Publishing Industry News

This week's publishing news and industry blogs post covers 5/22-6/5.


Publishing News

In the UK, the rumor is that Penguin Random House and Amazon UK are having a terms dispute.

JD Salinger has three short stories in the American public domain--which a publisher is packaging and trying to sell to foreign markets. Salinger Literary Trust disputes, and the courts are looking at the impact of individual foreign countries' take on public domain rights as compared to US rights. Since European countries typically have longer life of copyright than American copyrights, but there's an unequally enforced statute that the country of origin's copyright lifespan should be used, the decision could possibly impact the US's take on global public domain policy.

British publishers take on and win against e-book overseas pirate websites.


Industry Blogs

Agent Nephele Tempest posts a group of Friday Writing Links for 5/22 and 5/29.

Agent Janet Reid gives advice and answers questions. She shares an insightful post on writing a great synopsis. Is it okay to mention that you really like the agent/editor you're querying, or is that unwelcome? (Be specific about what you like, but sincere thanks isn't a bad thing.)  You don't like a potential agent's voice or phone mannerisms, despite that they're not rude or particularly bad; is that a legit reason to turn them down? (No. If they've got a good rep and are well-established, the editors who matter are already used to her voice.) Is 6 weeks long enough for an edit and requery? (Not really, a revise and resend takes a lot of work. And not just cleaning up some stray grammar.) How important are websites for queriers? (Not so much for Reid.)

Agent Kristin Nelson offers insight into the Publishers Markplace Deal Lunch subtext: What does each adjective used to describe a deal mean? And what does it mean when no mention is made of an advance?

At BookEnds Literary Agency, a new agent joins the crew. Advice on how to choose what to wear to a conference. 

Agents at Books and Such Literary Management share some advice. Wendy Lawton explains why sometimes, when an agent is sitting on a manuscript, it might be the smartest move for the author's career. Rachelle Gardner explains 6 factors in deciding which publisher to go with when offered multiple deals.

Author Kristine Kathryn Rusch reflects on John Scalzi's $3.4M deal with a traditional publishing company, and points out to those who criticize that Scalzi did what he felt was right for his own career--publishing isn't a one-size-fits all, after all.

Fiction editor Beth Hill reminds that often cutting big parts of a manuscript actually adds to the story. If a chapter doesn't feel like it fits after revisions, maybe it's time to cut the whole chapter; you book might have changed enough that less has become more for that particular plot bunny.

When it comes to image file types, which should you use? CompanyFolders gives an infographic explaining when to use which, and also explain in detail, breaking down with a description of each type of image and where it comes from/what it's used for.

How popular is Wattpad? Apparently it has, monthly, more than 40 million people using the site. (in math terms, that's p>40,000,000, and yes, I wrote that out because it's a lot of zeros and I like math and maybe it's getting a little too close to my bedtime as I write this post).


What major publishing news have you encountered in the past two weeks?

(The next news post will July 3, so it may be broken into two parts, or longer than usual. Regular news posting schedule will resume afterwards.--See you then!)

Publishing Industry News

This week's publishing news and industry blogs covers 3/7-3/21.

Publishing News

Amazon Prime raises the price to $99 for yearly membership. Also, Amazon begins publishing books written in German with a new office opening in Munich.

Meanwhile, Barnes and Noble's Nook Press opens in UK and other European countries.

The U.S. House committee on "Exploring Alternative Solutions on the Internet Sales Tax" begins meeting. One of the initial speaking groups, the Retail Industry Leaders Association, calls for implementing the tax to help level the playing field between local and online retailers.

HarperCollins imprint It Books renames itself to Dey Street.

In a test of the Safe Harbor provision, Viacom sued Google for content users uploaded, implying that Google should proactively screen data. Google offered evidence that the DMCA take-down notices worked, but Viacom offered that Google knew specific examples of violating material that it did nothing about until forms were sent. The companies have now reached a settlement.

In an interesting copyright case, HarperCollins sued OpenRoad for publishing the Julie of the Wolves e-book, claiming that digital rights (despite e-books not having been invented at publication of the original contract) were covered in the contract. The judge rules in HarperCollins' favor, differentiating that the peculiar language in this particular contract made it distinct from the Rosetta Case, where language about electronic storage had not been included.

In a further continuation of the Apple vs the state and consumers trial drama, the plaintiffs say Apple shouldn't get a separate damages trial, since Judge Cote should already have enough information from the original trial to rule on damages, and since Apple consented either explicitly or by its behavior to have Judge Cote make such a ruling. Apple declares it never consented so. In either case, the damages trial is likely to be delayed.

A platform may open up later this year, called Laugh Riot Press, for indie authors of humor books.


