Re-envisioning how a flagship Barnes & Noble store could operate
The latest commentary from a publishing consultant uniquely demonstrates the lack of vision at B&N.
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Longread of the week: Can Twitter save science?
A person connected to the venture capital community suggests that Twitter can disrupt the academic journal business model.
HarperCollins launches HarperChapters, an imprint for early readers
Each book will be 96 pages, with brief chapters and illustrations (or “airy layouts”), and feature stories with action and humor.
iHeartPodcast Network is now turning podcasts into books
Their new imprint (in partnership with Flatiron Books) launches in September with Stuff You Should Know by Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant.
Dan Brown enters the children’s book market
Dan Brown’s first picture book, Wild Symphony, illustrated by Susan Batori, will release on September 1 from Rodale Kids.
Hallmark and Walmart partner on mass-market romance line
Starting Feb. 25, one Hallmark romance novel will be highlighted each week at Walmart, beginning with Country Hearts by Cindi Madsen.
Maria Rogers joins The Tobias Literary Agency
Rogers seeks smart cultural criticism, original journalism, science writing, children’s nonfiction, ancient history, and contemporary issues.
Publishing trade shows and book fairs canceled due to coronavirus
As of today, just about every international gathering of publishing-industry professionals in March has been postponed or canceled.
Hot Sheet Index: February 19, 2020
The Hot Sheet Index reviewed the number of people in the U.S. who visited libraries in 2019 versus the number of people going to the movies.
Managing Deals and Licensing as an Author: Three Tips from an Expert
Knowing term options and building publisher relationships can help authors negotiate favorable deals, keep information flowing, and recover from inevitable mishaps
Closing Image: February 19, 2020
According to a Gallup poll, even though we live in a digital media era, libraries have endured as a place Americans visit nearly monthly.
Despite Lackluster Sales, Chain Bookstores Increase Profits
Profits are riding high at Waterstones based on a modest sales gain; Barnes & Noble is a mess; Indigo sales are down.
Findaway Voices: Expanding Features and Tools for Audiobook Marketing
We delved into audiobook sales opportunities for authors and suggested going wide may be better long-term than exclusivity with Audible.
Kaepernick will self-publish his memoir
Kaepernick had made two deals to traditionally publish a memoir, but neither project came to fruition.
Harlequin adds a trade paperback fiction line to Love Inspired, its inspirational romance imprint
The press release says, “The trade imprint’s longer word count will allow for more complex stories and characters.”
Netflix loses bid to dismiss copyright infringement lawsuit
The network aired a Black Mirror movie that evokes the Choose Your Own Adventure series but didn’t obtain a license from the trademark owner.
Skyhorse launches a new romance imprint
Contemporary romance will be the focus, with about 10 to 15 titles to be released annually, starting this fall.
A Twitter account is shortlisted for a literary prize
Academic Katy Hayward’s Twitter account has been shortlisted for the award alongside three other books.
There’s a New York senate bill on library licensing
The bill in response to the Macmillan embargo would require publishers to “offer licenses for ebooks to libraries under reasonable terms.”
There’s now a Carol Shields Prize for Fiction
Every year, the award will give $150,000 to a work of fiction by a woman or nonbinary person, beginning in 2022.
PBS airs two-hour documentary on Amazon and Jeff Bezos
PBS Frontline aired Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos, and the director was recently interviewed on Fresh Air about the project.
Two more agents join Raven Quill
The agency represents children’s/YA authors and illustrators. Note that a rejection from one agent is a rejection from the entire agency.
Amazon Publishing appears to do the best job with book cover presentations
Codex president Peter Hildick-Smith said the outcome demonstrates Amazon’s understanding of the direct impact of cover browsing.
Audible must secure permission for Captions use
As a result of the final settlement with publishers, Audible cannot add captions to copyright-protected content without explicit permission.
The entire RWA board has resigned
This is part of the continuing fallout from the Courtney Milan censure in December 2019.
Barnes & Noble cancels the Diverse Editions project
For Black History Month, the Fifth Avenue Barnes & Noble in New York City planned to release 12 classic novels with re-imagined covers.
Why American Dirt Isn’t a Good Look for Publishers
From the start, American Dirt has been a commercial package that the Big Five publishing industry knows—or thought it knew—how to make pay.
It’s Time to Discuss (Again) Independent Bookstore “Resurgence”
A new report may overstate the “resurgence” of the independent bookstores, although innovation can be found.
Achieving a Better Amazon Ranking: The Latest Data-Driven Insights
Dave Chesson offers a three-step plan for optimizing Amazon rankingChesson explained keywords and keyword phrases are not some magical thing.
Hot Sheet Index: February 5, 2020
The Hot Sheet Index reviewed the number of people who employ the use of a Smart Speaker–24% of Americans own one.
Closing Image: February 5, 2020
A study conducted by NPR and Edison Research shows that smart speakers and voice assistants are increasingly a part of everyday lives.
Reagan Arthur named head of Knopf
She has been publisher at Little, Brown since 2013 and was handpicked by Sonny Mehta himself before he died.
Long read of the month: A grumpy, literary take on the past decade of traditional publishing
The editors of the well-respected literary journal n+1 discuss the last decade in book publishing.
Bookshop, the Amazon alternative, is now live
Founder Andy Hunter said that Bookshop’s sales goal for 2023 is $36 million, or 1 percent of Amazon’s sales.
New agent, Erin Clyburn, seeks new authors working in all genres
Clyburn has joined the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency and is seeking a broad range of children’s, YA, and adult fiction and nonfiction.
ReadTribe matches up readers and book clubs
However, book clubs must be affiliated with an independent bookstore to participate in ReadTribe.
A new literary podcast about dead people
Author Marlon James and his Riverhead editor Jake Morrissey now have a podcast focused on the work of dead authors.
A new nonfiction imprint, focused on religion, at 1517 Media
Broadleaf will publish nonfiction titles on religion, spirituality, social justice, personal growth, and Christian living.
Macmillan CEO and librarians spar over ebook embargo
Macmillan’s CEO met with librarians to field questions about and discuss the publisher’s relatively recent embargo on new-release ebooks.
A publishing-industry diversity survey shows progress among interns
While the industry is just as white as four years ago, there’s more diversity at the top, with interns as the most diverse group of all.
John Bolton’s book has a publication date: March 17
The National Security Council has some problems with the manuscript; it reportedly contains top-secret classified information.
Publishers Lunch is now sharing Bookstat data
Bookstat does much what Author Earnings did, but in a more disciplined, polished, and professional manner.
Managing Giveaways and Cross Promotions: BookFunnel and StoryOrigin
Independent authors often opt to use both or switch between the two marketing support services.
How Traditional Publishing Performed in 2019
For 2019, US print sales stopped growing and dipped 1.4 percent compared to 2018, based on outlets that report to NPD BookScan.
MSWL Update: A Desire for Genre-Bending Work and YA That’s Closer to Home
The holiday season and the start of 2020 inspired renewed commitment and enthusiasm from editors and literary agents using #MSWL to convey their acquisition wishes.