Many people are familiar with the term diversity, and many companies have created Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committees or positions to help move toward a more inclusive and equitable workspace. But what about publishing? How does equity play a role in publishing, and has there been any progress towards achieving more equity within the publishing industry?
publishing
The Disruption of AI in the Publishing Industry
By Anna Wehmeier Giol
One of the latest, most revolutionary inventions has been the creation of artificial intelligence. This new technology may have its positive and negative impacts, but what is certain is that with change also comes doubt and fear. Will artificial intelligence take over or significantly change our jobs?
Food Blog to Cookbook: How Blogging Leads to Cookbook Success
By Rebecca Gordon @ree_reads
More often than not, the cost of producing a physical cookbook can leave you in the red or just barely breaking even, no matter how popular the book is upon release. None of that even covers the mental health, time, and energy involved in the creation. Despite the arduous process, given the right planning and dedication, publishing a cookbook can still lead to success, especially if you start with a blog.
When the Pub Date Changes: A Project Manager’s Experience
By Stephanie Johnson Lawson @sjohnsonlawson
In late December, our publisher was informed that a major portion of the shipment that was en route to our distributor was lost. She acted fast, looping in the Design Manager, Operations Manager, and me, the Project Manager, and we did some major troubleshooting. FedEx was attempting to locate the shipment, hopeful that it would be found after the holiday backlog cleared. The publisher reached out to Ingram, our distributor, to see if it was feasible to use their print-on-demand service to ensure we would have books in time to meet the industry deadline for new titles. Because of many factors (timing, holiday closures, and staffing numbers), the success of this option was not guaranteed. Ultimately, moving the publishing date forward a month was the best solution.
Editing with Empathy
By John Huston
The big stuff is there: good and evil, right and wrong, but the depth isn’t. Our protagonist doesn’t struggle. She’s too clean, too plain. How do we tell our author that their baby needs considerable re-working?
SHORT, VIGOROUS ROOTS: A Brief Account of a Project Team’s Blurb Journey
By Stephanie Johnson Lawson
The process of requesting blurbs begins with a massive contact sheet—a focused list of people who may be interested in writing a blurb for the book. It involves reaching out to a lot of people: “the more names, the more likely you are to get a yes,” Tucker says, adding that we want to ask people who have a “strong connection with both [the] audience and the material…because the more focused the blurb list is on your audience, the better.” In our case, this all proved true.