Industry Blogs

QueryTracker's Publishing Pulse for 3/7 and 3/14 and 3/21.

Nathan Bransford's The Past Few Weeks in Books.

Also on QueryTracker, Sarah Pinneo talks about including all your buy-links for books. Stina Lindenblatt talks about 5 ways to land an agent.

What do readers want from an author website? On author Darcy Pattison's blog, she shares the results of a survey on what readers want.

Agent Janet Reid answers questions and offers advice. Some agents require potential clients have a web presence during the query stage; is this common? (Not universal; it has nothing to do with quality of writing, and she for one laughs at agents who do.) If a book is set for 2016, is it okay to wait until 2015 to query it, to get the editing done? (No. Agents are looking for 2016 books right now.) Should you reveal the entire plot of your story in the query? (No. That's not what queries are for.) Should you use block formatting/what kind of formatting should you use for e-mails or queries? (Spaces between paragraphs.)

Plus, Reid talks about how she feels about queriers sending in revisions--okay until she's read them, and usually even revise and resend stories only get one second chance. Also, if you have a request from a small publisher, how do you survive if you can't get an agent? (Hire literary attorneys, research them, etc.) If it's been a large span of time between a request from an agent and when you are ready to submit to the agent, is it okay to submit? (Might as well try.) If an agent asks for a business plan, what to do? (The term business plan doesn't really apply to authors; sounds like someone either is trying to intimidate you with jargon or doesn't know they should be saying marketing plan.) And if you've had a couple of agents in the past, should you mention that at the query point? (No; that would be a turn-off to agents. Also, a month without hearing from your agent isn't nearly enough time to start panicking.)

You've probably already heard that Amtrak is offering writers free residencies, right? Many writers are concerned about the terms of applications, which grant the publishers full rights to publish all applications in full. Victoria Strauss pulls out the contentious phrasing and dissects why it may be problematic for some writers.

Are you an indie author looking to get into bookstores? Author Dean Wesley Smith explains how you can make it happen.

Write for, or want to write for, a magazine? The Renegade Writer talks about how to build and maintain a good relationship with your editor to help you net further assignments.

Kristine Kathryn Rusch continues her Discoverability series with Part 12 (Samples) and Part 13 (Why you might start your own publishing company and how to do so).

Agent Nephele Tempest offers some tax advice as we warm up for tax season.

On the FF&P blog, author Karina Fabian discusses 5 essentials for book trailers. Also, Lynn Cahoon explains what a story bible is, and what should go into it--it's a great way to keep track of your own series to prevent inconsistency between books.

Editor Beth Hill offers advice on keeping the plot moving and making readers unable to put a book down.

If you write fiction, you know you need to finish the whole book before querying. Rachelle Gardner suggests you do the same if you're writing nonfiction.

Publishers Weekly looks at the book printing supply chain and how it's affected by recent technology.

Americans still use libraries. Pew Research Center releases their research.

Have you ever thought it would be nice to have an assistant? Some authors are hiring part-time assistants. It might be right for you.

Publishing Industry News (Part 2)

The second half of this week's publishing news covers interesting industry blogs for 2/15-3/7.

Industry Blogs

QueryTracker's Publishing News for 2/14, 2/21, 2/28, and 3/7.

Also on QueryTracker: 5 Easy Steps to (not) survive your release day (hint: obsession is good for you, right?). Do you need to interview someone for research purposes, but they're really nervous? Jane Lebak explains that "off the record" can get them comfortable. And Stinda Lindenblatt talks about where to get feedback.

Agent Rachelle Gardner reminds us that although in many ways the e-publishing revolution resembles the changes in the music industry, the two aren't identical. She lists some key differences to keep in mind when making comparisons. She also describes her "typical day" and her daily priorities as an agent (Hint: getting new clients comes after taking care of existing ones). And she looks at how the industry has changed since 2008, when she first began blogging.

Agent Janet Reid answers more questions: If you want to shelve a project that's not selling it, is it damaging to ask your agent to withdraw it from submission? (No; be polite, but it happens often.) Trying to contact your old publisher to fulfill "first rights," but they won't answer? (Keep track of what you've done and send a registered letter--after a certain amount of effort, you've fulfilled your legal requirement and may move on without hearing back.) How do you handle evidence that your memoir happened as said in a post-Frey false memoir-querying world? (Mention extensive records, etc). If you break an "iron-clad rule" of writing [like having the opening scene involve waking up], are you out of luck and never salable? (You can do anything if you do it well enough.)

