Romance publishers to launch string of 'spicy' books aimed at TikTok users
itv.com – Thursday December 21, 2023
The popular romance publishers Mills & Boon are set to launch a string of "spicy" books targeting TikTok users.
From 2024, two titles will be released each month under the umbrella series, named Afterglow, starting in January.
Afterglow will offer “a trend-led, trope-filled list of books with diverse, authentic and relatable characters, a wide array of voices and representations, real world trials and tribulations, all the tropes you could possibly want," says Katie Barnes-Wallis, marketing director at Mills & Boon.
This includes "small-town settings, fake relationships, grumpy versus sunshine, enemies to lovers - and all with a generous dose of spice in every story”.
According to the Mills & Boon website, it sells a romantic fiction book every ten seconds, but it's yet to capture the hearts of contemporary readers.
The Year That A.I. Came for Culture
newrepublic.com – Thursday December 21, 2023
The events of 2023 showed that A.I. doesn’t need to be that good in order to do damage.
This March, news broke that the latest artificial intelligence models could pass the LSAT, SAT, and AP exams. It sparked another round of A.I. panic. The machines, it seemed, were already at peak human ability. Around that time, I conducted my own, more modest test. I asked a couple of A.I. programs to “write a six-word story about baby shoes,” riffing on the famous (if apocryphal) Hemingway story. They failed but not in the way I expected. Bard gave me five words, and ChatGPT produced eight. I tried again, specifying “exactly six words,” and received eight and then four words. What did it mean that A.I. could best top-tier lawyers yet fail preschool math?
A year since the launch of ChatGPT, I wonder if the answer isn’t just what it seems: A.I. is simultaneously impressive and pretty dumb. Maybe not as dumb as the NFT apes or Zuckerberg’s Metaverse cubicle simulator, which Silicon Valley also promised would revolutionize all aspects of life. But at least half-dumb. One day A.I. passes the bar exam, and the next, lawyers are being fined for citing A.I.-invented laws. One second it’s “the end of writing,” the next it’s recommending recipes for “mosquito-repellant roast potatoes.” At best, A.I. is a mixed bag. (Since “artificial intelligence” is an intentionally vague term, I should specify I’m discussing “generative A.I.” programs like ChatGPT and MidJourney that create text, images, and audio. Credit where credit is due: Branding unthinking, error-prone algorithms as “artificial intelligence” was a brilliant marketing coup.)
Not taking “no” for an answer
niemanstoryboard.org – Thursday December 21, 2023
A freelancer persisted through multiple rejections and 17 edits to land an article in a favorite magazine
I’ve been both accepted and rejected by Nature Magazine.
For the same submission.
It all started when I met a bumblebee veterinarian at the UPOD Writer’s Conference this past January.
Some people keep a bucket list. I keep a publishing bucket list.
Nature had been on my publishing bucket list for pretty much forever. I had no real business being in Nature. I write a lot of personal, usually humorous essays for places like HuffPost and Newsweek; quirky, in-depth, forgotten-by-time pieces I call history-mysteries; culture/trend stories, including book reviews; and occasionally a health story, though not much in the sciences, and Nature is the creme de la creme of science publications.
But I had gotten smug of late, which I blame on my incongruous acceptance a month earlier of a lengthy, history-mystery piece in Smithsonian Magazine, another magazine in which I have no real business appearing. And I was an avid, almost fanatical reader, of Nature. I was particularly enamored of their short “Where I Work” pieces on the last page, which feature an interview with a scientist in a particularly unusual, sometimes bizarre, job, written in the first person. Truth to tell, I also loved it because it was the only part of the magazine I could consistently understand.)
So when we went around the room and did introductions at the writing conference, and Elizabeth Hilborn introduced herself as a veterinarian for honeybees, I immediately flashed to Nature Magazine. In my voracious readings of the “Where I Work’ column, I’d never read about a bee veterinarian or anything similar. It seemed a perfect fit.
Begum joins Greyhound Literary as literary agent
thebookseller.com – Monday December 18, 2023
Salma Begum, formerly an editor at Bonnier Books UK, has joined Greyhound Literary as a literary agent, starting today, 18th December.
Begum has also worked for Picador, where she acquired debut authors and worked on the poetry list, and The Good Literary Agency, where she represented a number of emerging talents.
Founder and director Charlie Campbell said: "The last two years have been the most enjoyable and fulfilling of my career and that is down to the colleagues and writers with whom I work."
