Culture & Politics
- Many publishing and entertainment people are migrating to Bluesky from X. That’s because of the election results and Elon Musk’s ownership of X. While Threads has a much larger user base than Bluesky, early reports indicate Bluesky users may be more active and engaged, plus Bluesky does not suppress links in news feeds as much as other social media platforms—for now. Read Abid Rahman at the Hollywood Reporter.
- The conservative activist who defined the strategy for book bans: Norma Gabler fought against what she saw as a secular trend in school textbooks throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Read Katie Gaddini in Time.
- BookTok goes political. After the election, some authors were “red listed,” and arguments erupted over book bans. Read Angela Watercutter at Wired.
- A Macmillan VP expresses support for Trump on her personal Facebook page; authors and staff revolt. One thing is certain: There is not just one Trump voter working for Macmillan. Read Nathalie op de Beeck at Publishers Weekly.
- Is the 20th-century novel a genre? A new book argues that the novel ran out of currency 30 years ago—that novelists are no longer pushing the envelope. A writer for the New Yorker isn’t so sure. Read Louis Menand (sub may be required).
Trends
- It’s time for healing fiction. Magical cats are popular. Read Alexandra Alter in the New York Times.
- Publishing industry employees are largely skeptical of AI. That’s according to the latest Publishers Weekly Salary and Jobs report, which garnered 632 responses. Read Jim Milliot.
Marketing & Promotion
- In defense of publicity essays: “Writers seem to think that any essay written as part of book publicity must mention the book or the book must be anchored to (anchored in, even!) the essay. That’s simply not true (please, gah!) and would be to your detriment to write ABOUT the book because that limits the placement for the essay.” Read Cassie Mannes Murray at Pine State Publicity.
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.