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. 

Yes, winter continues. Not much more to say about that, but here's some interesting news and tidbits to read with a delicious hot beverage. 

• Celebrate bookstores with PW’s shortlist for Bookstore of the Year. 
• Good news for Barnes & Noble—their stock surged with news they’re keeping its Nook e-reader. For more info . . . 
• Curious about who reads Christian books? For more info . . . 
• Publishing pro Julie Gwinn becomes The Seymour Agency’s newest literary agent. For more info . . . 
• Veteran literary agent Susan Golomb to join Writers House. For more info . . . 
• Good to know—literary agents seeking authors. For more info . . . 
• New literary agent Sarah Nagel seeking writers. For more info . . . 
• Alice Crider joins David C Cook as senior acquisitions and development editor. For more info . . . 
• Do you write short fiction? Story|Houston, an online literary journal is accepting submissions for its Spring 2015 issue ($200 per story). For more info . . . 
• Family Christian Stores’ bankruptcy hearings commence. For more info . . .  
• New small press, Forget Me Not Romances, is accepting submissions for clean and/or Christian romances. For more info . . . 
• Lerner Publishing acquires Egmont USA titles. For more info. . . 
• Canadian Authors for Indies Day slated for this May. For more info . . . 
• Amazon releases its initial batch of Kindle Scout titles. For more info . . . 
• An interesting concept—can sponsorships save some independent bookstores? For more info . . . 
• Did you hear about the first-edition Illiad faux pas in The Boy Next Door movie? In my family this falls under the no-sense-being-dumb-if-you-don’t-show-it category. For more info . . . 
• Sponsored by the Association of American Publishers, Penguin Random House, and Twitter, the third #TwitterFictionFestival2014 will take place, virtually and globally, in May. For more info . . . 
• Who thought Harper Lee would release another novel or Dr. Seuss would publish another book? 
• Additionally, Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman pre-orders rising in Harper Lee’s home state, Alabama. For more info . . . 
• Interesting tie-in with movies (American Sniper) and enhanced E-books. For more info . . . 
• Indie bookstores are filling the void left by Borders. For more info . . . 
• 2014 Carla Furstenberg Cohen Literary Prize winners announced. 
• Port Yonder Press closing, but literary journal The Eastern Iowa Review will debut in its place. For more info . . . 
• Revenue and profits down at Simon & Schuster for 2014. For more info . . . 
• According to the U.S. Census Bureau, bookstore sales fell in 2014. For more info . . . 
• The Audio Publishers Association (APA), announces the 2015 Audies finalists. 
• Keep calm and buy books—Christian publishers aren’t in a panic over the drop in fiction sales (Hooray!). For more info . . . 
• Adult trade sales mixed in November. For more info . . . 
• Amazon gets blamed for a lot of things. Now? Are they killing your mailman? For more info . . . 
• A “resurgence” of independent booksellers? For more info . . . 
• Publishers Weekly’s editors’ most notable books publishing in Spring 2015. 
• Coming April 8th, the Literary Hub, a go-to “source for all the news, ideas, and richness of contemporary literary life.” For more info . . . 
• A literary agent, a singer/songwriter, and an investment banker walk into a—no. It’s not the set-up to a joke—it’s the birth of a new independent bookstore. For more info . . . 
• Stanford University launches Redwood Press, a trade imprint specializing in “serious nonfiction to thought-provoking fiction.” For more info . . . 
• Freaky. The tables have turned. A book cover that judges you. For more info . . . 
• This reading level analysis may change the way you write. For more info . . . 
• Amazon opens its first location on a college campus. For more info . . . 
• “Greedy giant” Amazon has “small publishers in its grip.” For more info . . . 
• Celebrating “powerful voices, breakthrough narratives, and extraordinary storytelling experiences," publishing startup Catapult will launch in the fall. For more info . . . 
• Barnes & Noble has released the 2014 Discover Great New Writers Awards shortlist. 

Have a great month, friends!