Amazon Opens Up Advertising to Traditionally Published Authors
Until this week, only self-published authors using Kindle Direct Publishing could establish and run ad campaigns for their books directly on Amazon.
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Authors Guild Offers Guidance If You Receive Demands from the Department of Justice
The DOJ suit to block the Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster deal has resulted in publishers, agents, and authors receiving attorney requests for book deal information.
Amazon Closing All Physical Bookstores
Amazon’s first bookshop opened in Seattle in 2015 and, as of this year, it operates 24 bookstores.
Book Manufacturers’ Institute Collects Data About US Printing Capacity
BMI, a trade organization for book printers, is launching a monthly survey of its members to better track book printing capacity and lead times.
Book sales update: March 16, 2022
According to the latest report from NPD Books, February was a solid month for book sales, without any surprises.
IMHO: Substack Launches an App, and I Remain the Grumpy Skeptic
If you subscribe to a large assortment of Substack email newsletters, there is now an app (iOS only, so far) where you can read them all in one place.
The Many Moving Parts behind Brandon Sanderson’s Record-Breaking Kickstarter Campaign
The creation and fulfillment of Sanderson’s Kickstarter relies on a crack team managing massive amounts of data as well as all aspects of production.
How 2022 Debut Authors Collaborate to Promote Their Books
If there’s any tried-and-true rule about book marketing, it’s don’t go it alone.
Creating Ads That Fit TikTok
Testing is key to creating any type of successful advertising campaign on social media.
Pitch Wars and #PitMad Retire on 10-Year Anniversary
The popular mentorship and pitch program, run by volunteers, succumbed to an increasingly high-stress environment.
New agent at United Talent Agency
Georgia Bodnar has joined UTA as a literary agent based in New York.
Book Ads That Get Clicks: Insights from Shelf Awareness
Successful ads in Shelf Awareness often include giveaways.
New agent at WTA Media
Jenaye Merida, formerly a publicist at B&H Publishing, has joined WTA Media as publishing manager and literary agent.
Amazon Trend Report: Self-Help
It is challenging for self-published authors to crack the Self-Help bestseller list, and Kindle sales in the category are trending down.
Ingram launches Reader Insights reports
Ingram now offers downloadable audience profiles to help publishers and authors better understand and identify their target readers.
Simon & Schuster Canada launches Scribner Canada
The imprint will be dedicated to publishing the best literary fiction and nonfiction from Canada and around the world.
Findaway Voices Marketplace open for authors
It’s now possible to self-produce audiobooks using Findaway Voices Marketplace.
New publisher: Black Odyssey Media
A film and media studio, Black Odyssey LLC has launched a new publishing venture dedicated to books focused on the Black experience.
Well-Read Black Girl launches new series with Liveright
The book club dedicated to Black women writers now encompasses a newsletter, literary festival, podcast, and two anthologies.
Closing Image: March 2, 2022
According to data from NPD Books, graphic novel sales in 2021 were up 65 percent from 2020.
Thomas Nelson launches Magnolia Publications
Thomas Nelson, a division of HarperCollins, has launched Magnolia Publications, a new imprint from Chip and Joanna Gaines.
Television network AMC launches a publishing division
AMC Networks Publishing will release fan-friendly, genre-forward specialty books, comics, and original graphic novels.
Here comes Seuss Studios
Random House Children’s Books is launching a line of original early reader books inspired by unpublished Dr. Seuss illustrations.
Author Brandon Sanderson raises $15 million in one day for his four “secret novels”
The bestselling SFF author launched a Kickstarter campaign that has already become the second-most-funded Kickstarter of all time.
Waterstones buys Blackwell’s in the UK
The acquisition brings the chain under the same hedge fund owner as Barnes & Noble.
Simon & Schuster sales approach $1 billion in 2021
CEO Jonathan Karp says Simon & Schuster expects 2022 to be another strong year.
Hachette has a record year for revenue and profits
Sales increased by 3.7 percent, with growth through chain bookstores, independent bookstores, gift stores, and international accounts.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is sold to private equity
HMH’s consumer book division was sold last year to HarperCollins; what remains has now been acquired by a private equity firm.
Zando launches imprint with Sarah Jessica Parker
SJP Lit will leverage “her far-reaching celebrity to connect both emerging and established authors with new and eager readers.”
Book sales update: March 2, 2022
According to NPD Books, adult nonfiction (the highest value part of the US market) is reverting to historic norms.
Mindy Kaling launches Mindy’s Book Studio
Mindy’s Book Studio will be housed under Amazon Publishing and Amazon Studios.
The word count kerfuffle
On Feb. 6, Sourcebooks editor Mary Altman tweeted her position on word count, which led to blowback from writers.
Pandora sued over royalties for comedians’ work
Last year, Spotify pulled many comedians from its service after a dispute over royalties…and now Pandora’s in similarly hot water.
Book sales update: Feb. 16, 2022
According to NPD BookScan, adult nonfiction print sales, the highest-value portion of the US market, appear to be returning to historic norms.
Draft2Digital Acquires Smashwords
Two of the top US-based book distributors unite to form a company focused on serving independent authors.
Penguin Random House launches two new initiatives
They include an imprint with a focus on mental health and social-emotional learning, and a program featuring diverse voices focused on family.
Print Book Prices All but Certain to Increase
The biggest US book wholesaler and distributor, Ingram, anticipates book price inflation this year
Andrews McMeel partners with Tapas Media
The partnership will publish a graphic novel series featuring female and underrepresented characters.
Current Publishing Trends in Canada
What’s happening in Canada is often happening elsewhere in the English-language market.
Apple launches its own book club, Strombo’s Lit
The company has launched a book club directly in the Apple Books app in with Canadian media personality George “Strombo” Stroumboulopoulos.
A new subscription service for Black Christians
UrbanFaithStudy.com is a subscription-based digital platform featuring videos and study curricula from well-known African American Christians.
Closing Image: Feb. 16, 2022
In a recent earnings report, Amazon broke out its advertising revenue explicitly for the first time, showing earnings over $30 billion.
Kindle Vella Sees Loyalty among Some Authors—for Now
Authors contributing to Vella hope Amazon will use its marketing power to boost its new serial reading platform.
Publishers Marketplace reports significant deal growth in 2021
US deals were up 9.4 percent overall, which is on top of an 8 percent gain from 2020.
Amazon Trend Report: Epic Fantasy
Epic fantasy—marked by a grand scale of events and complex story structures—has seen a resurgence in growth since the pandemic.
Traditional publishers report sales growth of nearly 12 percent in 2021
Consumer book sales were up, but digital sales were flat.
Sourcebooks partners with Ebony on new imprint
Sourcebooks has announced an Ebony Magazine Publishing imprint that will focus on Black authors and celebrate Black stories.