Agent Janet Reid also advises: Make sure to use effective comparison titles. Sending an e-mail? Use an effective and specific subject title. Update your schedule of appearances. If you've written a book one genre but plan long-term to write a different genre, should you even bother querying the first work? (Do you think it's publishable and do you want to sell it? If so, yes.) Your agent has gone incommunicado for months, and you suspect she may be dead or crazy. What now? (Breathe. Then check if you're in contract with the agency instead of the agent, and if another agent there can help you. If needed, dissolve the contract.)

And Reid answers more questions: If other agents have requested pages, should I mention it in my query? (No. If there's a request for more, maybe then.) If an agent requests 30 pages or 3 chapters, which should you send? (Unless specified, whichever is more.) You have a prologue, and it's good, but agents hate prologues. How should this be handled? (Maybe send the sample requested sans prologue, or call it chapter 0 until later.) Should you mention that you once had an agent as a way of getting "street cred" in your query for a revised version of the manuscript? (No. Now it's this-thing-has-history-baggage, not a sign of awesomeness.) You've written the first book of a trilogy. Should you write the next one before getting an offer on the first, or wait to see if it sells? (Yes, write the second. Now get writing.) You're not getting responses on the query. Is it the query, the manuscript, or the agents? (Complicated. Reid suggests going to an authors' conference pitch session--but not actually pitching--to find out.)

Aerogramme Studio assembles assorted opportunities for writers (contests; literary submission dates) for March and April.

Kristine Kathryn Rusch continues her Discoverability for Authors series with Part 10 (Social media, young people actively run away from ads, and the generational gap on what works), Part 10-2 (People still see your stuff on FB; don't do things you dislike), and Part 11 (networking).

And a very interesting article looking at Amazon by the New Yorker (link found by Connie Keller--Thanks!)

On Publishing Perspectives, Dennis Abrams asks if binge reading--reading an entire series at time--is the new "binge watching" fad.

Theresa Ragan offers a way to estimate your sales based on your author rank.

Nathan Bransford disputes the "you must write every day" myth.

On the Futuristic, Fantasy, and Paranormal Romance Writers blog, Veronica Scott talks about using actual mythology to enhance your fiction.

Writer Peter Salomon evaluates whether or not Facebook ads are worth it before and after the new algorithms, sharing his results on how much he spent, how many new likes he got, and how he things it paid off (or didn't).

Humble Bundle's looking to get into e-books with a more regular e-book feature.

What countries spend the most time reading?

Publishing Industry News

Whoo-hoo, we're back on schedule! Another 3-week post broken into two shorter posts (because I have to sleep sometime!). Today we'll cover publishing news from 2/15-3/7.

Publishing News

Since Apple appealed the court-ordered monitor and tried quite a few tactics to remove him, Judge Cote ruled that Apple should to go a magistrate to referee any future disputes. Apple said they'd only provide the monitor with documents that fit within their understanding of the ruling, but Cote then ordered them to give the monitor anything requested; and anything they want to be withheld must be filed with paperwork. In a turn of events that falls somewhere between "absolutely expected" and "duh," Apple asks the U.S. appeals court to overturn Judge Cote's ruling on the DoJ vs Apple lawsuit, under the claim that Judge Cote based her decision on primarily circumstantial evidence and ruled poorly.And just to be on the safe side, also because Apple thinks Judge Cote didn't even have jurisdiction, and also they consider her to be bringing her biases into her decisions and therefore she should not be allowed to decide the damages. (Gotta give it to Apple's lawyers--they're certainly giving Apple their money's worth!)

Lately there's been a lot in the news about how much authors make. Several studies have been going around. Hugh Howey releases an earnings report for the 7000 best-selling e-books. Digital Book World shares (and by "shares" I mean "offers for sale for $295") the results of a survey from self-published authors with various levels of earnings, and Dana Weinburg analyzes it in terms of the authors' attitudes towards publishing vs income. Note that both surveys have their limitations.

Hugh Howey's advocating for more transparency in actual sales earnings of self-published authors, including for Amazon and other retailers to disclose actual sales, on the grounds that withholding the information is preventing writers from making a good judgement when choosing whether to self or traditionally publish. (Retailers currently do not disclose self-published authors' earnings, and most contracts include confidentiality clauses forbidding self-published authors from disclosing their actual sales except by specific permission.)

Vook, a digital publishing and distribution platform, releases a program allowing authors to track digital sales across all platforms. It's called Author Control and is free for your first 10 books.

Amazon's Audible is lowering the royalty rate on its self-published audio books. Exclusive distribution now nets authors an across-the-board 40%, as compared to the previous 50-90%; non-exclusive sales are now 25%. Getting a new reader to sign up does now earn authors $50, double the previous $25.

According to the latest VIDA account, reviews of books by female authors are still lagging far behind those for male-authored books.

Interested in living on a train while writing your next book? Amtrak's offering writer's residencies.

