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.
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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.
Closing Image: October 17, 2018
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.
Closing Image: October 3, 2018
BookNet Canada found that Facebook is the top social media platform used by book buyers in Canada, followed by YouTube.
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.
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.”
Closing Image: September 19, 2018
May 2018, about 8 percent of views on Amazon product pages came from sponsored links– more than double what it was a year earlier.
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.
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.
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.
Closing Image: August 22, 2018
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.
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.
Simon & Schuster Rolls Out a New Direct-to-Consumer Effort
Simon & Schuster announced its launch of Book Club Favorites. The program is designed to target readers in a promotion of its authors.
A Possible Revival of the Canadian Booksellers Association
American Booksellers Association is an advocacy group for independent booksellers in the US. For many years, Canada had an association, too.
Selling on Nook: Worthwhile Opportunity or Lost Cause?
Barnes & Noble recently announced that authors in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand can sell directly on Nook.
Book Clubs Can Be Great—When They’re Buying Books
Local book clubs in UK seem to be sharing unpaid-for copies of books, which raised potential need for a standard, simple book-club contract.
Hot Sheet Index: August 8, 2018
The Hot Sheet Index compares US print book sales for traditional publishers during first half of 2018 to the same time period for 2017.
Closing Image: August 8, 2018
More than 50 Canadian publishers responded to a BookNet Canada survey on digital publishing. Report covers ebooks, digital audio, and more.
Literary Agent Fails: When an Author’s Worst Nightmare Comes True
Recent allegations of agent misconduct have raised anxieties among writers over whether agents can be trusted with their best interests.
Hot Sheet Index: July 25, 2018
The Hot Sheet Index reviewed the global increase in digital library lending in 2018 versus 2017. Audiobook checkouts reached 68 million.
Closing Image: July 25, 2018
Based on data from 40,000+ libraries and schools, OverDrive says in last two years, audiobook usage via libraries has increased 46 percent.
New US StatShot Annual: A Flat Five Years for Traditional Publishers
Unlike the monthly StatShot, the annual report uses publishers’ reports and extrapolated data modeled on the market to produce an estimate.