The Radicalization of Bedtime Stories
theatlantic.com – Monday November 12, 2018
More than 200 years ago, when books for children first became common, they delivered simple moral lessons about, for instance, cleanliness and the importance of prayer. Today, story time is still propelled by moral forces, but the issues have gotten a good deal more sophisticated.
In recent years, publishers have put out children’s books with political undertones and activist calls to action on topics ranging from Islamophobia to race to gender identity to feminism. “The trend has definitely exploded in recent years with the social-justice books and the activism books,” says Claire Kirch, a senior correspondent at Publishers Weekly who has been covering the book industry for 15 years.
Publica wants to free publishers and authors from Amazon using the blockchain
thebookseller.com – Saturday November 10, 2018
Publica is a new publishing platform that using blockchain and cryptocurrency technology to innovate how books are funded, distributed, bought, and read. For readers, libraries and institutions Publica offers “books without borders” via an ereader-wallet app for digital book ownership, which is portable to any device. For authors and publishers, it offers personalised online storefronts, designed to their own business models and at their own prices, with their book sales cryptographically protected by a global peer-to-peer blockchain network.
Vary Sentence Structure
By G. Miki Hayden
Instructor at Writer's Digest University online and private writing coach
firstwriter.com – Saturday November 10, 2018
This past week I edited a novel written in a way meant to emulate the method used by a handful of successful mystery writers.
"He took the stairs down. He walked into the kitchen. He stood at the refrigerator. He got out a pitcher of cold water."
Major Publishers are seeing strong gains with audiobooks
goodereader.com – Friday November 9, 2018
Major publishers such as Simon and Schuster, HarperCollins, Hachette and Penguin Random House have all reported that digital audiobooks continue to soar, while ebooks still generate meaningful revenue, although sales are soft.
HarperCollins recently stated that digital audiobook sales also had another great quarter, up 55% over the first period of fiscal 2018. The growth in audio offset soft e-book sales, resulting in a 12% increase in total digital sales in the quarter; ebook and digital audio represented 22% of total HC revenue in the period.
5 helpful books for National Novel Writing Month
syracuse.com – Wednesday November 7, 2018
If you've ever wanted to write a book, this is the month to begin! November is National Novel Writing Month. NaNoWriMo, as it is often referred to, is an artistic writing project online that occurs every November. People who participate in this write a 50,000 word manuscript during the month.
Take part in this project by visiting nanowrimo.org and learn more about it by checking out books from your local library or by logging on to www.onlib.org.
Will the chatbot novel become a new trend for book publishers?
econsultancy.com – Tuesday November 6, 2018
eBooks and audiobooks are now consumed in their droves, and yet they remain a mere alternative to the traditional paper or hardback book.
And when it comes to marketing, apart from a few juggernauts like J.K Rowling (more on her later), not many authors receive the investment or resources needed for large scale digital or social campaigns.
So, how do publishers tell (and sell) stories to a digital audience? American author James Patterson is the latest author to experiment with a new strategy. He has teamed up with Facebook to release an ‘interactive’ version of his latest novel, ‘The Chef’, on the Messenger platform.
Is it a marketing gimmick, or a glimpse at how we will consume and enjoy books in future? Here’s more.
New Publisher Listing
firstwriter.com – Tuesday November 6, 2018
Publishes: Fiction
Areas include: Romance
Markets: Adult
Preferred styles: Contemporary; Light; Positive
Publishes wholesome contemporary romances set in small towns and close-knit communities. Interested in feel-good stories with happy endings. No explicit or behind-closed-doors sex, nudity, pre-marital sex, graphic violence, religious, paranormal, or heavy suspense. Submit via online submission system.
New Magazine Listing
firstwriter.com – Monday November 5, 2018
Publishes: Essays; Fiction; Interviews; Nonfiction; Poetry;
Areas include: Criticism; Literature; Short Stories; Translations;
Markets: Adult;
Preferred styles: Literary
Online journal publishing poetry, fiction, and nonfiction (including personal essays, criticism and art interviews). Submit up to five poems or prose up to 10 pages through online submission system. Accepts simultaneous submissions.
New specialist kids agency launched
booksandpublishing.com.au – Thursday November 1, 2018
Lawyer and writer Justine Barker has launched a new literary agency focusing on children’s and YA books.
Mayfair Literary Agency will represent authors writing picture books, junior fiction, middle-grade and YA titles, and is only open to Australian writers. The agency is currently accepting submissions by previously published authors, and also has a pre-submission pitching service open to unpublished authors.
US trade sales increase despite a fall in publishing revenues
thebookseller.com – Wednesday October 31, 2018
Publishing revenues declined 1.4% in the US in the first three quarters of the year, despite a rise in trade revenues of 4.4%, according to the Association of American Publishers (AAP).
Trade publishing revenues increased 4.4% to $228.3m compared to the same period in 2017 and adult books - the largest category - experienced a rise of 4.4%. Publishers revenue for children’s and young adult books (+3.5%) and religious presses (+7.6%) also increased.
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