Findaway Voices authors worry about machine learning at Apple
A machine learning clause in the Apple terms of service with Findaway Voices has been giving authors and narrators cause for concern.
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Association of American Publishers reports 2022 results
According to the AAP, which consists of traditional publishers in various sectors, consumer sales dropped 6.2 percent in 2022 against 2021.
Simon & Schuster is officially up for sale again, as expected
Simon & Schuster’s parent company, Paramount, is said to be shopping for a private equity buyer to avoid further antitrust scrutiny.
US book sales update
For now, 2023 is performing comparable to 2022 (roughly 1 percent down), according to NPD BookScan, which tracks print book sales.
The Problem with Auctions
The right editor and marketing plan is more important than a big advance, according to some editors and agents.
Trend Watch: MSWL and BookTok
It’s the 10-year anniversary of MSWL, and agents seek twisty thrills in fiction.
Pandemic-Era Booksellers: Doing Well a Year Later
Owners of bookstores that opened during pandemic precautions can now focus on personal connections with customers and community building.
New agent at Gardner Literary
A former editor at Penguin Random House, Ashley Hong has joined Gardner Literary as an agent.
New agent at The CAT Agency
Aliza R. Hoover has joined as associate agent after serving as art coordinator associate at Candlewick Press.
New agent at Triada US
Ashley Reisinger has joined as an assistant literary agent; she represents primarily romance, young adult, and middle grade.
New agent at Felicity Bryan Associates (UK)
Alice Caprio will join on April 3 as a literary agent, representing children’s/YA and commercial adult fiction.
Zibby opens a bookstore in California
Zibby Owens, a podcaster and influencer who launched her own publishing company, has now opened up a bookstore in Santa Monica.
Tor launches a romance imprint
Tor’s Bramble will be a romance imprint for “exceptional love stories of all kinds.”
Deal reached in HarperCollins strike
After being on strike for three months, the HarperCollins union has reached a tentative agreement with HarperCollins.
Skyhorse launches Peakpoint Press
The new Skyhorse imprint will publish “quick-to-market, personal and professional improvement titles.”
Catapult closes non-book businesses
Literary publisher Catapult, which includes Soft Skull Press and Counterpoint Press, will suspend its online magazine and writing classes
Foreword Reviews announces a new industry event
Industry review outlet Foreword Reviews is launching Library Insights Summit (LIS), a day-long event for librarians and publishers.
Draft2Digital strikes deal with Digital Public Library of America
Draft2Digital, the popular ebook distributor in the US for independent authors, just announced a distribution deal with DPLA.
Links of Interest: February 15, 2023
The latest in traditional publishing, self-publishing, culture & politics, AI, TikTok, Amazon, and audio.
ACX announces reduced prices for audiobooks
ACX, a service used by self-publishing authors to distribute and sell audiobooks on Audible, recently emailed creators about price changes.
Amazon Author Pages get a redesign
Amazon has dramatically redesigned the Amazon Author Page, removing the ability for authors to include supplementary media.
Litigation commences against AI art companies
In the UK (and possibly the US), Getty Images is suing Stable Diffusion for scraping millions of images from its site.
Romance was the bestselling category in 2022
According to year-end figures, here’s how major print categories performed in 2022 versus 2021, with romance in the lead.
Spare continues to break sales records
It’s official: Spare by Prince Harry is the fastest-selling nonfiction book of all time in the UK.
How Authors Can Sell Books Direct to Reader
One author builds profitable direct sales using Shopify, ThriveCart, and BookFunnel.
Notes on 2023 Digital Book World, Part Two
BookBub, Open Road Media, and Ingram all offered presentations on selling books via email advertising.
New YA imprint at Page Street
Independent publisher Page Street plans to double its number of YA titles to 24 new titles per year and house them under a dedicated imprint.
A new independent publisher, Great Place Books
The press will start with three titles plus creative writing classes (perhaps to help pay the bills).
New publisher to focus on Asian American and Pacific Islander voices
Third State Books, based in San Francisco, will release its first titles in 2024.
New imprint at Big Five publisher Hachette
The imprint will “develop and acquire works from underrepresented voices across multiple genres, fiction and nonfiction,” and for all ages.
Links of Interest: February 1, 2023
The latest in traditional publishing, Barnes & Noble, bookselling, trends, Amazon, AI, and politics & culture.
HarperCollins and workers’ union agree to independent mediator
As of this writing, the union, which consists of about 200 HarperCollins employees, has been striking for 60 days.
American Booksellers Association starts linking to Bookshop
In March, the American Booksellers Association will stop pointing to its own IndieBound store for book purchases and instead link to Bookshop.
The Department of Justice sues Google on antitrust grounds
The DOJ is attempting to break up Google’s advertising business, which dominates supply and demand in the ad tech market.
Apple rolls out AI-narrated audiobooks
Apple has launched AI-powered book narration to help authors and small publishers convert their English-language titles into audiobooks.
Prince Harry’s memoir breaks sales records
Spare is the UK’s fastest selling nonfiction book—it sold 400,000 copies across all formats on its first day on sale.
Colleen Hoover coloring book canceled
Last week, Colleen Hoover announced an adult coloring book would be published based on her novel It Ends with Us.
Authors Guild files suit against Authors’ Place Press
Authors’ Place Press, a small, US-based independent publisher, is accused of failing to pay royalties or send royalty statements.
Digital book lending grows 10 percent in 2022
OverDrive, the leading distributor of digital books to libraries, recently announced that digital lending increased 10 percent over 2021.
2022 is second-best sales year on record for print
2022 came in 5.8 percent below 2021 in terms of print unit sales, and the children’s market made up half of that decline.
Book sales update: first week of 2023
According to NPD BookScan, print unit sales were down 1 percent from 2022 for the first week of the year.
Barnes & Noble to host inaugural BookTok festival
On Feb. 4 in New York City, Barnes & Noble’s flagship store is hosting a #BookTok festival, a ticketed event that has already sold out.
Mayo Clinic Press launches children’s imprint
Mayo Clinic Press Kids will publish “engaging mental and physical wellness content for children” for both the trade and educational market
Yonder announces new publishing partners
Wattpad–Webtoon’s new serialization app, Yonder, has announced another round of publishing partners
Links of Interest: January 18, 2023
The latest in trends, AI, TikTok, recaps and predictions, traditional publishing, self-publishing, Amazon, and culture & politics.
What’s entering the public domain this year?
This year, works published in 1923 enter the public domain.
Canada extends copyright protection by 20 years
At the end of 2022, Canada changed its copyright laws so that books, songs, and plays will enjoy an additional 20 years of copyright protection.