News and Trends
- Social media’s biggest romance book club: Readers are sharing their favorite reads on Twitter using the hashtag #rombklove. Find out more at Book Riot.
- Celebrity book clubs: what are the merits? The BBC evaluates the trend that has some of us cynical. Take a look.
- The New York Times looks at the fan fiction phenomenon. Once again, mainstream media is rediscovering how unpaid creators can develop new forms of work that become popular online and that are then “co-opted by big companies hoping to whip them into profits.” Wattpad is mentioned. Read more.
- News outlets seek bargaining rights against Google and Facebook. Both Google and Facebook dominate digital advertising and content distribution but share few of the profits with content creators. An association of news outlets has asked Congress to step in. Read more in the New York Times.
Traditional Publishing
- Ingram, the largest book distributor in the US, has acquired National Book Network International in the UK. However, the deal does not include the US arm of National Book Network—only the international office. As Publishers Weekly points out, this purchase follows Ingram’s acquisition of the Perseus distribution arm in March 2016, which made the company the largest distributor of independent presses in the country. Learn more.
- Crown has formed Currency, a new imprint focused on business books. Currency is the new face and branding of the Crown Business line, which will be retired. The press release says: “Currency will be a nonfiction imprint dedicated to publishing both narrative-driven and practical books by thought leaders.” Read the full press release.
- As expected, Pearson has sold a slice of Penguin Random House to Bertelsmann. Pearson received $1 billion for handing over a 22 percent stake to Bertelsmann, which now owns 75 percent of PRH. Learn more in the Guardian.
Self-publishing
- Which is better: CreateSpace or KDP Print? We think CreateSpace is still the best bet, but here’s a detailed overview of the differences, so you can decide for yourself. Read at Kindlepreneur.
Marketing Toolbox
- Trying to write a killer headline for social? The most successful phrase at the moment is will make you. Worst performing is control of your. Check out the full list of popular phrases from BuzzSumo.
- 10 easy tips for professional audio quality: If you’re doing any kind of sales or marketing that involves audio (podcasts, audiobooks, videos, and more), check out Copyblogger’s tips.
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.