Have you guys been following what’s going on with the London Book Fair? A volcano that erupted in Iceland has whited-out British airspace, making it almost impossible for folks to get to the Book Fair from elsewhere in the world. Not only that. But it’s also making it impossible for… Read more“Selling rights in a cloud”
Category: Traditional Publishing
Analyzing the PW best sellers list
Publishers Weekly (PW) has released its list of 2009 best sellers compiled from information submitted to them by publishers. It would behoove you to check it out. In particular, take a good, hard look at the author names in the top thirty hardback fiction sellers: Dan Brown. John Grisham. Kathryn… Read more“Analyzing the PW best sellers list”
Being abused by Amazon
Some people want to abuse you. Some people want to be abused. —Annie Lennox And now Colin Robinson of OR Books reveals a little something more about Amazon’s relationships to publishers in yesterday’s Huffington Post. You’ll see a parallel here between Robinson’s approach to the Amazon monopoly and the growing… Read more“Being abused by Amazon”
Following the publishing industry online
Jason Pinter’s talking today over on the Huffington Post about publishing and social media. He’s saying that’s where the industry is going on now: on Twitter, especially, where agents, acquisitions editors, and publishers can talk either one-on-one or en masse to readers and authors, bringing the audience down out of… Read more“Following the publishing industry online”
Swinging between Amazon and Apple with the ebook publishers
You’ve got to give Jeff Bezos credit for cojones, if not business savvy. The guy still hasn’t learned to stay off the trapeze without a net. Motoko Rich of the NY Times and Christina Warren of Mashable both report this week that Amazon is back to swinging wildly from the… Read more“Swinging between Amazon and Apple with the ebook publishers”
Telling the truth about a career as an author
Your little dose of reality, folks, from the people who know. You’re not going to get rich as a writer. You’re not even going to get the $150,000 advance this heartbroken author got and spent on living expenses so many years ago. You’re probably not going to make much of… Read more“Telling the truth about a career as an author”
Commenting on Tupperware
Okay, I have to comment on this: Publisher’s Marketplace says today that, “Disney Book Group publisher Jonathan Yaged is leaving the company for the plum job of chief operating officer of HouseParty.com, a company that organizes modern-day Tupperware parties, PW reports.” It’s more lucrative now to be the boss of… Read more“Commenting on Tupperware”
Reading up on the business of fiction
“How dare they ignore the fact that I’m annoyed!” I like his attitude! Read Paul Hartsock’s analysis of the e-book shenanigans. This piece on author’s rights by Victoria Strauss at Writer Beware has been around awhile, but a client forwarded it to me yesterday, and it’s well worth your time…. Read more“Reading up on the business of fiction”
Embracing your writerliness
Dani Shapiro has written this for the LA Times on how the publishing industry has completely changed in the last twenty-five years, so that the dream of writing you probably grew up on is no longer the dream of publishing you think it is. I can’t tell you how important… Read more“Embracing your writerliness”
Making an omelet out of the news
MacMillan (including Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, St. Martin’s Press, and Henry Holt) is going head-to-head with Amazon over pricing, with the result that Apple’s sudden appearance with a more flexible price structure has tipped the scale. Although the “news” is that Amazon has pulled MacMillan books from its store, I’m… Read more“Making an omelet out of the news”