Publishing News Roundup Series: What is in Store for Self Publishing 2018?
by Maureen Crisp • December 28, 2017 • Follow
Published in News • 22 comments
This year was a world wind of trends. What is in store next for us?
If you know what is to come, you know how to prepare for the publishing year to come. The best way is to research some trends to figure out what is to come.
Gifts and Predictions
This will be my last post for 2017. As the politics of the USA played out throughout the year… everyone in the publishing blogosphere became effectively punch drunk. Predictions went out the window and future planning in the industry had an undercurrent message of unless-we-haven’t-all-perished-in- an-apocalyptic-event. Jane Friedman has a good roundup of 2017 and the trends and events that happened in publishing.
Predictions for 2018 are already starting. Publishing Perspectives looks at 5 trends Scholastic editors think will be popular in 2018 for children’s books.
Neil Hughes looks at the how digital storytelling is shaping what stock images are going to popular in 2018. This is an interesting look at what is being requested across the visual platforms.
Goodereader has an in depth look at where audiobooks is heading in 2018 based on statistics. There a quite a few interesting trends being highlighted including a global library card.
Alice Lutyens of the Curtis Brown Agency warns about a trend she is seeing from Traditional Publishers. Contracts are arriving with the assumption that audio rights will be included in the print/ebook deal. It seems that Audio books are a thing now… (who knew?) and publishers want a piece of this rapidly growing market.
If you have spent 2017 trying to make sense of Amazon’s constantly changing rules you are not alone. John Doppler from Alli has a good round up of what myths or misunderstandings you might have about publishing with them.
Facebook has been changing the way it is dealing with authors. Alex Newton has a look at what they are cracking down on and what might be changing in the near future.
If you are an Indie publisher and are thinking about translations… Porter Anderson has an interview with an agent that specialises in matching up indie stories to translation publishing houses.
Kris Rusch looks at quitting…. No, not her career… just the reasons that authors quit the publishing business. This is a follow up to her burnout post. Food for thought over Christmas and for 2018 planning.
Anne R Allen talks about the secret rules of writing… you know… the really secret ones… and when to break them. A stellar writing craft post to end the year with.
In The Craft Section,
Short Story ideas– Reedsy- Bookmark!!!!
Deadliest first page sin-Peter Selgin
Six tips for sequels– Mythcreants
20 step plan for writing a book– Bookbaby
Dumb little writing tricks that work– Go Into the Story-Bookmark
In The Marketing Section,
Book Promotion– The Book Designer- Bookmark
Book Marketing vs Book Publicity– Bookmark
What you are doing wrong on Twitter– Rachel Thompson
Self publishing software roundup – Dave Chesson- Bookmark!!!
To Finish,
Last minute Christmas presents for writers… besides the journals, pens, chocolate, bookcases, alcohol… which are essentials! Bill Ferris has the Passive Aggressive Christmas gift list for writers…. and Angela Ackerman has the Writers Holiday Gift List… where you can’t go wrong… and Reedsy has 28 gifts for writers… which you could have year round… Jane Austen socks…mmm
Have a peaceful Christmas break filled with all good things. I will see you half way through January…
Maureen
(about to load two huge boxes of books to read over
Christmas into the car…)
Christmas into the car…)
@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.