Three famous readers hold immense influence over the publishing industry. Their recommendations can make or break a book-but how do they make their selections, and is their influence waning? Insiders take Esquire behind the scenes.
Managing an author's expectations early on in a marketing and publicity campaign and being upfront with the plan for their book is key to building trust between a publicist and a writer, according to Canongate's communications director Anna Frame.
I have been trying to convince writers of the value of a consistent email newsletter for more than a decade. Recently I dug up a 2014 presentation I gave at the James River Writers Conference, where the first slide says, "Email is not dead." After that slide, I quoted novelist Dana Stabenow, who gave an inspirational talk where she couldn't resist offering a practical tip at the end:
One way to attract and cultivate a loyal audience is by sharing compelling content. The goal is to build a relationship that not only leads to book sales but creates fans that stay with you for the long-term. Content marketing should ideally begin before the launch of your book and continue for as long as you want to grow your author business. Read more
For most readers, acquiring a newly released book means heading to your local bookstore, hitting the library, or logging on to Amazon. For others, however, it involves opening up a thoughtfully designed box that includes a copy of the book, alongside gifted items like a custom tote bag, a scented candle, beauty products, and maybe even a box of tea. Read more
If you had asked me to define an 'influencer' a few years ago, chances are I would have described someone, most likely female identifying, who created beauty, fashion, wellness and lifestyle content on behalf of brands and businesses. Read more
When I was young, in a distant century, there was an odd feature of the literary community: celebrated authors writing essays for magazines or newspaper book sections chronicling the horrors of their tours. Usually amusingly, sometimes just trying to be. Laments about arriving at a bookstore to find many people waiting, but no copies of the book. Read more
Well, friends, it's been another tough year. But as we wind down 2021, it is useful to remember the good parts, the pleasures small and large that got us through. And yes, a beautifully designed book can be one of those pleasures-especially when we're still spending more time at home than perhaps we would like.
This website offers a wide range of tips on photography and provides an easily accessible guide for the amateur providing guidance and suggestions for photographing everything from babies to pets, headshots to nature. There's also helpful information on equipment.
‘Even if you are writing stark realism, I think there is magic in this age group, because they are at an age at which possibility is at its most colossal. They are still on the brink of becoming the person that they will be, and there is magic inherent there. I wanted to say to children, "I think you have been underestimated.
"What's going on with the book market?" an agent asked me this week. The big books are not showing up, the débuts are passing by too fleetingly, while genre titles, the brands, and backlist books are shifting to the centre ground and taking root. In short, for this year's trends, look to last year's hits. Rinse and repeat.
In my previous blog, I outlined five ways in which publishing can, and likely will, use AI to streamline and make its operations more efficient. I'd like to turn your attention to how AI can help sell more books.
Labour achieved a landslide win in yesterday's general election, with Sir Keir Starmer due to enter Number 10 Downing Street for his first term in office.
A new survey commissioned by the Publishers Association (PA) has shown that children's reading for pleasure remains a priority for adults across the country, despite a decline in reading.