That trademark nonsense from last year is back
Here we go again: another author has filed a trademark application for a common word used in her series title: dark.
Premium Content
A new round of concern about Amazon warehouse workers
With holiday shopping in full swing, the time is ripe for a series of investigations into the treatment of Amazon’s warehouse workers.
Smashwords offers a new feature called Presales and files for patent
Smashwords’ presales feature isn’t a pre-order; rather, it allows readers to purchase and read a book before the official release date.
Will the Big Five become the Big Four?
Simon & Schuster’s parent company, CBS, has just completed a merger with Viacom, creating ViacomCBS.
2019 Might Be a Disappointing Year for Brick-and-Mortar Bookstores
In its last quarterly report since B&N was acquired and taken private, the US bookstore chain reported that book sales had fallen by nearly 4 percent for the year.
NetGalley and Edelweiss+: A Brief Primer for Authors
NetGalley and Edelweiss offer early looks at books about to release. NetGalley focuses on distributing advance review copies in digital form.
Hot Sheet Index: December 11, 2019
The Hot Sheet Index found-via Reuters-the growth of news podcasts is up 32 percent for the time period in 2019 of January through October.
Closing Image: December 11, 2019
Some of the most popular news podcasts are attracting audiences of millions, but others struggle in an increasingly competitive market.
Coverage opportunity for nonfiction authors at Medium
While traditional book-review coverage has been dwindling for years, Medium is expanding their nonfiction books coverage.
New literary agency: Neon Literary
Anna Sproul-Latimer and Kent Wolf have joined to launch Neon Literary.
Paid Professional Book Reviews: Assessing the Options and the Value
The increase in self-published titles brings increased demand for professional book reviews—written by established industry review outlets.
A New Publishing Startup Focuses on Storytelling through Voice Assistants
Headcanon wants to help publishers and authors create and monetize interactive voice books for digital assistants like Alexa.
New Jersey and New York Consider Freelancing Laws Similar to California’s AB5
Advocacy organizations are mounting challenges to well-intentioned but overly broad legislation to assist gig-economy workers.
Crit Collective: A New Resource for Finding Critique Partners, Betas, and More
Recently we reviewed beta-reading management services, an area that’s seen several new offerings within just a couple years.
Hot Sheet Index: November 27, 2019
The Hot Sheet Index looked at Book net Canada’s report of the number of Canadians who belonged to a book club in 2019 compared to 2018.
Closing Image: November 27, 2019
The VIDA Count has been published every year since 2009 to create transparency surrounding gender imbalances and lack of diversity.
Don’t Look Now, But Here Come the Baker & Taylor Returns
Distribution anomalies at Baker & Taylor and Amazon may affect short-term revenue for publishers and authors.
Snatching a Crumb from the Giant’s Mouth: A New Online Bookstore Hopes to Take 1 Percent from Amazon
Bookshop hopes to offer a profitable and ethical retail option for booksellers and authors—and benefit the entire book culture.
A Million Little Bookstores: Existing Tools That Help Anyone Anywhere Become an Online Bookseller
Aerio and Zola appeal to niche sellers and those with established audiences who want better sales analytics, more customer data—and profit.
Second-Largest US Printer Exits Book Business
Changes in the US printing market may leave book publishers with higher prices and restricted print volumes.
A Change to Book Citations on Wikipedia Could Make Legal Waves in Publishing
The partnership between Wikipedia and the Internet Archive may be designed to further advance a controlled digital lending model
Update: Self-Publishing’s Growth Could Be Slowing
Bowker announced an increase last year in self-published titles, but revised figures may show a soft market.
Hot Sheet Index: November 13, 2019
The Hot Sheet Index reviewed the change in print sales of the top adult titles in 2018 versus 2017 and in the last two years.
Closing Image: November 13, 2019
NPD BookScan infographic above reflects 6 percent sales growth for the top 100 titles over 2018, with declines for lower-ranked titles.
Self-Publishing Output Grows Again, As Does Amazon’s Domination of the Market
Amazon is the market leader in terms of providing self-publishing services and distribution. Last year, they held 85 percent of the market.
#MSWL Day on Its Fifth Anniversary
While #MSWL is active all the time, the upshot of #MSWL day is more participants than usual and a greater variety of ideas.
The 2019 World Ranking of the Publishing Industry
For more than 10 years, Global 50 report has tracked and reported the biggest 50 publishers in the world based on annual revenue.
Highlights from Frankfurt Book Fair
Michael Cader of Publishers Marketplace tallies up deals made in the selling season leading up to Frankfurt, an indicator of industry trends.
Hot Sheet Index: October 30, 2019
RELX Group Is the World’s Biggest Publisher. Formerly known as Reed-Elsevier, revenues for the top publisher top 5 billion.
Closing Image: October 30, 2019
Global 50, analyzes the performance of the world’s top publishers, showing annual revenue of the six largest publishing groups from 2007 to 2018.
Royalty Reminder Helps Authors Manage and Profit from Their Intellectual Property
A recently developed tool helps both traditional and self-published authors track contracts and rights.
California’s New Labor Law: Why Freelancers Are Concerned
AB5 significantly changes the terms under which a person providing labor is classified as an employee or as an independent contractor.
The Audio Market Heats Up for Those Not Exclusive to Audible
Capturing the gossip at NINC, author and indie marketing expert David Gaughran highlights changes ahead for the digital audio market.
A Pro Marketer Shares Tips for Customizing Your Book’s Promotion
An award-winning indie author and professional marketer shares insights for effective paid marketing strategies customized to your goals.
HarperCollins UK Adds Backlist Titles to Kindle Unlimited
The move raised some old questions—and confusion—about how writers get paid in Amazon’s subscription service.
Selling Translation Rights: A Tricky Skill Set for Independent Authors
ALLi hopes to mitigate the challenges of selling rights to your book in a foreign language.
Hot Sheet Index: October 16, 2019
Publishers Inch toward breaking even with 2018 Sales. Comparing unit sales of print titles in 2019 versus 2018 so far.
Closing Image: October 16, 2019
According to NPD BookScan, which tracks print sales in the US, Delia Owens’s debut, Where the Crawdads Sing, is the year’s bestseller so far.
Beta Management Services Compete for Authors
Authors see beta readers as an essential resource, and entrepreneurs have responded with new online platforms for corralling beta readers.
Student Pirating Not to Blame for Publishing’s Problems
Higher education publishers continue to experience revenue declines as students seek more affordable purchasing options.
Focus and Hustle Can Sell a Screenplay without an Agent
While it requires an enormous investment of time and energy, it is possible to network your way to a screenwriting career.
Hot Sheet Index: October 2, 2019
The Hot Sheet Index reviewed The state of independent bookselling in Canada. 87 Percent of revenue comes from in-store purchases.
Closing Image: October 2, 2019
A recent report from BookNet Canada compares the inventory breakdown for Canadian booksellers against BNC’s sales data.
When Third-Party Sellers Win the Buy Box, What’s the Damage?
The buy box is prime real estate on Amazon selling platform. Here’s when and how to wrest the territory back from a third-party seller.