Bookselling
- What Barnes & Noble doesn’t get about bookstores: A journalist’s conversation with B&N board member Leonard Riggio is the occasion for this analysis of the considerable challenges ahead for the biggest US bookstore chain. Read at the New Yorker.
- LitHub is running a series on “bookselling in the 21st century.” There are four pieces so far, each from a different writer. Take a look.
- What’s the buzz in the international bookselling community? At Frankfurt Book Fair, booksellers gathered to share best practices and lessons learned. Read at Shelf Awareness (scroll down to find “Frankfurt 2016: Booksellers’ Best Thing They Did Last Year”).
Publishing Trends
- Why are there so many books with girl in the title? Perhaps it’s an unanswerable question, but literary novelist Emily St. John Mandel writes (and data crunches) on the latest trend in book titles. Read at FiveThirtyEight.
- Grit returns to YA novels. Paranormal books are on the wane, and issue-driven fiction in urban settings is having a renaissance—at least according to this New York Times trend piece.
- A look at self-publishing in the horror genre: Will the next Stephen King start out as a self-published author? Perhaps, given that horror authors who want to be read may have little choice but to go indie. Read a round-up of author experiences in Publishers Weekly.
Marketing Toolbox
- How a digital publisher uses agile marketing to power growth: In this useful Q&A with the marketers at Open Road Integrated Media, you’ll find usable tips for both authors and publishers who want to support strong sales of backlist titles. Read in Book Business.
- Facebook offers free e-learning courses for journalists. Authors may find them helpful as well. Find out more at Facebook.
- Learn the current best practices for Facebook advertising: Novelist Mark Dawson (the acknowledged expert on Facebook ads for authors) has a conversation with Joanna Penn about navigating the current Facebook landscape and running an effective campaign. Listen to the podcast or read the transcript.
- How to find trends on social media: If your writing ties into current events or you want to stay on top of conversations happening in your community, Brandwatch summarizes the most important tools.
- Find many helpful and free sessions from Indie Author Fringe. During Frankfurt Book Fair, the Alliance of Independent Authors hosted a full day of online workshops, primarily on the business of writing and publishing—including everything from digital marketing to taxes. Take a look.
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.