For authors looking to protect or increase their findability (and therefore buyability) online, make sure you freshen the content on your website pages. Google is introducing their new indexing system Caffeine today, and one key difference is the ‘real-time search’ feature. It could change your page ranking, which affects your Google traffic. Here’s a handy picture Google have supplied, for the visual learners:
Is it just me, or does the Caffeine guy totally encapsulate the human brain after an espresso binge?
Have you given the National Library of Australia’s Trove a whirl yet? In five minutes of research, I confirmed a treasured ancestral rumour. Hit print and I had the evidence in hand, which I will share over coffee with an avid audience of brothers next week. The breadth and depth of information available, in part due to PANDORA’s partnership organisations, makes it a national treasure indeed. Writers, enjoy it now before The Great Wipe hits…
The Great Wipe hath irrayzed much of world culcha, butta few bits of licheracha haveth bn found – pleez help mi choose most bestest 2 exxibit – the curator of a history of the book 2/2/3010
if:book’s HOTBOOK uses this message from the future as the basis for an ongoing, interactive scenario, which teaches students how to ‘find their way to the best writing on the web, and to spot quality across different platforms and genres.’
Here’s some of the latest info from Chris Meade about if:book Australia. Check out the video of his interview with our very own Kate Eltham!
Hachette Australia and Queensland Writers Centre (QWC) have announced their national program for writers in 2010. This round, the program is open for emerging Australian authors of both commercial adult fiction and non-fiction with manuscripts that range from 50,000 – 120,000 words.
Up to 10 emerging fiction and non-fiction writers will work with editors from Hachette Australia to develop high-quality manuscripts during a week-long intensive program held at Queensland Writers Centre in November. It’s awesome, folks – I was lucky enough to attend last year, and I can’t recommend this program highly enough.
Applications opened nationally on Monday 03 May 2010. See QWC’s website for full guidelines and an application form.
All the editors/proofers/indexers in the house, say YO! I’ve been gaining first hand experience in the labor-intensive, seemingly never-ending process of preparing a p-book for publication. Proofing ’til my eyes bleed, then proofing some more. But it’s all worth it – the 11th edition of The Australian writer’s Marketplace is nearly at the final hardcopy proof stage. And then it’s all over bar [insert many steps here and then...] the partying!
So I’m just going to post a few tasty links today – things that have been keeping me sane while I’m in proofing purgatory.
The 20th Century was about sorting out supply. The 21st Century is about sorting out demand.
Interesting article in The New Yorker on the structure and impact of e-book business models on publishers, authors, readers – everyone involved in the production and consumption of texts.
In (Amazon’s Kindle Content VP) Grandinetti’s view, book publishers—like executives in other media—are making the same mistake the railroad companies made more than a century ago: thinking they were in the train business rather than the transportation business. To thrive, he believes, publishers have to reimagine the book as multimedia entertainment.
I am in love with Embracing the Digital Book by Craig Mod, for its effortless beauty as much as its right-on content:
E-reader fundamentals: Ragged Right Text… I’m going to pretend I don’t even have to mention this. There’s something sociopathic about major e-readers not including this option.
And finally, something for booklovers who love their books as physical objects… and who move around a lot.
Want to understand the interwebz better, especially as it relates to writing and publishing? Then The Machine is Us/ing Us is compulsory viewing. Michael Wesch (a.k.a. ‘the explainer’), cultural anthropologist who explores the impact of new media on society, gives the history and future potential of a database-backed worldwide web in one 5 minute video.
A perfect example of Web 2.0 publishing is Such Tweet Sorrow, a Royal Shakespeare Company retelling of Romeo and Juliet via Twitter. Actors refer to thorough character treatments to improvise their own tweets of the classic tale in a contemporary setting. You can see the play @Such_Tweet. Read, reply, retweet – it’s more than a play, it’s a community:
@ LaurenceFriar: In my small town the big problem is family feuding. montagues & capulets. Would love 2 talk 2 others about how to deal with *that* problem.
Speaking of communities, you can join the AWMonline Writing Race crew tonight for your opportunity to write alongside accomplished and intriguing Australian author, Linda Jaivin:
Author Linda Jaivin
The story so far: eight books (six fiction, two non-fiction), many of which have been published internationally as well as in Australia and appeared on bestseller lists; countless published essays, short stories and other published pieces; several produced plays and a number of translations from Chinese including movie subtitles. I also write on art and culture and appear from time to time on television programs such as the ABC’s Q&A.
Linda will be working hard to meet her writing deadlines – join us to help meet yours!
A New York Times ethicist entered this controversial territory when he penned a recent piece in which he uses the example of a generally law-abiding citizen who, when unable to purchase an e-book version of a title, purchased the hard copy and then illegally downloaded an electronic copy for convenience while travelling. The ethicist states:
Buying a book or a piece of music should be regarded as a license to enjoy it on any platform. Sadly, the anachronistic conventions of bookselling and copyright law lag the technology.
But although this rationalisation may gel with the feelings of many a consumer, piracy is still illegal – and, in this case, illogical. Nathan Bransford argues that encouraging piracy does not provide answers to the current transitional glitches in the rapidly evolving publishing industry:
The electronic era is full of possibility as well as potential downfalls, and I think we need to get past the idea that an electronic format is value-less relative to print. It has value. It is a different product. You can add that value yourself by converting something you bought, or you can pay for a new file.
While publishers resolve work flow management issues to enable cost-effective publication across a range of formats, the market is moving in to fill the gap. Pundits have argued for some time that e- and p-book bundling would be an effective commercial model. O’Reilly have been offering bundles ahead of the pack. Now Barnes and Noble are trialling bundles:
Under the plan, B&N will offer customers who buy a print edition at one of their stores the opportunity to buy the e-book at a discount. Prices will be worked out in discussions with publishers, Lynch said, adding that B&N’s aim is to make the transaction with consumers as seamless as possible.
