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 December 2015 edition of Novel Rocket’s industry news. I hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving. Enjoy the next few weeks leading up to Christmas, and have a blessed Christmas day. Don’t forget to give books for Christmas!

• Submissions are now being accepted for the 2016 Christy Awards (to recognize and promote Christian fiction). For more info . . . 
• Revenue AND losses both up for Books-A-Million. For more info . . .  
• Interesting. “For the first time, a self-published book appears on one of The Washington Post’s best-of-the-year lists.” For more info . . . 
• Redbud Press is seeking multi-author Christian novella anthologies for publication in 2017. For more info . . . 
• We’ll have to practice our patience while we wait to find out if the Supreme Court will hear Apple’s plea to overturn the verdict in its e-book price-fixing case. For more info . . .  
• Is Amazon Books (in Seattle) violating antitrust law? For more info . . .  
• Concerning that store, Amazon says, 'We Have No Idea What's Going to Happen.' For more info . . . 
• The Goodreads Choice Awards 2015 have been announced. For more info . . . 
• The 2015 National Book Award winners have been announced. For more info . . . 
• Speculative fiction press Candlemark & Gleam announces new ownership. For more info . . . 
• Looks like the Books-A-Million acquisition may move forward. For more info . . . 
• HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, has a new line that will discover and publish new authors—HarperLegend. For more info . . . 
• This is a trend we like to see: September bookstore sales rose. For more info . . . 
• Shakespeare & Co., a possible new national bookstore chain? For more info . . . 
• Need recommendations on books to give for Christmas? Penguin Random House has set up a Hotline for folks who need help selecting that perfect book. Good news, they recommend other publishers’ books as well. For more info . . . 
• The winner of Canada’s Giller Prize announced. 
• Barnes & Noble announces new Nook audiobooks app and website. For more info . . . 
• Amazon announces their Best Books of 2015. 
• Hachette Book Group USA sales fell. For more info . . . 
• But trade sales were up in July. For more info . . . 
• Declining e-book sales affect publishers. For more info . . . 
• PW announces their BestBooks of 2015. 
• Want a chance to win PW’s Best Books of 2015? Tweet with the hashtag #PWbestbooks. For more info . . . 
• The Oprah.com Top 10 Favorite Books of 2015. 
• Twitter called “The Hottest Self-Publishing Platform.” For more info . . . 

Have a great month, friends. Write on!

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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 issue of of Novel Rocket's industry news. Are you participating in NaNoWriMo this month? If so, good luck!

Let's get to the news!

• Here's a capital idea: “How One Author Turned the Internet into a Giant Book Club.” For more info . . .  
• HarperCollins buys The Midlist, a daily e-newsletter featuring book deals. For more info . . . 
• The American Writers Museum—the only museum of its kind—is set to open in 2017. For more info . . . 
• Interesting—how German publishers deal with Amazon. For more info . . .  
• Crowdfunding publisher Inkshares (“Publishing books selected by readers”) making changes to its business model. For more info . . . 
• Lots of new literary agents open to new clients:
• Seven literary agents seeking fantasy novels NOW. 
• And, here’s another, Arielle Datz from Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary.
• And another, Nick Harrison from WordServe Literary. 
• And another, Mitch Hoffman from Aaron M. Priest Literary. 
• Wonder who’s winning the paper book vs. e-reader competition? For more info . . .
• The “State of Books and Reading in a Digital World.” 
• (Because you know I love this stuff,) Eye candy for book lovers. 
• "The only exclusively romance bookstore in the United States" set to open early 2016. For more info . . .  
• Penguin Random House’s weak e-book sales offset by bestsellers. For more info . . .   
• Not exactly publishing news, but interesting: 30 tattoos inspired by great books. 
• Interesting info: Hollywood movies that were made from self-published novels. For more info . . . 
• Pew Study: Adult reading falls, youth reading rises. For more info . . .   
• Booksellers are upbeat headed into the holiday season. For more info . . . 
• Old-fashioned paper books, as opposed to e-readers, “can improve memory, concentration, and good looks.” For more info . . .  
• Amazon is suing reviewers who post “fake” glowing online reviews. For more info . . . 
• Apple has requested the Supreme Court to overturn the guilty decision in the ebook price-fixing case. For more info . . . 
• As if you didn’t know I love lists: 
• “15 Books You'll Get So Lost In, You'll Go Hours Without Eating, Sleeping, Or Interacting With Another Human.”  
• “The 21 most popular novels of 2015 so far.” 
• Publishers Weekly’s best books of 2015. 
• 10 Most Popular Works of Christian Fiction. 

• The U.S Court of Appeals says Google’s library book scanning project is not copyright infringement. For more info . . .  
• Some encouragement for those suffering through rejection: the winner of the Man Booker prize for fiction had his debut novel rejected nearly 80 times. For more info . . . 
• Bookstore sales dropped in August. For more info . . .  
• The 3rd annual Lyra contest (for the Best Independent Novels of 2015) is open for entries. For more info . . . 
• Want to get a foot in the door for a publishing career? Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas (LPC), a Christian publishing house, is currently building an (unpaid) internship program. For info, contact.

