This in-depth look at the history of the genre and its current challenges is recommended even if you don’t write romance or ordinarily have interest in it. Read Lois Beckett in The Guardian.
  • Former intelligence agency employees sue over pre-publication review. In Publishers Lunch, Sara Grace reports that the dramatic increase in the number of books being written by former intelligence employees has led to a legal battle between authors and the government. Subscription required or read the filing here.

Online Retail

Marketing Toolbox

  • Need help understanding the difference between marketing and publicity? The staff at Penguin Random House define the responsibilities of each team and whom to ask for what. Read at their blog.
  • Learn about changes to IGTV (Instagram TV). Also at the Penguin Random House blog: the staff round up their latest experiences and takeaways with the IGTV service. Read Richard Wylde.
  • Ever worry about the scary legalese that some sites use to claim rights to your content? The “irrevocable” grant of rights that you’ll sometimes see used by social media companies and online publishing platforms may look bad but not have any ill effects in the long run. Read Chris Meadows at TeleRead.

New Imprint Alert

  • Nightfire launches in 2021 and will publish horror fiction. Tom Doherty Associates is launching the imprint, which will include everything from dark fantasy to the supernatural—and will release podcasts, graphic novels, and other media in addition to books. Read the press release.