Copyright Registration

This probably doesn't apply to most people reading this blog, but the U.S. Copyright Office now allows people to register online. For more information, see their press release.

Self-Promotion Idea for Non-fiction Writers

I don't often write information aimed toward non-fiction writers, but Peter Shankman's "If I Can Help a Reporter Out..." is a website you might want to check out.

When a reporter asks for a source of information on a certain topic, he e-mails Peter Shankman for help finding that source. He send that request to people on a list (which you can sign up to be on). If you've written a book on the subject a reporter is asking for information on, this may be a good way for you to provide the information and get your name and book title into the news.

Changing Times

Here are some more statistics that you've probably heard about. To quote thebookseller.com article, "Young see threat to bookshops," by Alison Flood:

Only half of young people aged 18-24 years old think people will still be using bookshops in 20 years' time. That was one of the statistics revealed at The Bookseller's Reading The Future conference on Thursday, which presented new consumer research into the reading and buying habits of 1,000 adults across the country.

Delegates heard from William Higham of agency Next Big Thing, which conducted the research. Higham reported that 56% of 18-24s think people will still be using bookshops in 20 years' time. Looking deeper into 18-24 year olds' reading habits, he found that 28% were favourable towards the idea of e-readers, compared to 9% of 65+ year olds, and 40% liked the idea of downloadable chapters of books, compared to 7% of 65+ year olds.

So the younger generation is apparently open to a change toward ebooks in the future.

Statistics on Book Trailers

An article in The Wall Street Journal (Watch This Book by Lauren Mechling) had the following statistics about book trailers:

There is scant evidence, however, that the average book trailer actually has much impact on book sales. Despite Doubleday's recent video upload for the self-help book "We Plan, God Laughs," by Sherre Hirsch, the book has sold only about 3,000 copies, according to Nielsen BookScan, which tracks about 70% of U.S. book sales. And even though Jami Attenberg's trailer for her novel "The Kept Man" is reminiscent of Miranda July's short films, only 3,000 copies of Ms. Attenberg's recent book have sold. Most trailers cost about $2,000 to produce.

"In some cases, we don't even expect it to increase sales at all," says Carolyn K. Reidy, president and CEO of Simon & Schuster, which has doubled its investment in video content since it started making trailers last year.

Audiobooks

There's an interesting article on audiobooks at GalleyCat. The whole article is interesting, but here's an interesting statistic:

Digital products [like audiobooks in MP3 format] already comprise 14 percent of the audiobook market, Pakman told us, but 90 percent of that is sold through the alliance between the Apple Store and Audible.

Miss Snark also has an old post about audio books and POD casts.

Does and Don'ts of Query Letters

Rachel Vater wrote about Things to Avoid in Query Letters.

Jessica Faust wrote about How Much to Tell in queries.