What’s new and hot in publishing this week?
By Marina Ferreira
Hey everyone, Marina here with another Literary Round Up! I have lots to share this week!
Just a reminder to also make sure you follow us along on social media using the hashtag #kobowrimo2018 if you’re working on that novel draft this month!
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It’s Day 1 of #nanowrimo2018! The Kobo team celebrated by running an office wide write-in, complete with tacos! 🌮 We have a team of 27 people who will be attempting to win this year! Use hashtag #kobowrimo2018 to join/follow our writing journey! ✍️ pic.twitter.com/iJaL5zO1oa
KWL Podcast is now putting our brand new episodes weekly! This week we shared the live recording of a super fun event that happened at Kobo HQ in Toronto with the Toronto Public Library, where our guests talk about the book buying process from a librarian’s perspective. Check it out below:
It seems fiction sales from traditional publishers are going down. After a 16% drop since 2013, the article on Publisher’s Weekly elaborates on how these numbers “raise questions about the books the industry is publishing and what consumers want to read.” Never a better moment to get into self-publishing! Check out the full report below:
In Kessel, Germany, Argentinian artist Marta Minujín, 74, has created a masterpiece: a full-size Parthenon at historic Nazi book burning site using 100,000 banned books!
Mike Shatzkin from The Ideal Logical Company shares how the current publishing landscape—digital content and purchasing physical books online—has affected not only bookstores but also The Big 5: “The fact that books can now be delivered without inventory, without a sales force, and without a warehouse has made it possible for just about anybody to publish a book.”
Imprint consolidation at big houses is a sign of changed times | The Idea Logical Company
I had reason to learn recently that Ingram has 16 million individual titles loaded in their Lightning Source database ready to be delivered as a bound book to you within 24 hours, if not sooner. So every book coming into the world today is competing against 16 million other books that you might buy.
LitHub is sharing the 10 books that have defined the 2000s. Do you agree with the choices or are there any you would add to the list?
https://lithub.com/a-century-of-reading-the-10-books-that-defined-the-2000s/
Have you ever gotten mad over someone spoiling the end of a novel to you? What if they did it over and over again? Well, someone in Antarctica got tired of having the endings of all of his books ruined by a colleague and . . . stabbed him! This “is believed to be the first time a man has been charged with a murder bid in Antarctica.”
My favourite article of the week comes from The Atlantic, where consent in romance books is showing us how respect can be super sexy! “The broader category of bodice-rippers, have earned a fair amount of criticism in recent years. Concerns about the genre’s depiction of love and sex have received renewed attention as coverage of the #MeToo movement shifts to acknowledge the role that cultural products play in shaping consumers’ understanding of consent.”
And just to end things on a fun note, check out this incredible video of 55 animated vintage book covers. Super fun!
Staff Pick of the Week:
Lily Lumsden, Merchandising Intern
Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now by Dana L. Davis
After losing her mother to cancer, Tiffany Sly is forced to move in with her biological dad, who she’s never met before. As Tiffany struggles to find her place, tension grows between her and her overly religious father, who’s beliefs get in the way of their newfound relationship.
Tiffany was unapologetic and did not relent in her objection to being controlled and changed. She knew who she was and was determined to stay true to herself.
Have a great weekend and happy reading (and writing)!
