Publishing Industry News

What's been going on in the publishing industry over the past two weeks? Quick links and summaries for your perusal:


Industry News

Barnes & Noble urges the DOJ to reject the settlements of 3 big publishers over the price-fixing lawsuit, saying that the settlements are not in the public's best interest and that there is no factual basis that the settlements will actually address the issues raised by the lawsuit.

E-book retailer Kobo reveals plans for a self-publishing platform. Author royalties will be up to 70% and authors can set the prices as they please, including giving books away for free.

Hachette Group is beginning a new line for commercial fiction called Redhook.

For Cloud, iPad, and Android, Kindle now supports childrens' books, graphic novels, and comics.

In the Authors Guild vs Google lawsuit over the book-scanning project, Google asks for an extension to file its motion for summary judgement. Also, French publishers drop their lawsuit, working out a settlement with Google to allow out-of-print books by French authors to be scanned.

Publishing companies (including Amazon) will soon be able to have their URLs end in .book.

Think Amazon's the only company dealing with book scammers? Not so. Barnes & Noble's PubIt! bans Nora A. Roberts, a scammer trying to cash in on the famous Nora Roberts.

Want to weigh in on the DOJ's lawsuit against major publishers? Deadline for public commentary is June 25, so get your letters written before then. (Where to send your letter)


Industry Blogs

QueryTracker's Publishing Pulse for 5/8.

Nathan Bransford posts The Last Few Weeks in Books.

Agent Natalie Lakosil suggests that writers do not requery a revised manuscript to the same agent unless the agent originally asked for a revise and resubmit, or the story has been basically completely rewritten. Requerying the same agent with a different manuscript is a good idea, though.

Jami Gold posts her ultimate guide to pitch writing.

The Zola Social Reader is an app that brings the people back into bookselling, allowing critics and friends to make their choices known instead of relying solely on algorithms for book recommendations. Notes can be shared, and you'll be able to write in the margins and highlight and share that, too. The beta version has just been released; the official is expected no sooner than July.

Rachelle Gardner reflects on what's changed in the past 4 years. She also talks about using the setting as a character in your book - the correct setting can enhance your characters' moods, display their faults, challenge them, or show what they want to be. And she advices us on using emotion in our publishing careers. The key to getting someone to buy your book is to connect them emotionally; if an agent turns you down, it may because they're having a bad day themselves, so don't let it get you down; if you want your readers to remember your book - they'll always remember how you made them feel, even if they forget the plot.

Janet Reid gives us an example what should be in a personalized PR announcement. Let's say you just got published and want to let your friends know. If you want to come across as not spam, you need to: personalize (yes, that's include each name and write to each person, and talk about why they'd like it and mention something specific to them that wouldn't apply to each generic person), include full information (title, word count/page count, price, publisher, genre), and a full URL (including introducing the URL with "Here's my book" or some such).

Over at GalleyCat, advice on how to market to the YA audience. Keep up the social media, go on blog tours, go to independent bookstores and invite readers, get people talking about you.

Here's an excellent inspirational post from Danyelle Leafty to keep us going, via Winston Churchill's advice.

If you're writing children's books and plan to write for e-readers, be careful about including too many apps, as they may be distracting and reduce a child's ability to retain information from the story.


That's all I've found on my news round-up.What other major publishing news have you encountered over the past two weeks?

Feasting on a budget: Summer Salad and Pork Chops

I have to say, this is the perfect time of year for eating in season, because all the best fruits and vegetables are ripe for the plucking (and shredding and sauteeing and souping and...)

We hit the farmer's market for our weekly feast, and came out with a salad that surprised us on how delicious it was. Throw in some BOGO pork chops and we come away with a meal that was cheap, healthy, and delicious.

Shopping list (from the farmer's market unless otherwise noted):
siberian kale* ($2.50)
2 fresh large tomatoes ($2.50)
blackberries & raspberries ($7 total for a pint of each)
basil ($2 for a bunch)
pickled cucumbers ($1.50-homemade pickles courtesy of one of the group)
onion ($1)
1 loaf fresh bread ($4)
BOGO pork chops, 2 lbs (estimated $7.50 from Harris Teeter)
cheap white wine ($4 from Harris Teeter)
Total: $32 for 3 people (could feed 4; we had to wait a good hour after salad before we could eat the pork!)

"Pantry" ingredients (stuff in the pantry):
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
cracked black pepper
sea salt
butter

Recipe:

Berries:
Toss blackberries and raspberries into a big bowl. Rinse and eat.

