NetGalley experiences a data breach
On Dec. 21, 2020, NetGalley suffered a data breach that exposed user accounts, including passwords and personal information.
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The Great Gatsby now in the public domain
On Public Domain Day (January 1 of every year), major works enter the public domain. This year welcomes F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby,
Book sales update: January 6, 2021
Print book sales in the US remained strong through the holidays and end of the year. During the holiday season.
A new site curates podcasts for readers, authors, and publishers
Launching this month, LiveWriters will provide news and resources about podcasting for the book community, a forum for industry discussion.
New agent: Lisa Amstutz
Author Lisa Amstutz has joined Storm Literary Agency; she has written more than 100 science and history books for children.
Year in Review: The Most Important Conversation
Publishers say they are committed to diversity and inclusion, but concerns linger that their efforts may be performative.
Year in Review: The Most Important Tech Development
AI makes strides in writing and reading, new services and tools emerged to meaningfully assist publishers, authors, editors and marketers.
Closing Image: December 23, 2020
Written Word Media released the results of their latest author survey. This year, they’ve broken down responses based on authors’ incomes.
Robin Cutler has joined LMBPN Publishing
Robin Cutler recently retired as head of IngramSpark, the print-on-demand distribution arm of Ingram that serves self-publishing authors.
CASE Act passes Congress, effectively creating a small claims court for copyright cases
Rather than having to file a costly case in federal court, authors can now bring cases, without an attorney, to a Copyright Claims Board.
Roxane Gay is launching a book club and newsletter
It’s called The Audacious Book Club, which is part of a new overall endeavor called The Audacity, debuting on January 11, with new writing from Gay
A new, researched look at racial inequality in US traditional publishing
Redlining Culture, just released from Columbia University Press, is generating buzz and conversation in traditional publishing circles.
The Association of Authors Representatives changes its name, launches nonprofit
Going forward, the AAR will be known as the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA).
Goodreads closing off access to its data, making it less useful
While the average person may not detect any changes at Goodreads, the company is retiring its API access and disabling existing API keys.
Blurbbist: a new and ill-advised venture
Many established authors started receiving emails from Blurbbist, a new platform that manages, and enables payment for, book blurbs.
A couple more takes on the potential PRH acquisition of Simon & Schuster
In our last issue, we rounded up multiple viewpoints on the potential of the Big Five becoming the Big Four.
Book sales update: print units up 8 percent versus last year
Print sales continue to run ahead of 2019 according to NPD BookScan, which tracks sales through brick-and-mortar and online retailers.
BookFunnel adds support for audio
BookFunnel, the service used by many authors to distribute digital review copies and giveaways (as well as sell ebooks direct), can now deliver digital audio.
Spiegel & Grau are back
Last year, Penguin Random House shut down its imprint Spiegel & Grau, run by the well-known veteran editors Cindy Spiegel and Julie Grau.
Jay-Z launches an imprint with Random House
The new imprint, Roc Lit 101, will be partly overseen by One World publisher and editor in chief Chris Jackson.
Rachelle Gardner launches her own agency
Gardner, well-known for advising writers through her blog, is launching Gardner Literary, a full-service agency “representing diverse authors at the crossroads of faith and culture.”
Year in Review 2020: Winners and Losers
2020 was unique in that success (or failure) depended largely on a completely external factor: the pandemic
Post Hill Press launches a new Jewish imprint
Wicked Son will focus on “publishing sharp-edged political and cultural commentary as well as history, fiction, philosophy, and other books of Jewish interest.”
Closing Image: December 9, 2020
This chart based on sales reports from the US divisions of Big Five publishers. Figures gleaned– Publishers Weekly and Publishers Lunch
Simon & Schuster starts two new children’s graphic novel lines
Little Simon Graphic Novels will publish for readers aged five to nine; so far, all titles are based on existing series.
The industry reacts to the potential Big Five merger
As word spread about the successful bid of Penguin Random House to acquire Simon & Schuster, industry advocacy organizations spoke out quickly.
London-based publisher launches new children’s fiction imprint
Welbeck Flame is a new initiative from Welbeck Publishing Group. The imprint will open wide to submissions in January.
A list of all imprints launched this year
The American Booksellers Association has helpfully compiled a list of new imprints launched this year from small and large publishers alike.
In a surprise move, Amazon Publishing may offer ebooks to libraries next year
Amazon Publishing is in talks with the DPLA to offer its ebooks to libraries through DPLA’s ebook reading platform, SimplyE.
Amazon Advantage gets a makeover, looks more like Seller Central
Many small publishers supply Amazon with books through the Amazon Advantage program, a consignment program with a $99 annual membership fee.
BookExpo and BookCon are “retired” and won’t be held in 2021
The slow demise of the event is partly related to its declining relevance to booksellers.
Literary Agents Discuss Short-Term and Long-Term Industry Challenges
The pandemic has influenced agents’ reading and acquisition tastes and sharpened their perspective on industry priorities.
Emerging Story Platforms: Alternatives to Book-Based Storytelling
Emerging platforms continue to evolve and figure out what readers want, and all of them have modified their offerings or model at least once.
US book sales update: December 9, 2020
Even though in-store retail shopping fell dramatically on Black Friday compared to last year, activity on Cyber Monday increased anywhere from 20 to 45 percent.
Barnes & Noble eliminates a third of staff
CEO James Daunt said B&N expects to see sales decline 20 percent in 2020, assuming December sales are good.
Closing Image: November 25, 2020
2020 is expected to be the best year on record for traditional book publishing sales since NPD started measuring the market.
Payment problems at children’s publisher Albert Whitman & Co. out in the open
After a public complaint on Twitter about the publisher’s poor treatment, AW&C president John Quattrocchi posted an open letter to authors.
Politics & Prose plans to start charging for author events in what it calls a “flexible, independent content model”
The announcement asserts that the “current revenue model” is no longer sustainable.
Obama’s memoir posts the largest first-day sales for any book published by Penguin Random House
On the first day of publication, Barack Obama’s A Promised Land sold more than 887,000 units in all formats and editions in the US and Canada.
Audible Returns Enrage the Author Community, Leading to Change in Payment Policy
Authors demand increased transparency for audiobook returns and additional changes to Audible’s return policy.
Almost immediately after Election Day, speculation began about Trump’s memoir
The question on everyone’s mind: Will any of the Big Five risk the backlash involved in publishing a post-presidency memoir authored by Donald Trump?
Amazon Author Central gets an upgrade
Regardless of how you publish, every author has access to a free Amazon Author Central account.
Binge Books launches
The same group that brought you Authors A.I. has now launched Binge Books, a book discovery site for fiction.
Big Five Publishing CEOs: There Is Continuing, Extraordinary Demand for Books
But the greater demand for books during the pandemic contrasts sharply with the hardship faced by brick-and-mortar booksellers
Hachette launches GCP Balance, a nonfiction imprint
The imprint will launch in 2022 and publish across practical nonfiction categories, including health/wellness, business, self-help, and more.
How Traditional Publishers Are Marketing Books in 2021
In a world where book browsing is happening online, publishers are beginning to realize the importance of a clear brand identity.
Simon & Schuster launches Black Privilege Publishing
The imprint, housed under the Atria Books division, is headed up by radio presenter, television personality, and author Charlamagne tha God.
Leaf Mag launches in Australia to demystify the book industry
The online publication to help inform anyone seeking to enter the Australian book industry has been launched by two university students and a recent graduate.