As the end of the year approaches, we like to look back at all the big changes and developments that happened in 2012. From the beginnings of major industry consolidation to growing opportunities for self-published authors around the world, from the importance of metadata and book discovery to increasing interest in emerging markets and international cooperation, there’s no doubt that 2012 was an exciting year in book publishing.
Below are ten of our favorite articles from 2012. This list highlights some of the key trends, challenges and opportunities that emerged over the last 12 months.
- Why a Book Editor Becomes a Literary Agent
- Why Foreign Bestsellers Often Fail in Japan
- Why James Daunt Feels Waterstones is “Desperately Vulnerable”
- Goodreads’ CEO on Winning the Battle of Book Discovery
- What Makes a Children’s Book Great? We Have Some Answers
- Is Amazon’s Kindle Really a “Game Changer” for India?
- Top Ten Buzzwords of Frankfurt 2012
- Emerging Markets are Key to Penguin Random House Merger
- Publishers, Agents Turn to Latin America Amid Crisis in Spain
- Amazon’s Grand Plan for Brazil: “Sell Millions of Kindles”
Rebecca Carter left Random House to become an agent for Janklow & Nesbit. “My motivation comes from wanting to work with writers on editorial,” she says.
Rongu seraa, the Japanese equivalent of bestselling backlist, means the odds are heavily stacked against new foreign bestsellers finding readers in Japan. Here’s why.
In a revealing interview, Waterstones MD James Daunt discusses why Amazon worries him so much, his admiration for Barnes & Noble and the Nook, and much more.
After analyzing 5,750,000 books on Goodreads, Otis Chandler shares his insights on the evolving nature of book discovery. The short version: once isn’t enough.
From Scholastic CEO Dick Robinson’s keynote on great children’s books to engaging young readers through technology, PP’s inaugural children’s publishing conference offered a wide range of insight.
Indian publishers have doubts that Kindle will be the runaway success it has been elsewhere, but all agree that it adds momentum to a rapidly growing market.
Every year, the conversations in Frankfurt lead to a set of new buzzwords that you’ll likely hear over and over until next year’s Fair. Here are the ten that we discovered this year.
Overlooked in the much of the discussion of the Penguin–Random House merger is just how important emerging markets like Latin America, China and India are to the deal.
Spain’s financial crisis and slump in book sales has led Spanish-language publishers to focus on Latin America, with agents bypassing Spain to sell rights directly in the region.
Through exclusive interviews with Amazon’s David Naggar, author Paolo Coelho, and others, we bring you a look behind the scenes of Amazon’s recent Kindle Store launch in Brazil.