Traditional Publishing
- The search for what sells books. This is a timely piece, inspired by the closing of the Washington Post book section, on how the brands and outlets that used to sell books really don’t any longer—at least not reliably. Big Five editor Sean deLone writes, “As little as five or six years ago, nearly every Read with Jenna or Reese’s book club pick had a better than decent shot to hit the bestseller list. That’s no longer the case. For Reese in particular, the results have been far more bifurcated than ever, especially when taking chances on new authors, some selling half a million, others only thousands. … We’re in a vampiric media ecosystem, where the most powerful players, instead of trying to drive conversation, will be latching onto what’s already working, amplifying it, and trying to own its popularity and take a piece of it for themselves (see: every Taylor Swift album rollout). … You can see this vampiric dynamic even with the big celebrity book clubs, which are making more sure bets as their influence dwindles—they are choosing authors that have already had huge bestsellers, classics with enormous, generations-old established fan bases, and branching out into once-mainstream-shunned genres like fantasy.”
Delone goes on to say that what matters in selling books isn’t platform or visibility, but authors’ parasocial relationships, a term I must admit hating. I consider this an issue of semantics. A platform that means something today involves connecting with an audience who actually cares, pays attention, and shows engagement. A hollow, ineffective platform is concerned about the numbers, or one’s own bullhorn, not a deeper connection. Sometimes I call this having no why that underlies your work or online activity, and people can sense it even if they can’t put their finger on it. People hunger for a deeper connection and shared values, something missing in action at most media brands. Try forming a meaningful connection with Time or USA Today and you’ll understand why the clock is ticking down for them. Read at Dear Head of Mine. - RIP mass market. The New York Times says goodbye to the disappearing format. Read Elizabeth A. Harris (gift link).
Nonfiction Sales
- How much should we worry about nonfiction sales? This UK article says the country is buying 17 million fewer books than six years ago, with sales down 6 percent in the last year. Partly the blame is put on podcasts, but that’s only one piece of the puzzle. Read Ceci Browning at The Times.
- Why nonfiction is easier to write, harder to master. Once again, I’m linking to Sean deLone. In this article is a hidden gem of a statistic: Goodreads review averages for nonfiction are higher than fiction. Read at Dear Head of Mine.
AI
- How editors should handle AI-generated material from clients. Ghostwriter and editor Josh Bernoff once again discusses how writers who use AI can be a lot of trouble to work with (even if you’re paid well), and how to navigate the minefield. This is vitally important for all editors and wordsmiths. Read.
- Publishers should not depend on money from basic AI model training. While some publishers (especially academic and professional ones) are cashing in on AI model training, this two-part article warns those opportunities will disappear over time and new licenses will emerge. Read Jonathan Woahn at the Scholarly Kitchen: Part One and Part Two.
- Moneyball author Michael Lewis said he would write Sam Altman’s biography, but on one condition: He says that ChatGPT must write a competing draft. Read Nick Lichtenberg at Fortune.
- Another author files an AI lawsuit, this time against Adobe, hoping to cash in. The decision in the Anthropic case continues to spawn these look-alike cases whenever companies can be accused of training on pirated copies of in-copyright works. Learn more at ChatGPT Is Eating the World.
Culture & Politics
- The literary agent who associated with Jeffrey Epstein: John Brockman may have helped Epstein meet the world’s luminaries in science and technology. Read Evgeny Morozov at the New Republic.
- Why Jeff Bezos should be blamed for the Washington Post’s downfall. While the Washington Post wasn’t exactly flourishing when Bezos bought the paper and while enormous business challenges exist for newspapers, one media analyst argues he should be blamed for its precipitous decline. Read Brian Morrissey at The Rebooting (free sub required).
- What Heated Rivalry gets right about men’s sports. Many men will not openly come out as gay, which is a contrast to women’s sports, where they do. Read Sopan Deb at the New York Times (gift link).
- Here are librarians and booksellers on Substack. The list is curated by the staff of Publishers Marketplace. Take a look.
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.