- Is NetGalley worthwhile for independent authors? Here’s a case study that says “it depends.” If you’re doing an aggressive pre-publication push (marketing more than six months prior to launch), the expense may be justified. Read more at the Book Designer.
- The buzz surrounding audiobook growth continues. The Wall Street Journal is the latest to investigate publishers’ strategies to take advantage of the boom. Audible’s customers are expected to listen to 2 billion hours of programming this year, double the 2014 figure. Meanwhile, Penguin Random House Audio has added six recording studios to its operation—now at thirteen total. Read the article.
- There’s more consolidation underway in the book distribution business. INscribe Digital, an ebook distributor that handles more than 65,000 ebooks for 300 clients, has been acquired by Independent Publishers Group (IPG), primarily known as a distributor for more than 1,000 small independent publishers. The acquisition is seen to make IPG more competitive with Ingram, which recently acquired Perseus. Read more at Publishers Weekly.
- Speaking of INscribe Digital, they just released a whitepaper on metadata best practices. Authors and publishers will find common-sense insights. Download here.
- Kindle Unlimited per-page payouts increased in June. For independent authors whose ebooks are available in Kindle Unlimited, Amazon announced a per-page rate of $.00492 in June, up from May’s rate of $.00468. June’s pool was $15.4 million, compared to $15.3 million in May. Read more at Publishers Marketplace.
- Kensington Publishing’s Lyrical Press, a digital imprint, is launching a line of mass market paperback originals. Read more at Publishers Weekly.
- Author Earnings estimates that romance titles represent 45 percent of Kindle ebook unit sales. Data Guy appeared at the RWA event in San Diego, presenting information about romance books and authors.
- A new report out of Germany reveals that German translators suffer from low pay and limited negotiating power with publishers. Read more at Publishing Perspectives.
- While some publishers have lost interest in pursuing enhanced ebooks, there are signs of life in the young adult market. Booktrack (which we reported on last summer) is partnering with Little, Brown on YA novellas. Read more at Publishing Perspectives.
- Both Penguin Random House and HarperCollins now work with InstaFreebie to promote pre-publication book excerpts. The service delivers excerpts via email to about 300,000 readers. The move demonstrates the Big Five’s continuing focus on building consumer reach via email. Read more at Publishers Marketplace.
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.