Indie publishers face 'existential crisis' after coronavirus lockdown but remain hopeful
thebookseller.com – Thursday April 2, 2020
Indie publishers face an “existential crisis” during the pandemic lockdown, but remain hopeful they can make it to the other side.
Smaller presses The Bookseller contacted this week said they were having to send out more books themselves, focus their activities online and look for new funding streams, including the Arts Council England (ACE) £50m emergency pot for non-portfolio organisations that was announced last week.
"Sales have just fallen off a cliff,” said Bluemoose Books co-founder Kevin Duffy. “As Gardners has closed, that was a kind of last lifeline for independent publishers. Our distributor NBN is still open, but for how long I don't know. People are still ordering books off the Bluemoose website, but for how long I don't know. Strategically we've had to look at our publishing schedule: given that the government is saying 12 weeks [of lockdown], we will probably be publishing our June title in September, so everything will be knocked back by 12 weeks.”
Jonathan Ball Publishers acquires Icon Books
thebookseller.com – Wednesday April 1, 2020
Jonathan Ball Publishers has bought indie Icon Books, in a move that will see representatives from both companies form the management team.
JBP, a subsidiary of South African media conglomerate Media 24, purchased the company for an undisclosed sum, with plans to phase in an expansion process in the future, and retain all staff.
JBP will assume management on 1st April, with c.e.o. Eugene Ashton becoming chairman of Icon Books. Icon managing director Philip Cotterell will be the c.e.o. under the new ownership arrangements.
Covid-19 and the impact on small publishers
artshub.com.au – Tuesday March 31, 2020
In the midst of government rescue packages, payments to big business and payments to those in jobs now lost, the small publishing industry is invisible.
On 22 March, the government met with some arts practitioners and people in music, theatre and other performance arts. Writers and publishers don't seem to have been there.
Small publishers take big risks and often publish writers at the beginning of their career or writers whose work lies on the margin. Then some of these writers win major awards or the cultural curve catches up to their ideas and their work is picked up in the mainstream.
New Magazine Listing: Bikers Club
firstwriter.com – Tuesday March 31, 2020
Monthly digitally issued magazine dedicated to the bikers and the traveller worldwide. It includes interview, reviews of bikes and destinations, lifestyles, shout out, current affairs and travel stories.
Is Your Covid-19 Novel Going to Be THE One?
By G. Miki Hayden
Instructor at Writer's Digest University online and private writing coach
firstwriter.com – Sunday March 29, 2020
“I have no idea what's awaiting me, or what will happen when this all ends. For the moment I know this: there are sick people and they need curing.”― Albert Camus, The Plague
One of the best-known and most well-respected written works in the world is Camus’ novel The Plague. Although the story reads as if Camus personally went through a pestilence, he actually had “only” researched the many plagues that had come before to write his book.
New Publisher Listing
firstwriter.com – Friday March 27, 2020
Publishes: Fiction
Markets: Adult
Preferred styles: Literary
Publishes literary fiction novellas between 20,000 and 60,000 words. Send blurb, bio, and summary by email. See website for full guidelines.
New Literary Agent Listing: Luba Ostashevsky
firstwriter.com – Friday March 27, 2020
Interested in nonfiction popular science projects, written by either research scientists, medical or mental health professionals, or journalists. Not comfortable representing fiction, cookbooks, YA, self help, nor business or politics (unless directly about science).
Lights, camera, fiction: a film lover’s guide to writing a novel
irishtimes.com – Thursday March 26, 2020
I have always had a yearning to capture the visual. When I was very young, and before I owned a camera, I’d use my fingers as a frame and peer through them to see what a photograph of the scene before me would look like.
I went on to study film at third level, and when I set out to write my debut novel, You Have to Make Your Own Fun Around Here, I decided that I wanted the reader to see the story unfolding in their mind’s eye, much like a film.
I asked myself, if I was to make a film of this novel, what would it look like? Whose perspective would work best? How could I heighten the narrative’s impact through the use of pictures and visions? The film student in me was excited at the prospect of creating a visually driven story, and putting the storytelling skills I’d gained at film school to good use.
New Publisher Listing
firstwriter.com – Wednesday March 25, 2020
Publishes: Fiction; Nonfiction;
Areas include: Adventure; Autobiography; Biography; Crime; Current Affairs; Health; Historical; Humour; Romance; Self-Help; Thrillers; Travel;
Markets: Adult; Children's;
Preferred styles: Literary
Accepts submissions via online submission system between 10am and 4pm on the first Monday of each month.
Our Books, Our Shelves: BE A QUITTER, or HOW TO WRITE THE NOVEL OF YOUR HEART
themarysue.com – Tuesday March 24, 2020
Sometimes, you quit.
Quitting isn’t something we’re taught to do, especially not as writers. Established authors share stories of rejections and perseverance. Of the manuscript they refused to give up on. That they published to great acclaim and poo-poo on those editors who rejected them! It’s supposed to inspire—and goodness knows we need all the inspiration we can get in this field.
When I was in graduate school, I started writing my first novel. A novel that my mother recently retrieved from the depths of her house, printed and spiral bound. “In five years, we can put that on eBay,” my dad said, while fixing himself a burger. “Absolutely not!” I said. Probably should’ve snatched it from Mom when I had the chance. (Please, if in five years you see an eBay listing titled “K M SZPARA UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT RARE,” report it.)
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