News and Trends
- Queer stories are entering the YA mainstream. The Washington Post looks at the evolution of LGBT characters and storylines in YA literature. Read more from Rachel Raczka.
- There’s a wave of new fiction from Nigeria. The New York Times reports on the Nigerian publisher Cassava Republic and a new wave of Nigerian novelists gaining international visibility. Read the feature from Alexandra Alter.
- The most-watched copyright assault in the world is up for review. Carla Douglas reports on Canada’s rudely named Copyright Modernization Act. Read about it at Publishing Perspectives.
Marketing Toolbox
- How to get non-bookstore venues to host events with you: Marketer Penny Sansevieri discusses the ins and outs of getting stores like Costco, Hallmark, and Starbucks to agree to a book event. Read at her blog.
- Learn about trends in Facebook ad visuals. Mobile Marketer covers 16 trends in 2017. The article is not book focused, but the takeaways are relevant and may inspire your next ad, whether on Facebook or elsewhere. Take a look.
- Common email newsletter problems solved: While the guidance here is straightforward, it may provide the nudge you need to make important changes to your email strategy. Read Darren Rowse’s advice at Problogger.
- The ultimate guide to Facebook Messenger marketing: The folks at ManyChat (a paid tool for Facebook Messenger marketing and support) have written an extensive how-to guide for creating and implementing Facebook chatbots. Read at ManyChat’s blog.
Amazon
- Motley Fool points out that Amazon’s business is extremely low margin, with Amazon Web Services keeping the ship afloat. Check out Sean O’Reilly’s helpful, plain-English overview of Amazon’s current financials.
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.