Industry News

What's been happening in publishing for the past two weeks? News and industry blogs to catch up on what happened over Memorial Day weekend (and the weekdays before and after!)

News

Penguin challenges the DOJ's claim that they conspired with four other major publishers and Apple to set prices, pointing out flaws in the DOJ's arguments and the weakness of evidence against them. Macmillan and Apple also intend to go to fight the lawsuit in court.

In the Google BookScanning case, authors have been granted class certification. This allows them to sue Google as a group as opposed to individually. The Authors Guild has been officially granted status as an associational plaintiff, and the case could officially go to trial as soon as September [theoretically].

Amazon sent out a reminder this week to remind authors that Amazon does not allow content freely available on the web to be sold through them, unless the seller holds the actual copyright. (I would say this is probably a response to spam books, or "books" constructed through free content and then resold for a profit, that have arisen on Amazon's self-publishing sites, and that Amazon is continuously working to remove.)
E-book distributor OverDrive will be releasing a browser-based, no-download platform that will allow readers to read their ebooks on regular browsers. This will be accessible through e-ink readers, smartphones, tablets, and other platforms.

Publishers team up with Facebook to market books by providing book catalogues through Facebook, as well as allowing them to track Likes and other analytical information, and offering them tools for quick and easy advertising and app-building. The platform (skBookshop.com) does not allow readers to purchase directly through FB, but does allow them to see what's available.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt files for bankruptcy.

Amazon and the IPG have come to terms, although the terms have not been released to the public. The IPG promises its clients that it will not collect any distribution fees on Kindle sales between June 1 and August 31 as recompense to lost sales due to the disagreement.

If you're using Amazon's CreateSpace and want a physical check for your royalty payment instead of direct deposit, you'll need to earn at least $100 (up from $28). Direct deposits are available for amounts of $10 or more.

Momentum, the Australian e-book only imprint, will be going DRM free by early August. Sister company Tor is also going DRM free this year.


Industry Blogs

QueryTracker's Publishing Pulse for 5/25 and 6/1.

On Writer Unboxed, Chuck Sambochino talks about figuring out which writers' conferences are right for you.

Rachelle Gardner goes over what goes into a publishing contract. Things such as advances (how much, when they're paid, if there's a bonus for hitting sales goals), licensing rights (who/what/how long/where), royalty rates, competition clauses, reversion of rights, free book copies, and cover design are all under the "frequently negotiated" list. On the other hand, policies on editing and revising, due dates, and provisions on remaindering are rarely changed.

She also talks about what the editing process looks like for authors with a publishing-house. You start with macro edits (big things!) and move down the line to small things. And she covers advances: how much, how often they're paid out, if they're negotiable (depends, usually split between 2-4 checks for one book, usually yes). Also, do agents accept self-published authors? It depends on why the author self-published. Agents don't want authors who went to self-publishing because they got tired and bitter of the process, but they'll look at authors who went there for business reasons.

QueryTracker talks about making the most of your writers' workshops. First of all, make sure the courses are specific to your needs and meet whatever goals you have at the particular time. Look into the instructor's credentials, and remember that cost does not always equate with quality. Also make sure you have or can make time for the course before taking it.

And think like an author, says QueryTracker's Danyelle Leafty. Write with intent, be proud of your work, be disciplined to continue writing even when it's hard, and be willing to learn and make mistakes.

Nathan Bransford reminds us that the dichotomy between self-publishing and traditional publishing isn't an "us-vs-them" situation: many authors do both.

Pixar's story artist Emma Coats shares her list of secrets to writing a great story.

What publishing news have you encountered in the past couple of weeks?

Yes, I too am a fangirl

It's Tuesday, May 29th.

This means that Lisa Shearin's All Spell Breaks Loose, the final book in her Raine Benares saga, is out.

Why do you not get to see this post until Wednesday? Because then you might have beaten me to the bookshop, and they would have been sold out, and that would be NOT OKAY.

As you see, I have completed my collection, so all is well. :D Six signed books, the entire series!

