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writer - the authors guild - round up

Our roundup of key news affecting authors. In this week’s edition: seven strategies for redesigning your book, what you need to know about WattPad, and more…

Audiobook Sales Jumped 24% in 2018
Publishers Weekly 
“Publishers’ sales of audiobooks rose 24.5% in 2018 over 2019, reaching $940 million, according to the recent sales survey sponsored by the Audio Publishers Association. Unlike past surveys, the 2018 report features publishers’ sales receipts, rather than estimated consumer sales.”

A Writer’s Guide to Fair Use and Permissions + Sample Permissions Letter
Jane Friedman
“Whenever you decide to directly quote, excerpt, or reproduce someone else’s work in your own—whether that’s a book, blog, magazine article, or something else—you have to consider, for each use, whether or not it’s necessary to seek explicit, legal permission from the work’s creator or owner.”

Audible’s Captions Program Raises Copyright Fears Among Publishers
Publishers Weekly

“The Association of American Publishers and the Authors Guild issued statements that also said Audible’s contracts do not give the company the right to create a text product. ‘Existing ACX and Audible agreements do not grant Audible the right to create text versions of audiobooks, whether delivered as a full book or in segments,’ the Guild statement noted. ‘The Captions program appears to be outright, willful copyright infringement.’”

On the Fine (and Difficult) Art of Science Writing
Literary Hub
“That’s the essence of a good science writer: make it simple for readers to understand but not too simple that you’re misconstruing the facts…. I quickly learned that the job was more than serving as an interpreter. Medicine is an uncertain science.”

Publishers Change Ebook and Audiobook Models; Libraries Look for Answers
Library Journal
“Mercer told LJ that ‘bibliotheca will continue to advocate on behalf of libraries for equal access to content. Most libraries are frustrated by these changes, but I would rather we continue to work with publishers to find a sustainable model, rather than have them potentially exit the digital library market entirely.’”

Wattpad: What Self-Published Authors Need To Know
Medium
“For new writers and published authors, Wattpad is a unique way to reach a new audience. Just keep in mind that the work will be considered published by literary journal editors, and that you’ll essentially be self-publishing your work and offering it for free to readers.”

Sourcebooks Shares 7 Strategies for Successfully Redesigning Books
NetGalley Insights
“Sarah Cardillo, Director of Publishing Operations at Sourcebooks shares how she and her team use sales numbers, comp titles, and audience responses to guide their redesign strategy.”

EU Launches Anti-trust Probe into Amazon’s Use of Retailers’ Data
The Bookseller
“Amazon is facing a European Commission (EC) anti-trust investigation into how it uses sensitive data from independent retailers who sell on its marketplace, as the Booksellers Association (BA) says the probe ‘signals an appetite for a curbing of the relentless power of the online giants.’”

Another Person’s Words: Poetry Is Always the Speaker
The Millions
“We’re all just lines in a conversation that began long ago, and thankfully shall never end. If you listen carefully, even if it requires a bit of decipherment or decoding, you’ll discover the answer to any query you may have. Since all literature is a conversation, all poems are centos. And all poems are prophecies whose meanings have yet to be interpreted.”