Industry News

Megan DiMaria is Novel Rocket’s industry news columnist. An author and speaker, she enjoys cheering on writers and loves to encourage others as they journey through life’s demands and delights. Megan is the author of two women’s fiction novels, Searching for Spice and Out of Her Hands. 


Welcome to the November edition of Novel Rocket's Industry news. The year may be drawing to a close, but the industry's still hopping. 

Let's get to all the Amazon-related news first.

• Top literary agent Andrew Wylie praises Hachette's decision to battle Amazon and urges publishers “not to blink” during negotiations over royalties with the digital retailer. For more info . . . 
• Canadian authors are now impacted by the Amazon/Hachette dispute. For more info . . .  
• New York Times’ op-ed columnist Paul Krugman claims Amazon has “too much  power.”  For more info . . . 
• There’s a lot of banter about Amazon being a monopoly, but according to the Seattle Times, that can’t be proven. For more info . . . 
• Amazon to open retail “pop-up” stores in time for the holiday season. For more info . . . 
• Simon & Schuster and Amazon reach agreement on e-book pricing. For more info . . . 
• Curious about thoughts from a panel called “Will Amazon Lead Us to the Golden Age of Books?” For more info . . . 
• Last month there was a lot of news about authors protesting Amazon. This month, author AS Byatt comes to their defense. For more info . . . 
• Kindle Scout, Amazon’s crowdsourced publishing program went live last month. For info about how it works . . . 

And now for the rest of the news . . .

• Don’t count out mass-market paperback books, yet. They’re still hanging in there. For more info. . . 
• Publishers Weekly announced their best books of 2014.
• This sounds cool. The PEN American Center has asked 75 highly regarded writers and artist to annotate first editions of the most significant works for auction. The books are inscribed with personal essays, tales of rejection, and other insights. For more info . . .  
• Yay for book-loving politicians! Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. interceded in to keep Barnes & Noble—the only physical bookstore— in the borough. For more info . . . 
• Sales of adult books were up and down in the first seven months of 2014, but children’s/YA sales are “on track for a banner year.” For more info . . . 
• Spirits were high at last month’s Northern California Independent Booksellers Association (NCIBA) show. For more info . . . 
• “Positive trends” reported at this year’s Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association in Denver. For more info . . . 
• HarperCollins unveils HarperCollins Presents, a global podcast network “that brings listeners conversation and inspiration . . . and new perspectives on the world of books, culture and arts.” For more info . . .  
• Here’s an interesting deal. Samsung and Barnes & Noble have released a larger ($300) Nook that comes with $200 of free Nook content. For more info . . . 
• Nazarene Publishing House/Beacon Hill Press to close next month. For more info . . . 
• Blloon, an e-book subscription service for kids, debuts in U.K and offers “read for free today.” For more info . . . 
• Worthy Publishing purchases Guidepost’s Ideals Children imprint. For more info . . . 
• It’s always sad when a bookstore closes. Atavist Books, which opened in March, will close in December. For more info . . . 
• Amazon’s KDP star author, Barbara Freethy, opens new imprint to publish her books in print. For more info . . .  
• AwesomenessTV, which produces teen-oriented series for YouTube, launches Awesomeness Ink, a YA book imprint. For more info . . . 
• Bestselling Brazilian author Paulo Coelho urges publishers to lower e-book prices, “Don’t be greedy.” For more info . . . 
• 2014 National Book Award Finalists Named. 
• Richard Flanagan Wins 2014 Man Booker Prize. 
• Patrick Modiano wins the 2014 Nobel Prize in Literature. 
• Foreword Literary is now Fuse Literary. For more info . . . 
• New Executive Director named at Authors Guild. For more info . . . 
• HarperCollins announced the creation of HarperCollins Germany. For more info . . . 
• Also, HarperCollins Christian Publishing acquires majority ownership of Thomas Nelson Brasil. For more info . . . 

Have a great month! Do the work. Be productive.
                                                          ~Megan