Have a great month, friends. Write on!

 

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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 October edition of Novel Rocket’s industry news. Is it just me, or has this year flown by? Anyway, there's still plenty of 2015 left and goals to be conquered. Onward, friends!

• Sales of print books rose in 2015. For more info . . . 
• The LYRA Contest (to promote excellence in independent fiction by recognizing outstanding independently published eBooks) is open. For more details . . . 
• The Christian Book Awards are now open to submissions. For more info . . . 
• Deckle Edge, South Carolina’s newest Literary Festival, to launch early next year. For more info . . . 
• Audiobook publisher Blackstone to expand into print with the launch of Blackstone Publishing. For more info . . .
• Random House launches The Smitten Word, an email newsletter all about romance books, authors, and romance news. For more info . . . 
• Remember Oyster, the Netflix of books? Well they’ve announced they’re closing in 2016. For more info. . . 
• A viewpoint from the NY Times: “E-Book Sales Slip, and Print Is Far From Dead.” For more info . . . 
• And another opinion: “No, e-book sales are not falling, despite what publishers say.” For more info . . .  
• And a third opinion: “From Books to Ebooks and Back: The Future of Literary Consumption Is Unwritten.” For more info . . . 
• I’d like a cabernet sauvignon, please: Harlequin is now in the wine business. For more info . . . 
• Author and founding editor of the religion department at Publishers Weekly, Phyllis Tickle, dies. For more info . . . 
• American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) celebrates Christian fiction at annual conference and announce Carol Award and Genesis winners. For more info. . . 
• Barbour Publishing partners with Teal Press in the U.K. For more info . . . 
• New digital publishing venture, Serial Box, aims to be the HBO for readers (with serialized genre fiction). For more info . . . 
• Another e-book price-fixing case against Apple? For more info . . . 
• Startup Juggernaut to pursue mobile phone publishing. For more info . . .  
• The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance is feeling positive “going into the holiday season.” For more info . . . 
• Authors Guild survey reveals that most authors’ earnings fall below the poverty line. For more info . . .  
• So I guess we should readjust expectations when it comes to being a successful writer. For more info. . . 
• The 2015 PEN Literary Awards announced. For more info . . .  
• Not exactly news, but good info: ten tech tools for writers. For more info . . . 
• Also, here’s 16 Facebook groups for writers you don’t want to miss. 
• Pelican Book Group to launch new imprint, Crossover Books, with stories that appeal to non-Christians but intrinsically convey Christian principles. Info soon to come here.
• 2015 National Book Awards Longlist revealed. For more info . . . 
• The Pew Research Center’s survey reveals libraries are still important to communities. For more info . . . 
• Good news, bookstore sales rose in July. For more info . . . 
• And independent booksellers also did well. For more info . . . 
• “Might consumers see e-book refunds from Apple in time for the holidays?” For more info . . . 
• Family Christian Stores seek to repair relationships with vendors. For more info . . . 
• Financial figures paint a grim picture for Barnes & Noble, but they’re still hopeful. For more info . . .  

Have a great month, friends. Write on!

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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 September issue of Novel Rocket’s industry news.

Queue the hats and horns!

Happy birthday, Novel Rocket!

We’re turning 10 years old! September of 2005 was our very first author interview with Deborah Raney. To celebrate this milestone, we have 2 announcements:

First: we hired a VA to go back and catalogue all the interviews from the past 10 years. Now you can access those by going to the Interviews tab on Novel Rocket. There you’ll find a linked alphabetical listing of every author, agent, publicist and publisher we’ve interviewed. And for 10 years, it’s quite a substantial list!

Second: September is Giveaway Month. Every week, one lucky winner will receive at least 5 autographed novels (unless they’re e-books) by some of the Rocketeers. Every comment you leave will give you one chance in the drawing. If you leave one every day, you have seven chances that week.

So get ready to celebrate Novel Rocket’s 10^th birthday with us!

And on to the news . . .

