Pottermore, J.K. Rowling’s Site, Lost Money in 2015
When it opened to the public in 2012, the Pottermore website was seen as a publishing-industry gamechanger.
Premium Content
Philip Pullman Successfully Leads Charge for Author Event Compensation
Author Philip Pullman, longtime speaker at the UK’s Oxford Literary Festival, announced in mid-January that he would no longer be a patron.
For Richer and Poorer, and Something In-Between
The Bookseller’s Tom Tivnan has revealed that around 0.1 percent of all authors in the U.K. market earned 13 percent of BookScan sales last year.
Agent Robert Gottlieb Responds to Changes at Penguin Random House
Agent Robert Gottlieb expresses worry about lower advances and less risk-taking among publishers in light of the ongoing consolidation.
Book Country: It Was Part of the Author Solutions Sale
We covered the Author Solutions sale last week, but there was an aspect of that sale that escaped just about everyone’s attention: Book Country.
Google and Search Engine Optimization: How Much Does It Affect Novelists?
We asked Peter McCarthy, former VP of marketing innovation for Random House, to explain the importance of Google and SEO for fiction writers.
Hot Sheet Index: January 13, 2016
The Hot Sheet Index reviewed the number of ebooks statistics relative to BookBub discount deals and library circulation.
Closing Image: January 13, 2016
Consulting firm McKinsey & Company predicts that global spending on media as a whole will rise 5 percent every year for the next five years.
On the List: The Good Girl
First released in hardcover in July 2014, this story of a kidnapping gone wrong made its first appearance on the New York Times bestseller list a full year after its initial release.
What You Need to Know about Today’s Ebook Subscription Landscape
2015 saw considerable changes and reorganization in the ebook subscription market. Here’s where we’ve been and where the market may be headed.
How Many Americans Can Access Your Digital Content?
With about half the developed nations ranking ahead of it, the U.S. isn’t where it needs to be in terms of broadband access.
The Best of 2015 Publishing Recaps and 2016 Predictions
We scanned all of the 2015 year-end articles and 2016 predictions so you don’t have to. Here’s what authors need to know about the best of the pundit speculation.
The Author Contract Battle Takes on Global Scale
The Authors Guild has pulled off a surprise for the new year, launching a letter on Jan. 5 to publishers’ associations.
Penguin Random House Unloads the Author Solutions Albatross
Since 2013, AS has been battling class action lawsuits over claims of fraudulent business practices, which were finally dismissed late last year.
Was 2015 a Good Year for U.S. Print Book Sales?
Despite misleading headlines in the New York Times and elsewhere in 2015 about U.S. book publishing, there’s one significant trend to remember: print book sales continue to shift toward bookstores—bricks-and-mortar and online stores—and away from mass merchandisers.
Hot Sheet Index: December 30, 2015
The Hot Sheet Index reviewed publishers in translation and the statistics for adults under 32 who don’t pay for TV.
Closing Image: December 30, 2015
In the United States, Amazon accounts for 51 percent of all online sales growth, as well as about 25 percent of all retail growth.
Small Indie Presses That Serve as Major Publishers’ R&D
“It sometimes feels as though smaller independents are the research and development departments for the big publishers,” writes the U.K.’s Bluemoose Books founder Kevin Duffy.
Speaking of Pitches: Don’t Query That Agent Just Yet
Agent Kristin Nelson cautioned authors this month about rushing out to market with NaNoWriMo drafts.
How Authors Can Run Successful Preorder Campaigns
2015 is the first full year that self-publishing authors had access to preorder capability for their ebooks on Amazon.
What Self-Published Authors Can Expect to Earn Through Kindle Unlimited in India
We’ve been avidly following developments in Amazon’s new per-page payments for books that are published via KDP Select, then borrowed by readers via Kindle Unlimited.
Profile: John Joseph Adams
In November, John Joseph Adams was named by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt as editor in chief of John Joseph Adams Books, its new imprint for science fiction and fantasy titles.