Let's take another look:

Yep, that's what I'm seeing!

So please excuse me while I catch a serious case of NIBS (Nose in Book Syndrome). Yes, I am a fangirl. Hey, reading lots of books is one of the best ways to improve as a writer. Not that you need an excuse, but if anyone asks - it's professional development.*

*Just like going on a beach vacation to get in touch with that beach-set romance I plan on writing. Well, I'll write one eventually. Just as soon as I think of a plot for it... Better go sit in the sun for some more inspiration.

What books are you waiting for, or have you waited for in the past? Do you have any signed books of your own?

On the Road

On the road for Memorial Day! No post on Monday, and just a few random interesting factoids for amusement today.

Random factoids:

• Tomato plant stems and leaves are toxic to most pets.
• Cocoa trees can live to be 200 years old, but they only produce chocolate-usable cocoa beans for 25 years.
• Butter was the first food product allowed by law to have artificial coloring.
• Rain has never been recorded in some parts of the Atacama Desert in Chile.
• The first animal to orbit the moon was the tortoise.
• Baby porcupines are called porcupettes. 
• A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
• A pregnant goldfish is called a twit.
• Babies are born without knee caps.

Learn something new? Your turn: add one random factoid to the list! Leave your answers in the comments. 

Feasting on a Budget: Lamb and Kale

It's another feasting on a budget recipe! How about a delicious herb-rubbed lamb dinner, with a side of kale and a loaf of fresh bread? We had 3 people and tons of leftovers* (oops!)

Lamb, kale, and good bread: another delicious 4-person feast for under $40!

Shopping list:

Lamb (2 lbs on sale for about $13)
Kale (Farmer's market: 1 lb for $2.50)
Fresh bread (Farmer's market: 1 loaf for $5)
fresh mint, thyme, & rosemary ($2.50 each)
Bacon ($4)
Chicken broth ($1)
2 shallots ($1)
Approximate total: $29


Ingredients:

Lamb (2 lbs, or 4 1/2 chops)
Kale (Farmer's market: 1 lb)
Fresh bread (Farmer's market: 1 loaf)
fresh mint, thyme, & rosemary (about 1/4 cup each)
sliced shallots (2 should be plenty)
3/4 cup Chicken broth
(5 tablespoons) Olive oil

Black pepper (to taste)
Sea salt (to taste)
2 slices Bacon
1/3-1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar/red wine vinegar
1/4 stick Butter (2 tablespoons)

Appetizer:
Slice your fresh bread. Fill a small plate with herbs, sea salt, and pepper, then add a little balsamic vinegar/red wine vinegar and olive oil. Dip your bread in.

Kale:
Heat a large frying pan to medium-high. Add 2 slices of bacon that has been cut into chunks, and let cook. When bacon is mostly cooked, add the kale. Cook until it's wilted. Serve with a little sea salt and black pepper.

Lamb:
Mince fresh thyme, mint, and rosemary. Add sea salt and fresh ground pepper, and rub into lamb chops. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes for flavors to soak in.
When lamb is ready, heat frying pan to medium-high. Drop lamb chops on and cook for about 3.5 minutes on each side. Set onto serving platter to keep warm.

Lamb gravy:
Add shallots (sliced) to skillet. Cook until just browning.
Pour in red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar, about 1/2 cup. Add 3/4 cup chicken broth. Continue to cook on medium until gravy has reduced by at least half. Remove from heat, add butter, and serve with kale and lamb.
(Note: Fresh bread is excellent for soaking up the delicious gravy!)

Enjoy!

*Guilty admission: One of our ladies also treated us to an extra appetizer: Sliced mozzarella, tomatoes, and prosciutto with olive oil and sea salt. Given that the meal could have easily served 6, I took off 2 servings for the extra appetizer.
Fresh mozzarella-$8, 2 roma tomatoes-$2, l small package chopped prosciutto-$4. (Brings the total to $43, although sometimes you can find cheese-case mozzarella on sale for less than $8, or you can skip the prosciutto entirely and still have a delicious appetizer!)
Slice mozzarella and tomatoes and layer in a 9x9 pan; drizzle olive oil over. Add prosciutto and a little sea salt and pepper to taste, plus some leftover herbs. Broil until mozzarella is mostly melted.
Served over the fresh bread instead of dipping it in olive oil! Delicious. 

