Category Archives: Publishing

Libraries as Publishers

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Here’s a new idea: Libraries publishing their own books.

Libraries have been struggling for a long time. Funding cuts have reduced their hours, higher print costs have reduced the number of books they can purchase, and ebooks have been difficult to loan because publishers don’t always want to release them to libraries.

IngramSpark, an imprint that focuses on self-published authors, is joining the Williamson County Public Library in Tennessee to create Academy Park Press.

The unit will release a children’s book as their first title. Bucky and Bonnie’s Library Adventure was written by the library staff. They feel that it’s another way libraries are transforming just as the rest of the publishing and media industries are changing.

For three months, they will be open to submissions by local authors.

2013 Bestsellers

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Great news for authors working with fiction: 2013 again proved that fiction is the top choice among readers.

The books ranged from juvenile lit like books from the Wimpy Kid series to the YA Divergent series. Ebooks also held fiction in the prime spot; the top 20 bestselling Kindle books were all novels.

Support for Female Authors

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Recently there has been quite a bit of conversation about how little support there is for female authors. This runs the gambit from fewer reviews to fewer publishing contracts. In 2012, for example, only 16% of reviewed books were written by women. Writers of color are also underserved.

Joanna Walsh has launched the #readwomen2014 project to help correct the imbalance. Daniel Pritchard, editor of the Critical Flame journal, is dedicating the entire year to women and authors of color. Support these projects…and of course submit to Critical Flame to help boost your own writing.

Publishing Trend: Wearable Book

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MIT’s Media Lab has come up with a book that is the true definition of interactive.

The experiment has been called Sensory Fiction. The book has sensors that readers strap on with a vest. As the characters undergo different emotional moments, the reader feels the feedback directly through the use of air pressure bags, vibrating devices, a heater and LED lights.

Watch the video demo here. 

Self-pub or Traditional?

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One of the biggest questions facing authors today is whether to go indie or pitch their work to a heritage publisher. In 2013, the Big Six (now the Big Five) commanded 89.6% of the titles in hardcover editions. That is a big chunk of the game.

Always remember that if your pitch to publishers fails, you can always self-publish. And nowadays, you can self-publish and still approach publishers with the same manuscript. So your options aren’t actually either-or. Nowadays, it’s a matter of how many paths you’ll take to publishing rather than which single path you’ll chose.

Great News in Publishing

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In 2013, more new titles landed on the bestseller lists than ever before. That year beat out 2012, which also had more new titles than any previous year. That’s great news for authors who are interested in approaching traditional publishers with their manuscripts.

Mass market again saw the most first-time titles, with 290 books. This category was followed by hardcover fiction with 251 and trade paperbacks with 187 new titles. Nonfiction had 269 in their hardcover category.

New Publisher Info

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Bestselling authors Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley have teamed up to launch Brown Girls Publishing. The books will cover a variety of genres and, while the authors have focused on the African American community, their house’s titles will be for a broad audience.

They already have a number of titles lined up. They are looking for good stories that are well written.

Publishing Trend: Content Bind-up

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Bind-ups, collections of previously published short fiction, novellas, and the like, is being viewed in a new way. Before, publishers released collections as an afterthought, mostly as a way to enhance sales or increase revenue using items from their existing catalogues.

Now, publishers are realizing that ebooks are offering new ways to engage with books. Waterbrook Multnomah is releasing three novellas in a single book as an experiment. HarperCollins Christian Publishing is revamping a series by releasing a series specifically under this format. A Year of Weddings will come out every three months with seasonal themes; each release will bind together three novellas.

Publishers are reaching into new arenas by recasting old ideas. They aren’t dead yet…not by a long shot.

Self-Pub Unit Closes

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WinePress Publishing, a Christian self-pub company, has closed. It was plagued recently with complaints from authors and accusations of fraud. It has directed its authors to try Amazon for republishing their books.

When you’re deciding which printer or self-publisher to use for your books, be sure to check out the company closely or rely on a referral from someone in the industry or a fellow author. Keep your intellectual material and your career safe from this kind of upheaval, and avoid any interruption in your efforts to reach readers.

Ebook Pricing: $200 and Up

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Most ebooks tend to be priced around $3.99 for self-published works and $9.99 for traditionally published works. Occasionally there is the need to price an ebook at a higher point.

The idea is that the information contained in the books is from a specialized arena. Accessing the information requires research and expertise beyond a usual layperson’s reach. Thus the content is worth more when it is compiled into an ebook.

Some examples include Moroccan Math Secrets at $200 and Quay Walls at $247.96. If you’re a public speaker or have specialized knowledge, consider producing an ebook that you can price above the usual market rate for fiction and mainstream nonfiction. The income you generate could be well worth the effort.

Authors are Entrepreneurs

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No matter whether you plan to submit to a publishing house or product your own book, every author is an entrepreneur. The reality is that you’ll be expected to help market your book even if it’s only by reaching out to your social media. When you’re considering your budget for everything from editing to launch plans, remember that your skin is in this game…your career will be impacted by every decision you make from who edits your book to how much time and money you invest in marketing. Treat your writing like a business and you’ll create the life of a true writer!

Author Expectations: Self-pub vs. Traditional

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The 2014 Digital Book World and Writer’s Digest conducted a survey to determine how self-published authors differ from traditionally published authors and hybrid writers. The results are here, and reveal some interesting points.

–Self-pub authors and hybrid authors thought a book’s quality will be the same no matter what route they took, while traditionally published writers felt it much more likely to happen with a heritage publisher. The reality is that self-pub authors can achieve the same quality if they put together a team of editors and designers that are professionals.

–Distribution was thought to be much broader across the board from traditional publishers. This still reflects the inability of self-pub books to achieve widespread print distribution through bookstores.

–Authors felt it equally likely that marketing efforts could be at least equal to publishing houses, that it was somewhat more likely to be better with a heritage house, and that it might be the same either way. This reflects the necessity of self-pub authors and traditionally published books to be marketed by the authors themselves. Finances are the real issue here, and often self-pub books don’t have the same numbers behind them. Keep in mind that creative efforts can trump investments with digital efforts.

Christian Book Publisher Info

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Barbour Publishing is launching Shiloh Run Press, a new imprint that will publish genre fiction and Christian lifestyle nonfiction. 23 books are planned for 2014; the number of titles will increase to 35-40 by 2015.

Amazon Launches Christian Imprint

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Amazon’s new Christian imprint will specialize in faith-based fiction and nonfiction. Brilliance Publishing will launch its first title this month. Authors include those who started out in self-publishing, and several titles will be launched with collaborative support from Christianity Today. 

Infographic on Ebooks

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Galleycat posted a great infographic on 40 years of ebook publishing here.

The points I found most revealing are:

The first ebook was launched in 1971 by Project Gutenberg. This points to the importance ebooks held before most traditional houses really understood their potential.

In 2000, Stephen King’s novella Riding the Bullet was downloaded over 400,000 times in 24 hours, proving the ability of ebooks to reach existing fans and new readers.

Amazon launched Kindle in 2007, five years after traditional publishers began working with ebooks. So Amazon is not always at the forefront of publishing trends.