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19 September 2016 - What's new

19 September 2016
  • The growth in self-published books reported last week comes from Amazon, whose DIY print business CreateSpace has become far and away the biggest self-publishing platform in the United States. In a week when the Association of American PublishersThe national trade association of the American book publishing industry; AAP has more than 300 members, including most of the major commercial publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses and scholarly societies reported major declines in sales of trade books, there's also been talk about whether depressed digital sales are hurting Amazon. News Review
  • Authors often find it difficult to write their own synopsis for submission to publishers, which is where our Synopsis-writing service can help. If you're preparing to self-publish and having difficulty with your blurb, our Blurb-writing service from a professional copywriter might be what you need.
  • ‘Everyone in publishing and writing thinks about this, about length. Is our ability to sustain concentration over a length of time being diminished because of the internet and the electronic age? Amanda Foreman, chair of the 2016 Man Booker judges in the Daily Telegraph. Our Comment.
  • For anyone thinking about or embarked on self-publishing, our ten-part WritersServices Self-Publishing Guide by Joanne PhillipsUK-based freelance writer and ghostwriter. She has had articles published in national writing magazines, and has ghostwritten books on subjects as diverse as hairdressing and keeping chickens. Visit her at www.joannephillips.co.uk is an essential starting-point, taking you through the process step-by-step. 'Self-publishing has changed so much over the past few years it's hard to believe it was once looked down upon by the publishing industry as the last resort of the vain and desperate. At the time of writing many self-publishing authors are identifying with the term ‘indie author', which acknowledges that to professionally publish today, you don't actually have to do everything yourself!'
  • Our links: crowdfunding is becoming a major way of getting books into print, How Kickstarter became one of the biggest powers in publishing | Books | The Guardian; Forbes' list of the world's highest-paid authors came out last month. My name's not on it and it probably never will be, Merritt Tierce on Publishing 'Love Me Back' - How Much Money Authors Make; the rapid growth of self-publishing is matched by the speedy expansion of Amazon's self-publishing arm, Amazon (AMZN) dominates self-publishing in books - Quartz; and in high school I was, like many American intellectual kids, a stranger in a strange land, Ursula K. Le Guin: How I Started Writing.
  • 'Discovering our authentic voice, writing with lasting impact, and standing out from the crowd are high priorities for most of us who write. But how do we go about achieving these intentions? Conscious Writing is a new approach to deep writing with full awareness which takes us into the core of what we're really here to write, and in the process, opens the way for us to realise our true potential as authors in the world...' Julia McCutchenJulia McCutchen is an intuitive creator, writer and mentor who guides people to share their unique gifts through creating, writing and living from a conscious and vibrant connection to Truth. A former international publisher, Julia experienced a life-changing accident in 1999 which triggered a series of major quantum leaps in her spiritual awakening. She subsequently developed a tried and tested holistic approach to access the present and aligned state required for original creative expression in all areas of life, especially writing. She is the founder and creative director of the International Association of Conscious & Creative Writers (IACCW) and the author of two books including, Conscious Writing: Discover Your True Voice Through Mindfulness and More (Hay House). For more information and a free video series visit www.JuliaMcCutchen.com and www.iaccw.com on Conscious Writing.
  • Her second article is A New Approach to Discovering Your True Writer's Voice.
  • More links: the "bestseller" problem: How could you know which books would be blockbusters and which would flop, and why? Algorithms Could Save Book Publishing-But Ruin Novels | WIRED; talking to the author whose first book keeps popping up at the top of the bestseller lists, Paula Hawkins: By the Book - The New York Times; and how an annual literary and arts celebration has become a pan-African event, Kenya-Born Storymoja Festival Opens Its New Life in Ghana.
  • From the inimitable Anne Rice; 'Writers write about what obsesses them. You draw those cards. I lost my mother when I was 14. My daughter died at the age of 6. I lost my faith as a Catholic. When I'm writing, the darkness is always there. I go where the pain is.' In our Writers' Quotes.