Getting Down to Business
By Densie Webb | April 6, 2024 |
For the first time in long time, AI didn’t dominate the publishing news. Maybe AI is so common place now that it’s not newsworthy anymore? We’ll see. But copyright infringement using AI is still an unresolved issue, it seems. There are lots of movers and shakers in the publishing world moving and shaking. Three publishing veterans have created a new startup publishing house that was announced in March, and just FYI, an agent is required to submit your manuscript. Romantasy is exploding, so much so that it had its very first conference devoted solely to the genre. Oprah may have been the first, but book clubs hosted by famous women are growing. Congrats to the lucky authors who are featured. Simon & Schuster, one of the Big 5, celebrated its centennial. And there’s a reprinted handy checklist of need-to-know book-deal terms. You might want to keep it handy when you get “The Call.”
AI
Four major publishers fighting a judgment of copyright infringement
Generative AI and copyright infringement
AI’s take on self-publishing vs traditional publishing
Book Banning and Censorship
Titles targeted for censorship surged 65% in 2023 compared to 2022
Legislative attacks on state library associations
PEN America negotiating over freedom of expression
Book Clubs
More famous women host book clubs
Book Stores
New LGBTQ online indie store launches
Counterfeit Books
Amazon sued by author over counterfeit books being sold
TikTok
Is book promotion via TikTok at risk?
Publishing tips and tricks
Don’t be shy. Make your name big on the cover
Handy check list of book contract deal terms
Publishing trends and events
All the movers and shakers in the industry
Three publishing veterans launch a new house
Simon & Schuster celebrates its centennial
Trends seen at the London Book Fair
First ever Romantacy festival comes to Chicago
Which of these headlines might affect you directly—possible TikTok ban, the new publishing house, new online bookstore focused on LBGTQ readers, counterfeit book sales, censorship? What’s your perspective?
Densie Webb has spent a long career as a freelance nonfiction writer and editor, specializing in health and nutrition and has published several books and tons of articles on the topic over the years. She is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and Red Adept Publishing released her debut women’s fiction novel titled, “When Robins Appear” in 2020. It is available in ebook, audiobook, and paperback formats. Her second novel, best categorized as romantic/domestic suspense, “Breathing in Reverse” was published in 2023, also with Red Adept Publishing. She is currently working (but not fast enough) on novel #3. She grew up in Louisiana, spent 13 years in New York, and settled in Austin, TX, where it’s summer nine months of the year. She’s an avid walker (not of the dead variety, though she loves anything to do with zombies, vampires, or post-apocalyptic worlds), drinks way too much coffee, and has a small “devil dog” that keep her on her toes. And she is thrilled to be a part of the Writer Unboxed family!
Thanks, Densie. Some interesting tips ie cover design etc.
Interested to see what happens with BookTok/TikTok over time. Thanks, Densie, for another informative roundup!
Romantacy, eh? That would be fun. “Can a rough but sensitive dragon hunter from a wealthy Harg familiy find love with an Elfin mushroom dealer? Will an Elf be welcome at the Vernal Equinox Ball in the capital? (Please don’t be offended if you’re already working on this.)