News and Trends
- Librarians question Tor’s ebook embargo. Many Tor authors don’t have any ebooks available at all in public libraries, and most libraries don’t hold any Tor ebooks. Read Andrew Albanese in Publishers Weekly.
- A new academic study concludes that teens are reading less. Yes, digital media is the culprit. Read more in Publishing Perspectives.
- Harlan Coben signs a multi-year exclusive deal with Netflix. The deal calls for the development of 14 existing titles and future projects. Learn more from David Canfield in EW.
- Amazon’s Prime Book Box subscription program opens to all. The program delivers collections of children’s books at regular intervals. The initiative was first announced in early May but was available only by invitation. Learn more at Amazon’s site.
Innovations
- Kobo adds one-touch public library lending to all of their e-reading devices. Kobo is owned by Rakuten, which is the parent company of OverDrive, the biggest ebook distributor for libraries. Kobo’s research shows that readers who borrow ebooks from their public library read 30 percent more, on average, than those who don’t use the library feature. Learn more in the Kobo press release.
- The New York Public Library launches Insta Novels on Instagram. The program starts with a newly digitized version of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, illustrated by designer Magoz. Learn more from the NYPL blog.
Around the Globe
- Small UK publishers find ways to survive outside of bookstores. Facing a challenging UK retail environment, small publishers have to be more strategic in their publishing decisions and more creative in marketing and distribution. Read Mark Williams at The New Publishing Standard.
- An Australian book distributor collapses. Many small publishers and self-publishing authors have been affected. Read Linda Morris in The Sydney Morning Herald.
- Paris-based Moroccan author Abdellah Taïa triggers a debate about his home country’s systemic abuse of women. The openly gay writer’s op-ed appeared last week in a French daily. Read more about from Olivia Snaije at Publishing Perspectives.
Self-publishing
- How to change a book title without losing reviews on Amazon. This how-to article is useful for indie authors. Read Helena Halme at the ALLi blog.
New Imprint Alert
- RP Studio is a new imprint of Running Press. The initiative is focused on the gift market. Read more from Jim Milliot in Publishers Weekly.
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.