Industry News

Heartbreakers to newsmakers and everything in between.

It's that time of the year again! NaNoWriMo has begun! If you are not familiar with the National Novel Writing Month, it is simply a challenge to write 50,000 words in one month or basically a short novel.Or as participants say, "It's madness I tell you, madness!" It is also great fun even if you don't complete the challenge.

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Speaking of writing, Harlequin will hold their second annual So You Think You Can Write (SYTYCW) online writing conference November 7-11. This is a chance for aspiring writers to get some feedback and do some writing exercises under the guidance of some Harlequin editors. (The site will go live closer to the start date.)

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News has come that HarperCollins has acquired Thomas Nelson, a publisher of inspirational novels. This move is likely to give HC over 50% of the Christian fic market which concerns many as it is likely to affect the landscape of this sector in terms of acquisitions and diversity.

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Kobo has announced its entry into the publishing arena and offering publishing services such as editing and marketing to authors. Kobo also has an entry into the ereader market, the Vox ($199), set to compete against Amazon's Kindle Fire ($199) and B&N's Color Nook (still $249). Note: B&N has sent out 'mysterious' invites to a 'very special announcement' on Nov. 7th. Speculation is that B&N will be announcing a new Color Nook with the same price point as the Fire and the Vox. (And just in time for the holiday season :)

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According to Publisher's Weekly, Harlequin released their numbers which show an improvement in sales, though the numbers are still down compared to 2010.

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NextWeb has a terrific little gem of an article which is going to add fuel to the price-fixing lawsuits currently in motion regarding Agency pricing and how Steve Jobs and Apple 'won', at least temporarily the ebook pricing wars.

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Don't forget to drop by at TRR's End of Year Splash Party for games and prizes. Good Luck!