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Hot Sheet Index: November 14, 2018
The Hot Sheet Index reviewed the Amazon’s total share of online commerce and its percentage of third party sales in 2012 and again in 2017.
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Internet Retailer estimates Amazon accounted for about 72.7 percent of US e-commerce sales growth last year, up from 65.9 percent in 2016.
The Latest Trends in Young Adult Fiction
YA has been the darling category of the traditional publishing industry, a key growth area offering crossover appeal.
Scribd Partners with The New York Times on a New Subscription Offer
Scribd has deals in place with major publishers and offers a deep backlist catalogue of Big Five publishing titles.
PublishDrive Offers a New Payment Model for Authors
Last month, ebook distributor PublishDrive announced a new (optional) model: a $100 monthly fee for 100 percent royalties.
Startup Plympton Returns with Short “Cli-Fi” for Amazon
Writing studio Plympton partners once again with Amazon—this time on fast-to-market fiction drawn from the headlines.
PEN America Sues Donald Trump to Protect First-Amendment Rights
Free-speech, human-rights-advocacy organization PEN America filed lawsuit against President Trump for challenging the free speech of writers.
Hot Sheet Index: October 31, 2018
The Hot Sheet Index reviewed the audiobook usage by Canadians in 2018. The most popular audiobook fiction genre was Science Fiction/Fantasy.
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BookNet Canada released a report on how Canadian audiobook listeners discover, use, and think about audiobooks.
Frankfurt Book Fair 2018: Warm, Sunny, and Politically Charged
The world’s largest trade show for the international book industry, Frankfurt Book Fair, was a determinedly political affair this year.
Barnes & Noble Is Up for Sale
Barnes & Noble “has decided to enter into a formal review process to evaluate strategic alternatives for the company.”
Wattpad Rolls Out Paid Content in Select Markets
For a site that offers 100 percent free content, Wattpad’s announcement last week of Wattpad Next—a premium content offering—was big news.
Bowker Sees ISBN Growth in Self-Pub, 50 Percent Gains for CreateSpace
In its annual report, Bowker reports on CreateSpace’s increasing dominance in self-published print titles and declines for Author Solutions.
Mark Lefebvre Joins Draft2Digital
The founding director of Kobo Writing Life joins the Oklahoma-based ebook distributor as it announces new services for authors.
Hot Sheet Index: October 17, 2018
Hot Sheet Index reviewed US traditional publishing sales (by unit): 2018 YTD vs 2017 YTD. Change in overall print book sales: +2.5 percent.
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At Digital Book World 2018 in Nashville, Data Guy from Author Earnings presented the latest figures from his paid service, Bookstat.
BookScan Gets an Upgrade
The industry resource for researching book sales, which hasn’t been changed since 2001, is getting an upgrade from its new owners, NPD.
EU Finally Recognizes Ebooks as Books for VAT Purposes
A European Commission proposal approved by the EU Parliament in 2017, allows EU member nations to tax ebooks and print books at the same rates
Instafreebie Rebrands as Prolific Works
Prolific Works plans to help authors fully fund their works prior to publication by establishing a partnership with Kickstarter.
New Ebook Barometer Offers Tips on Pricing in Four Countries
A new report offers hints that authors may be able to apply in pricing their ebooks in four European markets.
A Hot Sheet Exclusive: ALLi Rolls Out Self-Publishing 3.0
The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), based in London the organization is the leading support and informational body for indie authors.
Hot Sheet Index: October 3, 2018
The Hot Sheet Index reviewed the statistics available for Canadian publishing, including sales for English and French-language books.
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BookNet Canada found that Facebook is the top social media platform used by book buyers in Canada, followed by YouTube.
EU’s Copyright Reforms, Part 1: Sharing Copyrighted Material on the Internet
The European Parliament took a step toward reforming its Copyright Directive, legislation intended to update copyright law for digital age.
EU’s Copyright Reforms, Part 2: Managing Royalties
In Europe, most of the leading publishers’ associations have issued glowing statements about the proposed Copyright Directive legislation.
The Rising Tide of Trump Books Floats Many Boats
As we go to press, Simon & Schuster reports Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward sold over 1.1 million copies in its first week.
Holding the High Street: Waterstones Buys Foyles
Authors may see little effect from sale of Foyles chain to the UK’s big company, important point for most seems to be “anything but Amazon.”
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May 2018, about 8 percent of views on Amazon product pages came from sponsored links– more than double what it was a year earlier.
Revisiting Morality Clauses from the US Perspective
The #metoo era has led to a renewed focus on morality clauses in publishing contracts; agents worry they offer publishers too much power to cancel a book for arbitrary reasons.
Hot Sheet Index: September 5, 2018
The Hot Sheet Index reviewed the number of print book sales in some years before and after Borders filed for bankruptcy.
CreateSpace Merges with Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing
The most popular self-publishing distribution service for print books—owned by Amazon—is being integrated into another Amazon division.
The Unhelpful Mysteries of the Parneros Lawsuit against Barnes & Noble
Former B&N CEO Demos Parneros filed a lawsuit seeking $4 million in damages for severance and defamation in his abrupt dismissal on July 3.
The Smart Brand Translation of the Kobo-Walmart Partnership
The Kobo-Walmart online store is called Walmart Ebooks by Rakuten Kobo—essentially branding Kobo as Walmart Ebooks for American consumers.
Agent Mark Gottlieb Resigns from AAR during Ethics Investigation
After an author lodged a formal complaint against member Mark Gottlieb, the organization recommended expulsion. But Gottlieb resigned first.
The Advocacy-Driven Independent Publishers Caucus Takes Shape
Conceived in 2016, the Independent Publishers Caucus is intended to be an advocacy organization for independent publishers.
TCJA: A Possible Tax Break for Even High-Earning Writers
Freelance writers and authors—even those earning well into the six figures—can look forward to a US tax break for 2018.
Can Indie Authors Really Get Books into China?
The ebook distributor PublishDrive announced an arrangement to make titles available through Dangdang, one of China’s largest online retailers.
BookBub Adds Another Type of Featured Deal to the Mix
BookBub, is an email service best known for sending daily alerts about free or discounted full-length ebooks to millions of readers every day.
Publishers Association Corrects Its Author-Payment Figures
The UK’s Publishers Association (PA) has announced that it incorrectly reported how much its publishers pay authors.
California Court Decision Worries Freelance Writers
Several media outlets have mentioned an April court ruling in California that could affect how independent workers are classified.
Our New Partnership with the Authors Guild
We’re delighted to announce a partnership between The Hot Sheet and the Authors Guild. Members receive a discount on Hot Sheet subscriptions.
Hot Sheet Index: August 22, 2018
The Hot Sheet Index gave an overview of traditional publishing sales between 2014 and 2017. Overall sales decreased by six percent.
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The Association of American Publishers released its final sales estimates for 2017, detailing the shift in traditional publishing’s format sales between 2013 and 2017.