Publishing News Roundup Series: DBW16 and What Is to Come in the Business of Writing
by Maureen Crisp • March 14, 2016 • Follow
Published in Events • No comments
This week is all about Digital Book World 2016.
This is a really great conference that shows all the great technology in the book world that is to come in the next few years. As technology takes up a bigger and bigger part of writing, its important to know whats to come in order to be able to predict the future direction of the market. Many big names in the publishing world live tweeted this week in order to give us an idea of what the conference holds for us this year:
The Business of Writing
This. You never know where you’ll end up in the industry (even if you have a ~plan~) Understand the business! #DBW16 https://t.co/TZf4jECOwM— Phil Stamper (@stampepk) March 9, 2016
Over the last two days I have been following the #DBW16 on Twitter. DBW is Digital Book World and they have conferences on book publishing now and in the future. All the usual suspects were there, but what is always interesting at DBW is you often get a glimpse into what’s going to hit in a years time. Tech startups that suddenly get big… etc. Porter and Jane Friedman were both there doing live tweeting… and some interesting ideas were being talked about. Porter has a wrap up of day one and The Bookseller (UK) has their own perspective on it. Next week I’ll link to day two but if you are interested put #DBW16 in the search bar in Twitter (click live) and get some gems.
Ros Barber’s blog post about telling the truth about what writing is really like now is getting talked about all over the place. It’s a brave writer that actually tells it like it is… because we can be seen as biting the hand that drops the crumbs….
Joanna Penn talked with Orna Ross this week on her podcast about Rights Selling and a fascinating chat it was too. This is a sit down with a beverage of your choice and take it all in. It is compelling listen.
Bran Lindy Ayres has a great post on writing diversity. It is thought provoking and lays out how a writer should approach telling a story when they don’t identify with the race, gender or sexuality of their characters.
We are all told we need to have email subscribers etc. etc., but what do we actually do with them once we’ve got some? Will Hoekenga wrote an interesting blog post – 7 emails you should send to your subscribers but probably don’t. This opens up a whole new world… and now you have to read Jami Gold’s great post –What is your reader retention plan…- Masterclass!
Recently an email came across my inbox with a pointer to a new US based website. Formswift combines a nice website with a whole lot of legal forms for free lancers and their business. Basic contracts, cease and desist orders… There is a huge range all downloadable, all free, that you can use as a basis for what you need.
Anne R Allen and Ruth Harris make a potent team for authors. They are always writing insightful helpful blog posts. Ruth has a wonderful post of 7 ways to rekindle joy in your writing. This is a print it out and
stick it on the wall mantra for writers!
stick it on the wall mantra for writers!
In the Craft Section,
Crafting a one page synopsis using story beats– Sue Coletta- Bookmark
In the Marketing Section,
5 steps to great cover art– This is in the great 5 question series by Jane Friedman. Bookmark. (Today’s 5 questions to Henry Baum is also interesting)
2 literary agents have great posts this week. Mistakes writers make in query letters– Steve Laube and Oops it happened again by Marisa Corvisiero. These are Bookmark reading if you are going to query!
Website of the Week
Kate Tilton has a great website with all sorts of resources for writers. She hosts #K8chat on Twitter and generally is a fund of all sorts of useful information. Here she has put together her list of Book Review bloggers.
To Finish,
I have been wondering how to put a progress bar on my blog for a while. (I’m treating my series as one whole project.) So up pops this handy guide from J Abram Barneck. It is excellent! Of course I could go crazy and add the 2 finished books in the drawer… 2 books plotted… 6 books still to go all from different projects – Beta readers saying my Mars book needs a sequel… but I won’t bore you about my business.
maureen
@craicer
About Maureen Crisp
Maureen Crisp has been writing her weekly publishing roundups for over seven years. She is a traditionally published children's author as well as indie-published. She lives in New Zealand and is heading the team organising the 4th National Conference of Children's Writers and Illustrators. She is currently trying her hand at writing a children’s book series if she can drag herself away from forever tweaking her Mars novel or obsessing over space.