Publishing News Roundup Series: The Future of the Book Buying Model
by Maureen Crisp • April 3, 2017 • Follow
Published in News • 14 comments
Book buying changes as the market does. So how can we keep ahead of it?
The answer is to keep things interesting. Always trying something new and following trends can guarantee that we keep readers interested, particularly with young readers. Trying something new can make your book stand out and sell big.
Rapping On Book Sales
This week seems to be a theme on future book buying models. Who is buying and who is selling.
It could be just me, with my one eye fixed on the children’s book market… the readers of the future. How are kids reading in Germany? (Does print still rule?) Who is publishing children’s books in China (Now that the govt is encouraging fiction for children…) How publishers are waking up to children’s author backlists.
Or it could have been sparked by the comments on Cory Doctorow’s post on a ‘new’business model for authors. Sell the books yourself. How many reader fans do you need to not be dependent on booksellers? If you do want to operate a store front, check out Gumroad designed for creatives who sell their own work.
Joanna Penn has a great interview with Ron Vitale about being a successful writer and working a full time job. This kind of interview is always a reality check. The first check is to think about what your own goals are… and work from there.
Last Month Ruth Harris talked about Stress and Burnout in authors and how to recognise it. In Part Two She looks at how to cope with Stress and manage Burnout. These two posts are essential reading for writers.
I keep saying that authors need to group together and pool their talent to extend their reach… and then I see that literary agents think it’s a good idea as well.
Over the last week I have come across three interviews that reference Kris Rusch and Amazon Earnings data as being essential reading. So here is Kris on Data Diving and Data Guy with an amazing must watch presentation on the latest data from Amazon Earnings and how he gets it. (mind blown!)
Writer Unboxed has an article from Susan Spann on recognising possible scam artists in the publishing world. Don’t think that it is easy. They are getting pretty canny at lifting your money and leaving you with nothing.
Writer’s Digest has a guest post from Kaitlyn Johnson on Twitter Pitch contests. PitMad was last week but there are so many others to choose from.
K M Weiland is one of my go to writer craft book sources. This week she wrote a stunning post on 7 stages that writers experience. This is a must read.
In The Craft Section,
Two great posts from 10 Minute Novelist- 8 awful ways to begin badly and 10 questions for scene writing
Four ways to make your novel addictive– Killzone
Top short story writers secrets– Anne R Allen- Bookmark
The emotional rollercoaster: Why characters resist change– Angela Ackerman- Bookmark
How to write a book blurb.-Trish Nicholson- Bookmark
In The Marketing Section,
5 steps to sell more books on Amazon-Written Word Media – Bookmark
Using Back Matter to sell books– Bookmark
From fun to serious – how I use pinterest now– Frances Caballo- Bookmark
3 proven marketing strategies you should avoid– Mike Bungay Stanier
To Finish,
Lit Reactor often has thought provoking posts. And this one was no exception. What are the 7 things that rappers do that writers should copy. Try and guess them before you read the article…
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.