• The Christian Book Award program is accepting submissions starting today through the end of the month. For more info  . . . 
• The first Mississippi Book Fest was a success. For more info . . .  
• $10 million set aside for settlement in “Fifty Shades” lawsuit. For more info . . . 
• Is there gender bias in publishing? For more info . . . 
• And along those lines, “the literary publishing and small press world has been buzzing with accusations . . . ” For more info . . .  
• Hoorah! Adult fiction print books bouncing back. For more info . . . 
• Scribd to offer a two-tiered audiobook service. For more info . . . 
• Know what science says about fiction readers? For more info . . . 
• Clever. Harlequin Teen engages Twitter readers with a “digital oracle.” For more info . . . 
• This savvy independent bookstore, Fiction Addiction, is taking hand selling to a new level. For more info . . .   
• The “flat design” is a recent cover trend. What do you think? For more info . . .  
• Publishers are thrilled and hopeful now that the Family Christian Stores will remain open. For more info . . . 
• An interesting perspective from literary agent Chip MacGregor, “Why are you picking on Family ChristianStores?”  
• SparkPoint Studio acquisition of hybrid publisher She Writes Press providing to be a success. For more info . . .  
• An interesting list of the “The 100 best novels written in English.” For more info . . . 
• Now this is how you support the authors in your state. Colorado bookstore Local Editions deals only in books written by local authors. For more info . . . 
• Feeling stuck? In a rut? Overwhelmed? Check out the upcoming writers’ retreats: the Northern California Writers’Retreat and the Nourishing the Writer’s Spirit Retreat.
• Increasing numbers of people are reading on their phones. For more info . . . 
• June bookstore sales rose. For more info . . . 
• Sales at Penguin Random House rose over 16% for the first half of 2015. For more info . . . 
• Harlequin boosts the bottom line at parent company, HarperCollins. For more info . . .  
• A strong first quarter for Indigo Books and Music. For more info . . . 
• Second quarter sales down for Books-A-Million. For more info . . . 
• And second quarter sales also down for Regnery. For more info . . . 
• However, adult book sales rose 2.3% in April. For more info . . . 
• Sales were down, but profits were up in the second period of 2015 for Simon & Schuster. For more info . . .  
• The Girl on the Train led first quarter e-book sales. For more info . . . 
• Interesting (IMHO). Six authors share tips for aspiring writers.
• And five writing tips from C.S. Lewis.  
• Check out these authors whose e-book's have been extremely successful on Kindle “without a book deal or agent, and despite a stack of rejection letters from publishers.” For more info . . . 
• An interesting tale, are traditional publishers doing enough to support established authors? For more info . . . 

Have a great month, friends. Write on!

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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 August edition of Novel Rocket's industry news. I hope you've had a productive summer, which by the way, is almost over.  

Let's get to it!

• Citing “tough comparisons” and e-tailers no longer discounting many e-books at a loss” (that would be Amazon), Lagardère Publishing's (Hachette Book Group’s parent company) first half of 2015 revenues fall. For more info . . . 
• Here's twenty writing residencies you should apply for! For more info . . .
• Good news for fans of classic crime novels—Pushkin Press has launched Pushkin Vertigo to publish crime classics written between the 1920s and the 1970s. For more info . . . 
• St. Martin’s Press to launch a new digital romance imprint, SMPSwerve. 
• Not novel related but Amazon related, and writers are curious about Amazon. It’s no joke (that’s what folks thought). Amazon Dash, a sticky button you install in your home/office allows you to reorder a product at the push of a button. For more info . . . 
• For fun: Authors tweet advice on what NOT to say to a writer.
• Curious about how publishers make decisions about what to publish? For more info . . . 
• ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) announced the 2015 Carol Award finalists  and the 2015 Genesis Contest finalists. 
• The Man Booker Prize 2015 longlist announced. 
• Also, in 2016, the Man Booker International Prize will merge with the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. For more info . .. 
• The Authors Guild’s fourth installment of its Fair Contract Initiative, “A Publishing Contract Should Not Be Forever.” For more info . . . 
• Fantasy author Ed Greenwood opens publishing house (his creative salon), The Ed Greenwood Group. For more info . . . 
• Ten book publishers seeking manuscript submissions! For more info . . . 
• Dirty, rotten #%&! Computer hackers use Jane Austin prose to disguise malicious code. For more info . . . 
• Go Set a Watchman breaks records. For more info . . . 
• Fantasy/sci-fi novelist and NBA lifetime achievement winner, Ursula Le Guin launches an online writing workshop on the Book View Café blog to answer selected questions on the craft of writing fiction. For more info . . .
• Amazon’s media sales declined for the first quarter. For more info . . . 
• Not so much to do with novels, but an interesting rumor has it Amazon is planning to open a drive-thru grocery store. What won't Amazon do? For more info . . . 
• EverAfter Romance, an imprint of Diversion Books, launches print program for self-published romance authors. For more info . . . 
• Details of Family Christian Stores’ new ownership plan are revealed. For more info . . . 
• Interesting. Canada’s Windsor Public Library’s Espresso Book Machine (self-publishing) has published over 10k books and helps writers share their stories. For more info . . .   
• Encouraging to see this—Tyndale House Publishers created a new position to focus on author development and strategy. For more info . . . 
• Simon & Schuster launches pop culture site GLOMMABLE to “give readers direct access to and original content from the internet personalities and authors that fans love most.” For more info . . . 
• e-Book sales down. For more info . . . 
• However, bookstore sales rose. For more info . . .  
• Interesting. AuthorBee launches a new Twitter app to organize your “timeline into stores based on your interests.” For more info . . . 
• Authors United call for the Department of Justice to investigate Amazon. For more info . . . 
• It seems likely the new Barnes & Boble CEO will kill the Nook. For more info . . .  
• Sad news, Abingdon shut down its fiction program. For more info . . . 

Have a great month, friends. Write on!

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