Newpub Talk Chaos

The Book Industry in Chaos

It's been obvious for a while now to anyone who's not chasing unicorns that the book industry is in chaos. The sworn testimony given by editors, authors, and agents in the Penguin Random House-Simon and Schuster merger trial revealed that only 10 percent of oldpub titles move more than 2,000…
August 22, 20244 Comments
Deadpub Hollywood China

Deadpub, Hollywood, and China

The death of oldpub and the implosion of Hollywood are two subjects that get a lot of play in the new counterculture. Newpub authors and anti-woke film critics alike have come to resemble End Times preachers interpreting the Book of Revelations to mean the eschaton is right around the corner.…
May 16, 20242 Comments
Publisher

How to Think Like a Publisher

Uncomfortable conversation time. You may not want to hear it, but a lot of folks in the newpub scene shoot themselves in the foot by calling  themselves "indie authors." Don't feel bad. I made the same mistake at first. And it is a mistake. Because as the name implies, newpub…
May 15, 20241 Comment
Holes in Publishing

Elle Griffin: Shooting Holes in Oldpub

My valued neopatrons called my attention to this viral Substack post by author and editor Elle Griffin. In it, she shares facts that came to light in the US government's recent suit against oldpub giants Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster. The main takeaway is that publishing house representatives…
April 25, 202414 Comments
King Brandon

Audible Bows the Knee to King Brandon

At the beginning of this year, we covered Brandon Sanderson's dispute with audio book monopolists Audible. The epic fantasy king and neopatronage pioneer announced his intention not to publish the audio versions of his $40 million crowdfunded books through Audible. His stated reason? That the Amazon subsidiary failed to offer…
March 6, 20244 Comments
Reagan Thaatcher Clancy

Set Yourself up for Success

Most folks in newpub unconsciously stumble out of the gate by calling themselves "indie authors". I know I did. But newpub means more than writing. If you go indie, you accept all the responsibilities of an author AND a publisher. As a result of indies' author-centric focus, a lot of…
May 1, 2023
Selling Books, Negocios Rentables

How to Write Blurbs that Sell Books

I'm glad for the help, because as I've said here before, a good product description is one of the most vital elements of newpub success. Newpub is always changing. That means your knowledge of the field has to keep growing if you want to succeed. Conferring and collaborating with brilliant…
April 24, 2023
sales

Everything Is Sales

When aspiring authors come to me for career advice, the first question I ask them is why they're writing. Making a decent supplemental income is one thing. Making a living is a related, but different ballgame. Publishing a book just to scratch it off your bucket list and impress your…
April 17, 20238 Comments
mongoose

3 Days Left for Mongoose & Meerkat 3

Just 3 days left to back Cirsova's Tales of the Mongoose and Meerkat: The Redemption of Alness. Two years have passed since the fall of Alness. And two years have passed since the brash young sellsword Mangos teamed up with Kat, the mysterious Alnessi rogue. Together, they have made a…
February 17, 20232 Comments
mentor

The Charity Principle

One of the first things you learn from working around creatives is that we're passionate folk. We kind of have to be, since the main demand of our job is maintaining the conviction that our artistic vision is worth charging people money for. That is to say we tend to…
February 14, 202311 Comments