Book Publishing's Rousing First Half of 2021
publishersweekly.com – Sunday September 12, 2021
By any measure, the first half of 2021 was a good period for trade book publishing. Revenue at the companies that report trade sales to the Association of American Publishers’ StatShot program rose 17.6% over the first six months of 2020; NPD BookScan reported that unit sales increased 18.5% in the period; and bookstore sales jumped 30% over what was a miserable first six months of 2020. So it comes as no surprise that the four publicly traded major publishers also posted strong increases in the period.
Of particular note is the fact that while sales were strong, profits were even better, with operating margins showing healthy gains. In general, the publishers cited higher sales of both backlist books and digital content, especially digital audiobooks, for the improved margins. Though supply chain issues and the uncertainty over the delta variant are causing some concerns about how the rest of the year will unfold, publishers are hoping that the increased interest in reading will carry over through the 2021 holiday season and beyond.
How to Make a Zine: A Guide to Self-Publishing Your Own Miniature Magazine
mymodernmet.com – Wednesday September 8, 2021
Even if you’ve never heard of a zine, chances are you’ve probably had one in your hands at some point without even knowing. These handmade booklets provide a way for people to share their art, writing, musings, and give a platform to underrepresented and marginalized voices. If you’ve got something to say, why not use a zine to express yourself? Read on to learn about the history of the zine, and how you can make one yourself.
Jerome leaves Aevitas to join Curtis Brown
thebookseller.com – Wednesday September 8, 2021
Natalie Jerome has left Aevitas Creative Management (ACM) after two years to join Curtis Brown as a literary agent.
She will continue to be based in Newport, Wales, and began work at Curtis Brown on 1st September.
Jerome has been an independent agent with Aevitas since 2019, with clients including Lenny Henry and David Harewood, and she was shortlisted for Literary Agent of the Year at the British Book Awards 2021. Previously she worked at a senior commissioning level at publishers including Ebury, Pan Macmillan, HarperCollins and Bonnier.
New Literary Agent Listing: Ginger Clark
firstwriter.com – Monday September 6, 2021
Has a special focus on science fiction, fantasy, horror, romance, and women’s fiction. For children’s works, she represents young adult and middle grade fiction and nonfiction in all genres. Emailed queries are strongly preferred.
How Lindsey Duga became successful young adult novelist
225batonrouge.com – Sunday September 5, 2021
Typing intently on her laptop at Magpie Cafe, Lindsey Duga looks like any other young professional getting an early morning start. But what she’s up to isn’t sending emails or prepping for meetings. She’s working on her next novel.
By day, Duga is the director of accounts at the web development firm Gatorworks. But after hours (and before), she’s a successful fiction writer with five published young adult novels—and more in the pipeline.
Duga, 31, says her writing passion took root in middle school.
New Publisher Listing: Ulysses Press
firstwriter.com – Friday September 3, 2021
Our publishing program seeks to move along the cultural cutting edge. We stay ahead of the competition by publishing books at the forefront of emerging trends and by finding unique angles on established topics unexplored by other publishers.
When it comes to finding new books, we are especially interested in titles that fill demonstrated niches in the trade book market. We seek books that take a specific and unique focus, a focus that can differentiate a book and make it stand out in a crowd.
'Devastating' copyright changes could put 64% of publisher revenue at risk
thebookseller.com – Wednesday September 1, 2021
Changes to current copyright laws could put up to 64% of publisher book revenue at risk, according to research by the Publishers Association (PA).
The PA says a post-Brexit move towards an international exhaustion regime being consulted on by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) would “spell disaster” for the UK industry with a projected loss of up to £2.2bn per year. It warns many small and medium sized businesses would be unlikely to survive and widespread job losses would be “inevitable”.
Authors and illustrators would also be hit, with up to £506m per year of their incomes at risk, making those professions unattainable for many, the PA says. There would also be a knock on effect for other creative industries, while big retail chains could reap the benefits, to the disadvantage of UK high street stores.
New Literary Agent Listing: Hannah Andrade
firstwriter.com – Tuesday August 31, 2021
Looking for middle grade, young adult, and commercial. Gravitates towards joyful and whimsical stories with strong voices, transporting narratives, and atmospheric settings. Not the best fit for stories centered on suicide, drug addiction and/or eating disorders. No picture books, horror, poetry, screenplays, erotica, or inspirational work.
How to write your own novel, according to podcaster and author Elizabeth Day
stylist.co.uk – Monday August 30, 2021
Have you always dreamed of putting your own story to paper? Perhaps a compelling crime thriller, or a love story for the ages? Whether you’ve already got a killer plot idea, or it’s a pipe dream that feels too far away to reach, it’s tough knowing where to begin. With the publishing industry announcing a surge in manuscripts as soon as the pandemic hit last year, the competition is as fierce as ever, and expert advice is sorely welcome.
Enter Elizabeth Day. As well as hosting her own hit podcast, How To Fail With Elizabeth Day, and interviewing fellow authors for BBC Sounds show Open Book and Sky Arts’ Book Club Live, Elizabeth has written five novels and two non-fiction books to accompany her podcast series. She started writing her first novel, Scissors Paper Stone, aged 29 while working full-time as a feature writer at The Observer.
Indie Publishers Encouraged by 2021 Results
publishersweekly.com – Sunday August 29, 2021
In our second installment on how independent publishers are faring in 2021, presses reported a generally good year through the first six months of 2021, and while they are optimistic about the rest of the year, uncertainty about how the supply chain will hold up is raising concerns.
New Press had a record year in 2020, and publisher Ellen Adler doesn’t think the publisher will reach that sales level again anytime soon. “Beginning in May and continuing well into the fall, sales in 2020 were through the roof,” she said. Like some other publishers, New Press is using 2019 as a comparison for 2021, and by that gauge sales are up 29% from the same period in 2019.
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