Summer Salad:
Rinse everything before preparing. Remove stems from kale and chop or rip the leaves into a large bowl. Roughly chop the basil and add to salad. Chop tomatoes into chunks and add to bowl. Chop about 1/4 onion and add to salad. Toss in pickled cucumbers (Note from pickler: pickling juice can be kept for reuse.) Add cracked black pepper, a little sea salt, and balsamic vinegar and olive oil; serve with fresh bread. Bread can then be dipped in "dressing" for extra flavor.

Pork chops with gravy:
Heat pan to medium-high. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil. When pan is hot, salt pork chops and place in pan salt-down. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Salt other side and flip. When edges begin to come up off bottom of pan (about another 3-5 minutes; minimum safety temp 140F), take them out, place on plate, and cover with tin foil to keep warm. Pour about 1 1/2 cups white wine into pan to deglaze. Scrape sides to make sure all the tasty goodness is soaking in, chop remaining onion and add, and reduce. When liquid has reduced by at least half, add a couple pats of butter, mix, and pour over pork chops as gravy.

*There is some debate as to whether the siberian kale was actually kale or if I accidentally picked up collard greens instead. I maintain that it was siberian kale (it's not as curly as the kind we usually see in our market). Use whichever more appeals to you.

I'll admit being the one to suggest using the kale for a salad (I may have munched the leaves on the way home from the market and declared them delicious, been called odd, and then forced the others to try a bite, thus winning my case), but everyone else agreed that they made a truly terrific - and rather unique - base to the salad, combining extremely well with the basil that acted as our second type of greens. The cucumbers could also be added raw and would be delicious that way, too.

What interesting salads have you had? If you try this recipe, what do you think? 

Old Movies and modern science fiction

Watching old movies again? Do you like to go back and laugh at the science of old science fiction films?

Whether you're watching James Bond getting the radiation washed off him with brooms, or Captain Kirk chatting up a lady with 80s-style hair, the films only get better with time. But what can we learn about our own writing from dated movies?

Some things stand the test of time. Others (yes, even science) do not. What we know as a society changes more quickly than new books can be written. So, while getting the science correct is important, it's even more important to focus on getting the universals right.

We don't watch the classics for their science (except to laugh at it, but that doesn't really count, now does it?) We watch because we can connect with the characters, because we get swept away in the story. The true science of science fiction is how to make your reader fall in love with your characters.

Let's admit, sometimes it's better to just not explain the numbers. You can ask Hollywood for an example: If going into detail on how the phasers work slows the story down, just skip it. You can always add it to fan materials later. Besides, by the time there are real phasers (set to stun, please!), your phaser-science is likely to have been debunked.

Yes, there are times when the "how" becomes necessary. Don't skimp when it's needed. But like description of any kind, too much in the wrong place can grind a story to halt. So before saying your manuscript is polished, do a quick read-through. Is there any place where your characters are getting bogged down with the hows? If so, ask yourself if how something functions is essential to the storyline. Sometimes it may be. But if it's not, it's time to trim the section and slip it into the "cut scenes - bonus material for dedicated fans" box.

Focus on the plot, the characters, and the character interactions instead - that's a science that will never become outdated.

Adding Depth to Characters

It happens: you're a pantser, and you're writing, and suddenly you realize that you have a secondary character who is much more important than you'd originally expected. You know, that guy in the office who is really the story's first werezombie, only you never noticed it when you started writing. Now, halfway through the book, he's taking a central role in freeing the werezombies from the tyrannical rule of the evil voodoo mistress before she uses them to conquer the world.

Now you need to go back to the character's initial introduction, back when you thought he was just a guy at the office, and add depth. He's got a grand total of three appearances before your protagonist gets rescued by the werezombie freedom movement halfway through the book:

I walked past my coworker on the way to my desk. If he hadn't been there, I'd have thought the place deserted....
My coworker was filling his mug in the break room when I went in. Same guy as this morning. Funnily enough, also the only other person I'd seen all day...
I dropped a stack of files off on my coworker's desk and headed off to lunch, idly wondering if anyone else besides the two of us was going to show up today....

I don't recommend sticking in a 6-paragraph "Story of his life and how he came to be a zombie."

Seeding in references that there may be more information later can do the same job as elaborating early, and drive reader curiosity. Giving the character action scenes and adding a  little pointed description lets the reader know the character will be important, even if he or she receives only brief scenes to begin with. There may or may not be a need to add any more scenes, but packing subtle information into the character's existing scenes should be sufficient in most cases.

Let's go with this character introduction:

I walked past my coworker on the way to my desk. If he hadn't been there, I'd have thought the place deserted.

Plain, simple. But suddenly, you want to draw attention to him. Let's try giving him a name and an identifying habit.

