Scams
- The latest self-publishing scam: Using cloned websites, AI-generated staff, and virtual offices, a fraudulent scheme has been taking money from unsuspecting writers. Read Kelly Burke at The Guardian.
- Another twist in the Anthropic settlement: A law firm known as ClaimsHero has been trying to convince authors to opt out of the Anthropic settlement with promises of a bigger windfall. The judge for the case called it a “fraud of immense proportions.” Read Jim Milliot at Publishers Weekly.
Trends
- What is an upmarket novel? And how is it different from commercial or literary work? This is the best and most straightforward explanation I’ve seen; it prominently features a definition given by Writer’s Digest in 2009. Read Sean Delone at Dear Head of Mine.
- The fashion retailer Shein is partnering with used-book retailer Alibris. They want to capitalize on the reading revival among Gen Z. In its own recent survey, Shein says one-third of respondents said they read books daily or weekly, with romance as the top genre. Read Sam Spratford at Publishers Weekly.
- Young people are joining book clubs. Echoing the item above, the number of young people joining book clubs has been increasing. Read Janna Abbas at The Walrus.
- Penguin Random House Christian will launch a direct-to-consumer website. Grace Corner will offer faith-based content, books for sale, streaming curriculum and Bible studies, and live events with authors. Read Sam Spratford at Publishers Weekly.
AI
- How a new romance bookstore used AI: The store owners used AI to help them determine the store’s inventory, categorize novels into subgenres, and build a customer loyalty program. Read Kurt Schlosser at GeekWire.
- Who pays when AI is wrong? An ongoing court case involves a solar company that lost customers when Google search results said the company settled a lawsuit over deceptive sales practices—something that was not true. Who is responsible? Read Ken Bensinger at the New York Times (gift link).
The Article Making the Rounds
- A thorough cultural and literary analysis of romantasy. Yet another critic offers a deep dive into the current bestselling genre that has kept fiction sales robust and argues it reveals deeper cultural desires to escape adult life’s mess. Read Daniel Yadin at The Drift. For a critique of Yadin, I suggest Jessa Crispin.
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.