Co-owner and director Sam Edenborough said: "We’re so proud to welcome Salma to the Greyhound team. Her superb eye for great writing and her excellent network put her in an ideal position to find talented new clients. I can’t wait to get to work selling translation rights for her writers as she develops her list."
Five years and 2m copies later, self-published author lands UK book deal
theguardian.com – Sunday December 17, 2023
In 2018, JM Dalgliesh was a stay-at-home father when he sent his first crime novel to six literary agents, only to receive polite rejection letters – or no response at all. Refusing to give up, he found inspiration in a friend’s suggestion that he try self-publishing. The advice could not have been better.
That novel, Divided House – the story of a detective’s path to redemption – was to become the first of 22 self-published crime thrillers, comprising three series of police procedural novels that have sold more than 2m copies in total.
Now Dalgliesh, whose first initial stands for Jason, has been taken on by a traditional publisher, and will be able to reach even more readers, partly via the sale of rights worldwide.
How these San Diego kids books beat out bestselling authors like James Patterson, Anderson Cooper
sandiegouniontribune.com – Saturday December 16, 2023
Silver Dolphin Books, a San Diego book imprint you’ve probably never heard of, tucked into a Sorrento Valley office park you’ve likely never driven by, is behind three of the country’s most read books. They have a profound theme: the strength of human connection. They have sold millions of copies, everywhere from Target to Costco to indie booksellers and they have millions of views on TikTok.
Two of those titles just beat James Patterson, Barbara Kingsolver and Anderson Cooper on USA Today’s Best-selling Booklist.
Their target audience: babies. Sample titles: “You’re My Little Baby Boo,” “You’re My Little Pumpkin Pie,” and the book that started it all, “You’re My Little Cuddle Bug.”
If you are familiar with the “You’re My Little” book series, then you know exactly why tiny humans and their parents love them. If you are not, here is a quick primer: These are board books (with thicker pages) designed for kids under three about all sorts of babies (ghosts, butterflies, pumpkin pies) and their parents or caregivers. The pages have smooth cutout shapes perfect for fat little fingers to grab. The rhymes are easy. The illustrations are adorable — think the roundest eyes and rosiest cheeks and the smiliest smiles. Each book delivers a heartwarming message in about 100 words.
PRH acquires independent self-help publisher Hay House
thebookseller.com – Thursday December 14, 2023
Penguin Random House has acquired independent self-help and wellness publisher Hay House.
Nihar Malaviya, c.e.o. of Penguin Random House, and Reid Tracy, c.e.o. of Hay House, announced the acquisition on 12th December 2023 but the terms of the deal were not disclosed. The news comes just two months after PRH UK announced its acquisition of Hardie Grant’s UK publishing business.
Currently a client of Penguin Random House Publisher Services (PRHPS), Hay House will now be able to "further leverage" the resources capabilities of PRH, a press statement said. It will retain its editorial and publishing independence and Tracy will continue to run Hay House as its c.e.o. post-closing. No changes are planned for its London, New York and Carlsbad offices or its management and employees.
New Magazine Listing: Power Cut Lite
firstwriter.com – Wednesday December 13, 2023
Magazine exploring 20th century pop culture and focusing on 1930-1999. All work should be set in or explore this period. See website for submission guidelines.
Janson-Smith leaves Gleam to start new agency
thebookseller.com – Tuesday December 12, 2023
Agent Oscar Janson-Smith has left Gleam Futures to start his own agency.
Janson-Smith joined the agency in December 2021 after three years as an agent at Kruger Cowne, and was promoted to senior agent in March this year.
Over his two years at Gleam he sold 35 books, translated into 15 languages, with two titles becoming Sunday Times bestsellers. He also promoted new areas for Gleam such as fantasy, finance, craft, cookery and children’s.
Janson-Smith said: “It’s been a busy few months, so this is a delayed announcement, but it’s one that I’m very happy to be making. After a wonderful couple of years with Gleam, I had quite a few offers on the table — but once I’d got this idea into my head, it was hard to get it out again.
The ten-minute writing sprint is life-changing
jordannews.jo – Tuesday December 12, 2023
I now work on my fiction every day, even for only 10 minutes, and the words add up
I first heard about the ten-minute writing sprint concept during my podcast conversation with indie author Doug Weissman.
I was curious about this approach, so I tried it
Suffice to say, it has been life-changing.
I now work on my fiction every day, even for only 10 minutes, and the words add up, making me feel happy and accomplished.
Take that, procrastination!
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