Little Details

 

 

This week in publishing news

 

Subscription seems to be on everyone’s minds and not in a good way.

If you are in the Entertainment Business and writers are, you will have heard of the stoush between Neil Young and Spotify. Spotify refused to listen to complaints about Joe Rogan peddling covid misinformation. J R has a show that appeals to the male 25 + bracket and Spotify probably wants to stay in their good books. Neil Young took exception to this and pulled his music from the  Spotify site. Neil survived polio as a child but it left its mark so no one cares more than him about life-saving vaccines. Many musicians came out in support of Neil. 

However other musicians are caught between a rock and a hard place. If the biggest game in town is Spotify, can you afford not to be on it even though they pay appallingly? 

This goes to the heart of fixed-term pots of money for creators. The more creators, the less the slice of earnings available. Tiktok has just added a creator fund pool. Watch for things to get a bit   more dynamic in the Tiktok quarter. 

Recently, Mark Williams looked at the creator fund from Amazon which is the KU payout, and mused about similar issues. Subscription services may be the most contentious topic of 2022 for creatives.

 

Derek Murphy has flagged a potential problem with Amazon and the glitch in their sales reports and rank listings. If you are publishing on Amazon check it out it is getting a lot of comment.

If you haven’t tripped over to Creative Indie recently you really should. Besides interesting articles, Derek has some great free resources for writers.

 

Writer’s and Time management seem to be a theme this week around the blogosphere.

Zoe McCarthy has 5 great tips to keep all your writing-related tasks straight.

Kris Rusch muses on time management and when not to jump on shiny new things and Now Novel blog has a great article on writing rituals and how they can start good habits.

Penny Sansevieri has a great post on the best way to market books in 2022. This comes from her podcast which is short and full of great tips.

 

Congratulations Joanna Penn on achieving podcast number 600. It’s a phenomenal effort and shows the value of consistency as Joanna is one of the most trusted voices in the Indie Publishing World.

Litreactor has an article that made me laugh and then think – hmm why not? The top ten insane things no writer has done but maybe someone should.

 

Jane Friedman has some great guest posters on her site. This week Joe Ponepinto has an excellent post on using telling details to describe your characters.

 

In the Craft Section,

Identifying your characters fatal flaw- Becca Puglisi

Thirteen books for writers- Writer Unboxed

Backstory versus the past – Donald Maass- Bookmark

Strategies to incorporate agent/editor feedback- Good story company Bookmark

Creating a series bible- James Scott Bell- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

10 secrets to successful book marketing- Bookbaby

Free book promotions- Frances Caballo

 2 great posts from - Rachel Thomson Easy blog calendars and the best way to grow your social media following - Bookmark

7 ways to blow a media opportunity- Sandra Beckwith- Bookmark

Unique marketing ideas for February- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark

 

To Finish,

Ruth Harris has a great post on clothes. Yes, choosing the right clothes for your characters can be a great insight into their personalities without you having to spell out all sorts of details. This is a fun read and a great insight into how little details can make the reader fall in love with your story.

Maureen

@craicer

 

Do you want the best of my bookmarked links in a handy monthly newsletter? When you subscribe you will also get a nifty mini book crammed full with marketing notes as a thank you. 

If you like the blog and want to shout me a coffee, hit the coffee button up top or go here. I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

 

Bring Out The Whips

 

This week in publishing,

Publishing Perspectives reports on a great initiative by Poland to ensure artists get paid pensions and other benefits. Are we seeing the start of a movement to value artists with a Universal Basic Income? 

 

Mark Williams of The New Publishing Standard has an interesting report from Brazil on the resilience of their publishing industry. They report a growth of 29% and Mark reports that these numbers are being reflected in other countries where they have committed to digital publishing along with traditional models. 

 

Traditional publishing relies on paper and printers being able to access ink and paper. The Bookseller reports a worrying trend. Publishers are noticing a hike in printing prices of almost 40%. It is coming down the track fast so if it hasn’t got to your publisher, it will soon. This tightening is going to see book prices rise, which will impact all other strands of the industry.

 

Jane Friedman has an interesting post on what film agents look for when they want to option a book for the screen. She shares information gleaned from an international panel she attended at Bologna.

The Alliance of Independent Authors has just put together a comprehensive article on how to negotiate an option agreement.

 

Kris Rusch has another post in her year in review where she looks at new tools that have popped up to help authors publish. She talks about the overwhelm that authors can face with all the ways you can publish now. You don’t have to do everything! But being aware of what’s out there is probably a good place to start.

 

William Hahn has an interesting guest post on Anne R Allen's blog this week dealing with Writers Block. Writers Block brings out the worst to ourselves. – How we beat ourselves up over our inability to write words can just prolong the agony. He has some great advice- and examples for how to diagnose the problem then treat it.

 

Writer Unboxed has a similar message from Kelsey Allagood – four ways to silence your inner comments section. This is the insidious little voice that sabotages you right when you don’t need it. 

 

It’s January and that means it is time to drop into the 12x12 picture book challenge. If you have been wanting to challenge yourself and write in this medium – Take a look.

Draft 2 Digital has 5 tools to help you reach your writing goals.

In The Craft Section,

Editing tips- Kristen Lamb

Do’s and Dont’s of story beginnings- Story Empire

Two halves of the inciting incident- K M Weiland - Bookmark

4 tips for writing trauma disclosure- Lisa Hall-Wilson - Bookmark

Writing magic in a real world setting- Liz Keller Whitehurst- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

3 image types to boost social media- Sandra Beckwith- Bookmark

Reach more readers through guest posting- Joanna Penn

Using back matter to sell books- Bookbub- Bookmark

Cover design mistakes – DIYMFA- Bookmark

How to get more publicity- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark

 

To Finish,

Cory Doctorow has been vocal leader and advocate of using the internet for the freedom of information. He was part of the team that came up with Creative Commons licenses and has written popular books exploring digital literacy along with his technological thrillers. This week he wrote a warning to everyone who uses creative commons pictures about a new type of super predator who is exploiting a loophole in the creative commons license. The warning is serious and accordingly, I have begun to remove some of my blog pictures. I have always tried to source creative commons pictures and link back to the original site. Until the situation is clearer, I will just have a generic text picture on my weekly blog. Boring, I know. I feel for Cory – whom I’ve met, and how incensed he must be that his most excellent gift to the internet community is used in this way.

Meanwhile, I received an email today to say that cloned pages are alive and well and targeting major publishers here in NZ. See my September 2021 blog post about these scummy scammers.

 

Just imagine a picture of an old-time circus wild animal trainer as the heading picture this week.

Bring Out The Whips. 

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

Do you want the best of my bookmarked links in a handy monthly newsletter? When you subscribe you will also get a nifty mini book crammed with marketing notes as a thank you. 

If you like the blog and want to shout me a coffee, hit the coffee button up top. I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.