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Amazon adds identify verification to KDP (finally)
As of this month, some authors who publish via Amazon’s KDP will be prompted to complete an identity verification process.
Authors complain of glitch in Amazon rankings
Word has spread of a glitch on Amazon that affects not just Amazon sales rank but also Amazon ad impressions for authors running ads.
New collaboration makes ebooks from independent publishers more affordable for libraries
Libraries have typically been able only to license ebooks and audiobooks from publishers and aggregators, with no option to buy.
Book sales update: August 14, 2024
After a challenging 2023, Big Five publisher HarperCollins is enjoying a more successful fiscal 2024.
Gardener, Baker, Weaver, Architect: How Authors Use AI Today
A conversation with Elizabeth Ann West, co-founder of Future Fiction Academy.
On the List: Everything We Never Said by Sloan Harlow
Sloan Harlow was interested in writing from a very young age, and Everything We Never Said is her debut novel.
New fiction imprint at Macmillan
Flatiron Books, a division of Big Five publisher Macmillan, will launch Pine & Cedar Books next year.
Links of Interest: August 14, 2024
The latest in traditional publishing, romance, book marketing & promotion, culture & politics, and AI.
Perfect Bound partners with Simon & Schuster for distribution
Perfect Bound is a company that helps match small publishers with printers to create faster and cheaper printing runs.
Former NFL player launches AI self-publishing platform
Colin Kaepernick, who founded his own publishing company in 2020, has now launched Lumi.
Open Road launches an industry podcast
Open Road Integrated Media has launched Open Book, a podcast hosted by Open Road’s CEO, David Steinberger.
New UK literary agency: Lexington Literary
The London-based agency will represent literary and upmarket fiction, narrative nonfiction, and general nonfiction.
New imprint: Lemonada Books
Gallery Books (Simon & Schuster) is launching Lemonada Books to publish books based on podcasts coming out of Lemonada Media.
Spotify and Ingram strike distribution deal
More than 1,000 audiobooks from about 100 independent publishers (who use Ingram to distribute) will now be available via Spotify.
Links of Interest: July 31, 2024
The latest in traditional publishing, money talk, Canada, the UK, culture & politics, and AI.
Spotify’s latest earnings report looks rosy
Spotify’s profit margin is up, and the last quarter was the most profitable three-month period ever for the company.
Sales update: July 31, 2024
Circana BookScan’s half-year report shows that print book sales are down just a half percent versus last year.
The Rise of Book Signings & Direct Sales—and the Company Helping Drive Growth
Beventi was launched in 2023 to streamline pre-orders at events. Its growth is stunning.
The Who, What, and Why of Sensitivity Reads
Who pays for the service and who decides how to incorporate feedback?
On the List: The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer
Shaffer’s second novel, The Lost Story, is a fairy tale for grownups who still knock on the back of wardrobes—just in case.
New horror imprint: Run for It
Orbit (Hachette) has launched Run for It, an imprint that will publish current Orbit horror authors as well as new ones, starting in 2025.
New horror and science fiction publisher
Panick Entertainment will focus on publishing comics and graphic novels that can be turned into films, TV, games, and other media.
HarperCollins expands graphic novel imprint
The HarperCollins imprint HarperAlley, which publishes comics and graphic novels for the children’s market, will start publishing for adults.
Book sales update: July 17, 2024
Romantasy books by Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros are keeping US print sales on par with last year.
All about Auctions
It’s not just about the money. It’s also about the best plan to get the book to readers.
Amazon Trend Report: Sports Romance & Historical Fiction
Sports romance steams up; interest in historical fiction varies by subcategory.
On the List: A Happier Life by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Harvey described her path to bestsellerdom as grassroots, driven by word of mouth among readers as well as by the relationships she fostered.
New imprint at Macmillan: graphic novels for adults
Five publisher Macmillan is launching 23rd Street Books to “deliver graphic novels that span styles and genres.”
Another imprint devoted to re-issues
Unnamed Press has launched Smith & Taylor Classics, devoted to publishing trade paperback editions of lesser-known public-domain novels.
New literary agency: Wave Literary
Literary agent Rachel Neumann has founded Wave Literary; most recently she was the CEO and senior literary agent at Idea Architects.
Links of Interest: July 17, 2024
The latest in bookselling, romance and romantasy, trends, culture & politics, and AI.
Audible offers a new pooling payment option in the US market—but is this development meaningful?
Amazon’s Audible has announced that it is “rolling out a new royalty model that prioritizes equity, flexibility, and insight for creators.”
Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) now offers AI licensing
The CCC is a for-profit company that manages collective copyright licensing for corporate publishers and academic institutions.
Kindle device sales are growing among the BookTok demographic
Sales of Kindles have grown in the double-digit percentages for the past two years, with under-45s representing the fastest-growing segment.
A rare look into book sales on Amazon
Business Insider somehow obtained a confidential document that includes data about Amazon’s book retail business for most of 2022.
The Atlantic finds more diversity in what books get published—but will it last?
Despite the foreboding headline, there’s good news to be found in the latest diversity counts among the biggest New York publishers.
New AI licensing platforms beg the question: who gets paid for training and how much?
Collective licensing for AI training received heightened visibility last week when the co-founder of Scribd launched a licensing platform.
Book sales update: July 3, 2024
May 2024 was a very good month for print book sales, making it the third straight month of increased sales versus last year.
Sprayed Edges, Booming Sales: Why Deluxe Editions Are Suddenly Everywhere
Fans are willing to spend on special editions of their favorite authors and series.
AI Appears Likely to Grow the Market for Translated Works
In most cases, at least for traditional publishers, AI-generated translations require a human translator’s touch
On the List: Stay Curious and Keep Exploring: Next Level by Emily Calandrelli
Stay Curious and Keep Exploring is a sequel to Calandrelli’s 2022 book of the same name, with home science experiments for the whole family.
New coalition: Authors against Book Bans
More than 1,500 authors, illustrators, audiobook narrators, and translators have launched Authors against Book Bans in the US.
A new publisher, but what type of publisher?
Media company PAVE Studios is launching a book publishing venture, PAVE Publishing House, focused on producing books by podcast creators.
New imprint at Levine Querido: Re-Lit
Re-Lit will re-issue out-of-print works from creators from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds.
DK launches new imprint in the UK
DK Red will focus on lifestyle publishing and narrative nonfiction and is part of DK’s recently renamed adult division, DK Living.
New literary agency
Greenstone Literary Agency will specialize in commercial fiction and certain categories of nonfiction.
Links of Interest: July 3, 2024
The latest in traditional publishing, Amazon, libraries, AI, and culture & politics.
Did you know? Spotify pays lower music royalties by offering bundled music + audiobook subscription
The National Music Publishers’ Association has filed an FTC complaint against Spotify over a recent move to bundle music and audiobooks.
Barnes & Noble says it “cannot maintain availability for all books” at BN.com
Self-publishing authors were shocked to find that B&N had removed some, and sometimes all, of their print editions for sale through BN.com.