Huge thanks to Nate Hoffelder, whose Monday Morning Coffee is always a great collection of links, for pointing me to a really interesting deep dive in The Walrus to coincide with the twentieth anniversary of Wattpad. And on that note, happy birthday to Wattpad.
ALLi News Editor Dan Holloway
Founded in 2006, around the same time I made my very first tentative steps into the world of online writing, the platform has not just survived where most have come and long since gone (including, sadly, the writing platforms where I forged my own craft and communities) but now has 145 million monthly users.
The piece is less news than a biography of the biggest self-publishing platform, from community of enthusiasts to a fully commercialized IP conveyor belt, but the anniversary very much is news and I repeat, happy forthcoming birthday Wattpad!
Libraries Look to Indies
Talking of long-term histories of supporting indie authors, Guy Gonzalez, who has championed indies for as long as I've been writing, has a very interesting take on the latest in the long round of skirmishes between publishers and libraries. You will recall I reported a week or so ago on a study from the Association of American Publishers and Authors Guild that sought to show that e-book borrows from libraries had a tangible economic impact on print book sales. This was timed to coincide with many US states trying to enact legislation to enable libraries to license e-books at cheaper rates than big publishers say they need to charge.
Gonzalez looks at an alternative for libraries: leaning in to bringing their readers titles from indie authors and small presses. The really interesting insight here for writers is highlighting the key barrier libraries face to doing this: discovery. Specifically, he refers to this summer's Library Insights Summit's discussion of the so-called Friction Tax. Librarians often rely on metadata for their choices, and that is where indies can struggle. Indies who get really good at metadata might just be able to capitalize on a moment of opportunity for getting their books in front of library readers.
Thoughts or further questions on this post or any self-publishing issue?
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