Publishing News Roundup Series: Publishing Goes Virtual with the Pandemic
by Maureen Crisp • August 4, 2020 • Follow
Published in News • No comments
People give their pros and cons to the effects of technology on publishing. However, during a pandemic it may be its savior.
Publishers have slowly been prepping to go more and more digital. Which is why when Covid hit, they were prepared. Though some aspects of the business have taken a hit, many have continued along almost unscathed. Marketing has gone full digital with its efforts, as conventions all move to a virtual experience. Online has always been the epicenter of self-publishing. As traditional publishers move into the sector, how will self-publishing fight to keep its spot?
The Future Of Book Marketing
This week in publishing…
Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors came out in droves to condemn Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the Science Fiction convention. Their main problem was that the restrictive nature of the Saudi society would be against the spirit of the genre. Meanwhile, CoNZealand is happening online with overseas authors skyping into New Zealand instead of the usual extravaganza that is this year’s World Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention.
Staying with science fiction for a moment. The Verge is reporting that AI Podcast editor Descript is releasing its voice double from Beta. I know that Joanna Penn has been playing around with this. Think about narrating your books with your favourite actor’s voice or your own without having to sit in a booth for 10 hours… If you are interested in more about creativity and AI check out Joanna Penn’s recent podcast.
The New Publishing Standard reports that Big Bad Wolf, the huge Asian bookseller of remaindered English language books, is also going online. They have partnered with an online marketplace and will be selling their physical books in their usual 10-day 24-hour sale marathon. Check out how many books they intend to move- eyewatering!!! This could also be a sign of things to come.
Mike Shatzkin has been taking a look at how the publishing industry is coping with the pandemic. What is happening to the supply chain? Are they changing their practices…? thinking about changing how they operate…? still have their head in the sand?
Maybe they should be reading Penny Sansevieri’s article on the best book marketing ideas during a pandemic.
Kris Rusch is still diving deep into the implications of Brandon Sanderson’s Kickstarter. Have you thought about all the different types of licensing in a contract? Brandon is exploiting one tiny one. With one week to go Brandon is closing in on $6 million. Kris talks about what you need to think about in your own Kickstarter campaigns.
Ruth Harris has another great article looking at the problem of how to write what you know when you can’t write what you know. Sound convoluted? It’s all about what you can change. This is another excellent article on the craft of writing.
In The Craft Section,
Plot development questions– Now Novel- Bookmark
Developing a coherent story– Jael Bakari- Bookmark
Authentic dialogue– CS Lakin
How to finish writing your book– Kevin Tumlinson- Bookmark
How to outline a novel– Roz Morris – Bookmark
Line editing tips– Jocelyn Pruemer- Bookmark
In The Marketing Section,
176 resources and tool to market and launch your book– Digital Publishing – Bookmark
Apps for Bookstagram– Bookriot
How to market a book with 5 simple website upgrades– Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark
Spoilers won’t spoil your book promotion– Writer Unboxed
5 ways to use video to promote books- Cristian Stanciu- Bookmark
August Unique content ideas – Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark
To Finish,
The psychology of making a sale. How do you get people to buy what you have to sell?
I was interested to see this marketing article try to link book marketing to the 5 principles of human behavior. How do you buy books? This week a bookseller I know called me out on deliberately not looking at the books when I was talking to her. ‘I know why you are doing that,’ she said. I had to confess that she was right. I was trying not to buy any more books. I bought new books last week and I haven’t even cracked the spine on them.
Selling to a bibliophile is just putting the new shiny book object in front of them in a trail of book crumbs to the cash register.
#hopelessaddiction
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.