Research
- A new study on distribution practices in book publishing and related challenges: Students at Portland State University led research on how the future of publishing distribution can be forward thinking, sustainable, eco-friendly, and profitable. The report includes considerable insights and data on making the industry carbon neutral. Download it at the IBPA site.
History of Publishing
- A look at consolidation in book publishing over the last 25 years. On its 150th anniversary, Publishers Weekly takes a look at mergers and acquisitions that have shaped today’s Big Five (or Four) publishers. Read Jim Milliot. And here is a year-by-year listing of Big Five acquisitions, going back to the 1980s.
- The changing world of bookselling. In 1996, chain bookstores held 25 percent of the market. Amazon had 10 percent. Read Judith Rosen at Publishers Weekly.
- The top-selling titles between 2004 and 2021. Number one and number two? Harry Potter books. However, according to Publishers Weekly, James Patterson has sold more total copies than Rowling. Review the list at Publishers Weekly.
- The last 25 years of book publicity. The story starts with the importance of professional, critical book reviews and ends with social media and celebrity book clubs. Read Sophia Stewart at Publishers Weekly.
- On the success of Fifty Shades of Grey: The marketing executive at Random House at the time discusses how it all unfolded. Read Jamie Fewery at The Fence.
Trends
- What makes a book YA? There is an ongoing shift in what’s defined as YA. Read Karen Jensen at School Library Journal.
- Five biggest trends from London Book Fair: Celebrity-authored fiction is up, and Greek myths rumble on. Read Sarah Shaffi at The Guardian.
- The latest experiments in online, interactive fiction: The boundaries between games and written fiction are ever porous. Read Shanti Mathias at The Spinoff.
- Dropbox Shop launches, competes with Gumroad and Shopify. You can now sell digital content directly to readers through Dropbox and also accept tips. For now, at least while it’s in beta, Dropbox does not take a cut of transactions. Read Aisha Malik at TechCrunch.
BookTok
- BookTok: the last wholesome place on the internet. Can it last? Read Kimi Chaddah at Mashable.
- Yet another article on how BookTok is revitalizing the publishing industry. But this one points out the dark side of “shadowbanning,” where the algorithms favor white people over creators of color. Read Juliana Ukiomogbe.
Libraries
- A new Kentucky law hands control of libraries to politicians. The law allows local politicians to appoint whomever they want to library boards and block major spending. Read John Cheves at the Lexington Herald Leader. PEN America has expressed concern.
- New York City libraries offer free digital library cards to anyone in the US. The move is meant to counter book bans by giving readers access to ebooks for a limited time. Read Shaye Weaver at Time Out.
- Public libraries unwittingly offer books that promote white supremacy or conspiracy theories. That’s because a private vendor serving libraries, Hoopla, offers many thousands of digital books that aren’t typically vetted by each individual library. Read Claire Woodcock at Vice.
- Blackstone ends library embargo. After three years, the audiobook publisher will release all new titles to retail and library markets simultaneously, rather than waiting 90 days. Read Andrew Albanese at Publishers Weekly.
Culture & Politics
- A white author’s book about black feminism gets pulled by the publisher. The book has been criticized as flawed and problematic, as well as an example of cultural appropriation. Read Katie Heaney at The Cut.
- Should reporters save scoops for books? Recent books on the Trump administration have raised ethical questions about reporters who hold back meaningful revelations in order to better sell their books. Read Alex Shephard at The New Republic.
- Influencers might be paying someone to make them look like book readers. Who is it they are paying? The “notorious celebrity book stylist.” Read Nick Haramis at The New York Times Style Magazine.
Creative Writing Programs
- Why does the MFA debate stir up such controversy? One possible answer: “egoic regret avoidance.” Read A. Natasha Joukovsky.
- Creative writing programs took the politics out of fiction. Another critic takes on the perceived problems of MFA programs and their effect on contemporary fiction. Read Annie Levin at Current Affairs.
Legal
- There’s a new tax reporting policy at ACX/Audible. If you use ACX to distribute your audiobooks, pay attention. Learn more from The Authors Guild.
- Is your website published or unpublished in the eyes of US copyright law? The answer may surprise you. Read Jonathan Bailey at Plagiarism Today.
Ukraine
- Update on Vivat Publishing, Ukraine’s second biggest publisher. Ed Nawotka has an email interview with the CEO on the current situation. Most of their staff have left Kharkiv or Ukraine. (Kharkiv serves as the center of the Ukrainian book industry.) Read at Publishers Weekly.
- A call to buy rights from Ukrainian publishers. Demand is up for Ukrainian books, but most of the country’s publishing and printing facilities are in war zones. One publisher says the international community can help out by buying foreign rights. Read Hannah Johnson at Publishing Perspectives.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.