Trendspotting: NFTs (Very Late and Finally)
While most NFT activity today can be found in the arts, sports, and gaming communities, authors too are getting drawn in by market speculation and launching their own ventures
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New literary agency: Trellis
Three agents founded Trellis Literary Management. They include Allison Hunter {Janklow & Nesbit), Stephanie Delman (Sanford J. Greenburger Associates), and Michelle Brower ( Aevitas Creative Management).
Netflix starts a book club
Earlier this year, Netflix boasted that half of the top 10 titles featured on the New York Times bestseller list were Netflix adaptations,
Daily Wire launches conservative imprint
The conservative media outlet Daily Wire has started a publishing imprint, DW Books, that will begin publishing in spring 2022.
UK’s Unbound launches a new imprint for debut writers of color
Unbound Firsts will take on two writers of color every year for a debut work of either fiction or nonfiction.
UK’s Bluemoose launches a nonfiction list
Bluemoose is an award-winning independent publisher of adult fiction. In summer 2022, Bluemoose will begin publishing nonfiction.
New UK literary agency: DunnFogg
The agency is founded by Jack Fogg, former publishing director of HarperNonFiction; and Ben Dunn, also a former publisher.
Closing Image: October 27, 2021
A research firm recently investigated consumer sentiment about 21 categories of subscription services, asking if they were “happily hooked” nor not.
Big Five publisher Hachette signs deal with bestselling author Colleen Hoover
Grand Central Publishing, an imprint at Hachette, has announced a deal for a new psychological thriller by bestselling author Colleen Hoover.
American Booksellers Association membership remains steady
This year, ABA reports 1,910 members with 2,496 locations, comparable to where they were prior to the pandemic.
The first half of 2021 sees a surge in dealmaking
According to Publishers Lunch (subscription required), book deal volume for the first half of 2021 is about 20 percent higher than in 2020.
Book sales update: ebook sales declining for traditional publishers
Last year was the first time since 2013 that annual ebook unit sales grew, increasing by 22 percent year over year, according to NPD BookScan.
“Pretty Much Everything Has Gone Wrong”: Navigating Supply Chain Issues
A recent panel of publishing industry vets discussed how they’re adapting to paper shortages and extended shipping times
Inkitt Raises $59 Million, Touts Success with Galatea
An exuberant market for online literature leads to investment in Inkitt’s serial fiction app, Galatea
How Traditional Publishers Are Shifting to Data-Informed Marketing
Social media listening services and advertising analytics help publishers customize book marketing and improve reach
A new nonfiction imprint led by Melinda French Gates
Starting with three titles in 2023, Macmillan’s Flatiron Books is launching a nonfiction imprint, Moment of Lift Books, led by Melinda French Gates.
Rocket Bird Books launches in the UK
Rocket Bird Books will focus on picture books “with no limits.” Beginning in 2023, it will release 10 picture books,
Closing Image: October 13, 2021
14 percent of UK book buyers were TikTok users in the 12 months to April, rising to 37 percent of 13-to-24-year-olds and peaking at nearly half of 16-to-19-year-olds.
New agent alert: Barbara Jones
Formerly an editor at Henry Holt, Jones has joined the Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency.
Two new literary agencies
In the US, three book publishing executives—Doug Hardy (formerly at Random House), Gary June (formerly at Pearson and Dorling Kindersley), and Tim Moore
Virtual conference: Reimagining Bookstores
A group of independent bookstores is hosting a free, virtual gathering, Reimagining Bookstores, on October 18 and 19.
Closing Image: September 29, 2021
NPD BookScan recently released figures for thriller book sales in the US, a category that accounts for one in eight adult fiction books sold.
If acquired by Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster will still be able to bid separately on books
Last week, Penguin Random House CEO Markus Dohle told literary agents that PRH will allow competitive bidding between PRH and Simon & Schuster imprints in the US
Barnes & Noble is doing well. Or, wait. Is it?
