Marketing and Selling to “US Book Buyers of Color”
Many big publishers, who understand and focus on white audiences, urgently need an education in non-white book buyers.
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Zibby Books launches with an unusual business model
Founded by wealthy book influencer and podcaster Zibby Owens, Zibby Books will publish one book per month,
Trendspotting: Supply Chain Woes
I happen to know more about the ins and outs of publishing’s supply chain because I’m married to a former production guy.
Yes, You Can Sell Your Book without Social Media
One of the biggest anxieties and preoccupations of authors today is social media. How big does your following have to be?
New literary agency and services firm: BBH Literary
BBH Literary is a publicity firm, literary agency, and editorial services company founded by David Bratt and Laura Bardolph Hubers.
Closing Image: September 1, 2021
The Association of American Publishers has released their latest StatShot report, which allows for a comparison of 2021 versus 2020,
Penguin Random House sees best profits in 19 years
Bertelsmann, the parent company of Penguin Random House (the largest of the Big Five), recently reported results for the first half of 2021.
Amanda Gorman’s forthcoming poetry collection gets a price increase
Booksellers were somewhat alarmed when Penguin Random House announced an unexpected price increase for the hardcover edition of Call Us What We Carry—Gorman’s poetry collection
Amazon to open larger physical retail outlets
Amazon opened its first brick-and-mortar bookstore in fall 2015 in Seattle’s University Village; it stocked a modest 5,000 to 6,000 titles.
Book sales update: September 1, 2021
Barnes & Noble’s sales are up by 5 to 6 percent this year compared to 2019, according to CEO James Daunt in an interview with Publishers Weekly.
Where Does RWA Go from Here?
Romance Writers of America (RWA) is the leading organization for a genre that is a force within publishing. Romance titles consist of a third of all book sales and bring in over $1 billion a year
RWA rescinds a Vivian Award for romanticizing real world tragedies
The Vivian Awards—the new annual Romance Writers of America award series replaces the problematic RITAs—is experiencing its first scandal.
ABA explains last month’s mess
In July, the American Booksellers Association made two organizational missteps that it profusely apologized for: it used the wrong cover when featuring a book on its bestseller list.
As Library Collections Move Digital, What Happens to Author Earnings?
Does library lending help or hurt author and publisher income? The debate continues among publishers, librarians, and author advocates.
Book sales update: August 18, 2021
Through July 2021, print unit sales are up 15.3 percent compared to 2020, which in any normal year would be incredible.
Amazon Trend Report: Billionaire Romance and Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
Romance, the bestselling category on Amazon, often makes inroads into other categories.
Black Voices: Short-Term Progress or Sustainable Change?
Last year in June 2020, the Authors Guild hosted a panel with Black voices in publishing to discuss the challenges they’ve faced in the industry for many decades now.
New podcast: Agent Provocateur
The Rights Factory, a literary agency, has just launched a new agency-wide podcast, Agent Provocateur, “to intrigue, entertain, and yes, provoke you.”
New eponymous imprint at Simon & Schuster’s Scribner division
Marysue Rucci Books will launch with a Summer 2022 list; Scribner publisher Nan Graham says in a press release,.
New imprint for short literary fiction
Seventy2One publishes novellas, short story collections, and other brief works. The imprint is a division of Massive Overheads Productions, in the UK.
Closing Image: August 18, 2021
NPD BookScan recently released print sales figures for 2021 (ending July 31, 2021), showing 15 percent growth against 2020.
Big Five publisher Hachette acquires Workman
Based in New York, Workman is one of the largest independent publishers in the US, with a focus on nonfiction publishing.
UK publisher and author face criticism for racial stereotyping
Kate Clanchy’s memoir, Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me, which is about the author’s teaching experience in UK state schools,
Legal action against Audible continues by authors and narrators
We need a multi-prong attack to not only recover our stolen funds but also stop the continuation of Audible’s monopolistic abuse of authors, narrators, and readers.”
Medium modifies contest rules after pushback
the fine print in the official rules contained a rights grab—giving Medium “an irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide, nonexclusive, sublicensable, assignable” license to all entries
HarperCollins has record profits; author payments grow
For the most recent fiscal year ending June 30, HarperCollins (the second largest publisher in the US) reported record high sales and profits.
Curious Fictions closes
Curious Fictions, a Patreon-like site devoted to fiction writers, is closing its doors. We only just reported on the site in May, although the site has been in operation since 2017.
Book sales update: big bestsellers not pulling the market
The latest figures from NPD BookScan (which tracks US print sales through retailers) continues to reflect challenges for nonfiction
Self-Published Authors Can Now Use Amazon A+ Content
Skillful use of A+ content can increase the number of readers who decide to buy.
Kensington launches cozy mystery imprint
Kensington Cozies will launch at the end of this year and feature stories with “little-to-no violence, profanity, or sex;
Merriam-Webster launches children’s imprint
Merriam-Webster Kids will launch in fall 2021 and be focused on word books for kids of all ages. The first book in the series, Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day.
ORM acquires Bloodhound Books
Open Road Media, known for its digital marketing strength as well as its own backlist publishing program for ebooks, has acquired UK ebook publisher Bloodhound Books.
Closing Image: August 4, 2021
In a July presentation, NPD BookScan analyst Kristen McLean ventured a prediction for how print book sales might finish out the year.
Pearson rolls out digital subscription model for students
Educational publisher Pearson announced in July it’s launching an app giving US students access to all of its 1,500 titles.
Kids’ online reading platform Epic sold for $500 million to Byju’s
Epic, one of the most popular and successful digital reading platforms for children under 12 in the US, has now been acquired by India-based Byju’s
Examples of A+ Content
Examples of Amazon book product pages using A+ content, in nonfiction, children’s, and fiction categories
Scribd might be going public
The US-based all-you-can-eat digital subscription service says it’s been profitable since 2017 and brings in about $100 million in annual recurring revenue.
Deal volume remains high, as tracked by Publishers Marketplace
Publishers Marketplace, which has been tracking book deals for 20 years (all self-reported), has released new stats.
Kindle Vella is now open to readers
Amazon’s serialization platform, Vella, is now available to readers after opening earlier this year for writers to upload their works.
SCOTUS passes on First Amendment case about a nonfiction book
Published in 2015, Arms and the Dudes by journalist Guy Lawson is a nonfiction book about how three stoners from Miami Beach became the most unlikely gunrunners in history
Book Sales Update: July 21, 2021
Adult fiction is buoying print book sales in 2021, a significant surprise given that the category was seeing a long, slow sales decline prior to the pandemic.
All-You-Can-Eat Subscription Models: Believers versus Skeptics
The music business shifted largely to streaming and subscription-based consumption; movies and TV shifted too,
Harnessing Community to Build Book Sales and Platform
Traditional publishers often center marketing campaigns around community support—sometimes growing an author’s platform in the process.
Negotiating Advances and Book Deals: Current Agent Tactics
To maximize earnings, agents have to pay special attention to audio rights, plus consider how an author’s platform plays into an offer