Victoria Strauss on Writer Beware updates us: The Bookseller will no longer be accepting advertising from vanity publisher Author Solutions, Inc. Now Strauss is asking readers and writers to ask other major publishing industry organizations to do the same. Jane Dowary Agency, run by Jane Dowary, doesn't have experience but does have a lot of name-changing. The authors of 2 Moons Press, stuck in a legal limbo while their publishing house went into bankruptcy, are trying to gain the funds to sue for their rights back. And there are some concerns over Simon451's contest, in terms of how many rights it gives over.


What publishing news have you encountered in the past two weeks?

Publishing Industry News (Part 2)

The second half of Publishing Industry news--The major news portion, covering 1/25-2/14.

Publishing News

ReDigi gets a patent to sell used e-books, audiobooks, music, and other content. When an item is sold, it is deleted off the original owner's devices and uploaded to the new owner's.

Hugh Howey puts together an interesting report on author earnings. We all know he's in favor of self-publishing, but now he offers some numbers to back it up.

OverDrive, a company that works with libraries to enable e-lending, makes a deal with HarperCollins and acquires their books in the UK (under the same terms as they use for the US). Another publisher, Abrams, also makes its books available to library e-lending programs.

The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection has done a study on how to approach libraries and e-content (whether to regulate publishers or not with new legislation to ensure and broaden library access to e-content), and decided to take the "wait and see how it develops on its own" approach.

A new group, ReadersFirst, aims to make library e-lending easier and more accessible to all customers, hoping to standardize it and make the experience easy, intuitive, and efficient.

And the Digital Content Working Group addressed libraries at their winter conference, encouraging them to think about the future of e-lending when making decisions, and giving them various suggestions on what to look for.

Sony's leaving the North American e-book business (still around for countries) and giving its customers to Kobo.

Want to sell fanfiction? If your fanfic is written in one of the licensed Kindle Worlds, you may be able to--and Amazon's just added 7 new worlds.

In the ruling of the consumers vs Apple class action suit, Apple lost. Now the damages trial is set for May. Plaintiffs are aiming for $840 million. Meanwhile, the Second Circuit denies Apple's appeal at getting its monitor ousted.

In Canada, the government signs an e-book agreement with 4 major publishers, which adopts many of the same provisions as the US DoJ settlements in exchange for the publishers not being sued for price-fixing: booksellers may set their own prices, etc.

Although "Fair use" clauses in copyright law are well-established in America, the inclusion of them in Australian law would be new, and the International Publishers Association and Australian Publishers Association protest adding the "fair use" language based on the courts' inexperience with the law, pointing to the sheer amount of effort and lawsuits it took Americans to define exactly what fair use constitutes.

DreamWorks Animation is opening an in-house book publisher called DreamWorks Press, which will publish books based on its works.

Barnes and Noble may have made a few cuts to its Nook program, but it is not abandoning it.

If you're in the UK, you can now get a Masters degree in self-publishing.

 

 

Who wants to go for a swim?

Simon and Schuster gives a new fantasy imprint a name and logo. Saga press (separate from Simon451) will begin putting out books in 2015. S&S is also releasing a marketing website called 250 Words, devoted to business books, that it dubs "publisher-agnostic," meaning it accepts contributions from authors regardless of which major publisher puts them out.

If you're on the East coast, it will come as no surprise that winter weather has disrupted Valentine's week book sales.

And what goes into a good book? HipType creates an infographic on what's in a best-selling book.


What other publishing news have you encountered in the past 3 weeks?
And as I get back on schedule, would you prefer to have a short post next week, or a long post in another 3 weeks?

Publishing Industry News (Part 1)

Publishing industry news for 1/25-2/13/14. 3 weeks this time, due to vacation! Broken into two parts, because it'll be long--part 2, news, tomorrow; today will focus on industry blogs.

Industry Blogs:

QueryTracker's Publishing Pulse for 1/31, 2/7, and 2/14.

Nathan Bransford's The Past Few Weeks in Books for 2/7.

On QueryTracker, Sarah Pinneo explains the contemporary Young Adult genre--what the POV usually is, who the narrators usually are, and other major genre identifies. Ash Krafton talks about the self-publishing or legacy publishing debate and her take on it. Angela Ackerman talks about the Do's and Don'ts of Twitter DMing (hint: don't spam). Rosie Genova offers advice in advance of conference season on what to do and not to do at writers' conferences.

On Writer Beware, we discover that scandal-ridden WinePress Publishing has closed its doors. And remember vanity publisher Publish America? It's now name-hopped to America Star Books. And speaking of name-hopping, Albee Agency PR/Sandpiper Publicity adds Magnus Publicity to its names--all of which you should be wary of, as Strauss points out various instances of dubious claims and spam-style tactics. She also begins a series of posts about author information databases, aimed at helping prevent books from being labeled orphan works by connecting books with author names.

