Author Notes #8 (April 2024)
Publishing insights, the latest on AI, new research on crime writing, a way of supporting local bookstores, and some great author interviews
1.
There’s been lots of discussion this month about an article doing the rounds called, No one buys books by Elle Griffin, which looks at traditional publishing in the light of the Department of Justice v. Penguin Random House antitrust case in the US (when the government intervened to stop PRH merging with Simon & Schuster). If you haven’t read the article, the summary is that:
… two market categories (celebrity books and repeat bestsellers from the backlist) make up the entirety of the publishing industry and even fund their vanity project: publishing all the rest of the books we think about when we think about book publishing (which make no money at all and typically sell less than 1,000 copies).
Griffin then digs into various facts and figures to back up this conclusion. It is a fascinating account of certain aspects of the trade; however, I found the pushback commentary valuable too, such as Kathleen Schmidt’s Please stop bashing book publishing, and this older reshared take from Jane Friedmann: Why the DOJ v PRH Antitrust Trial Doesn’t Change the Game for Authors, Regardless of Outcome. I also didn’t feel I was represented in Griffin’s summary, as I’ve earned a decent living from traditional publishing for a number of years, without being a runaway bestseller, and I think traditional publishing does provide opportunities for mid-tier authors. This is not to deny the ongoing issues that come up for authors working in traditional publishing, and there’s much to discuss and improve.
If you had a reaction to this article, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
2.
AI - again! It’s an ever-present feature in these notes right now, but it may well be seismic for our industry. There were reports this month in Books & Publishing that a third of translators have lost work because of AI, which is devastating news. Is AI really clever enough to intuit meaning when translating fiction? Not according to this Guardian article last month.
On hearing that HarperCollins were partnering with an audio AI company I wrote this post for paid subscribers, which I’ve unlocked for a week so everyone can read it. At the end there’s a series of suggestions as to how we might manage the use of AI around our work:
3.
And yet, despite all the concerns about AI, I was still intrigued when learning about a program called Marlowe, which can analyse a manuscript and provide helpful editorial feedback. I love looking at data and analysing writing, and yet I’ve resisted this because of a) concerns about security of copyright and b) it feels like the first step on a slippery slope. What do you think? Is all AI bad - or can we justify this kind of thing? Because a future filled with AI ‘support’ is where we’re heading, whether we want it or not.
4.
A team at Monash University have been awarded a grant of $265,773 from the Australian Research Council to generate new knowledge about the worldwide popularity of crime fiction by analysing the genre’s engagement with the major global challenges of our time, from climate change to the crisis of democracy. The three-year project is jointly led by Monash University’s Associate Professor Stewart King, Dr Barbara Pezzotti, Dr Carlos Uxo Gonzalez, Professor Jarrod Hayes as well as Professor Jesper Gulddal from the University of Newcastle. I’ll be very interested in this study, and I hope the results go further than just being an academic exercise, as I’d love to see greater recognition of the contribution crime writing makes to our culture. Thanks to the Sisters in Crime Australia newsletter (4 April) for alerting me to this news.
5.
SHORT NOTES AND SHOUT-OUTS:
I found a heap of interesting articles this month. Here are a few of the best:
‘Now 74, having written 60 books in 43 years, Disher says: “It’s only in the last 10 years that I’ve made what I could call a decent sort of living.” How’s that for staying power! Every time I’ve met Garry he’s had a lovely calmness about him, and it’s great seeing his body of work recognised.
In Conversation: Andy Griffiths and Jeff Kinney (publishersweekly.com)
This is a fascinating chat between two incredible children’s authors, and there are some really good takeaways for all authors. I’ve been to Andy Griffiths’ events a few times with my kids, and he has one of the best author work ethics I’ve ever seen - as well as being a lot of fun (we were sprayed with marshmallows from a cannon at one event). No wonder kids love him!
Helen Garner: ‘People would give me death stares in the street’ | Helen Garner | The Guardian
I always love reading Garner interviews because she’s so unflinchingly honest!
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COMING UP
I’m heading overseas in a couple of weeks, so my next Author Notes should reach you from my travels, as long as I can find a good Wi-Fi connection. And aside from the trip, it’s just writing, writing, and more writing!
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