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!