This week's publishing news and industry blogs covers 5/3-5/16.
Publishing News
Amazon's up to its elbows in another publisher-retailer scuffle, with Hachette claiming the "out of stock" and long shipping conditions are a result of Amazon deliberately discouraging customers from their titles. The Association of Authors Representatives informs Amazon that holding authors' livelihoods hostage is deplorable--although the AAR doesn't go so far as to claim to know all the details, or to side with Hachette in how things should play out. (This wouldn't be the first time Amazon played sales to force a publisher to give a better deal.) Books-A-Million, meanwhile, stocks up on Hachette titles, promises immediate availability, and offers customer discounts to boost sales.
Authors published by Ellora's Cave may have noticed royalty problems or delays--Ellora's Cave states that the problem comes from a software issue, and the publisher is now manually making royalty payments until the software problems get worked out.
A pre-trial schedule for the proposed lawsuit against vanity publisher Author Solutions is posted.
The Authors' Guild appeals a ruling that granted summary judgment to Google in the Google book-scanning case.
Apple wants to send the decision on the class-action case by the states to the Second Circuit--according to Apple, to spare the courts time and money; according to the states, to further delay the damages trial.
Schoolkids can now borrow e-books through their schools and libraries on the Kindle.
Industry Blogs
QueryTracker's Publishing Pulse for 5/9.
Publishers' Weekly looks at what issues play into the Amazon-Hachette quarrel, what the stakes are, and what the implications might be.
Agent Janet Reid answers questions and offers advice. Is it okay to ask an agent for a referral in a query if you think they're too busy for you? (Agents are the worst people to ask, and have more confidence.) Can you hire an agent with an up-front fee? (Likely technically yes, but probably not the sort of agent you actually want. Steer clear.) If you're sending a snail-mail query, don't include extras. Janet also explains a contract clause in answer to a rights question--you should probably just read this one yourself. And, uh, read your contracts, even if it's for the second book in a series and things were great for the first book. And don't format your e-mail query like a business letter. The agent doesn't care what your physical address is.
Agent Rachelle Gardner describes the stages of the editorial process.
Acquiring editors in the UK describe what they're looking for.
The New Yorker takes a look at how Harlequin went from being synonymous with romance to being bought by HarperCollins.
On Writer Beware, Victoria Strauss updates us on Robert Fletcher, now required to pay author restitution after a settlement for, er, a lot of stuff. Also, Author Solutions is now expanding Singapore and Africa, so more people may soon find themselves dealing with the infamous vanity publisher.
The Editor's Blog discusses the choice between italics and quotation marks, and which is appropriate when.
Hillary Rettig on the Futuristic, Fantasy, and Paranormal blog guest posts on how to use non-linear writing to write more quickly. Gemma Juliana talks about world-building and how to make your world support your story, and Jessie Donovan adds more things to remember when building your world.
An old link I missed a while back, but Jami Gold talks about how to use macros to edit in MS Word.
Publishing Trendsetter offers an infographic of the "Life cycle of a book in translation."
What publishing news have you encountered in the past two weeks?
Publishing News
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Amazon's up to its elbows in another publisher-retailer scuffle, with Hachette claiming the "out of stock" and long shipping conditions are a result of Amazon deliberately discouraging customers from their titles. The Association of Authors Representatives informs Amazon that holding authors' livelihoods hostage is deplorable--although the AAR doesn't go so far as to claim to know all the details, or to side with Hachette in how things should play out. (This wouldn't be the first time Amazon played sales to force a publisher to give a better deal.) Books-A-Million, meanwhile, stocks up on Hachette titles, promises immediate availability, and offers customer discounts to boost sales.
Authors published by Ellora's Cave may have noticed royalty problems or delays--Ellora's Cave states that the problem comes from a software issue, and the publisher is now manually making royalty payments until the software problems get worked out.
A pre-trial schedule for the proposed lawsuit against vanity publisher Author Solutions is posted.
The Authors' Guild appeals a ruling that granted summary judgment to Google in the Google book-scanning case.
Apple wants to send the decision on the class-action case by the states to the Second Circuit--according to Apple, to spare the courts time and money; according to the states, to further delay the damages trial.
Schoolkids can now borrow e-books through their schools and libraries on the Kindle.
Industry Blogs
QueryTracker's Publishing Pulse for 5/9.
Publishers' Weekly looks at what issues play into the Amazon-Hachette quarrel, what the stakes are, and what the implications might be.
Agent Janet Reid answers questions and offers advice. Is it okay to ask an agent for a referral in a query if you think they're too busy for you? (Agents are the worst people to ask, and have more confidence.) Can you hire an agent with an up-front fee? (Likely technically yes, but probably not the sort of agent you actually want. Steer clear.) If you're sending a snail-mail query, don't include extras. Janet also explains a contract clause in answer to a rights question--you should probably just read this one yourself. And, uh, read your contracts, even if it's for the second book in a series and things were great for the first book. And don't format your e-mail query like a business letter. The agent doesn't care what your physical address is.
Agent Rachelle Gardner describes the stages of the editorial process.
Acquiring editors in the UK describe what they're looking for.
The New Yorker takes a look at how Harlequin went from being synonymous with romance to being bought by HarperCollins.
On Writer Beware, Victoria Strauss updates us on Robert Fletcher, now required to pay author restitution after a settlement for, er, a lot of stuff. Also, Author Solutions is now expanding Singapore and Africa, so more people may soon find themselves dealing with the infamous vanity publisher.
The Editor's Blog discusses the choice between italics and quotation marks, and which is appropriate when.
Hillary Rettig on the Futuristic, Fantasy, and Paranormal blog guest posts on how to use non-linear writing to write more quickly. Gemma Juliana talks about world-building and how to make your world support your story, and Jessie Donovan adds more things to remember when building your world.
An old link I missed a while back, but Jami Gold talks about how to use macros to edit in MS Word.
Publishing Trendsetter offers an infographic of the "Life cycle of a book in translation."
What publishing news have you encountered in the past two weeks?
Urgh. Not the first time I've seen someone recommend writing out of sequence but it just doesn't work for me.
ReplyDeleteHonestly? Not really my thing either. But hey, it's perfect for someone!
Delete