I passed my coworker Charlie on the way to my desk, returning his usual wave of greeting. If he'd been missing, I would have known the place was truly deserted.

Immediate additions: name, habit, implied habit. He always waves hello, and he's probably almost always at his desk by the term missing. He has a name (I usually consider it good advice not to clutter the story with too many named side characters), so he's got to be worth noting. Some people might add a description here, but I'd save it for his second scene. Another way to add interest to a character is to have them do something:

My coworker was filling his mug in the break room when I went in. Same guy as this morning. Funnily enough, also the only other person I'd seen all day.

Let's give the guy a real action, and put a little description and that name in scene two:

Charlie was filling his mug in the break room when I went in. He looked up long enough to spare me a grin of his too-white teeth, and the distraction was enough to let splash coffee onto his crisp white shirt. Dark hair swung over his eyes as he glared in irritation at the dark spot.
     "Tough luck," I sympathized, taking his place at the coffee spigot. "Not really noticeable, though."
      A casual shrug and one last wave, and he was gone, and I was alone in the break room.
      Funnily enough, he was the only person I'd seen all day.

Now the focus is on Charlie in this scene, as opposed to the fact that he's the only other person around. We have curiosity: He's clearly a character, he doesn't seem to speak, and he isn't missing when everyone else is.

Okay, now let's develop Charlie. What does our character know about him?

I dropped a stack of files off on my coworker's desk and headed off to lunch, idly wondering if anyone else besides the two of us was going to show up today.

We can add hints of his "life":

    I dropped a stack of files into the empty inbox on Charlie's desk, struck once again by the lack of personality. Not a photo, not a framed picture, no sports regalia - just a lunar calendar tacked on the wall and the half-dead peace lily the secretary had given him last year on the day the corporate calendar claimed was his birthday. One of these days he would stick around long enough for me to drag him to lunch, and I'd pry a little life out of him.
    But not today, apparently. I grabbed my bag and went to lunch, idly wondering if anyone besides the two of us was going to show up.

Now we know that Charlie apparently has no life outside work. The empty inbox reinforces the lack of other people and also implies that he's a diligent worker. Maybe there's something important to this lunar calendar (probably, since we mentioned it), but he is completely missing family and personality. He has a birthday according to the corporate calendar, which the narrator doubts enough to note, and has kept a plant more or less alive for most of a year. And he always leaves before lunch. Foreshadowing!

Now when he rescues the protagonist, her first words to him won't be:

"Charlie?" It was my coworker, that one guy who had been at work yesterday morning. I almost didn't recognize him past the half-decayed eyeballs, but it was definitely him.

Instead, it'll be:

"Charlie?" It was him - although I almost didn't recognize him past the half-decayed eyeballs. But there was the coffee stain on his shirt, and he lifted a hand to me in his trademark wave.

Subtle changes, but they make a big difference.


What characters took you by surprise by becoming more important than they were originally planned to be? How did you add depth to them in their introductions?

Best license plate ever

Best license plate ever:

OMGCAR

Thank goodness my carpool partner was driving - this was a picture I couldn't miss!

Why write a fantasy language?

Rationale
(Creating a fantasy language: (Lesson 1, Rationale, Lesson 2, Lesson 3, Lesson 4, Choosing words, Creating an Alphabet)

A few weeks back, I did a post on how to begin writing a fantasy language. I'll post lesson #2 eventually. But first, why fantasy languages matter:

You might never include the language in your book. Your characters might never speak it; you might never mention it; your "dictionary" might languish on a shelf in the back of your old bedroom three apartments ago, forgotten.

But words matter. They change how we think. If you have a world different from this one, fundamentally different, your characters will commonly use words that are uncommon in basic English. And you, as an author, will be able to determine some of their values by how you prioritize creating these words, and the grammar that goes with them.

Let's take a look at the vocabulary for magic: Are there different types of magic? Is it classified? Is it separated by gender?

Let's make the word syl: to cast (magic). In this world, all magic comes from the same source, the sylpana. (pana=lake). There is only one type of magic, so everyone who uses it, can do the same things with it.

A woman casting magic might say: iko syli. (I cast.)

A man casting magic might say: ako syli. (I cast.)

What did we just establish? That men and women do not hold the same place in this society, or historically did not hold equivalent roles when the language was first being constructed (I is a fundamental concept!). They differentiate their genders, meaning that "male self" is different from "female self."

This may or may not mean that they were unequal, or that there was oppression at any point. They may have been a tribal society that differentiated the tasks of men and women, but gave equal leadership and value to both genders.

