Publishing News Roundup Series: The Closing of All Romance Ebooks and How to Deal with Fast Indie Changes
by Maureen Crisp • January 23, 2017 • Follow
Published in News • No comments
With the new year comes new publishing changes.
The first was with the sudden closing of All Romance Ebooks and how it is affecting the indie publishers. With small publishers, publications happen faster and so do drastic changes. Sometimes this is a good thing, but it is a double-edged sword if it is something bad. The new year may be coming in with a bang, but we should all try to make it a good publishing one!
Steaming into 2017
Hello 2017.
I was surfing the internet today looking for inspiring blog posts for the first roundup of the year and an avalanche of great thoughts from the publishing blogosphere came thick and fast. While the Southern Hemisphere is taking off to the beach and shutting down for Summer, the Northern Hemisphere, where the bulk of the Traditional Publishers have their head offices, are planning and implementing changes.
The demise of publisher All Romance Ebooks hit romance writers hard. A going out of business email on the 28th of December giving everybody 4 days notice is particularly nasty. Kristine Rusch writes about this and how it might have come about. If you are involved in publishing with a small press PLEASE READ IT! Even if you are not, you should read it because this scenario will be played out again and again with publishers big and small. This is a publishing economics lesson! (And then read part two!)
If you are writing in the educational market then news that PRH is selling Pearson may be a small shock. Is 2017 going to be the year of big change in the textbook market?
Jane Friedman had a great roundup post of the important changes in publishing in 2016. Jane references the Digital Book World conference, which is on at the moment and there is some great stuff coming out from that. (#DBW17) Porter Anderson talks about the opening day themes and where publishing might be heading in 2017.
Susan Spann is also looking at things writers might need to do differently in 2017. As a writer and a practising lawyer Susan is a fund of great information.
WriteOnCon, the online writing conference, is happening in February. For the first time there will be a charge but it is only $5. Take a look at the Schedule and drool.
Jane Friedman has two great posts on distribution. The new kid on the block, Pronoun, is offering great deals for authors who sign up with them and Should you be in an exclusive relationship with Amazon? (With 50% of print and digital sales, can you afford to turn your back on them?)
Ricardo Fayet of Reedsy has some great observations about author collaboration and how important he thinks it will be in 2017.
In The Craft Section,
How to start a story– Reedsy- Bookmark
Pacing and momentum in revision– April Bradley- Bookmark
Two interesting posts from Sara Letourneau. Writing Blurbs and Plot Arcs, pt 1. Bookmark both.
In The Marketing Section,
7 Bookmarketing services to question– Jane Friedman- Bookmark
Book Cover credits– Mallory Rock
Setting Self Publishing goals, – Bibliocrunch
How to choose the best software for Print Design– Sarah Juckes for Alli – Bookmark
Negotiating Contract Options– Susan Spann
Tutorial on Using Canva for Social Media– Barb Drozdowich- Bookmark
How to market children’s books– Karen Inglis- Bookmark
To Finish,
Joanna Penn interviewed Kris Rusch recently and a fantastic interview it was too. Over the years I have learned a lot about how the business of writing works from Kris and Dean, her husband. Kris is free with her advice and time on her blog and there really is no one better to provide you with the long view in publishing and writing. 2017 is a new year. Kris talks about empowering authors to go out there and kick butt.
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.