Kristine Kathryn Rusch continues her discoverability series: Part Between 7 and 8: Understanding types of readers; Part Eight: Passive marketing; Part Nine: blogs and guest blogging.

Agent Kristen Nelson suggests that UK contracts are as important as US contracts for US authors. Be careful to read the fine print.

Agent Rachelle Gardner offers advice. Are you worried about someone stealing your ideas? If so, be vague when describing them; but really it's not worth the blood pressure to worry in the first place. Two writers with the same idea will make two very, very different books. She also advises on how to treat your muse like a puppy to max out your creativity and avoid writers' block.

And Agent Janet Reid answers questions. An agent assured me all agents wanted all writers to hire editors before ever querying and provided me a contact for her own editing group; is this correct/ethical? (No. You may choose to hire an editor after rejections, but it's not step one of querying. Agents should definitely not refer you to editors, especially those giving them kickbacks, before accepting you. Plus more issues here...) If my protagonist doesn't have a name, how do I handle it to avoid first-person queries? (Give them a name for the query, or look at how some other authors with nameless narrators handled the problem.) What's the line between promotion and spam on Twitter? (One promo for every 10 tweets, no more, or you're edging towards spam.)

More questions answered by Reid: Can I upload my book to Kindle while I'm querying? (Uploading to Kindle is by definition publishing your book. If you're not trying to self-publish, don't upload to Kindle. If you're querying agents, you shouldn't have already published the book. Therefore, no.) Is it okay to tweet your agent/any agent with questions? (No. Twitter is a public discourse. Don't have a private conversation in public.) Should I create a web page for my unpublished book with its cover, etc, while I'm querying, or should I wait for the publisher to announce my book? (If it's unpublished, it doesn't have a cover. The publisher doesn't "announce" your book. If you design a web page now, it should not be about an unpublished book.) How do I handle revise & resubmit queries after it's been revised? (Reid explains.) An agent requested my book based on two different pitches in unrelated pitch events. What do I do? (Mention it in the query, and congrats on interesting her twice.) If I want to be an intern at a literary agency, can I send my resume to those that haven't posted job openings? (Sure, but it's not likely to get you a job.)

Writers Write offers some current news: Want to buy audio books? Overdrive (partnering with libraries) will only be lending audiobooks in MP3 DRM-free format, ditching the old WMA (Windows Media Autio) option that was locked with DRM. And JK Rowling is suing the Daily Mail for libel after they ran a story saying she accused a church group of harassing behavior, when the article she published that was referenced in the Daily Mail's story actually praised the group for their help and support.


The second half of the post, Publishing News, will be up later! Until then, happy Valentine's Day!

Publishing Industry News

This post covers from 1/10-1/25. Just a heads' up, but next news post will be a week late and will cover 3 weeks!


Publishing News

Do you write off your home office? There's new tax laws on it this year. Could be a benefit to you. Rachel Kent on Fine Print Literary explains.

Simon & Schuster launch a new imprint called Simon451 for science fiction. They also commit their entire e-book catalogue to the e-lending library Overdrive.

Overdrive also plans to start distributing DRM-free audiobooks.

Amazon Publishing is launching a new imprint for Christian books (fiction and nonfiction). Also, they're considering shipping packages before the items are bought, and trying to patent the process (because mind-reading is cool? No, we're looking at items that are ordered regularly and they anticipate your reorder, shipping items likely to be needed regionally to warehouses in the general area, that sort of thing. For the most part, anyway. Maybe there will be a few accidental well-we've-already-shipped-it-so-happy-birthday shipments. The Wall Street Journal has more, although check out the patent for actual details, which may not be as impressive as alluded to.)

Barnes and Noble gets hit with a class action lawsuit that claims they misled consumers by majorly downplaying their losses.

Good Books' parent company, Good Enterprises, has filed for bankruptcy. Good Enterprises' print stock is with Simon & Schuster, their distributor, after liquidation; Simon & Schuster now have official permission to continue selling them and advertising them, so long as they follow "standard terms." (Honestly I have no idea what the standard terms are, though.)

The 2014 Omnibus Appropriations Act has passed, meaning that all taxpayer-funded research must be made available to the public within 1 year of publication in peer-reviewed journals.

Apple requested a stay against the court-appointed monitor; Judge Cote denied it. She then told them to cooperate with the monitor. The DoJ claims Apple's waging a "character assassination" against the monitor. Apple makes an appeal, and the stay is granted after all by the appeals court.


Industry Blogs

QueryTracker's Publishing Pulse for 1/17 and 1/24.

