Self-publishing News: From Survey to Spotify: A Year of Indie Author Income
The word of this year for indie authors is income: ALLi's indie author data drop and Spotify's audiobook royalties
Self-publishing News: Don’t Look Back in Anger: A Year of AI
This has been a year when companies have defined the terms on which we are permitted to use AI, and what we must declare when doing so; other companies decided how they would or wouldn’t use AI; when author organizations started formulating AI clauses for contracts, and a whole industry went on strike to curb the use of AI in screenwriting.
Self-Publishing News: Courts Turn the Tables on Tolkien Fanfiction Author’s “Frivolous” Lawsuit
This is the story of fanfiction author Demetrious Polychron who decided to sue Amazon over its Rings of Power series.
Self-Publishing News: OpenAI Signs Agreement to Use Content from Major German Publisher
News media companies are suing Google over its use of AI. Australian creators have made their feelings on AI known.
Self-publishing News: Study Suggests Reading In Print Better For Us but What Does That Mean?
However popular digital formats get, there is something that seems to mean reading in print has never lost its appeal. This new study looks across recent data with some interesting results. But are they as clear cut as they seem?
Self-Publishing News: What’s in a Word? The Word of the Year 2023 is…
We really are now nudging the time of year where the round-ups and reflections begin. And I am allowing myself to get started by reporting on news of other people’s literary round-ups, including the Word of the Year 2023.
Self-Publishing News: Mensch Announces Switch to Print-On-Demand Only Using Ingram
The life cycle of the book is not sustainable. Our industry is coming to grips with sustainable print on demand and Mensch is taking the first step to testing out what this might look like.
Self-Publishing News: Update on the EU’s AI Bill
This week AI news has combined with one of my very favourite topics: European Union legislation specifically for the EU AI Bill.
Self-Publishing News: Musk Loose Cannoning and Bluesky Have their Eyes Fixed on X
It has been another difficult week for X. And one of the platforms competing to be the place our industry ends up is Bluesky.
Self-Publishing News: Judges Don’t Read Prize Entries Shock and New Indie Bestseller Chart
Judges don't read all entries in the "pre-long list" for the Booker Prize. Jane Friedman’s Hot Sheet and Bookstat launch indie bestseller chart.
Self-Publishing News: Webcomics – Publishers Jump on the Indie Bandwagon
Penguin Random House has jumped on the bandwagon with its Inklore imprint, which will specialise in seeking out the most successful webcomic titles in this immensely popular format and bringing them to a print audience.
Self-Publishing News: A Week on From OpenAI’s Meltdown and Courts Push Back on AI Copyright Case
Today I reflect on a challenging AI week. What case law is rapidly showing is that in the long term what we need is less to bring tech firms to heel and more to have new laws.