But your characters, male and female, are aware of their role in society as male and female. There will be gender expectations and differentiation, or there will memories of such differentiation. Your protagonist's mother is a smith. She may refer to this ("What do you think this is, the 1100s? I can open a smithy if I want to!") She would therefore be going against a minor social norm - meaning she was a strong influence on your character, and would have been a strong character of her own right, even if she doesn't play a big role in the story.

What's another thing we just learned? Men and women conjugate the verb to cast the same. That means that there is no gender differentiation between verbs (or at least between magic-related verbs). This could mean that historically, both men and women have been mages, and performed the same tasks as mages without gender-specific tasks. Mages never dealt with gender bias.

Maybe, in this world, 1000 years ago there was a strict gender-separation of most tasks. In fairly recent history, an equality movement has eliminated many of the barriers.

Why this matter?

You will have had to create a backstory for not just your characters, but their very world. This will give you a deeper understanding of who they are, and how they react to the environment around them. It may also give rise culture-specific terms, to the sort of insults that are used, and to the kinds of people they will encounter along the way.

Writing prompt of the day: You are writing a female mage in the world we've just described. Tell me one way this background affects her characterization, her story, her actions, or one of her scenes.

Industry News

What's been happening in publishing for the past two weeks? News and industry blogs to catch up on what happened over Memorial Day weekend (and the weekdays before and after!)

News

Penguin challenges the DOJ's claim that they conspired with four other major publishers and Apple to set prices, pointing out flaws in the DOJ's arguments and the weakness of evidence against them. Macmillan and Apple also intend to go to fight the lawsuit in court.

In the Google BookScanning case, authors have been granted class certification. This allows them to sue Google as a group as opposed to individually. The Authors Guild has been officially granted status as an associational plaintiff, and the case could officially go to trial as soon as September [theoretically].

Amazon sent out a reminder this week to remind authors that Amazon does not allow content freely available on the web to be sold through them, unless the seller holds the actual copyright. (I would say this is probably a response to spam books, or "books" constructed through free content and then resold for a profit, that have arisen on Amazon's self-publishing sites, and that Amazon is continuously working to remove.)
E-book distributor OverDrive will be releasing a browser-based, no-download platform that will allow readers to read their ebooks on regular browsers. This will be accessible through e-ink readers, smartphones, tablets, and other platforms.

Publishers team up with Facebook to market books by providing book catalogues through Facebook, as well as allowing them to track Likes and other analytical information, and offering them tools for quick and easy advertising and app-building. The platform (skBookshop.com) does not allow readers to purchase directly through FB, but does allow them to see what's available.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt files for bankruptcy.

Amazon and the IPG have come to terms, although the terms have not been released to the public. The IPG promises its clients that it will not collect any distribution fees on Kindle sales between June 1 and August 31 as recompense to lost sales due to the disagreement.

If you're using Amazon's CreateSpace and want a physical check for your royalty payment instead of direct deposit, you'll need to earn at least $100 (up from $28). Direct deposits are available for amounts of $10 or more.

Momentum, the Australian e-book only imprint, will be going DRM free by early August. Sister company Tor is also going DRM free this year.


Industry Blogs

QueryTracker's Publishing Pulse for 5/25 and 6/1.

On Writer Unboxed, Chuck Sambochino talks about figuring out which writers' conferences are right for you.

Rachelle Gardner goes over what goes into a publishing contract. Things such as advances (how much, when they're paid, if there's a bonus for hitting sales goals), licensing rights (who/what/how long/where), royalty rates, competition clauses, reversion of rights, free book copies, and cover design are all under the "frequently negotiated" list. On the other hand, policies on editing and revising, due dates, and provisions on remaindering are rarely changed.

She also talks about what the editing process looks like for authors with a publishing-house. You start with macro edits (big things!) and move down the line to small things. And she covers advances: how much, how often they're paid out, if they're negotiable (depends, usually split between 2-4 checks for one book, usually yes). Also, do agents accept self-published authors? It depends on why the author self-published. Agents don't want authors who went to self-publishing because they got tired and bitter of the process, but they'll look at authors who went there for business reasons.

QueryTracker talks about making the most of your writers' workshops. First of all, make sure the courses are specific to your needs and meet whatever goals you have at the particular time. Look into the instructor's credentials, and remember that cost does not always equate with quality. Also make sure you have or can make time for the course before taking it.

And think like an author, says QueryTracker's Danyelle Leafty. Write with intent, be proud of your work, be disciplined to continue writing even when it's hard, and be willing to learn and make mistakes.

Nathan Bransford reminds us that the dichotomy between self-publishing and traditional publishing isn't an "us-vs-them" situation: many authors do both.

Pixar's story artist Emma Coats shares her list of secrets to writing a great story.

What publishing news have you encountered in the past couple of weeks?