There's a really interesting self-publishing income survey out, comparing self-publishing income across genres, to how much the authors earned through traditional and self-publishing, pricing, and more. In contrast, Digital Book Week puts out a survey saying most authors, traditional or self-publishing, earn less than $1000 a year.

And BookBub talks about blurbs, and how they affected sales, and what works.

Interested in selling to foreign markets? Shareem Akbani Gangat explains the current foreign markets and what's selling, what challenges you'll face, and what you need to keep in mind.

There's a new app that Victoria Strauss on Writer Beware posted about, which (if developed) will allow readers to make and share edits to published work (but only with other purchasers of the book). Of particular interest is the controversy about whether or not it violates copyright infringement--there is much discussion and a few edits by Strauss discussing alternate viewpoints on the issue.

Also on Writer Beware, Agent Artery might sound like something writers might want if they're looking for an agent--but the company spams agents, and like most spam the agents delete it without thought.

And you may remember Writer Beware's post about Scribd, based on Scribd's early days with high amounts of pirated content. Scribd responds, pointing out their aggressive policy on pirating and how much they've been doing to remove illegal content.

Literary agent Janet Reid answers more questions: If a middle grade book starts feeling too mature, can you sell it as YA? (It's very tough. The target audience tends to prefer reading about kids their age or older, not younger kids.) Would most writers be able to score a print-only deal if they're not sure they can handle the selling solo? (No.) You sold your first book and your publisher has right of first refusal. Should you look for an agent for the second book? (No; agents won't be interested and it'll annoy your publisher.) Also, use your subject line when sending e-mails.

Are you worried about pirates? Rachelle Gardner explains why you shouldn't get your blood pressure up over the issue. And she reminds you that no matter how compelling social networking/building a platform/etc, your main focus should be on writing a great book.

Kristine Kathryn Rusch gives her opinion on pricing in a 2 part series: Part A and Part B.

Agent Nephele Tempest gives 3 short pieces of advice on writing queries.

Pew Research is the latest to agree that while eReading is Rising, it's not replacing traditional books.

Don't sign up for a copyright registration service. If you want to register your copyright, do so yourself at the US Copyright Office. It's easy, it's $35, it takes 10 minutes. If you pay $125 for "7 years," you've been ripped off.

Some editors talk about what they're looking for in 2014.

Indie bookstore Eagle Harbor Books creates an interesting customer-interaction feature that, much like Amazon's recommendation engines, recommends books for readers based on the readers' preferences--but this one is in a store, not online. (Cool. I'd like to see one of those in my local indie bookstore.)

A cool infographic by HipType on "The DNA of a successful book."

What do you think of an algorithm that will tell you which books will be successful and which weren't? They've come up with one. (Interestingly, reading the methodology, neither fantasy nor romance were included, although science fiction was and a category called "love stories" was--how that relates to romance I have no idea. I would be highly curious to see if romance followed the same algorithm.)

And here's 5 apps for copy editing.

In sci-fi news (not really book-related but interesting), a fan convention cancels with its hotel based off alleged disrespect from the hotel. But the details aren't clear and whether or not the supposed comments actually occurred is disputed. Jim Hines offers his perspective.

Publishing Industry news

Welcome to the first publishing news and industry blogs post of 2014! This post covers the New Year: 12/29/13-1/10/14.


Publishing News

 The DoJ and the States, from the parallel DoJ vs Apple and States vs Apple price-fixing lawsuits, urge Judge Cote to deny Apple's bid for a stay of some of the terms of the injunction. Apple asks the court to fire its external monitor, citing bias, after the monitor files a defense brief in response to their initial claims against him.

The Authors Guild files an appeal on the dismissal of the Authors Guild vs the Google library scanning project, asking for the lawsuit to be reinstated.

Is Sherlock Holmes public domain? At first it looked like he was, but then things became a bit cloudy. The estate owning the Sherlock Holmes copyright argues the characters weren't "complete" until the final Sherlock book was published; the copyright on the first 50 books have since expired, but the "full" character of Sherlock (and company) aren't public domain.What that means is still unclear.

The holidays weren't kind to the Nook.

Bookish, a book-related social network, after struggling for a couple of years just to get launched, has been purchased by Zola, a start-up online retailer.

The world loses an invaluable trove of books after a library full of historic books burns down in Lebanon. Over 2/3 of the 80,000 books were lost.

J.K. Rowling's lawyer who leaked that she was Robert Galbraith is fined.

GoodReads is up to 25 million users.


Industry Blogs

QueryTracker's Publishing Pulse for 1/3.