Looking Ahead to 2016: We Predict a Tougher Field, New Competition, and Rising Tech Capabilities
Certain trends seem ready to hit inflection points, and it may not be too reckless to propose three such areas for authors in 2016.
Hot Sheet Index: December 16, 2015
The Hot Sheet Index reviewed the percentage of patrons who have read an ebook in the past year and those who have borrowed one.
Closing Image: December 16, 2015
Goodreads recently posted a case study on the effect of winning a Goodreads Choice Award and how it can boost a book
Smashwords Adds Three New Distribution Partners + Releases Annual Survey
Earlier this fall, ebook distributor Draft2Digital announced a partnership with Tolino to distribute ebooks to the German market. Smashwords, the biggest ebook distributor for indie authors, has now announced the same.
Audiobooks Outselling Print? No, but They’re Increasingly Important
Earlier editions of The Hot Sheet have discussed the opportunity and growth in the audiobook market.
If $3.99 Is Mark Coker’s Favorite Price, What Works in Germany?
Munich-based journalist and self-publishing author Matthias Matting has offered a response to the article at Smashwords we’ve mentioned elsewhere in this issue.
On the List: Born into the Children of God
First released in 2014, Born into the Children of God tells the story of Natacha Tormey, who was born into a religious cult known as The Children of God.
New Signs of Life (and Death) in Multimedia and App-Based Publishing
Inside the industry, you hear a lot of talk about multimedia publishing, but you don’t necessarily see a lot of activity—it’s still considered a risky and unproven business.
ALLi’s New Publishing Rights Service: London, Frankfurt, but Not Chicago
The U.K.-based Alliance of Independent Authors is working with literary agency Toby Mundy Associates to have eligible members’ translation and other subsidiary rights sold by TMA.
Barnes & Noble Wants to Become a Lifestyle Brand
Earlier this month, Barnes & Noble reported their latest earnings; the report was fairly grim news to anyone inside the industry who follows the financials.
Ingram’s Acquisition of Aer.io Will Include IngramSpark for Authors
It’s just been announced that the San Francisco–based startup Aer.io (formerly known as Aerbook) has been acquired by Ingram Content Group.
Hot Sheet Index: December 2, 2015
The Hot Sheet Index broke down the New York Times bestseller list totals by big Five publishers. Random House led the way with 28.9 percent.
Closing Image: December 2, 2015
Graph showing that Amazon’s stock price has been steadily climbing in 2015
Orna Ross: The State of the Author in Independent Publishing
Orna Ross, the founder of the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) expressed solidarity among authors represented by ALLi and the Society of Authors.
Emma Barnes: What the Tools of the Trade Tell Us
Barnes, who started her UK-based small press, Snowbooks, in 2003, has become one of the industry’s strongest proponents of technological fluency in publishing.
Nicola Solomon: The State of the Author in Trade Publishing
The chief executive of the UK’s Society of Authors offered an understanding of author advocacy in the UK market, particularly in its range of paths to publication.
Roz Morris: An Author’s Response
Roz Morris, based in London, is an independent literary author, a ghostwriter with hundreds of thousands of copies sold, and a former traditional publishing house editor.
Profile: Judith Curr
Judith Curr is the founding president and publisher of Atria Publishing Group, one of the four major divisions of Simon & Schuster.
Rebecca Smart: What Publishers Tell Us
Rebecca Smart, Managing Director of Ebury Publishing, holds a special popularity in much of the UK publishing community for her willingness to speak frankly of challenges, even to her fellow publishers.
Hot Sheet Index: November 18, 2015
The Hot Sheet reviewed the change in publishers’ book sales from 2014 to 2015 for ebooks, digital audio and trade books.
Closing Image: November 18, 2015
The above slide was included in a presentation by Jonathan Stolper from Nielsen, at Frankfurt’s conference “The Markets.
On the List: The School of Greatness
The School of Greatness shares lessons learned by Lewis Howes from interviewing the “greats” on his podcast of the same name.
Can Facebook Advertising Sell Books? Yes and No.
You’ll find widely varying reports and opinions about how and when to use Facebook paid promotions effectively.