Publishing News Roundup Series: Planning Your Author Estate for the Future
by Maureen Crisp • December 13, 2017 • Follow
Published in News • 2 comments
You’ve made it as an author. But how do you uphold your reputation and legacy for future generations?
As you estate is managed in the years to come, how do you want to be remembered as an author? And how can you set everything up to have the outcome that you want? How much control do you actually have over this outcome?
Looking For The Silver Lining
This week the Christmas music really ramped up in stores. Here in the Southern Hemisphere we have the triple threat of School Year End Madness, All Things Festive, and Summer which starts on December 1. We are in the middle of a heat wave and facing water restrictions six weeks earlier than normal. The grass is dying.
Indie Burnout is the topic of Kris Rusch’s latest blog. Are you setting yourself punishing schedules? Worrying about 60 day cliffs or writing 10K in a day. Kris is noticing more and more burn-out cases. She has some good advice for managing your career.
A must read/listen is Joanna Penn’s latest blog on estate planning for authors. Do your heirs know that they are responsible for your literary estate for 70 years after you die? Have you got everything organized? There are lots of tips in this podcast.
School Library closures are happening more and more in the UK. Cressida Cowell is sounding a warning that this trend is really hitting the already disadvantaged children who don’t own books. The National Literacy Trust’s latest report is particularly grim reading.
Meanwhile UNESCO has released a report highlighting a real concern over boys reading ability. This week on Facebook I shared a post on why kids are turned off reading. If you assess their every page turn how do they learn to read for pleasure?
The Guardian published an article about a once respected publisher going to the wall leaving huge debts and then seemingly starting up another publishing company. Authors are crying foul…
Meanwhile Rosie Amber has a post looking at the dodgy nature of some independent presses. Are they asking for money… always a worrying sign. Know what you are getting into.
It is not all Doom and Gloom… Publish Drive a nifty little aggregator, based in Europe and distributing into China and the East has just made their service available to the US. This is great news for all those people who got stuck with Pronoun’s sudden demise.
Anne R Allen always has great advice. Here she looks at 10 tips that keep your author blog running sweetly. Elizabeth S Craig has some great tips for productivity and To Do Lists.
How Indies can stop worrying and learn to love bookmarketing. This is an attitude change. A timely post from Belinda Griffin.
In The Craft Section,
Wounds matter– Kristen Lamb
Identity and theme in YA– Sara Letourneau- Bookmark
PB creation templates-Debbie Ohi- Bookmark
The reason you aren’t happy with your novel- Daniel Nathan
Editing your writing– NowNovel- Bookmark
In The Marketing Section,
Book Review sites and Twitter lists –Bookworks- Bookmark
Finding a Literary Agent– Jane Friedman
How to write, promote and sell books– Joanna Penn
Ten action steps for author success– Bookmark
Author tips on Twitter lists– Bookworks
To Finish,
It’s been an interesting time recently watching prominent people in the media fall on their swords… or get impaled by their actions over sexual harassment. You would like to think publishing is above all that…. sadly no.
To Finish on a happier note… I’ve been named as one of the five judges for the New Zealand Children’s Book Awards. This means that I will be doing what I love best over Christmas – READING!
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.