I love books in all their forms. Having spent pointless hours over the Easter weekend trying to locate e-books that are compatable with my e-reading device, geographic region, tastes, and wallet, I can sympathise with the compulsion to rationalise piracy – but, as a writer, piracy gives me great pause. It is more than just consumer pressure for equitable e- and p-book access that demands innovative strategies be employed throughout the production and distribution chain.
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Writing Race at AWMonline forums tonight, with special guest Captain, speculative fiction author Angela Slatter. Woot!
Ever thought about self-publishing your book if you can’t get a publisher interested? For some writers, in some genres, self-publishing is a great option. It can get you published, give you control, and return a greater percentage of profit. For other writers, self-publishing is a deadly mirage: the perils and pitfalls of high setup costs, poor marketing and distriubtion networks, and low production quality can leave some authors in a financial and creative drought. Much has been written about self-publishing, and there will be an informative article by publishing contracts lawyer Alex Adsett in the eleventh edition of The Australian Writer’s Marketplace due out later this year. But here is an insight via Galleycat into the amount of work that goes into just one aspect of book publishing: the creation of the cover.
Orbit Books creative director Lauren Panepinto gave aspiring artists, science fiction fans, and publishing aficionados a peek into her long process of designing a book cover. This two-minute video captures every Photoshop tweek and edit on the cover design of an upcoming novel by Gail Carriger.
From covers to remixes: Ursula Le Guin discusses literary remixing at Book Cafe, drawing a distinctino between information (content) and art (object), Le Guin challenges the digital influence on concepts of ownership (and plagiarism) of literature. However, her Australian example, if it’s the one we think it is, seems to misconstrue the issue from complex identity fraud to one of pure plagiarism. Have a read and see what you think.
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So what’s happening tonight at AWMonline? Lashings of writing, that’s what! We will be joined by special guest Kate Forsyth. Kate’s first book Dragonclaw was published when she was only thirty, and was an international success straightaway. Her books have been sold to 12 different countries and she has been shortlisted for numerous awards. With a BA (Literature) and a MA (Writing) Kate has taught creative writing from primary to tertiary levels for over ten years, so it will be to write alongside Kate tonight! Join us tonight at 7.45pm AEST to chat with Kate about her craft, and her latest novel The Puzzle Ring, which has been gaining rave reviews all around the world.
The start date for the next Kim Wilkins YONline course offered in the AWMonline Learning Centre is April 1. This course will be tutored by author Belinda Jeffrey, with audio lectures and class content from Kim – meaning you have access to the wisdom and support of two great authors for the price of one. So if you need help writing your novel, now’s your chance!
My second novel-length project will be getting some serious attention soon, when I start YON (Year of the Novel, for the uninitiated) with Trent Jamieson. QWC’s The Empty Page Blog has kindly invited me to post a pic of my writer’s desk as part of Project: Bringing the Ugly. So here’s where I’ll be hanging out a lot over the next ten months…
Of course, I have a proper desk in my study, with bookshelves and dust and piles of paper everywhere – but I usually lug my laptop and notes out onto the deck! It’s the serenity, and the proximity to the coffee machine, and the view…
The Writing Race is on again tonight, if you are looking for some writerly motivation and camaraderie (8-9pm AEST).
The fabulous Margaret Simons, font of knowledge on the future of journalism and a guest speaker last year for QWC’s Wordpool (access the audio at ABC Pool), has compiled a table of pay rates for freelance journalists in Australia. It also notes insider knowledge about editorial processes and other handy tips. This has sparked off an interesting debate on the ethics of freelancers being asked/forced to work for free. In response, Margaret crowd-sources advice and information for writers looking to get started.
Margaret Simons in conversation with Matt Condon at a QWC Wordpool event
For creative writers, the pay rates are no better. This article on The Writer Career Arc (or why we love the Susan Boyle story) points out that ‘… the literary apprenticeship is a lengthy one for the majority, …getting published at all is difficult, and to get paid enough to not do anything else but write is virtually a dream.’
Writing is a labour of love, and the financial incentives are few. But remember: many people do make a living out of their writing, so you can, too. Think creatively about opportunities, build your author platform as well as your craft, and don’t give up.
Anthony Mullins of Hoodlum has finished his article for the 11th edition of The Australian Writer’s Marketplace due out later this year, and it’s fantastic! You’ll be amazed and inspired by his take on the possibilities for writers in multi-platform storytelling. So today we’ll look at a few projects, just to just give you a taste of the huge depth and breadth out there.
Hoodlum’s award-winning narrative online accompaniment to British drama Spooks allowed viewers to log on after the show and participate in a range of activites that enhanced and extended their engagement with the program. The online narrative also fed back into the television show, creating an exciting interactive platform for viewers, and a fantastic opportunity for multi-platform storytellers to develop new creative techniques.
To advance your understanding of the technical and creative elements of interactive fiction, read this interview with Nick Montfort, author of Twisty Little Passages. As Bob Stein, founder of the Institute for the Future of the Book says, if you want to see the future of creative writing, look to the computer game creators of today.
For a beautiful example of the digital enhancement of print media, have a look at this mind-blowing Augmented Reality book – make sure you watch the video of Le Monde des Montagnes (World of Mountains) in action before you read the whole article, or it will spoil the magic.
From television shows and computer games with mass appeal, to eclectic high art projects … there are so many worlds to explore as a creative writer, if you keep an open mind to emerging technologies.
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Reminder: Writing Race tonight, 8-9pm AEST for AWMonline subscribers. Come along and get your Write ON!
