Author Notes #7 (March 2024)
Spotify are streaming audiobooks, TikTok is in trouble, entertainment is dead, hybrid publishing is growing, and social media is as confusing as ever
1.
Spotify are pushing into the audiobook streaming market in the US, offering customers a $9.99 a month standalone service, which gives users 15 hours of listening each month. With a catalogue of 200,000 titles, 600 million monthly active users in its last reported quarter, and over 236 million paid subscribers, this is one to watch for anyone looking to get their content into audio. It remains to be seen whether their terms are attractive and fair to authors (I haven’t got any info on this at present), but since Audible seems to be slowly chewing up more and more author rights, this could be a significant competitor.
2.
I report a lot on TikTok considering I’m not active on the platform, but I’m also aware that booksellers and readers are turning more and more to this space to find their big new books, so it’s worth keeping an eye on. In the US, a House bill recently passed that will ban the app from the country unless it finds a way to part with its Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance within 180 days. There are all sorts of rumours about who might look to purchase TikTok, including Amazon and Apple – so will it derail the platform, or is this only just the beginning? (Why do I suspect it’s the latter?!)
3.
This article, with its assessment that ‘entertainment is dead’ and its glimpse into post-entertainment society, left me with a lot to think about. It’s getting a lot of attention on Substack (I saw Elizabeth Gilbert restack it with just the word ‘WOW’), and it’s all about how art, culture and entertainment are being eroded by technology, incessant scrolling and constant dopamine hits. I’m still processing, and plan to come back to this topic in more detail as I definitely have thoughts – not all of them so doom and gloom and definitive, but I do think there are some stark truths in here too.
4.
Hybrid publishing opportunities have been around for a while now, but they are often still thought of as an alternative indie approach, so I enjoyed hearing about the new non-traditional imprint called Authors Equity, backed by James Clear, Louise Penny and Tim Ferriss, and distributed by Simon & Schuster. I love any developments that centre around authors and offer them fair opportunities to invest in their work, so they don’t have to take the depressing hits that come with the more unscrupulous vanity publishing scenarios. This kind of development - and companies such as Authors Equity and She Writes Press - should lift the spirits of all authors looking at different ways to get their work into the world.
Read more here:
5.
Finally, if, like me, you love writing but sometimes struggle with everything that feels like self-promotion, I enjoyed this article that talks about why self-promotion doesn’t work, what happens to us all when we’re faced with a feed full of this kind of social media content, and how we need to rethink the way we approach our online spaces.
SHORT NOTES AND SHOUT-OUTS
Thanks to WA author and journalist Shannon Meyerkort for interviewing me about homeschooling for School News Australia. If you’re curious about this kind of education/lifestyle, you can read the article here.
ICYMI ON MY SUBSTACK THIS MONTH (ALL SUBSCRIBERS):
AND FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS (SIGN UP HERE TO READ WITH A 14-DAY FREE TRIAL):
COMING UP
Writing - and lots of it (I hope)! I’m currently recovering from a whiplash injury after being walloped on the back of the head with a basketball at my daughter’s game (trust me to get injured at a sporting event when I’m not even playing!). So I’m getting my sore head down now on the edits for When She Was Gone, as well as outlining my next novel The Imposter. More on both of these in future Substacks!
As this Substack grows, I’ve realised that (as usual) I can’t stick to one topic (this may be my undoing in life!). I’m currently writing some general articles around language, communication, culture and creativity, while others are more specific to authors and their interests. I’m therefore debating whether to separate these, by making a new section called ‘Author Notes’, which you can switch on and off when you subscribe (you will be subscribed to both by default) so that readers can opt in or out of the writing/publishing pieces. However, it seems to add an extra layer of complication, so I’m dithering. If you would prefer this set-up, let me know, as your feedback matters!
That’s it for my March Author Notes. As always, thanks for joining me! I love comments and feedback, so if you’re enjoying Novel Thoughts & Wild Ideas, or if you get something valuable from a specific article, please let me know. And if you’re reading this and haven’t yet subscribed, hit the button below to get my posts sent straight to your inbox.
The most interesting writers span across multiple topics, but I really enjoyed these notes! Thank you for sharing the self-promotion post, I get so burned out and borderline embarrassed promoting my own work.
Sorry to hear about the whiplash. How frustrating (and painful…) Not to mention the associated appointment fatigue, especially when you just want to get on with writing. In terms of feedback re the subscription option to separate out your themes, it sounds like too much effort! I can’t speak for everyone obvs, but I’m happy to go with the flow and read the lot 👌