News and Trends
- BookCon, the consumer-facing show that follows BookExpo America, is broadening its audience. Since 2014, BookCon has focused on YA authors and readers. Now it’s looking at other genres, including literary—and hosting writing workshops with Sarah Lawrence College. Read more in Publishers Weekly from Jim Milliot.
- Everyone is mad at Patreon. Thousands of artists and creators have patrons through Patreon who pledge only a dollar or two per month, but Patreon has changed its terms to make such pledges more financially burdensome to patrons. It’s a controversial move with few supporters. Learn more in the Verge from Adi Robertson.
- Educational publisher Cengage is offering a subscription service for digital course materials. The cost is $120 per semester. Learn more from Lindsay McKenzie at Inside Higher Ed.
- Nielsen has launched BookScan in Mexico. At the Guadalajara International Book Fair, the market research company announced its move into its 10th country and issued a first round of bestseller lists. Read more from Adam Critchley at Publishing Perspectives.
Amazon
- The Amazon best sellers of 2017: Earlier this year, Amazon launched Charts, its own unique way of looking at bestsellers on its site, which includes page reads and audiobook sales. (See our explanatory item.) Now Amazon has released This Year in Books based on Charts data. Publishers Lunch notes (subscription required): “KU [Kindle Unlimited] and Prime Reading dominate Amazon’s ‘sales’ now.” Of their standing lists of the year’s bestselling books and ebooks, 19 of the top 20 ebooks are KU titles, as well as 79 of the top 100.
- Kindle Create is out of beta. Launched in April, Amazon’s ebook-making app for Windows and Mac helps you turn a Word document into a Kindle ebook. Learn more and download at Amazon’s site.
- Amazon KDP is offering seamless transfer for Pronoun-distributed titles. This method will help preserve sales rank and existing reviews. Read Amazon’s explanation of what to do.
Marketing Toolbox
- Making the best use of BookBub CPM ads:Indie novelist David Gaughran offers tips on maximizing click-through rates for CPM (cost per thousand impressions) ads in BookBub email newsletters. Read at his blog.
- How a pre-order strategy can build a book’s platform: Indie novelist Cheryl Bradshaw describes her step-by-step process for pre-orders as part of a book launch. Read at the BookBub blog.
- What constitutes fair use in a nonfiction book? The Authors Alliance has published a free guide with clear, expert instruction. Download here.
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.