US Book Show announces speakers
The US Book Show, a one-day publishing industry event, takes place this year on May 22 at New York University’s Kimmel Center—in person only.
Premium Content
Book sales update: Hachette doing well
Driving results: good audiobook sales as well as good performance at Orbit and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
An Insider’s Look at Royalty Systems: Q&A with David Marlin
Insight into the complexity and customization of royalty statements.
Readers Respond: Library & Publisher Relationships
Children’s author Darcy Pattison, who runs Mims House Books, responded to our article on publisher-library relationships.
New manga imprint
Kana is a new imprint from Abrams ComicArts, focusing on adult-oriented manga translated into English from Japanese and French.
New agent at Regal Hoffmann
A native New Yorker, Priscilla Posada is a literary translator and is pursuing an MFA in writing and literature from Bennington College.
Links of Interest: May 8, 2024
The latest in traditional publishing, trends, TikTok, Amazon, libraries, culture & politics, the SPD closure, and AI.
New publisher: JVL Media
Viola Davis and her husband, Julius Tennon, have announced the creation of a new publisher, JVL Media.
New imprint: Airwave Books
Airwave podcast network and BenBella Books are launching Airwave Books, which will feature nonfiction books by Airwave’s creators.
Hypnovels turns books into animation using AI
Hypnovels is an AI-driven digital platform that authors and publishers can use to transform their books into animations.
Links of Interest: April 24, 2024
The latest in TikTok, contracts, trends, marketing & promotion, distribution, AI, and culture & politics.
Amazon Advantage opens again to new applications
After being closed for more than three years to new suppliers, Amazon Advantage has opened up again to applications.
The Copyright Office offers limited protections for a novel written with AI assistance
A retired US Army veteran who wrote her novel with extensive assistance from ChatGPT was granted limited copyright protection.
Paper supply chain: an update from BISG
In the last year or two, production costs for book publishers have been responsible in part for declining profits.
Janet Reid, popularly known as Query Shark, passes
Janet Reid passed away on April 14 “swiftly and at peace, with loved ones seeing her through,” according to a friend.
IMHO: About That Article on How “No One Buys Books”
Elle Griffin, who has long been a Substack advocate, surfaces many quotable nuggets and stats from the DOJ vs PRH trial from 2022.
Reader Feedback on Distribution
My April 10 piece prompted responses from readers who work inside the industry, some of whom took issue with my portrayal of the business.
On the List: Attack from Within by Barbara McQuade
McQuade is a professor from practice at the U. of Mich. Law School where she teaches courses in criminal law, criminal procedure, national security, and data privacy.
New publishing company established by self-pub authors
Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti, the authors of the bestselling Zodiac Academy series, have established Dark Ink Publishing in the UK.
Recent Research Finds Ebook Lending Doesn’t Cannibalize Sales
While atypical lending models may affect book sales, an Australian publishing effort demonstrates that library lending can have a positive effect on the commercial market.
What Will Take SPD’s Place in the Literary Community?
Small presses must choose quickly from a number of distribution options; some urge forming distribution co-ops.
Rose Metal Press: One of the Biggest Presses Using SPD
Rose Metal is owed at least $40,000—about 60 to 70 percent of their annual book sales revenue—by SPD for sales in 2023 and 2024.
Bull City Press: A Successful Chapbook Publisher Using SPD
Bull City Press had close to 50 titles with SPD, with a couple thousand books warehoused that they need to get back.
New children’s imprint at Sourcebooks
Two editors from HarperCollins, Ben Rosenthal and Mabel Hsu, are joining Sourcebooks to establish a new children’s imprint.
New Simon & Schuster imprint: Simon Acumen
A new business imprint, Simon Acumen, will publish books that help readers navigate the “dynamic world of work.”
Australian romance author launches publishing house
Indie author TL Swan, who publishes the Miles High Club romance series, is launching a romance-focused publishing house.
Draft2Digital partners with Fable, a book club app
Draft2Digital has entered into a retail distribution agreement with Fable, the social reading app that powers online book clubs.
Publishing trends at Bologna Children’s Book Fair
Publishers Weekly is on the ground in Bologna, and early reports indicate continued challenges in the middle-grade category.
Book sales update: April 10, 2024
So far for 2024, print book sales are down by 1.7 percent versus 2023, according to Circana BookScan.
Small Press Distribution: The Only Nonprofit Book Distributor Abruptly Closes
SPD supported small publishers who don’t always qualify for commercial distribution.
Insights from London Book Fair
The publishing industry gathered in London this month for the London Book Fair, which attracted about 30,000 book industry professionals.
AAP reports preliminary 2023 sales figures
Trade/consumer publishing revenue from adult and children’s sales declined by 1 percent in 2023 versus 2022.
The New Adult Category: Where Did It Go?
The term “new adult” may be more relevant to the writer and publisher than to the reader or retailer.
What Booksellers Want Authors to Know about Store Events
How to be a good partner for an effective event.
On the List: Waiting for the Flood by Alexis Hall
Hall has published 26 books, with two more scheduled for 2024 and an additional nine titles on their website with release dates TBD.
Links of Interest: March 27, 2024
The latest in audio, trends, marketing & promotion, culture & politics, AI, and legal issues.
New publisher: Bard Books
Bard Books will launch with two titles by the infamous editor Gordon Lish: To Have Written a Book and Annals and Indices.
New agent at LCS Literary Services
Kimberly Latrice Jones has joined as associate agent at LCS, focusing on nonfiction and picture books.
New agent at Laura Dail
Jennifer Udden has worked as a freelance editor and was previously an agent at New Leaf Literary & Media.
Brydon Books launches with a Kickstarter campaign
Brydon Books is a new children’s publishing company based in the UK, launched by author Alli Brydon and her husband, Edward Brydon.
A new cloud-based software for small publishers
WorkingLit is a cloud-based system that helps small publishers streamline their product databases, manage orders, and more.
Links of Interest: March 13, 2024
The latest in traditional publishing, bookselling, trends, Amazon, AI, and culture & politics.
Coming soon: Better Audible royalty terms for indie authors because of Brandon Sanderson
Sanderson was able to bring Audible to the table to negotiate new terms not just for him, but for all self-publishing authors.
Spotify offers an audiobook access tier
Until recently, if you wanted to use Spotify for a streaming audiobook subscription, you had to be on their premium plan.
Entangled Publishing signs a dozen self-published romance authors
In our 2024 outlook, we said we’d be watching for a larger trend of traditional publishers partnering with successful self-published authors.
Direct sales return through IngramSpark
While the functionality is welcome, it basically replaces what Ingram took away in January 2023 when it shut down Aerio.
Book sales update: 2024 outlook
As of the week ending March 2, print book sales are down 4 percent versus last year, according to Circana BookScan.
IMHO: Authors Equity Is for the Elite, Not for You
The new publisher looks positioned to offer top authors a bespoke experience. How will they do with unknown authors? Will they take unknowns? We’ll see.
Where Are All the Political Books during Election Year?
Publishers aren’t interested in publishing election-related content this year, which echoes changes in the larger media ecosystem.