Each issue of Hot Sheet contains dozens of links, and it’s always instructive for me to see what topics and perspectives drive clicks. Here’s what caught your interest in 2024, in order of popularity.
- A compelling publisher demonstration of AI. While attending the US Book Show this year, I observed Keith Riegert of Ulysses Press, an independent publisher, demonstrate AI use to complete common publishing tasks, such as using ChatGPT to write HR or company policies, using Photoshop’s built-in AI to customize a stock image for a book cover, using Claude to pull out important terms from a book publishing contract—or to draft an addendum to a contract—and using Midjourney to create art from scratch. View Riegert’s slides; he updates them as AI evolves.
- What makes a market tough? In February agent Kate McKean discussed how challenging it is for agents to secure book deals. No easy answers here, although it’s assumed “this too shall pass.” (Has not passed yet, as far as I can tell. I welcome hearing from agents if it has passed or is starting to pass.)
- The QueryShark blog. I linked to the QueryShark blog when Janet Reid passed earlier this year. Fortunately for all of us, her wisdom and counsel remain online and accessible.
- QueryManager and agents who use it. The Shit No One Tells You About Writing featured a guest article about what agents see on their end when using QueryManager. It’s a three-part series, and I linked to the first part. Here are the second and third parts.
- A dour take in the New York Times about London Book Fair. A critic attended the book fair (and “a few associated parties”) and came down with a bad case of status anxiety. Read (gift link).
- A Wikipedia article that explains the Courtney Milan–RWA controversy. When the RWA declared bankruptcy in June, I ran a Q&A with a professor who’s spent a decade researching the organization and the romance community. It’s hard to talk about the decline of the RWA without mentioning this tipping point.
- Yes, people do buy books. This article by Lincoln Michel was one of the best counterpoints to the clickbait article I referenced above, No One Buys Books.
- Don’t judge a book by its advance. The main thrust of this piece: publishers are paying six-figure advances for books that don’t sell well. This kind of article comes out every few years because the public is continuously surprised by this aspect of how the business works.
- Meet the Booktokers. This resource from Sam Missingham showcases the work of Booktokers. In particular, it helps authors and publishers—especially those who don’t want to spend time on TikTok—find great Booktokers who will love their books.
- A response to the dour take about London Book Fair. It’s too bad not as many people clicked on this article, because it was far more insightful than the dour critic’s take. But it’s not too late to read it now!
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
