Publishing News Roundup Series: Literary Writing Becomes More Experimental
by Maureen Crisp • October 24, 2017 • Follow
Published in News • One comment
What is considered literary writing?
As more and more is published and ideas get reused over and over, authors come up with more unique styles of writing. The most recent Man Booker winner is an example of this. As writing gets more experimental we move into the future of publishing, where writing style adapts and morphs with other forms of art and technology. Where will we end up?
The Diverse Future of Publishing
Pic: Flickr Creative Commons- Stad Amsterdam – Denna Jones
It’s been a busy week in publishing. The wait is over and everyone now knows who won The Man Booker. The type of book is a little eyebrow raising. The author writes in 166 different voices to tell the story. Literary writing is becoming very experimental.
While everyone was waiting for the award to be announced, that perennial favourite in publishing, diversity, was back in water cooler discussions. Has the publishing industry got any better since the last time we all said we needed more diverse voices in publishing? Chris Jackson has an essay on Lit Hub about the need for social diversity in publishing. Are we just getting the same old stories being selected by the Ivy League grads?
Diversity in children’s publishing is also a hot topic. At the recent trade fair in the Pacific Northwest booksellers were told that the majority of American kids are not white and children’s publishing is moving to reflect that.
Also in children’s publishing Macmillan has created a new imprint and handpicked a team to lead it. It’s all about interactivity… the hot new thing in non fiction children’s books…
While Macmillan gears up to change the children’s book scene… Hyperion has launched a new digital hub for children centered around Rick Riorden. Are they copying anyone?
Createspace closed its doors on its online bookstore this week. Did you know they had a bookstore? Me neither.
Remember last week… Yes it was so long ago, when I introduced my blog saying the big talking points at Frankfurt were the rise of audio books and free speech. GQ magazine explains the history and rise ofAudible and why audio books are an addiction.
Besides the rise in audio being discussed at Frankfurt there was also a future look at a new looming disrupter to the publishing industry.Blockchains. Try and get your head around this possibility. Every item created will have its own identifier which will enable the purchaser to pay the creator instantaneously.
If you haven’t checked out the Indie fringe conference… The videos are up. Immerse yourself in a treasure trove of content all about Author Business.
Kris Rusch has a great post on author subsidiary rights. Do you know what these are and how you can earn money from them?
In The Craft Section,
How to write good endings– Roz Morris- Bookmark
Plot planners – Martha Alderson
Occupation Thesaurus– Angela Ackerman
5 tips for telling resistance stories– Mythcreants- Bookmark
Brainstorming a great novel hook– Janice Hardy-Bookmark
In The Marketing Section,
How to crush social media as an introvert– Bookmark- Frances Caballo
How to improve your About Me page– Bookmark
Selling direct from your site and other goodies from the SFF Marketing podcast team. You should watch it.
Writing to match genre categories– Debbie Young -Alli Blog
To Finish,
Two CEO’s were talking at Frankfurt about their industry. One was optimistic that Young People would continue to read lots of print books and that publishing was doing well. The other talked about the huge amount of customers who used to come to them but no longer do… Mike Shatzkin reflects on their speeches and what the messages might actually be. These CEO’s head up two of the biggest publishing houses in the world.
Looks like murky waters ahead…
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.