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Closing Image: April 6, 2016
The VIDA count for the New Yorker shows that, in 2015, women represented 33.8 percent of bylines in the magazine.
Profile: Nick Bostrom
Nick Bostrom is an Oxford philosophy professor and author who will give the opening keynote address at London Book Fair’s Quantum Conference on April 11.
Closing Image: March 23, 2016
A new Pew Research study shows growing interest in crowdfunded journalism projects. You can find much more detail
Reading Pattern Data: “Should We Tell Our Authors?”
One of the workshops at Digital Book World (DBW) focused on research that Jellybooks’ Andrew Rhomberg is conducting on consumer reading patterns.
How Busy Are Literary Agencies in the Self-Publishing Era? Very Busy
Nelson Literary Agency has an annual tradition we like of revealing statistics on its previous year’s activity.
A Smart but Difficult Path to More Author Profits: Selling Rights
One of the best services provided by ALLi is the explication for writers of business factors once understood only by publishers and agencies.
The Growing Pains of Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited
Prior to July 2015, authors were paid a fixed amount for each book borrowed and read; now authors are paid for each page read.
A Successful Independent Publisher Launches a Full-Service Publishing Arm
Diversion announced the creation of Radius Book Group, a full-service publishing solution that will help authors develop their books, then publish and distribute them through Ingram.
BookGarage: The Latest Matchmaking Service for Authors and Freelancers
With the rise of self-publishing has come an increase in services that try to help authors find freelance assistance—while taking a cut of the action.
Hot Sheet Index: March 9, 2016
The number of Barnes & Noble stores decreased from 720 in 2010 to 640 in 2016. Fourteen more stores are expected to close in 2017.
DBW 2016: Potpourri: More Author-Related Highlights from the Conference
Here’s a collection of other interesting things we heard or that were reported by other outlets.
Nook Pulls Out of the UK Market and Stops Selling Apps
The last time we updated you on Barnes & Noble, Nook sales were 32 percent lower than the prior year.
Perseus Gets Sold to Hachette and Ingram, Take Two
After beginning an open sales process in fall 2015, Perseus Books Group has announced a deal with Hachette and Ingram.
DBW 2016: The Persistence of Print in the Children’s Market
If you’re working in children’s books, some of the research offered at DBW via Dubit’s quarterly survey, Dubit Trends, is important for you to note.
DBW 2016: Research and Engage Your Readers Using Digital Media
This year’s DBW featured a popular speaker from outside the industry: Rand Fishkin of Moz.
Profile: RoomHate
RoomHate recently hit number two on the New York Times bestseller list and number one on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list.
DBW 2016: Data Data Data: What Do We Know about Print and Ebook Sales Trends?
Michael Cader of Publishers Lunch offered DBW an overview of what we know and how we know it when it comes to print and ebook sales.
On the List: The Last Painting of Sara de Vos
The Last Painting of Sara de Vos nabbed the last spot on the New York Times bestseller list during the week of May 1, and it’s enjoying high rankings on Amazon as well.
Hot Sheet Index: February 24, 2016
The Hot Sheet Index reviewed the number of Kobo, and Amazon users against the number of ebooks sold on these sites.
Closing Image: February 24, 2016
The Cooperative Children’s Book Center (UW-Madison’s School of Education) has tracked diversity in children’s books for twenty-five years.
How Big Is Big? A Quick Look at the Amazonian Workforce
It can be difficult for those of us in the publishing industry to get a handle on Amazon’s tremendous scale.
Profile: Emmanuel Nataf
For our earlier report on Reedsy’s new Book Editor, we spoke with the startup’s twenty-five-year-old CEO, Emmanuel Nataf.
Scribd Ends Unlimited Ebook Subscription Model
Last week, Scribd publicly announced that it was ending its all-you-can-read ebook subscription plan.
Kobo: The Number-Three Ebook Retailer in the World, but an Overvalued One
Recent developments around Canada’s Kobo have brought new definition to its challenges in the industry.
A New Platform for Story Serialization (with Earnings Potential): Tapas Media
For years, serialization has been discussed as a significant area of opportunity for reading and publishing in the digital age.
Open Road’s Vertical Ascent: In the Niche of Time
Two models of vertical are operating now at Open Road, which publishes more than 10,000 books by more than 2,000 writers.
Ebooks: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Rest of the World
In much of the world, digital reading hasn’t taken off with nearly the strength that the United States market has seen.
Hot Sheet Index: February 10, 2016
The Hot Sheet Index reviewed the number of Facebook and WhatsApp users and the average revenue per user in key countries.
Closing Image: February 10, 2016
Nielsen BookScan recently released a report measuring print book sales growth globally.
Imprints That Are Starting, Relaunching, or Coming Back from the Dead
The new year is often full of organizational announcements; here are the latest to be aware of.
First Release of Reedsy’s Editor Tool for Authors
Next week, Reedsy will debut its new Editor tool, and CEO Emmanuel Nataf has given us a sneak preview.
The Bookseller Opens an Indie-Sales Tracking Project in the UK
The Bookseller in London has given us advance word of its rollout of a new call for voluntary ebook sales data sharing among UK independent authors.
Amazon Quality Control Issues: A Quick Follow-Up
We recently discussed Amazon’s new plan to implement tougher formatting standards on self-published ebooks uploaded via Amazon KDP.
As Sales of Digital Audio Grow, Audible Goes on a Hiring Spree
Last week, news broke that Amazon is seeking to hire 100 people worldwide for Audible (the audiobook company), which it acquired in 2008.
Publishing’s Spider-Man Tweaks Author Earnings
It’s now roughly the two-year anniversary of Author Earnings, first launched in February 2014 by indie author Hugh Howey and “Data Guy.”
On the List: Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics
The second book in a series, Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics has been described as an ode to libraries and literature; it includes puzzles for readers to solve.
Hot Sheet Index: January 27, 2016
The Hot Sheet Index reviews US print sales of different book categories including adult nonfiction, computer, art/design and humor from 2015.
Closing Image: January 27, 2016
A high-level view of diversity in the US publishing industry, as surveyed by Lee & Low.
Profile: Philip Pullman
Every author-advocacy organization should have a Philip Pullman as its president.
Where Is the Diversity in Publishing?
In May 2015, children’s publisher Lee & Low announced it would conduct the first baseline survey of diversity within the US publishing industry.
Is Amazon Cracking Down on Quality Concerns in Self-Published Titles?
The short answer: kind of. Here’s the longer answer.
Pearson under Pressure
Pearson PLC, the world’s largest publisher of textbooks, has announced that cuts of 4,000 jobs, 10 percent of its workforce, are on the way.