Closing Image: August 18, 2021
NPD BookScan recently released print sales figures for 2021 (ending July 31, 2021), showing 15 percent growth against 2020.
Day: August 18, 2021
Links of Interest: August 18, 2021
News The mysterious book thief. Someone with industry knowledge is acquiring manuscripts prior to publication—but with no clear motivation. A reporter at New York’s Vulture digs into the case and identifies an agent who some suspect is responsible. Read Reeves Wiedeman. Bouchercon is called off. The annual mystery convention, to be held this month in New Orleans, is … Read more
New imprint for short literary fiction
Seventy2One publishes novellas, short story collections, and other brief works. The imprint is a division of Massive Overheads Productions, in the UK.
New eponymous imprint at Simon & Schuster’s Scribner division
Marysue Rucci Books will launch with a Summer 2022 list; Scribner publisher Nan Graham says in a press release,.
New podcast: Agent Provocateur
The Rights Factory, a literary agency, has just launched a new agency-wide podcast, Agent Provocateur, “to intrigue, entertain, and yes, provoke you.”
Black Voices: Short-Term Progress or Sustainable Change?
Last year in June 2020, the Authors Guild hosted a panel with Black voices in publishing to discuss the challenges they’ve faced in the industry for many decades now.
Amazon Trend Report: Billionaire Romance and Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
Romance, the bestselling category on Amazon, often makes inroads into other categories.
Book sales update: August 18, 2021
Through July 2021, print unit sales are up 15.3 percent compared to 2020, which in any normal year would be incredible.
ABA explains last month’s mess
In July, the American Booksellers Association made two organizational missteps that it profusely apologized for: it used the wrong cover when featuring a book on its bestseller list.
RWA rescinds a Vivian Award for romanticizing real world tragedies
The Vivian Awards—the new annual Romance Writers of America award series replaces the problematic RITAs—is experiencing its first scandal.