Cats, Flowers, and Cat-Friendly Gardens

I first posted this last year, but it's that time of year again (okay, maybe a little after most of the planting has been done, but still useful!) So here's a repost of pet-friendly garden plants!


If you're like me, you've got a cat (and it seems like a very large number of my writer friends have felines to 'help' them type.)  And if you're like me, you like flowers.  And if your cat is actually a cat, it probably tries to eat your flowers when you have them.

I did a little research, what with it being spring and all, and looked up some cat-non-toxic flowers.  I've included a couple of links if you'd like a wider variety.  Both links also include a "toxic" list.  Always keep an eye on your cat when you introduce a new plant, just in case they've got an allergy, but these flowers won't warrant an emergency vet call if they 'mysteriously' disappear.

Non-toxic plants for cats:
Dahlias, Gerbera Daisies, lavender (not blooming, but it's a good time to plant,) most herbs (including rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme, cress, dill, and of course catnip,) begonias, celosia, aster, roses, orchids, pansies, impatients, and zinnia

ASPCA toxic/nontoxic flower list: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/plants/ (also lists for dogs and horses)
Edit: I had another link, but it was broken. So here's a different one: Jennifer Copley's lists of plants that are and are not safe for cats.

Publishing News

Publishing news for the past two weeks. Yet another episode of "what's going on in the real world!"

News

Larry Kirshbaum, who will be overseeing Amazon Publishing, sits down for an interview on how Amazon Publishing will work. He says they will be a small publisher, putting out 40-50 books a year, and that they will publish a lot of books. They plan on using recommendations to help sell books - "if you like that, you'll like this" - to target books with audiences. However, he also recommends writers do their own publicity.

The DOJ rejects the motion to dismiss the class-action suit against Apple and 5 publishers for price-fixing. This is despite the settlement the DOJ has already reached with 3 of the publishers. (There's a shorter article here; these are not two separate cases but simply a motion to dismiss this single one, which I felt wasn't quite clear in the first article.)

People are still reading. They're reading more than apparently they were 50 years ago (or just admitting it more!)

Random House has created a Brand Marketing position for their Crown Publishing Group, and filled it. It appears her job is to help authors create and market their brand (i.e., their names). I imagine she'll be doing the same for the imprint itself.

Back in 2008, Georgia State University violated copyright laws by digitally uploading numerous copyrighted works to their archives without permission and making available for free to students. Most universities do this to some extent, but it's a question of scope: how much is available, such as chapters versus entire books; and how long it's available, as in for a semester or for decades; and how protected it is, as in can non-students access it.  This case precedes the Google Books case of uploading by a couple of years. Now the case has finally come to a close, with courts ruling against GSU. The Association of American Publishers has released an official statement on the decision. They're happy that suit has succeeded, but are disappointed that GSU was not held entirely liable and is still abusing some "fair use" laws.


Industry Blogs

QueryTracker's Publishing Pulse for 5/11 and 5/18.

Nathan Bransford posts The Last Few Weeks in Books. He also mentions the challenges facing the industry in this new era (that is, during the advent and expansion of digital publishing.) If you've been keeping up with the news the past couple of years, you've probably come across most of them yourself, and been wondering the same things. I'll pay you an imaginary $10 if you can guess them all before reading.*

On QueryTracker: You get a request to revise and resubmit from an agent in reply to your submission. What do you do? First, consider the revisions. Are they reasonable? Is this the right agent for you? If so and if you agree with the revisions, take your time. Don't rush, even if it means you get the resubmission done months later. Be thorough, and if you think of a better revision than the suggested one, do whichever is best.