Writer Beware publishes their top posts from 2013. Want to make sure you didn't miss any warnings or advice? Also, Strauss discusses the ethical issues of Scribd's subscription service, which has in recent years paired up with traditional publishers and offers legal access to many books for an $8.99 a month fee... but also continues to offer access to illegally uploaded copies of copyrighted books. It's also an example of publishers taking liberty with authors' rights... but it could be a major future source of author revenue.

On QueryTracker, "Miss Rosie" advises herself with resolutions for the new year--good advice for any writer (that none of us will probably follow to the letter). Ash Krafton lists 5 mistakes that make your query letter look amateur. And Stina Lindenblatt offers 11 tips for making a book trailer.

Several agents vent their query letter pet peeves. Querying? Don't peeve them off!

Kristine Kathryn Rusch posts part 5 (putting in the long-term effort) and part 6 (branding) of her "discoverability" series.

Agent Janet Reid answers more questions: "In my query letter, am I required to tell agents about any editors I've queried?" (No. In fact, please don't.) "If I publish a book and the publisher ends the contract, do they own the rights the world? Can they stop me from self-publishing more books in the series/world after the end of the contract?" (Only in a really, really bad contract would they still have rights after the contract has ended. Don't sign a contract like that.) "If I review books, and I post a bad review on a book you represent, will it hurt my chances when I query you?" (Yes. But if you've already done it, don't stop doing book reviews now--just make sure they're honest, fair, and the critique is on real issues in the book itself.)

And some more: Does being older have a negative impact on my query letter? (Unfortunately, yes. Don't mention your age in your query.) Should I include publishing credits from a traditional publisher from an unrelated genre? Even if it's gay erotic romance? (Yes. It proves you write well enough to be published. You might have to describe the publishing company, though, if the agent won't be familiar with it.) Can I use a gimmick in my query, since non-formulaic queries do well? (No. There's a difference between gimmick and non-formulaic.) My manuscript isn't finished, but the agent seemed interested during the conference. Should I query? (No, but maybe drop a short e-mail their way.) My protagonist is a kid; does that make it automatically YA? (No, it doesn't.) Someone you know that you think should be a writer? (She recommends sending them to AbsoluteWrite.com.)

She also gives some advice: How to answer when someone asks you how your book is selling.

Agent Suzie Townsend recaps a panel and her answers to several questions. She's looking for more magical realism, by the way.

And author Jim Hines once again posts his publishing income, in hopes of giving aspiring authors a realistic expectation of what they may earn through writing.

George R.R. Martin offers 10 tips on writing.

Science says reading is good for your brain. And doctors prescribe books to treat depression.

Publishing Industry News

Publishing news and industry blogs for 12/14-12/28.


Publishing News

Pennsylvania joins the states that collect sales tax on Amazon and other online purchases, and its legislators announce their support of the Marketplace Fairness Act, designed to make all online retailers collect sales tax. Whether or not the MFA will get enough support to pass is still up for debate.

Indie booksellers are carrying more and more self-published books, particularly as the quality of self-published books rises, and if the author is local. This may soon extend to e-books as well. Booksellers report the partnership with local authors helps them compete with larger book chains.

The Independent Book Publishers Association passes an official code of ethics for its members.

Bob Kohn is appealing the publisher settlements in the DOJ vs the Big Six and Apple case, on the grounds that the publishers' actions were in fact pro-competitive, and Amazon's role should have been considered in the trial and settlements. Kohn specifically is not seeking any delay in injunctions and refunds already agreed upon (and will be fined if he does), but because Apple is not involved in the publisher settlements, and the publishers not likely to appeal themselves as they are already in the settlements, he states that the settlements will not have sufficient scrutiny on behalf of consumers if no one appeals.

Meanwhile in the DOJ vs Apple suit, the DOJ is dismissing Apple's complaints about the monitor as being a negative PR campaign, and claims that Apple has not been willing to discuss appropriate terms of conduct for the monitor or the legal fees the monitor would be able to charge.

Smashwords signs a deal with Scribd that will make Smashwords books available on Scribd's subscription service.

For a while major retailers had a lock on e-reading habits discerned from tracking reading trends on e-readers (in non-identifying ways), now start-ups are making the information available to subscribers, meaning self-published authors can now discover what readers spend the most time on, when their books are abandoned, what gets highlighted, etc.


Industry Blogs

QueryTracker's 12/20 and 12/17.

Nathan Bransford's The Last Few Weeks in Books for 12/26.

Victoria Strauss on Writer Beware offers advice on navigating crowd-funded anthologies, including what to look for and how not to lose out on rights and other aspects. And if you've heard of Quill Shift Literary Agency, think twice about joining--it may sound interesting, but the agency's premise is rather shaky.

