In case you missed any of the big publishing news this week, we’ve got you covered.
From contract clauses to the latest news about Author Solutions, below is everything you may have missed. Here is out our first publishing news roundup from Maureen Crisp:
This weeks title: Saints and Sinners
Earlier this week my Twitter feed was being burned up by responses to an article written about MFA programs by an ex MFA teacher who decided it was time to write his feelings about being a teacher of an MFA program. As Chuck Wendig (usual warnings) exploded over the dismissive tone he used in his article… I was thinking, yes but he did have a point here or there, which Chuck concedes. (However his rant is more entertaining than the original article.)
Anybody venturing into the wonderful world of publishing should always find out as much as possible. Yes Book People are wonderful people but there are sharks out there, like any other industry and regularly dropping in to Writer Beware is a good habit to get into. This week Victoria shines a light on contract clauses that make your hair curl and the latest news about Author Solutions.
If you are a newbie you won’t know that Author Solutions is the subject of a class action suit. As this outfit has a wonderful chameleon reputation running ‘concierge’ services for some of the biggest publishers out there, they look bone fide and their tactics are anything but. Dave Gaughran has the latest twist in the plot of who is the next big publisher to swim with the sharks.
Chris McVeigh has written a heart felt post about the disconnect between publishing industry professionals and authors and the state of publishing industry today after a recent trip to London. Chris has his own solutions to fixing this disconnect, which is very real and what I hear on an almost daily basis.
One author who has stepped into the disconnect and carved out a different model is Bob Mayer. He is interviewed by Reedsy about his work and his publishing house Cool Gus. Bob and his team (Jen) work with other authors to publish their books under a collaborative model. He has a really interesting publishing model and he’s a great writer.
If you write for children you will know that print is still king but there are different e-book/app models being trialed all the time. Jane Friedman has a magnificent interview with two children’s book agents where they talk about e-books for children. Is it going to be like the adult take up?
In the Craft section,
Oh the goodness of Jami Gold who has some brilliant worksheets for writers on her website…
And a halo goes to Janice Hardy who has started a month long series of story structure analysis posts.
K M Weiland has a wonderful post on passive voice…
The awesome Jenny Crusie has a next level post on ‘agency’ something that Chuck is very in to. That’s when you unleash your characters.
The Crimson League has a post on killing your characters needlessly…or how not to do this.
How to write productively – sometimes it’s the simple things.
In the Marketing Section,
Jane Friedman and Christina Katz on building better author bio’s and making use of them.
If you are thinking about book trailers Joanna Penn has interviewed a book trailer making expert so this is chock full of tips and then talks to Debbie Young about getting your book into bookstores and libraries.
Making the most of your publicity – tips from the agent.
The art of ARC-ing. What to do with those Advance Reader Copies…
Website of the week
It’s more of an infographic…. but this is THE infographic of Book Genre’s. Any genre with examples…Check it out.
To Finish, Kris Rusch looks hard at the writing life and writes a straight talking blog on the business of being a writer. This week she looks at the ‘get by’ writers. This got me examining my conscience… Are we being the best writer we could be?
Maureen
@craicer
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