ALLi News Editor Dan Holloway
In this week's Self-Publishing News, ALLi News Editor Dan Holloway fills us in on the latest with Kobo Writing Life offering the possibility of uploading audiobooks direct and Wattpad with new opportunities in Brazil.
As this week's news goes to press, I will have the honour of being part of a fabulous conference. Futures Thinking is focusing on “the future of reading.” Among other things we will be looking at the importance of curation and whether artificial intelligence can help authors write better. And of course, we will be looking at the biggest question of all. When will AI write a bestseller?
Upload Audiobooks Direct to Kobo
Photo by Findaway Voices on Unsplash
It has been a mixed week in the audiobook world. First, some very exciting news. It is finally possible to upload audiobooks direct through your Kobo Writing Life dashboard. Kobo provides key differences from ACX. You can set your own price. And if you opt for a price over $2.99 there is a 45% royalty. Crucially, like Findaway, Kobo does not demand exclusivity. This is another exciting addition to the audiobook mix. Worth considering alongside the choice of ACX or Findaway Voices which ALLi covered here in August.
Legal News: Audible Captions & California’s coming Data Protection Legislation
So, an exciting audio week for Kobo. Not such good news for Audible though. The judge in the ongoing Association of American Publishers lawsuit against them has made an interim injunction. The injunction stops Audible introducing their captions feature until the judge has had more time to reach a final ruling. Needless to say, neither side was particularly happy. In short, the news so far seems to be this. Audible Captions are not obviously covered by “fair use”. The judge noted the reputational damage caused to publishers by the inaccuracy of Captions. On the other hand the judge was not immediately clear that Audible had not been granted the right to use Captions as part of its digital rights. This last point is going to be what the case hinges upon. The Audible Captions case is part of my discussion on this month's podcast with Howard Lovy.
While we’re on the subject of all things legal, thanks to Nate at The Digital Reader for this piece on data protection. California launches new data protection regulations in January. And it looks like they might be as tricky to navigate as Europe’s GDPR. So get reading up now!
Happy Birthday, The New Publishing Standard
This is an item that makes me feel old. It feels like just yesterday I was reporting on a new project from Mark Williams. Now The New Publishing Standard is celebrating its second anniversary. For those of you who don’t already know it, make it part of your regular reading. Mark Williams was one of the very first indie bestsellers on Kindle. But he has made his unique mark on the indie world by encouraging writers to go wide. And by providing invaluable information on a truly global scale. Based in Ghana, Mark is uniquely placed to offer an essential perspective on the myriad emerging markets and the best ways for all of us to make the most of them.
Wattpad in Latin America
So, what better way to celebrate than to end with a link to Mark’s take on one of the week’s most important global stories? Wattpad are at it again. They continue to provide their authors with fantastic opportunities. The latest is a deal with Wise Entertainment to lift stories from the platform to create Portuguese-language television in Brazil. Wattpad has really doubled down on this “to TV” approach. And they have delivered the goods to massive audiences repeatedly. It’s extraordinary, as Mark points out, that as a community, indies don’t talk more about Wattpad as a platform.
Kobo Writing Life offers the opportunity for indies to upload audiobooks direct & other top #selfpub news stories for #indieauthors, in one quick read, by #ALLi News Editor Dan Holloway @agnieszkasshoes #digitaleconomy… Share on XOver to You
Do you welcome the chance to go wide with Audiobooks through Kobo? And which are your “best indie books of the century”? Let us know in the comments below.
Upcoming Conferences and Events
OCTOBER 2019
Futures Thinking, 1-3 October [Oxford] Frankfurt Book Fair, 16-19 Oct [Frankfurt] Historical Novel Society Australasia, 25-27 Oct [Parramatta]
NOVEMBER 2019
Independent Self-publishing Authors Fair, 17 Nov [Henley-in-Arden]
Writerfest, 22-23 Nov [Nashville] – Early bird until 31 August!
Futurebook, 25 Nov [London]
APRIL 2020
Self-publishing Conference, 25 Apr [University of Leicester]
