News
- Amazon hits back at Authors Guild on their author income survey. As with so many surveys, you can spin the numbers to tell whatever story you like. Amazon points out that the Guild’s study has good news inside and not just an alarm: traditionally published writers’ income rose by 17 percent from 2013 to 2017, and full-time authors saw their median royalty income increase 13 percent since 2013. Read Alison Flood in The Guardian.
- Curiosity Quills Press is in trouble. Victoria Strauss at Writer Beware summarizes the history, the problems, and the publisher’s response thus far. Read.
- Author Sherrilyn Kenyon files a lawsuit accusing her husband of poisoning her. It’s a stunning story. Read Elaina Sauber in the Nashville Tennessean.
Traditional Publishing
- Future leaders comment on the future of publishing. A few of the discussion topics: politics and diversity, the effect of TV on the book world, and book marketing and publicity. Read John Maher in Publishers Weekly.
- Swoon partners with A+E Studios. The crowdsourced YA imprint from Macmillan has signed a two-year exclusive development deal with A+E. Learn more in the press release.
- Three employees of Penguin Random House UK launch a new newsletter about women in publishing. Subscribe for free.
- HarperCollins launches a children’s book podcast. The monthly show, Remember Reading?, covers both classic and contemporary books. Learn more in Publishers Weekly from Emma Kantor.
Politics and Culture
- Social media influencers are an ethical quagmire. Simon Owens asks if it’s time to regulate the burgeoning industry that so far has few rules. Read at New York magazine.
- Researchers hunt for books that Nazis stole. The search has recently intensified, driven by newly available information that helps track the stolen books. Read Milton Esterow in The New York Times.
- There are inaccuracies in Jill Abramson’s Merchants of Truth. Publishing-industry vets will not be surprised. Vox reports on the fact-checking controversy that seems to arise with every such book. Read Constance Grady.
Bookselling
- Independent bookstores must navigate rising rents. Rents can be a greater threat than online retail competition. Shelf Awareness has published an in-depth, seven-part series. Read.
- A surprise bookstore chain merger occurs in Germany. Thalia and Mayersche will merge due to the changing environment in book retailing. Read more in Shelf Awareness.
- Publishers Weekly starts adding audiobook clips to book reviews. The first publisher to participate is Penguin Random House. Learn more.
Issues in Journalism
- WordPress founders launch an affordable news publishing platform for small and mid-size outlets. Those interested in the pilot launch can apply for consideration. Learn more.
- Should publishers be allowed to collectively bargain with companies like Facebook and Google (and Amazon)? An interview with the CEO of the News Media Alliance, by Simon Owens. Read at Medium.
Amazon
- Due to Facebook privacy concerns, Amazon is poised to win more ad dollars. Recode predicts that Amazon could double its ad revenue in the next two years, giving it 12 percent of overall ad spending in the US. Read Rani Molla.
- “They own the system.” The Wall Street Journal looks at the Amazon Publishing program. Read Jeffrey Trachtenberg (subscription required).
Marketing Toolbox
- PublishDrive offers a free ebook convertor, no strings attached. Even if you don’t use PublishDrive, you can use their conversion tool for free. Start with a Word document; get an EPUB or MOBI. Take a look.
- Troubleshooting BookBub Ad campaigns. If your ad isn’t getting clicks, if your ad is too expensive, if your ad isn’t ROI positive, this post has suggestions. Read Carlyn Robertson.
- How an author doubled first-in-series sales with BookBub Ads. Notable here is the price point: $3.99. Read Carlyn Robertson at the BookBub blog.
- How literary publicity works. If you write literary fiction or literary nonfiction, you’ll enjoy the very traditional, non-social-media-oriented discussion. Read or listen at LitHub.
- How to improve your Amazon ad campaigns. These tips come from a blog focused on internet retail, but they provide good insights for all. Read Trevor George at Digital Commerce 360.
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.