Closing Image: September 21, 2016
Library usage in the last 12 months (20016(for adults over the age of 16; numbers include in-person, bookmobile, and virtual.
Premium Content
The First Half of 2016: Traditional Publishing’s Not-So-Stellar Performance
A review of the big-picture financials reported by four of the Big Five during the first half of 2016—compared to the prior year.
Tapas Media: Keep an Eye on Their Monetization of the Short Stuff
Tapas has a partnership with Hachette to release several novels in serialized form—on track to receive 15 to 30 titles quarterly.
A Look at Reading in America, Part 1: Pew Research
Pew’s report Book Reading 2016 shows a growing number of people are reading on smartphones and tablets, but print books remain popular.
A Look at Reading in America, Part 2: NEA’s Survey
A National Endowment for the Arts Annual Arts Basic Survey, which covers 2013 to 2015, includes a look at “literary reading.”
The Relaunch of Book of the Month Club
After coming under new ownership, Book Of the Month Club was relaunched in 2015 as a monthly hardcover subscription service.
We’re Programming Digital Book World’s First Author Conference
The Hot Sheet was engaged to develop the programming for the first-ever Digital Book World author-facing conference, DBW Indie Author.
Links of Interest: September 7, 2016
Small items of interest from September 7, 2016: traditional publishing, business know-how, Amazon.
Hot Sheet Index: September 7, 2016
2016 user statistics for Facebook and a list of the top publishers in the US.
Closing Image: September 7, 2016
2016 data for Americans’ use of e-readers on cell phones and tablets and even computers and laptops.
Kickstarter’s Publishing Campaigns Pass the $100 Million Mark
Kickstarter data indicates that general publishing has produced 9,695 successfully funded projects so far—and 23,017 unsuccessful projects.
At Writer’s Digest’s Annual Conference: Magical Thinking and Brass Tacks
Conference programming showed a new investment in trade publishing with the energy and self-directed context of the indie-author movement.
New York Times Reorganizes All Book Coverage under One Person
The New York Times announces that Pamela Paul—editor of The New York Times Book Review—will oversee all books coverage at the publication.
Links of Interest: August 24, 2016
Links of interest for August 24, 2016, including: how to write your book description, diversity efforts, Amazon publishing.
On the List: Moonshot
Profile of author Alessandra Torre, who has released a new adult novel, Moonshot. The book hit the combined print and ebook bestseller list.
Hot Sheet Index: August 24, 2016
Barnes and Noble statistics, including stock drop, upcoming new stores, and Nook sales. Industry digital statistics against print sales.
Closing Image: August 24, 2016
Consumer magazine market strength in various world regions, (2015–2020). Growing middle classes & economies drive consumer magazine revenues.
Barnes & Noble CEO Is Fired Less Than One Year after Taking the Job
Barnes & Noble is once again without a CEO, making the position perhaps the fastest revolving door in the publishing industry.
Wattpad Experiments with In-Story Advertising and Giving Writers a Payout
Wattpad announces Wattpad Futures, which pays writers when readers watch video ads inserted between chapters.
A “Dry Spell” for New Novels on the Bestseller List: Does It Mean Anything?
Industry insiders weigh in on why no new novels have cracked the top 20 print bestsellers in the first half of 2016.
Pivoting toward Tinseltown: Inkshares’ Offer Goes Hollywood
Inkshares is a book crowd-funding platform now promising Hollywood tie-ins.
Draft2Digital Offers “Universal Book Links” That Anyone Can Use
Draft2Digital offers a universal book link that can be used anywhere to help readers find a specific book at their favorite online store.
Reedsy’s Book Editor Tool: A New Way to Produce Ready-to-Go Book Files
Reedsy’s free cloud-based book editing tool allows multiple people to edit and access the book files at the same time
Cozies of Color: Sisters in Crime Investigates Itself on Diversity
Sisters in Crime mystery writers’ support group looks in the mirror and shows the membership to be even whiter than might have been expected.
Links of Interest: August 10, 2016
Links of interest for August 10, 2016 in traditional and digital publishing as well as marketing and international publishing.
