News
- Amazon has launched a Kindle for children. The Kids Edition comes bundled with 1,000 books, world-building tools, and parental controls. Read Samuel Gibbs in The Guardian.
- A major bestselling author, Jojo Moyes, is accused of plagiarism. Moyes denies having read the plagiarized work; Moyes’s publisher says it has confidence in the integrity of Moyes and the work. Read Tomi Obaro in BuzzFeed News.
- Scribd expands to Mexico. The catalogue includes 60,000 Spanish-language ebook and digital audio titles. Read John Maher at Publishers Weekly.
Trends
- Seven ways book publishing will change. Industry vet Mike Shatzkin itemizes what the next few years hold in store, including the continued growth of online book sales and Amazon Publishing’s attractiveness to big-name authors. Read at his blog.
- Don’t expect the big bucks from cookbook writing. Publishers offer very low or no advances and may ask authors to forgo royalties. Read Priya Krishna in The New York Times.
- We like to read books about wives, apparently. BookNet Canada analyzes sales of 874 titles that contain the word wife. Read Elizabeth Barker.
- What do editors want? Philip Connor Finn attempts to answer that question by talking to leading publishers in his new UK-based podcast. Check it out.
- US comics publishers are licensing more books from Europe. Interest has increased exponentially since 2011. Read Rob Salkowitz at Publishers Weekly.
Media
- The streaming services are fighting for children’s viewership. Disney and Netflix are at war, each amassing an army of creators and content. Read Brooks Barnes in The New York Times.
- A new startup helps mid-size podcasts find advertisers. Podcorn serves as an online marketplace where brands can be matched with podcasters. Learn more from Simon Owens at Medium.
- Is Instagram the next big reading platform? Definitely not, but it is worth knowing about the New York Public Library Insta Novels experiment. Read Katharine Schwab at Fast Company.
- Can a baby understand the intersectionality in the current spate of feminist baby board books? Read Rebecca Onion at Slate.
Self-publishing
- How to self-publish a coloring book. While the trend isn’t as hot as before, coloring books remain great gift books—or merchandising and ancillary product ideas. Read Joe Russo and Kayla Gilsvik at IngramSpark.
New Imprint Alert
- Hachette has a new nonfiction imprint, Go. It will publish in health, inspiration, food, psychology, self-help, and work—and also incorporate all of the Da Capo Lifelong titles. Read Jim Milliot in Publishers Weekly.
- Abrams is launching a graphic novel imprint. Surely Books, starting in 2021, will include fiction and nonfiction and highlight the LGBTQIA community. Read Graeme McMillan in The Hollywood Reporter.
- Random House is also launching a graphic novel imprint. Random House Graphic will focus on the children’s market. Read Emma Kantor in Publishers Weekly.
- Republic Books will publish right-of-center titles. The imprint is founded by the former president and publisher of Regnery Publishing and the founder of distributor Midpoint Trade Books. Learn more at their site.
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.