- Publishers don’t have processes in place to coordinate marketing efforts with authors. Any traditionally published author has likely experienced that lack of collaboration, and consultant Mike Shatzkin argues that it’s increasingly important, revenue-wise, for publishers to solve this problem. Read his full post.
- In Europe, Amazon had a difficult 2015. Publishing Trends summarizes the key events, concluding, “The antitrust investigations being conducted by the EU and Germany, as well as the strikes, remain an ongoing concern for Amazon as it moves into the new year.… There will probably be many changes for the company in 2016.” Read the full article.
- The People’s Choice Awards adds a book category. Have you noticed it’s award season? The People’s Choice Awards, which has been going strong since 1975, just this year announced the addition of a books category, in partnership with The Reading Room. You can vote on your favorites until Jan. 28.
- Get a jump-start on new book releases in 2016. Publishers Marketplace recently released their annual Buzz Books ebook compilations, which share significant samples of both adult and young adult titles to be released this spring and summer. Get your free preview.
- Pronoun, the digital self-publishing service formerly known as Vook (and Booklr and Byliner), is now out of beta and open to all authors.
- An eleven-year-old girl launches #1000BlackGirlBooks. An elementary school student in Philadelphia is seeking donations of books featuring black, female protagonists. Deadline: Feb. 1.
- What’s in store for ebooks in 2016? The American Library Association brings together four industry experts to discuss their predictions for ebooks this year, for the broader market as well as the library market. Read the thoughtful roundtable.
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.