The most popular digital checkouts at public libraries in 2022
According to OverDrive, which distributes digital materials to 22,000 libraries in 45 countries, these were the most popular titles globally.
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Storytel increases prices for unlimited listening
The leading digital book subscription service in Europe, Storytel, has launched a new subscription level with a listening cap.
Book sales update: January 4, 2023
Good news: The final week of holiday sales in 2022 outpaced the same week from 2021.
What to Watch for in 2023
After a few years of extraordinary growth, the creator economy, AI, BookTok, and Amazon may be poised for a fall.
Links of Interest: January 4, 2023
The latest in 2022 recaps, TikTok, libraries, AI, bookselling, 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.
USA Today bestseller list on “hiatus”
After a round of layoffs at USA Today, the longtime editor of the USA Today bestseller list, Mary Cadden, lost her job.
Bookforum closes after nearly 30 years
When its sister publication, Artforum, was sold to Penske Media, Bookforum became financially untenable without Artforum’s income.
CEO Markus Dohle steps down from PRH
In a move likely related to PRH’s failure to acquire Simon & Schuster, Markus Dohle will step down from his position as CEO of Penguin Random House.
Ingram shuts down Aerio
Aerio allowed anyone anywhere to immediately become an online bookseller at no cost, using the power of Ingram to fulfill orders.
Wattpad studies Gen Z readers
A survey looking at the reading habits and preferences of Gen Z show that they are more likely to read on phones and embrace more genres.
Kindle Subscription program ends
Amazon has announced it’s ending magazine and newspaper subscriptions for Kindle next year along with print textbook rentals.
UK publisher Bookouture to host Twitter pitch event
The goal: hear from diverse writers of commercial fiction.
Book sales update: December 21, 2022
Michelle Obama’s most recent book had less than one quarter of the first-week print sales of her 2018 memoir, Becoming.
Addendum: Amazon Visibility
In our last issue, we discussed limitations Amazon has made to how many categories a book can rank in simultaneously.
New UK publisher: Bedford Square
Former Hodder & Stoughton CEO and former John Murray sales and strategy director have launched Bedford Square Publishers.
New tool for self-publishing authors: Amazon attribution links
Indie author Nicholas Erik calls it “nothing short of a marketing gamechanger.”
Links of Interest: December 21, 2022
The latest in traditional publishing, celebrities, artificial intelligence, legal issues, and culture & politics.
ChatGPT is the talk of the town
OpenAI, the research laboratory responsible for GPT-3, recently debuted ChatGPT, a general-purpose chatbot that uses GPT-3.5.
Bob Dylan apologizes for autopen signing
Bob Dylan posted on Facebook that, owing to a combination of vertigo and the pandemic, he wasn’t able to sign art prints or his latest book.
Nearly 200 agents express support for HarperCollins strike
A large group of agents have signed an open letter supporting the HCP Union, which has been striking since Nov. 10.
Speculation begins on new potential buyers for Simon & Schuster
Parent company Paramount may seek or prefer a buyer that doesn’t require yet another review by the Department of Justice.
Book sales update: December 7, 2022
According to NPD BookScan, this holiday season is underperforming compared to 2021.
Book Visibility on Amazon Has Changed (for Now)
Amazon has new category ranking limitations; whether these changes are intentional or a glitch remains unclear
Spotify Seeks to Grow the Audiobook Market
The audio streaming service wants to target casual listeners who have never listened to an audiobook by making the format easier and more convenient to try
IMHO: Hive, Post, and Pretty Much Whatever Else Arises
When considering alternatives to Twitter, there’s more to keep in mind than simply what’s new or popular.
New agent alert at Westwood Creative Artists
Based in Vancouver, Sara Harowitz has joined as a literary agent. She seeks narrative nonfiction, essays, and memoir.
Draft2Digital authors can now sell in the Smashwords store
To get started, Draft2Digital authors need only login to their account.
Links of Interest: December 7, 2022
The latest in traditional publishing, supply chain & inflation, bookselling, TikTok, audio, AI, Amazon, and culture & politics.
New report charts how 1,300+ publishing startups have performed over 15 years
This monumental effort is the work of Thad McIlroy in partnership with Publishers Weekly.
Entangled Publishing launches new adult fiction imprint
Red Tower Books will be a new adult commercial-fiction imprint focused on romantic fantasy and science fiction genres.
Kobo Plus adds audiobooks in Canada
Kobo is expanding their Kobo Plus subscription service in Canada to include an option for unlimited use of over 100,000 audiobooks.
Linktree rolls out Payment Lock (still in beta)
The new feature, for pro tier users only, allows you to turn any story, photo, or video file into something people have to pay for online.
Simon & Schuster lets the Penguin Random House deal fall apart
PRH’s journey to acquire Simon & Schuster has come to an end.
Links of Interest: November 23, 2022
The latest in traditional publishing, social media, Amazon, and culture & politics.
Refunds for the Bob Dylan book: It was not hand-signed
Simon & Schuster sold 900 copies of a collector’s edition of Dylan’s new book, The Philosophy of Modern Song, for $599.
HarperCollins union goes on strike
The strike began Nov. 10 and continues as of this writing. About 250 workers belong to the HarperCollins union; the publisher employs about 4,000 globally.
Publishers see sales declines this fall due to low orders from Amazon
Amazon is tightening its belt by laying off workers, pulling back on expansion of its fulfillment network, and closing some warehouses.
Cost-cutting at Amazon affects Devices division and possibly Amazon Publishing
During the pandemic, Amazon hired more than 800,000 employees, mostly at its warehouses. Now there is a hiring freeze.
Tor will publish print editions of Brandon Sanderson’s Kickstarter Novels
Tor announced release dates for “commercial editions” of the four novels that Sanderson first offered through his Kickstarter campaign.
TikTok Shop UK partners with publishers and booksellers to sell books direct
TikTok in the UK is now selling books directly through TikTok—which isn’t a surprise, given their recent investment in fulfillment centers.
FBI seizes one of the largest sites for pirated work
The site is known as Z-Library, and it was especially popular among TikTok users.
Book sales update: November 23, 2022
This year’s holiday print book sales in the US are lining up closely with 2020, according to NPD BookScan.
Authors Who’ve Launched Their Careers on TikTok
Successful #BookTok marketing requires knowing both what works and what works for you.