A New York Post article reports that Barnes & Noble is “cashing in” on the book-buying craze sparked by the pandemic
Book Sales Update: September 29, 2021
As expected, US print book sales are continuing to dwindle when compared to last year’s stellar results—although they remain ahead of 2020 for now.
Amazon KDP Finally Offers Hardcover Format
Just in August, we reported on the growing sales of hardcover print on demand through IngramSpark. The country’s biggest distributor advised publishers of all sizes
Meet Atticus, an Emerging Software for Book Production
This new browser-based software competes directly with Mac-only Vellum, which makes it an alluring option for PC users
A New Service Helps Authors Advertise on Facebook
Reader Reach Ads comes from an established book promotion firm that has a strong track record of serving indie authors
Ingram partners with a startup that produces AI-generated audiobooks
The biggest US book wholesaler and distributor, Ingram, has established a marketing partnership with the UK’s DeepZen, which provides publishers with AI-generated text-to-speech audiobooks.
The new milestone for bestselling authors: establishing your own imprint
For many years now, celebrities (Gwyneth Paltrow, Oprah Winfrey, Johnny Depp, Sarah Jessica Parker, to name a few) have been tapped to headline imprints at big publishing houses.
Astra establishes a new children’s imprint
Astra announced the launch of its children’s division, Astra Books for Young Readers, which will house one new imprint—Astra Young Readers
Zero Street: a new LGBTQ+ imprint
The University of Nebraska Press is launching Zero Street Fiction, an imprint that will focus on literary fiction and short story collections written by LGBTQ+ authors
UK-based Sweet Cherry Publishing launches two imprints
One imprint, Clock Tower, will publish fiction for all ages by underrepresented and diverse authors.
UK Publishers Take the World Lead in Workforce Diversity Efforts
In the UK, publishers are making a firm commitment to improvement—and not just in gender inclusion in the upper echelons.
Former publisher has founded The Watermark Agency
Mark Tauber has launched The Watermark Agency to “develop and represent projects from writers, journalists, public intellectuals, authors, leaders, and credentialed experts in their fields
Post Hill Press launches SALT Books
Post Hill Press has partnered with Anthony Scaramucci on an imprint named for the SkyBridge Alternatives Conference, aka the SALT Conferences.
Libro.fm launches a business hub
Audiobook retailer Libro.fm now works with businesses to offer curated collections of digital audiobooks to employees
Closing Image: September 15, 2021
In a post about TikTok, audience intelligence firm Pulsar says, “We’ve previously seen Wattpad emerge as one of the leading hashtags on both TikTok and Twitter,
Even Salman Rushdie has a Substack
Just before the Labor Day holiday weekend, news arrived that Salman Rushdie had signed a one-year contract with Substack to serialize his unpublished novella.
Considering Crazy Maple Studio / KISS? Here’s an important heads-up
Recently, a well-established romance author posted a warning in a private Facebook group that they had an unfavorable experience with the publisher of the KISS app
Printing prices set to increase at Ingram—the second time within a year
Amidst significant uncertainty in the global supply chain, IngramSpark is committed to supporting the book industry with the best possible service through the busy holiday season and into 2022.
Chandler Bolt’s Self-Publishing School is buying up writing sites
Earlier this year, we took note when The Book Designer changed hands and became the intellectual property of Chandler Bolt.
A Twitter kerfuffle over the power of poetry
A poetry editor, Danielle Rose, tweeted on Sept. 3, “I wish poets understood that the general population has no interest in what we do.
Book sales update: September 15, 2021
BookTok is still driving US sales in YA fiction, with backlist titles from Adam Silvera, S.E. Hinton, and Lois Lowry recently topping the print charts.
Amazon Trend Report: Paranormal Romance
Paranormal romance is an increasingly versatile subgenre, encompassing mystery/thriller/suspense and urban fantasy with both supernatural and romance plot elements.
Trendspotting: Discord
Founded in 2015, Discord tends to get pigeonholed as mostly for gamers or young people. But the user base doubled in 2020