Writing Break

Today we're talking about what happens after you've signed a contract with a publishing house. I'm also asking if you're a plotter or a pantser.

• More Writing Tips
• Rahva Raamat bookstore in Viru Keskus, Estonia - Featured Bookstore
• Death in Tallinn by Allan Martin - Featured Author
• Looking Glass Literary & Media Management
• Literary — Triangle House
• WattPad Introduces Scheduling Feature
• Introducing Bookstat's Bestseller Lists
• USA TODAY Best-selling Booklist is back: What you need to know
• Federal Trade Commission Proposes Rule to Ban Fake Reviews
• Simon & Schuster Draws Bid From Investor Backed by Abu Dhabi-Based Sovereign Fund - WSJ
• Free Style Sheet Templates

Music licensed from Storyblocks:

“More Jam Please” by Raighes Factory

"Anything for the Blues" by Humans Win

"You and Me in Paradise" by Humans Win

"Late Summer Night Blues" by The Turquoise Moon

"Night Crawler (Tenor Sax)" by zoze

"Summer Hop" by zoze

We’ve talked this season, and since the inception of this show, about the challenges of landing a literary agent. Today I’m offering 7 practical and actionable tips to help you land an agent.

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• Freakshow Summer by Anthony Bartley - Featured author
• St Rita’s Amazing Traveling Bookstore, Tobacco Valley, Montana - Featured bookstore
• Hiring - Editorial Freelancers Association
• Query Shark Rates
• Query Shark Blog
• QueryTracker
• Layoffs Begin at Penguin Random House as Buyout Departures Come into Focus
• Simon & Schuster Draws Bid From Investor Backed by Abu Dhabi-Based Sovereign Fund - WSJ
• Fake books on Amazon
• In OpenAI Copyright Lawsuits, Discovery Complications Likely to Take Center Stage | Legaltech News
• AI and Hollywood Strikes
• Free Style Sheet Templates

Music licensed from Storyblocks:

“More Jam Please” by Raighes Factory

"Note To Self" by Simon Jomphe Lepine

"Blow Off Some Steam" by Ben Bostick

"Wasting Gas" by Ben Bostick

"Quirky Life" by MoodMode

"After All" by Enzo Orefice

I hope you enjoy this bonus episode. Next week, we’re on summer break. Do something fun. The week after that, we’ll be continuing on with season 4. 

Thank you so much for listening. As always, you deserved this break. 

• More Writing Tips
• AG Recommends Clause in Publishing and Distribution Agreements Prohibiting AI Training Uses - The Authors Guild
• Free Style Sheet Templates

Join me on the Overthinking Couch in the Writing Break cafe for what I hope to be a useful overview of artificial intelligence in book publishing today.

• More Writing Tips
• AG Recommends Clause in Publishing and Distribution Agreements Prohibiting AI Training Uses - The Authors Guild
• ChatGPT Secret Training Data: the Top 50 Books AI Bots Are Reading
• Those Fancy Large Language Models Were Trained On eBooks From Smashwords, Without Permission - Publishers Lunch
• AI-created images lose U.S. copyrights in test for new technology | Reuters
• OpenAI Releases First $20 Subscription Version Of ChatGPT AI Tool
• The Age of AI has begun | Bill Gates
• Free Style Sheet Templates

Music licensed from Storyblocks:

“More Jam Please” by Raighes Factory

Strawberry Daquiri by Sarah Angel

I Don’t Hate You But Goodbye by Sarah Angel

We are California dreaming today. As usual, I’m bringing you the latest publishing news. Plus, I’m also sharing 3 ways to know that you are ready to seek out an editor, a literary agent, or beta readers.

• More Writing Tips
• The Only Black Girls in Town by Brandy Colbert - Featured Author
• The Salt Eaters Bookshop, Inglewood, CA - Featured Bookstore
• CCBC Releases Statistics Regarding Diversity in Children's Literature Published in 2022
• CI2023: Trends in the Children's Market
• NaNoWriMo
• The Scribe Media Files | Sam Lacrosse | Substack
• 'Eat, Pray, Love' author Elizabeth Gilbert pulls new Russia book after backlash : NPR
• Free Style Sheet Templates

Music licensed from Storyblocks:

“More Jam Please” by Raighes Factory

“Summertime Blues” by Humans Win

The road to publishing is not as narrow as it used to be, and today we’re reviewing evidence of that, and we have publishing news to discuss, of course.