Profile: Stephen Lotinga
Profile of Stephen Lotinga, who became the chief of the UK Publishers Association weeks before results of the Brexit referendum.
Hot Sheet Index: August 10, 2016
Industry research on national ad spending, changes in media audience by category, and audiobook consumption.
Closing Image: August 10, 2016
US advertising spend (by medium) from the 1920s to the date of publication.
The UK & Ireland Get New Streamlined ISBN Purchases; Prices Remain High
A new ISBN store from Nielsen will allow UK and Ireland publishers and self-published authors to register and purchase ISBNs online.
Links of Interest: July 27, 2016
Links of interest to publishing industry insiders, including an assessment of NetGalley for indie authors.
On the List: Hitched
Kendall Ryan’s newest series, Imperfect Love, launched earlier this month and hit the New York Times bestseller list.
Hot Sheet Index: July 27, 2016
Usage stats for Spotify, Snapchat, and Instagram as well as television and Apple Music.
Closing Image: July 27, 2016
Audiobook growth broken down by state—an analysis of 3.9 million hours of audiobook listening on Scribd from Dec. 2014 to Jan. 2016.
Amazon Expands Its Singles Program: Yet Another Amazon Publishing Initiative
Amazon announces Singles Classics: “a way to make iconic articles, stories, and essays from well-known authors available in digital form.”
What Is Zola Books, Anyway? Now, It’s The Everywhere Store
Zola is offering e-commerce tools to authors, booksellers, and publishers, with the ability to sell any book on any website.
Will Readers Reco Reco? Indigo’s New Recommendation App
Indigo Books & Music, Canada’s largest bookstore, launches Reco, a reader-driven book recommendation app.
Indie Bookstores Are Doing Well, But Not That Well
Independent stores have been doing well—with memberships at ABA up for seven straight years—but they face issues of long-term sustainability.
The Two-Year Anniversary of Kindle Unlimited: Where Do Authors Stand?
Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited allows Amazon customers “all-you-can-eat” access to over 1 million ebook titles and thousands of audiobooks.
Barnes & Noble’s New and Puzzling Overture to Self-Published Authors
B&N’s Nook Press now offers a free print-on-demand service that makes print books available for sale at BarnesandNoble.com.
Romancing the Numbers: Nielsen’s Latest Figures on the Romance Market
Romance publishers, authors, and agents are facing some big challenges as they struggle for discovery in a saturated landscape.
Links of Interest: July 13, 2016
Links of interest to publishing industry news stories and Harlequin and Random House announce new imprints.
Profile: Jonny Geller
Once an actor, literary agent Jonny Geller had no trouble navigating the TEDx stage in Oxford for his recent talk, What Makes a Bestseller?
Hot Sheet Index: July 13, 2016
Hot Sheet Index listing book revenue totals for 2014, 2015 for hardcover, paperback books, downloaded audio and ebooks
Closing Image: July 13, 2016
In January 2016, total net book sales fell 6.7 percent compared to January 2015, as reported to the AAP.
Self-Publishing 2.0: Competing Amid “Eroding Terms and Conditions”
Orna Ross of ALLI says that the competition the indie field faces is an “erosion in terms and conditions for self-publishers”—namely at Amazon.
Barnes & Noble Sales Are Down Compared to Last Year
Print has lately been celebrated for its staying power, but few reports consider the performance of Barnes & Noble.
For Once, Keeping Calm May Be Too Much to Ask of Britain
As this edition of The Hot Sheet is written, the full upshot of the UK’s “Brexit” referendum is far from known.
Life in the Time of Amazon Rankings
Dan Koboldt orchestrated “a coordinated buy” of his book to learn how—and how quickly—it affected his Amazon ranking.
Audiobooks for Indies: Services and Distributors beyond ACX
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” sometimes feels like an apt description for the experience of indie authors with audiobooks.
An Audiobook Publisher Acquires a Traditional Publisher
Imagine what it would be like if Audible bought HarperCollins. That’s kind of like what just happened in Sweden.