Kobo’s Michael Tamblyn on How Crucial Your Metadata Is Today
A major platform chief observes that smart use of metadata can boost sales and discovery, especially with series.
Premium Content
The Arab World’s Focus on Writer Development: Our 2019 Update
“The UAE is among the newest of the Arab world countries” to focus consciously on building its literary life.
Hot Sheet Index: May 1, 2019
The Hot Sheet Index reviewed the consumer use of audiobooks and found that the number continued to rise in 2018.
Closing Image: May 1, 2019
Consumers now have a virtually infinite supply of things to watch, listen to, and read. According to an article at REDEF.
Writers and Agents Face Off in a Bitter Hollywood Dispute
Writers allege a standard entertainment-industry practice harms their earnings–the movie and television-industry practice of packaging.
Amazon Ads: Can’t Live with ’em, Can’t Live without ’em
We’ve heard anecdotal reports from authors who’ve been running Amazon ads for a long time now that the ads have become less effective.
Award-Winning Children’s Author Offers Insights on Writing and Marketing Books with Diverse Characters
One of the most prolific authors of books featuring black characters talks about issues and approaches for children’s writers of color.
Poetry: The Bestselling Category for IngramSpark
Social media has sparked a younger generation’s interest in poetry and increased print sales in that genre.
No Safe Harbor: Authors’ Organizations and the Battle With Ebook Piracy
The Society of Authors in London issued their “Piracy Is Theft” appeal earlier this month to the UK secretary of state for business..
Hot Sheet Index: April 17, 2019
The Hot Sheet Index reviewed the percentages of romances written by people of color by top publishers and in 2018 versus 2016 and 2017.
Closing Image: April 17, 2019
A Nielsen-Digimarc study looks at why people illegally download ebooks from torrent sites and the activity harms the publishing industry.
Closing Image: April 3, 2019
According to the GlobalWebIndex, while Facebook still has the largest number of users, YouTube is now number one in weekly visitors.
From Book to Screen: Current Trends in Adaptation
The ravenous film market seeks books with big themes for adaptation—just don’t ask buyers to read your book.
Where Kids’ Nonfiction Is in Debate: Women in Children’s Books
A special emphasis at Bologna this year: empowerment in children’s nonfiction. What about girls who aren’t superheroes?
Open Road Media Shares Best Practices for Ebook Marketing
Open Road Media shared case studies as well as new research that shows ebook promotions have a halo effect on print sales.
The EU Copyright Directive: Is It an Online Brexit?
We have a summary of the EU’s decision on the Copyright Directive, which on March 26 was given a thumbs-up by the European Parliament.
A Global Look at the Audiobook Market
The Audio Publishers Association and the Bologna Children’s Book Fair are mapping audio activity and interest.
Amazon’s New MFN Policy Doesn’t Affect KDP Authors
KDP authors aren’t third-party merchants and may not set a lower selling price on their books at other retailers.
Hot Sheet Index: April 3, 2019
The Hot Sheet Index reviews the change in sales and profits for some top trade publishers for 2018 versus 2017.
All Hail Digital Audio: Growth, Opportunities, and Challenges
Publishers are expanding audio production to include nonfiction and children’s titles; voice assistants expected to play an important role.
Agents Discuss Their Experiences with Amazon Publishing
Agents tell us that a contract with an Amazon Publishing imprint can be good for both debut and established authors.
Nonfiction Keeps Marching into Profits
in recent years nonfiction sales have either remained stable or grown across the industry, while adult fiction sales have been declining.
New Guidelines for Participating in International Events in Political Times
You don’t have to travel internationally to run into situations in which a speaking engagement or a book signing may seem questionable.
A Pivotal Vote Lies Ahead for Europe’s New Copyright Directive
For online copyright issues, battle for public sentiment is Article 13. The section concerns Silicon Valley’s operation in the content space.
Hot Sheet Index: March 20, 2019
The Hot Sheet Index reviewed the number of employees and the median worker earnings for Amazon and Facebook employees.
Closing Image: March 20, 2019
Audiobook consumption has traditionally leaned more male than female, but new research in the UK shows the gender gap is closing.
BookBub’s Chirp: A New Audiobook Marketing Opportunity
BookBub is going beyond marketing and promotion with its latest service, which actually sells audiobooks through a new site and mobile app.
Despite New Tools, Author Research Is Essential for Success in Amazon Ads
In 2016, Amazon opened up Amazon Marketing Services (AMS) to all self-published authors distributing books via Amazon KDP.
The Larger and Darker Problem Revealed by the Romance Plagiarism Story
Acts and accusations of plagiarism are as old as time. The latest high-profile plagiarism case is unique to indie and digital publishing.
Authors, Illustrators on the Fine Art(s) of Diversity in Children’s Books
Diversity for illustrators and authors in the children’s sector is front of mind for the industry’s creative pros.
London Book Fair’s Author HQ Beats Other Trade Show Writer Programs
As other trade shows have faltered in their outreach to indie authors, London Book Fair has grown and refined its Author HQ events.
Hot Sheet Index: March 6, 2019
The Hot Sheet Index reviewed the decline in print book sales in January 2019 versus January 2018 for fiction, nonfiction and political books.
Closing Image: March 6, 2019
According to eMarketer, this year for the first time, digital ad spending will exceed traditional ad spending.
Reedsy Opens Discovery as a New Marketing Option for Indie Books
Reedsy is best known as a marketplace for author services—primarily used by editors and designers—on March 4 it will launch Reedsy Discovery.
How to Create a Million-Copy Bestseller (When Published By Amazon)
At a recent writers conference, an agent-editor-author panel offered rare discussion and insight about an Amazon Publishing success story.
Radish Originals Market to the Young and the Restless Readers
With an eye on Netflix, the serialization platform Radish has lured a bevy of soap opera talent to create the company’s own Originals.
Mike Shatzkin and the Changing Value of “Delivering Quality Words Quickly”
Mike Shatzkin is likely the longest-active insider in book publishing. The Shatzkin Files blog site is a regular stop for industry players.
Podcast Watch: Tips and Insights across the Publishing Community: February 20, 2019
We’ve taken it upon ourselves to try to offer Hot Sheet readers a guide to some of the notable podcast episodes we’ve scrubbed through.
Hot Sheet Index: February 20, 2019
The Hot Sheet Index reviewed book categories, comparing statistic from 2017 to 2018. Trade Book Publisher Revenue Increased 4.6% in 2018.
Closing Index: February 20, 2019
According to Amazon’s annual reports, Amazon has 48 times the square footage today (2018) as it did in 2004.
Controlled Digital Lending: What It Is and the Fight Now Brewing
Library lending of scanned print books may not be legal under current copyright law; author and publisher associations begin to protest.
How the New Wattpad Books Works for Authors
Late in January, Wattpad announced that it’s launching a new publishing arm, Wattpad Books, with six titles releasing this fall.
One of Wattpad Books’ First Six Authors on Reaching the Core Demographic
Cupid’s Match is a valuable property on the platform and illustrates why Wattpad would be motivated to launch its own books division.
Barnes & Noble Offers Advertising to Indie Authors
B&N’s new ad platform launched with significant flaws, but B&N has already issued refunds and appears to be reshaping the program.