US Cultural Agencies on Trump’s Budget Chopping Block
The $4.1 trillion Trump budget calls for the elimination of federal funding for some agencies like the National Endowment for the Arts.
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Is Smaller Better? BookExpo Finds Out This Week
BEA’s reduction to two days of floor display makes it harder for international exhibitors to justify the expense of attending.
Hot Sheet Index: May 31, 2017
The Hot Sheet looks at statistics for social media accounts per internet user and the adoption of internet usage by older Americans.
Closing Image: May 31, 2017
BookNet Canada released four deep-dive studies on book-buyer demographics in biographies, detective fiction, science fiction, and cookbooks.
Amazon’s Buy-Box Policy Change for New Books
As is frequently the case, the industry reaction to Amazon’s application of its standard buy-box policy to books is probably overheated.
An Update on Rights Reversions and Contracts
As the Authors Guild rolled out its Fair Contract Initiative in 2015 and 2016, one of its top targets was rights reversion.
The Dark Side of Indie Author Collaboration
The self-publishing community is often recognized and celebrated as being collaborative—and innovative in the process.
Amazon in Europe: Most-Favored-Nation Clauses Are No More
European Commission (EC) elicited “voluntary commitments” from Amazon to make two major changes to its contracts with publishers in Europe.
New Imprint Announcements: May 17, 2017
The latest initiatives from traditional publishers include new imprints from Rodale, Anansi Press and Little Brown.
Hot Sheet Index: May 17, 2017
The Hot Sheet Index reviews book sales gains for first quarter of 2017 for Hachette, HarperCollins, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Closing Image: May 17, 2017
Statistics from NPD Group show print sales have declined during first quarter of 2017 in romance, graphic novel, and Mass Market paperback.
The Concern about UK’s “Screen Fatigue” Report
It’s not entirely a surprise to hear skepticism around the UK’s Publishers Association report. As with all sales-data-based attempts at industry assessment, the data is inadequate to the task.
One Look at the Reading Market Not Based on Sales
Consumer-survey efforts may well surpass the crippled sales-based dataset the industry is limping along with now.
A New Author Marketing Collective to Watch and Learn From
Shatzkin discusses potential for authors to collaborate among themselves to improve their situation, without involving agents or publishers.
Ebook Distributor Pronoun Rolls Out New Features
Pronoun announced another round of new features. These include: Enhanced back matter, and Custom pricing for international markets.
In Berlin: Kobo’s Fiery Warning about the “Attention Economy”
In fifth wave, the fear is publishers may not be able to fight powerful claims on time and attention made by digitally driven competitors.
Hot Sheet Index: May 3, 2017
The Hot Sheet Index reviews overall UK digital and ebook sales while also taking a look at US Amazon prime memberships.
Closing Image: May 3, 2017
The Consumer Intelligence Research Partners released an update on Amazon’s Prime program, with an estimated growth line for Prime membership.
The Peak TV Era: Are There Really More Opportunities for Authors?
Increased opportunities in filmed entertainment may not equate to easy success in the market—especially for unagented and unconnected authors.
Kobo Acquires Shelfie Technology: Here’s Looking at Your Books
Kobo has purchased Shelfie technology after the Shelfie startup inexplicably went under.
A New Sales Tracking Tool for Self-Published Authors
Alternatives to Amazon KDP’s reporting interface.
Amazon Launches Kindle Create Software for Formatting Ebooks
Amazon is offering free software to create an ebook file from Word.
The Growing and Distinctive Self-Publishing Market in Germany—with Traditional Overtones
Germany is considered the West’s “third power” in self-publishing, after US and UK.
Authors Guild Releases Its Guide to E-Publishing
Authors Guild has launched an e-publishing guide and is open to self-publishing as well as aspiring writers.
Links of Interest: April 19, 2017
Links of interest for April 19, 2017,on the topics of marketing, Amazon, and Traditional Publishing.
Hot Sheet Index: April 19, 2017
The Hot Sheet Index looks at Amazon sales and retailer bankruptcies.
Closing Image: April 19, 2017
The Atlantic recently wrote about the “great retail apocalypse” and its causes, including the growth of mobile shopping.
How a Self-Published Book Got into WHSmith Travel Shops
UK author Carol Cooper’s self-published novel Hampstead Fever will be featured in WHSmith shops at airports and train stations with a promotion.
Crunch Time for Self-Publishing and BookExpo
BookExpo’s focus on traditional publishing draws criticism from ALLi.
Do Scholarly Writers Want to Self-Publish? Or Is the Question Academic?
Lulu, a self-publishing platform, has created a separate platform for self-publishing academic authors: Glasstree Academic Publishing.
A New Effort by Hachette to Attract More Diverse Writers
To attract more diverse writers, Hachette has launched an initiative called The Future Bookshelf.
Hot Sheet Index: April 5, 2017
The number of publishers and people employed in publishing in Europe; translation rights sales for some European countries.
Closing Image: April 5, 2017
The Federation of European Publishers 2017 report looks at the EU book market, both past and present. Germany is the largest market.
Penguin Random House Tries “Differentiated” Pricing to Battle Sales Decline
To combat declining sales, Penguin Random House will implement a differentiated pricing strategy.
Hachette Partners with Wattpad to Release Audiobooks
Wattpad announced a partnership with Hachette, to produce 50 audiobooks based on Wattpad stories.
Upbeat London Book Fair: Whistling Ahead of the News
The mood at London Book Fair (LBF) last week was determinedly upbeat, giving the show floor a mildly giddy tone that belied issues ahead.
New Imprint Announcements: March 22, 2017
New initiatives from traditional publishers include Bonnier Publishing’s IglooBooks and Abram Books decision to publish narrative nonfiction.
The International Publishers Association: Conscience of the Industry
The International Publishers Association (IPA) may be able to help authors facing copyright issues outside the US.
Hot Sheet Index: March 22, 2017
Hot Sheet Index reviews UK book sales across all formats in 2016 versus 2015. Sales of books sold in bookstores in the UK in 2016 vs 2015: +4%
Closing Image: March 22, 2017
As in the traditional publishing market in the US, ebooks in the UK have flattened and even declined, Nielsen reported at London Book Fair.
Hachette UK’s Latest Move to Boost Its Digital Profile: Buying Bookouture
One of the Big Five publishers, Hachette UK, announced it had acquired Bookoutoure, an independent British ebook publisher founded in 2012.
The Latest Disappointing Barnes & Noble Earnings Report
During the holidays, the chain reported comparable-store sales were down 9.1 percent versus 2015. The reason for the drop included slower foot traffic in stores.
Another Author-Facing Startup Would Like Your Attention
Like a combination of Hootsuite and Klout, BuzzTrace assigns a “BuzzScore” to an author’s social networking,
A Quick Look Ahead at London Book Fair’s Author Programming
If you’ll be in London, we recommend considering these Author HQ events in particular.