Rosie Genova on QueryTracker points out the lessons we can learn about writing from soap operas, pointing out just how incredibly popular soap operas have been, and how loyal their fans are, and how we might gain some of that loyalty and staying power with our own works.

And a couple of questions are answered on QueryTracker during a call for questions. When changing agents, do you have to start the whole query process over? (Yes, and terminate with your first agent before you begin, and don't query a work your first agent has been working on.) Does an agent who turns down 3 manuscripts, and then accepts #4, have no interest in 1-3? (Ask them. Maybe yes, maybe no.)

Agent Janet Reid also doles out advice: Is it possible for a query to be too good? (No--If the query is setting too high expectations, polish your book more.) Is writing fan fiction considered a publishing credit? (No, don't mention it in the query.) Will agents throw me away if I have italics in the first five pages? (No; if one agent said that, it's their own personal quirk, and certainly not an industry standard. And if your "how to query" book is 13 years old, update it, because the industry--and querying--has changed.) Should I query my dream agent first or last? (Don't choose a dream agent.) Does digital publishing stop me from getting print-published? (The question refers to traditional publishing digital-first lines: You're still with a reputable publisher [hopefully]. This counts as being published with a publisher. The format does not make a difference in your credits.) If I enter a contest, should I be worried about someone stealing my idea? (No. If you are, don't enter contests. But it's the execution that counts, not just the idea. And besides which, most authors aren't looking to steal others' ideas--they're too busy with their own.) I'm a pre-published novelist doing a blog. What should I blog about? (Go Facebook and make friends, and talk to people. Or blog about your life.)

At the Daily Dahlia, ten blunt pieces of advice for writers.

One of the largest trade publishers in China, Beijing Mediatime Books, operates a branch in the US; the CEO compares Chinese publishing with American publishing.

Kristine Kathryn Rusch continues a post about the Old Ways of Discoverability and why they may not be the best in this digital age, and what would be better (part 1 here). She also talks about the giant paradigm shift authors need to make--to switch from thinking of copyright/manuscripts as things to sell, to thinking of them as assets that will earn revenue over time.

A collection of places and journals accepting submissions and entries from the Aerogramme Writers' Studio.

Ever wanted to know the sleep habits of famous writers?

Gift cards are now available on Audiobooks.com, for those who need a late holiday gift.

Reddit's book community is huge--so if you're an author and looking to reach people, it may be worth your while to check it out.

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.

Publishing Industry News

Publishing news and industry blogs for 8/24-9/6/2013. Not a terribly busy week--I think most Americans, at least, spent too much time nursing sunburns after Labor Day to make too much news.

Publishing News

Spectacular Solutions and Balboa Press hit the Writer's Beware page, as does Sandpiper Publicity.

Hey, wouldn't it be cool if you could get the e-book cheap when you bought a paper and ink book? Well, Amazon's MatchBook is making that finally happen.

Remember hearing about how careful you have to be about FaceBook promotions? They've amended their official policy, in ways that will make authors much happier.

Both Amazon and Overstock have filed suit in the Supreme Court to stop the ruling that would force them to collect sales tax for online sales to New York. American BookSellers Association responds to this with a cheeky note, taking Amazon to task for claiming to support online sales tax.

In the Apple vs the DOJ case, the DOJ lightens the injunction against Apple, after telling Apple to put their objections in an itemized list (more or less). Macmillan has to wait the longest (4 years) to renegotiate its deals with Apple, but at least they're renegotiable, instead of terminated, right? Meanwhile, in the settlements by the publishers, refunds for e-books rise.

Google and the Authors' Guild are still going at it, eight years in, on the Google bookscanning case. (Quick refresher: Google scanned library books for its Google Books project. The Authors' Guild says this violates copyright. Google Books says that it counts as fair use. There's a lot more to it than that, but we'll stop there.)

Amazon and Kobo both release new version of e-readers.

Figshare launches a platform for colleges to host academic research and make it available, citeable, searchable, and basically discoverable.

This year's Hugo Award Winners are out.


Industry Blogs

QueryTracker's Publishing Pulse for 8/30 and 9/6.

Nathan Bransford's Last Few Weeks in Books for 8/26.

Getting bullied on GoodReads? Heard about an incident where an author decided not to publish? Writing on the Ether discusses what really happened and talks about bullying, GoodReads, and escalation.

Publishers Weekly takes a look at Kobo's relationship with the American Booksellers Association, one year in. Also, GalleyCat offers a guide on how to buy from your local indie bookstore through Kobo.

And a brief look at current book-buying behavior, again by Publishers Weekly.

Speaking of which, how many e-books have been self-published on Smashwords? Now over 250,000.

About to launch a book? Jared Dees posts a nice guide for getting the word out.