Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Industry News Update by Diana



Publishing Trends reported:

HarperCollins CEO Brian Murray estimates that 40–50% of HarperCollins’s business will be digital within the next five years.

Just got around to creating a page for your company on Facebook? Sorry: Fan pages are “very 2009,” said Lisa Marino, CRO of RockYou. Facebook now has over 400 million users sharing over 25 billion pieces of content every month, and publishers must be on top of the really new trends. First, recognize the importance of social gaming—playing games within Facebook. Name brands are using these games to promote sales - offer coupons and sell virtual goods. The virtual goods will switch over to real goods in the near future. How about promoting that new bestselling novel by offering it as a virtual sale?

Tech Crunch reported:

At the 2 million mark, Apple said the iPad had over 5,000 new apps for the iPad. Clearly this number has more than doubled, to 11,000 total iPad apps. There’s no doubt that iPads are flying off the shelves, as Apple sold a million devices in less than a month.

As previously announced, the iPad will be available in nine more – but still unnamed – countries in July and additional countries later this year.
Gartner Research:

Ernie Cormier, CEO of mobile advertising solutions company Nexage, predicts within the next year or two, smartphone sales will exceed desktop PC sales, and eventually the total smartphone base will exceed the total computer base.

Library Journal offered a webinar June 17th on Christian Fiction:

Christian fiction is not easily categorized, though most readers would agree that there is a core of biblically-based attitudes, values, and actions, and likely there would be very little, if any, profanity, sex, or violence. Generally, Christian fiction has religious themes infused into a regular genre story. But there are as many subgenres in Christian fiction as there are in popular fiction—from cozy mysteries to legal suspense to fantasy. And readers aren’t all looking for the same message—Christian historical fiction can inform and entertain, while women’s fiction may be sought for comfort or advice.

Christian fiction gives readers characters and situations that demonstrate the growth of faith, the depth and breadth of moral responsibility, the possibility of conversion and redemption, and examples of Christian living for men and women of all ages, races, and cultures. Many libraries are seeing an increased demand for Christian fiction with more readers looking for inspirational and uplifting stories and finding good writing in newly discovered places, contributing to the cross-over appeal of this growing genre. And Christian Fiction publishers are changing with the times to add a wider variety of stories—including grittier, edgier thrillers and steamier romances—to appeal to that expanding readership.


Publishers Weekly Announced:

Hachette Expands FaithWords' and Center Street's New York Presence

Hachette Book Group has hired two new senior-level employees in its New York office. Kate Hartson is now senior editor for the Center Street imprint, and Andrea Glickson is marketing director for the FaithWords and Center Street imprints. All of FaithWords’ and Center Street’s marketing has been moved to New York. Most editorial is still based in Nashville, Tenn.
The company also announced that editor Christina Boys, who works in Nashville, will now focus exclusively on acquiring fiction for both FaithWords and Center Street imprints.

I hope you found some encouragement here in just a few recent posts around the web of industry news and that you all are enjoying your summer! It is going too fast for me.

From my heart to yours,

Diana

8 comments:

Naomi Musch said...

Thanks for the updates. I'm pretty excited about the changes going on in the industry these days. New trends always tend to open new doors.

Jeanette Levellie said...

Diana: I hear so much about Facebook, and believe it is a viable marketplace. What is your take on Shoutlife? I know it's out there, but don't hear much about it.

Thanks for this update.

Blessed Summer to you,
Jen

Diana Flegal said...

Yes Naomi, I think so too.
Jen, I do not hear a lot about Shoutlife from media sources but I do know that it is often an authors favorite spaces they post on and network through.

How about it readers. Can you share your experiences with Shoutlife here for the others?

Carrie Turansky said...

I appreciate the updates. Than you, Diana.

Caroline said...

So important to us who must learn to market our books. Thanks.

Jen, didn't Doug (our PB Doug) have a suggestion for something on shoutlife that is useful in promoting your/our products? I saved his email planning to ck into it when I can. If you're interested let me know & I'll look it up.
http://sunnebnkwrtr.blogspot.com

Debby Mayne said...

Wow! Thanks for all the great information, Diana!

Unknown said...

I think it would be much less confusing if we see that what makes a book Christian is the author. If the author is Christian, the book is. If the author is not, the book cannot be. Christian authors should be able to deal with any theme.

What we commonly call "genres" are really marketing categories. The genres are novel, story, poetry, drama, etc.

Please visit my blog :)

Diana Flegal said...

David;
Yes that is true. Christians should be able to handle any theme, I would say it is in the 'handling' of it that determines the reader of it.

I found it very interesting that Libraries are interested in providing their readers with more 'Christian' material.

I think the growth of Bookclubs has been a boom to this market.