Rachelle Gardner tells us not to count on the income from the first book. Sure, some may be made, but the money won't go nearly as far as you're hoping it will. And worse, writing for the paycheck because you need to pay the bills will slowly kill your love of writing. If you need the money, get another job - even if it means less time to write. That's not to say you can't ever make an income on writing; it just means be smart about it and make sure you can support yourself if the cash isn't what you expect.

And it can be tempting to put a book out before it's ready. Really tempting. But don't. Good books take time, and it's a loss to the reading world to publish a could-be-great book before it's had its proper editing. Not to mention that putting a lower-quality book than you are capable of into the hands of readers might just kill your career before it begins. Sure, they might know your name - but do you want to be known as "that writer who rushed the plot and didn't edit"?

There's also the question of "what if my agent doesn't like my next book?" Your agent signed you because they believed you were capable of writing, and writing well. But sometimes it happens. Ask yourself why: is this book the same quality as my last? Remember that your agent is not required to any book you write, just because you write it. Your agent is your agent because she/he is looking out for your career. Chances are, she'll work with you to fix the book and bring it up to par. If you trust her advice, move on. Otherwise, maybe it's time to get a new agent.

Self-publishing? Take a look at the Kentucky Indie Writers' post on the importance of editing. At the very least, good editing shows your self-respect as a professional. Teresa Reasor (post writer) also lists reputable editors to help you make the most of your work, and a link to find Editor Freelancer Association rates so you know what to expect to pay.

Agent Kristen teaches us what a plot catalyst is, and how to use it to write an amazing query in a vlog. Query plot paragraphs do not sum up the entire novel; they just identify the plot catalyst. That's the thing that happens that starts the novel going. Figure out what the plot catalyst is, and build your paragraph around it. And don't defenestrate your computer during the suspense-building slides.

Darcy Pattison talks about how to build an author platform, even if you're not yet published. Mostly? Talk about what interests you. Talk a lot, and connect with people who have similar interests. Just because you're not talking about a book doesn't mean much - you're making connections who will be more likely to read what you write when you are published.

GalleyCat offers an amusing chart on the process of publishing.


What news in the publishing world have you come across in the past two weeks?

*Did you win? Great! Instructions for collecting your imaginary $10: Close your eyes. We're sitting on a tropical island in the middle of nowhere, a school of dolphins jumping out of the blue water on the horizon. I hand you a $10 bill. "Congrats. Now keep your eyes closed just a little longer while I take advantage of this free tropical vacation. Thanks!"

Wednesday Writing Exercise: Quantum Sheep

So browsing the web yesterday led me to a story about a woman who spray-painted sheep with words, and then noted down the poems formed by the sheep as they grazed. She then published the poetry in her book Quantum Sheep (along with other poems).

Today's writing assignment is to take advantage of randomness. Whether using fridge magnets or spray-painted ping-pong balls in a swimming pool, go make some random poetry. And as an added bonus, read it to your characters and figure out what they'd say.


(With the online geek magnetic poetry kit):
Never love a humanoid
computer & avatar
native must figure
he is the girl


(Shown to Kelly, protagonist of Into the Tides who has never played an MMORPG [or almost any other video game], and Trax, her famous rock star brother)

She stares at it for a minute, cocks her head, squints. "I don't get it." Another minute passes. Her eyes light up, and she points to the last word. "So that's why he married the trucker in the game. I figured they were dating in real life, but they were both actually antisocial and couldn't manage a real relationship, right?"

Trax just shakes his head and covers his eyes in shame. "Seriously, Kel, we've got to set you up with an account."

She taps her lower lip with a finger. "So you don't think he knew his hot online wife was a guy?"

"Of course he knew."

"Then they were in a real relationship after all?"

"Probably not." Trax sighs, scratching at the base of his Mohawk. "Okay, let's make a deal. I take scuba lessons with you, and you let me sign you up in the game."

"Fine. But I'm not online marrying you." She sticks her tongue out at her brother.

He smirks. "You wouldn't be my type, anyway. My main character is a girl."