• More Writing Tips
• Antigone Books, Tucson, Arizona - Featured Bookstore
• GLITCH: Book I of the Static Series by Erin Zak and Jackie D - Featured Authors
• Cormac McCarthy, ‘No Country for Old Men’ author, dies at 89
• Mobius to Publish Actor Michael Caine's Debut Thriller
• Owning Your Voice
• Legendary Knopf Editor Robert Gottlieb Dies at 92
• NYDOC Rescinds Proposal after PEN Backlash
• HarperCollins, KKR Said to Be Eyeing Simon & Schuster
• HarperCollins, KKR Emerge as Bidders for Book Publisher Simon & Schuster - WSJ
• Free Style Sheet Templates

Music licensed from Storyblocks:

“More Jam Please” by Raighes Factory

"Lofi - Aces" by STÉ

"Lonely Dusty Trail" by Jon Presstone

"Journey Of Wonder" by Jon Presstone

"Yes Or No" by Precarious Perch

We have a lot of news to get through today, including insider information about what makes a bestseller, a review of Amazon KDP’s recent changes, and more. As promised, we’re also discussing literary agents today, the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

• More Writing Tips
• Authors Guild Issues Update on New Leaf Authors
• Authors Guild Statement on New Leaf Literary Letting Authors Go Without Warning - The Authors Guild
• Sarah Stusek's 'Three Rivers' Dropped After TikTok Backlash
• Scribe Media Clarifies Layoffs, Says Assets Will Be Sold - Publishers Lunch
• KDP Categories
• Free Style Sheet Templates

Music licensed from Storyblocks:

“More Jam Please” by Raighes Factory

"The Other Funky Shoe" by zoze

"Overtime" by Humans Win

If traditional publishing and self-publishing don't feel quite right for you, this episode presents a third option: hybrid publishing. We also learn about a new subscription platform for writers, rising POD costs, and more. All this while slowly making our way to the beach.

• More Writing Tips
• Something Like Summer by Jay Bell - Featured Author
• Hello Again Books, Cocoa Village, FL - Featured Bookstore
• Printing cost changes FAQ | Amazon KDP
• Ream
• Record Sales for Bloomsbury | Financial Times
• Free Style Sheet Templates

Music licensed from Storyblocks:

“More Jam Please” by Raighes Factory

"Stay Right There" by Humans Win

"Romantic Beach Weekend (30 Seconds)" by The Turqoise Moon

"Sea Ambient" by jabameister

The theme for this episode is thrillers. We are also discussing traditional publishing versus self-publishing. Which publishing model is the better choice for authors today?

• More Writing Tips
• Weepers by Nick Chiakras
• The Mysterious Bookshop, New York City - Featured Bookstore
• Otto Penzler Sets Up Shop at ThrillerFest
• ThrillerFest Returns to New York City
• Spotlight on YA Thrillers
• The Bookseller - News - James launches Frog Literary Agency dedicated to representing LGBTQIA+ writers
• Free Style Sheet Templates

Music licensed from Storyblocks:

“More Jam Please” by Raighes Factory

"Vlog Lofi HipHop Background" by OKO

"Scorching Action" by Jon Presstone

"Thru the Fields" by zoze

"Samba Dream (Instrumental)" by Sleeping Ghost

This episode offers 5 tips for navigating today's publishing landscape. Also in this episode we are talking about writers on strike, men reading romance, and AI disrupting everything.

• More Writing Tips
• Men Confess to Loving Romance Novels. ‘You Can’t Let Anybody Knock You for It.’ - WSJ
• Humanity in Fiction
• Geoffrey Hinton Leaves Google, AI fears
• Geoff Hinton quits Google, says he regrets life’s work | Fortune
• Google Is About To Turn The Online Publishing Industry Upside Down
• The Hollywood Writers’ Strike Shows A WGA That’s Never Been More Unified
• Hollywood Writers on Strike
• Free Style Sheet Templates

Music licensed from Storyblocks:

“More Jam Please” by Raighes Factory

"9 AM: Hurry Up!" by bzur

"Obsessing Over You" by Humans Win