Virtual Book Festivals: A Reader-Focused Effort from Traditional Publishers
You’ve probably heard of a virtual book tour, but how about a virtual book festival or summit?
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Self-Publishing Tools Coming to a Library Near You
For some time, we’ve heard murmurs of library-based self-publishing, usually as a good idea unexecuted.
Amazon KDP Select Per-Page Payout Slips to Below Half a Penny
We’re now seeing calculations that the October per-page payout will be $0.004809—less than half a cent.
A New Agent-Assisted Digital Publisher Opens: London’s Ipso Books
The latest entry in the growing field of agency-based publishing is Ipso Books, a new addition to the services offered by Peters Fraser + Dunlop (PFD).
Closing Image: November 4, 2015
Pew Research Center survey conducted March 17 through April 12, 2015. Smartphones, tablets grew in recent years. Other devices declined or stayed flat.
NoiseTrade: A Way to Build Direct Reach to Potential Fans
NoiseTrade is a little-known site in the book-publishing world that got its start in the music industry in 2008.
Two No-Fee Contests for Book Manuscripts
Within the last couple weeks, we’ve heard news about two brand-new contests with no entry fees for book-length manuscripts.
Amazon KDP Select Payouts Will Reflect Territories
The news that Amazon is opening a physical bookstore almost eclipsed the fact that the company is also making a potentially potent change in Kindle Direct Publishing Select payouts.
Profile: Sangram Surve
Sangram Surve is an author-strategist and founding director of Think WhyNot Pte. Ltd., based in Mumbai.
… And about That Amazon Store
Calling it “a physical extension of Amazon.com,” the world’s largest retailer has opened its first “terrestrial” bookshop in Seattle’s University Village.
Ellora’s Cave and Dear Author Settle Defamation Lawsuit
The lawsuit against Jennifer Gerrish-Lampe (a.k.a. Jane Litte) has been one of the more chilling stories for authors in the past year.
For Optimism in Publishing, Look No Further Than Audio Storytelling
Digital audiobooks are the biggest growth area for the book publishing industry. In 2014, the category grew about 27 percent in terms of units and revenue over 2013.
Hot Sheet Index: October 21, 2015
The Hot Sheet index reviewed the statistics for Amazon Publishing which was launched in 2009 and has 14 imprints.
Closing Image: October 21, 2015
This statistic shows the number of visitors at the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany from 2007 to 2014. In 2012 nearly 282,000 visitors came.
Looking at YouTube as Means to Reach Fans for Books
One of our favorite interviews at Frankfurt last week was with two of London’s publishing stars, Pan Macmillan digital communications manager Naomi Bacon and Canelo publisher Michael Bhaskar.
Going Global: How Indie Authors Are Entering International Markets
Frankfurt Book Fair is all about rights sales, and ALLi has launched a Going Global campaign to search for meaningful international direction for authors.
On the List: The White Rose
The sequel to Ewing’s 2014 debut novel was released earlier this month and is enjoying its first week on the New York Times Young Adult bestseller list.
Google Books Scanning Is Deemed Fair Use; Authors Guild to Appeal
In 2004, Google announced its intention to digitize and make searchable more than 15 million books with help from library partners.
Getting inside the Head of a Big-Five CEO: Frankfurt’s Headliner Interview
Every year, Frankfurt Book Fair offers a headliner CEO interview, and this year featured Hachette Livre’s Arnaud Nourry.
AmazonCrossing Open to Submissions from Authors Worldwide
Just as Frankfurt Book Fair was getting underway, AmazonCrossing announced a $10 million commitment to translating books into English.
Hot Sheet Index: October 7, 2015
The Hot Sheet Index reviewed the number of countries that Kobo, Apple iBooks, Nook and Amazon Kindle sells in.
Closing Image: October 7, 2015
The Bookish Elites: Market size and new title production in relation to GDP per capita in the twenty-three largest publishing markets worldwide.
The Growing Footprint of Draft2Digital: The Next Big Ebook Distributor?
Founded in 2012, Draft2Digital is a growing ebook distributor for independent authors, with more than 16,000 authors using their service.
Speaking of Ebook Distributors, There’s a Brand-New One: Pronoun
Do you remember Vook? Booklr? Byliner? They no longer exist, having been mashed up into an all-new ebook distribution service called Pronoun.
The New York Times Celebrates the Decline of Ebooks in a Very Misleading Article
No doubt you’ve already seen the headline “E-Book Sales Slip, and Print Is Far from Dead” and encountered speculation as to whether the Times got the story right.
Is Your Work Ready for the Global Stage? A Primer on Foreign Markets and Translations
At writing and publishing industry events alike this year, we’ve noticed growing attention and conversation on the growing global market for ebooks.
Book Publishers Pursue Online Education Half-Heartedly, Leaving Lots of Opportunity for Authors to Do Better
It’s been on pundit prediction lists for a while that online education is one of the next biggest publishing growth areas.
UK Literary Prizes: Is Gender a Shadow Criterion?
A new discussion worth attention has just opened in London with the arrival of an opinion piece titled “On Noticing” by Cathy Rentzenbrink.
A Small Report on Small Presses and Ebooks: Help Make It Larger
Do you work with a small press? London-based Australian editor and ebook producer Simon Collinson could use your help with his survey.
On the List: Everything I Never Told You
Selected by Amazon as the number-one book of the year, Everything I Never Told You is Ng’s debut novel.
Boring But Important: A New Ruling That Affects How You Deal With Piracy or Copyright Infringement
A new ruling from a US appeals court says that copyright owners must consider whether fair use applies before issuing takedown notices.
Forget Good Looks and Charm: Fans Like Their Authors Dependable
According to Nielsen’s research, fans have a better opinion of authors than they do of sports figures and musical artists.
Barnes & Noble Stock Plummets: Tough Changes Ahead for Authors?
It’s been a difficult month for Barnes & Noble: their stock sank after they reported on losses, sparking articles such as “Can Barnes & Noble Survive?”
Can You Get Your Rights Reverted?
First things first: talk with your agent if you have one, and look at your contract language. If you don’t have an agent, consider getting legal assistance.
Survey Blues: The Latest Handwringing Over Author Income
The headline results of the new Authors Guild “The Wages of Writing” author-income survey probably didn’t shock you.
Children’s Author Cornelia Funke Leaves Her US and UK Publishers
Due to editorial disagreements with her publishers, bestselling author Cornelia Funke is self-publishing her next book—the third volume in her Mirrorworld series.
The Big Industry News Right Now: Oyster Clams Up
Google is paying Oyster’s investors quite handsomely to hire the company’s founders and presumably acquire its technical assets.
Closing Image: September 9, 2015
Demographics of leading social network platform users, according to Pew Research Center (August 2015).
Closing Image: September 9, 2015
Demographics of leading social network platform users, according to Pew Research Center (August 2015).
Nielsen Takes a Deep Dive into the Kids’ Book Market
Ebook sales are declining, most YA is read by adults, and a significant percentage of purchases happen on impulse.