Friday, September 20, 2013

This week's publishing news and industry blogs covers 9/7-9/18, as I'll be afk from Thursday until Monday. Expect the extra couple of days to pop up on the next edition!


Publishing News

Barnes and & Noble founder Len Riggio answers questions about the business. Nook spin-off is still not happening.

In the Google Books bookscanning case, the Authors Guild asks Judge Chin to force Google to stop until Congress makes laws dealing with the copyright issues raised by modern technology.

ReaderLink, a company that helps place books in stores such as Walmart, Target, and CostCo, wants publishers to raise e-book prices, based on the idea that the cheap e-book prices are making print books less profitable and therefore net them less room on store shelves.

The judge has signed off on the final ruling of the Apple vs the DOJ price-fixing case. Publishers Weekly offers a sum-up of what the ruling means for publishers, consumers, and Apple.

Publishers aren't enthusiastic about Amazon's Matchbook, which is set to go live in October, and allows purchasing of e-books at a steep discount after purchasing a print book.

There's a new e-book seller in the market, but with a catch: Libiro sells only indie-published books, at an 80% royalty rate.

In the UK, it looks like 61% of e-books are downloaded and read for free (with 83% done so legally, in case you're wondering, and 58% of books sold were sold in print.)

No surprise on this study: reading for pleasure improves school performance.


Industry Blogs

Agent Janet Reid says that getting an excerpt of a novel published as a short story is a good thing. She also answers a question (which, frankly, confuses me)--Should a writer be frustrated if a story that was rejected by agents and editors gets fantastic reviews after being self-published? No, of course not. (Why would that even be a question? Celebrate your great reviews and build a fan base, and get nice profits off the self-publishing!)

How much do fantasy authors earn? GalleyCat gives a summary link (short version) to the original Reddit thread (long version). And having trouble getting pieces published by literary journals? GalleyCat's summary link and the original advice by an editor in a literary journal on Reddit.

On GoodEReader, a survey comes back with the results that 71% of British travelers would rather tote a paper-and-ink copy of a book than an e-reader.

Four agents and four editors weigh in on what they think New Adult is, what a book needs to be successful, and more in a New Adult FAQ.

Rachelle Gardner posts her pitching advice. Going to pitch your manuscript to an agent in person? Here's where to start.

A new small publisher opens its doors, Resurrection House. There still isn't a lot of info about it yet, but Writers' Beware alerts authors to one non-disclosed point: the names of the staff members. Among them is the acquisitions editor, the former owner of Night Shade Books, now bankrupt. He is not an owner of this new house and won't have a hand in running the company, but it would have been nice if this information had been disclosed immediately.

Try to remember to see everything through multiple points of view as an author, suggests Jane Lebak on QueryTracker.

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