Getting Down to Business
By Densie Webb | January 4, 2025 |
Happy New Year, Writer Unboxers! Turns out there was plenty of news to cover, despite the holidays. There’s new guidance for AI-voiced audiobooks and some thoughts on how AI is both accelerating and devaluing book publishing. A battle is brewing over copyright in the age of ChatGPT. There’s a call for memoir writers to get credit where credit is due. New Jersey’s new law limits the banning of books in schools and libraries and Arkansas’ book-banning law has been found unconstitutional. Will other states follow suit? Trump threatens legal action to prevent publication of a book about his first administration. Check out what’s entering the public domain in 2025. How Bloom Books (with the help of E.L. James) had 25 books on the bestseller list and became the fastest growing imprint in romance. Author, Reni Eddo-Lodge, will lead Monument Books, a new imprint of HarperCollins. First up? Bestselling author Steve McQueen.
AI
How AI is accelerating and devaluing book publishing
Who own the copyright in the world of AI?
New guidance issued for AI-voiced audiobooks
Authors
Society of Authors calls for memoir writers to be credited
Book Bans
New law in New Jersey limits banning of books in schools and libraries
Arkansas book-banning law declared unconstitutional
Bookstores
Strike ends at the Strand as a tentative agreement is reached
Copyrights
What’s entering the public domain in 2025?
Libraries
Round up of the top library stories of 2024
Louisiana librarian gets major victory in defamation suit
Publishing
A round up of the top 10 bookselling stories of 2024
How Bloom Books became the fastest growing imprint in romance
According to the Association of American Publishers, publishing is up 7.1% year to date
Author, Reni Eddo-Lodge, will lead Monument Books, a new imprint with HarperCollins
Calendar of trade shows and events for 2025
American Booksellers Association condemns Trump’s threat of legal action against Henry Holt & Co
TikTok
What are your predictions for the publishing industry in 2025? Good news? Bad News? Apocalyptic news?
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!
Amazing information here, Densie. Thank you! I’ve passed this along to my authors society members. The AI articles are really important.
Thanks Densie. Your research takes time, and you are dedicated. Happy New Year!
Thanks for another valuable roundup, Densie. Keeping our eye on all of these moving parts is important, and you’re providing a real service here. Many thanks again.
Thank you for pulling this collection together, Densie. It’s such a help to have all this information in one place.