Kern Carter's Blog, page 166
September 23, 2019
Wattpad has started launching books
Wattpad announced a publishing division earlier this year, now they’re putting books in stores. It’s a unique option but one that may work. Much like Medium, Wattpad already has its own audience (80 million users). With all those eyeballs, publishing books seems like a smart thing to do. And I’m all for any platform that helps writers share their stories with the masses and earn a living. I’ll keep an eye on this one and update later with some details.
Read more about what’s happening at Wattpad.
CRY
Wattpad has started launching books was originally published in C.R.Y on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
September 20, 2019
September 18, 2019
Update on Audible controversy
So it seems like Audible is fighting back. They recently said in court that their new captions app is, “protected by fair use” and is, “not a book of any kind.” The kinda good news is that Audible’s new feature was supposed to launch this month, but they’ve decided to hold off until court proceedings are over. As a reminder, here’s what all the noise is about.
CRY
Update on Audible controversy was originally published in C.R.Y on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
September 17, 2019
The cure for broke artists — get a job
There’s a myth that in order to be uber-successful at writing (or any artistic endeavour) that you need to give up your day job. Why? If you’re able to make money somewhere else, do it. It prevents you from compromising your art to make a dollar while you’re still developing your voice and style. It also helps you filter through opportunities to choose the one that best works for you and your writing.
So don’t quit your day job. And if you don’t have a job, get one. Be better with how you prioritize your time and you’ll still get plenty of writing done.
CRY
The cure for broke artists — get a job was originally published in C.R.Y on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
September 14, 2019
Writers — Is Instagram your hope of making it big?
I’m seeing and hearing writers (authors specifically) talk about using Instagram as their way to make it big. It goes like this:
Get a lot of IG followersHope a publisher notices your popularitySign a big book dealFull disclosure — I’m signed to an agent and am in the process of selling the rights of one of my books. I’ve also self-published two books, so I have a pretty good perspective on this.
If Instagram is your game, then you better have a much better plan than the one I just outlined above. Instagram followers are great, but they aren’t direct contacts. And unless those followers are typing your name into the search bar every time they open the app, then know that 70% of your posts are going unseen.
Next thing to think about is the type of content you’re putting out. If you’re hoping to get a book deal, then you better have your content narrowed down. Are you writing poetry? Are you writing fiction? If you’re just posting selfies and crossing your fingers, it’s time to consider another path.
Some writers who are doing this aren’t writing on any other platform except Instagram. While I don’t think that’s the smart thing to do, who am I to discourage anyone’s tactics. I will say, though, if Instagram is your only platform for producing content, you better get creative. Don’t just blandly post your words followed by thirty hashtags. Think of cool supporting images, think of the layout and colours, think of what else you can do to get scrollers to stop and pay attention to your post.
The last thing I’ll suggest is to be insanely consistent. Especially if you’re not writing anywhere else, make sure you’re posting daily or close to it.
Like it or not, popularity is a tactic in today’s world. So if that’s your play, then play it right.
CRY
Writers — Is Instagram your hope of making it big? was originally published in C.R.Y on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
September 13, 2019
September 10, 2019
Video for writers? It’s a thing
Writers, we need to do what it takes to promote ourselves. Video content is a real thing and is the current language in which people relate (videos trend higher than still images). It may seem like a lot to add video to everything else that you’re doing, but here are a few tips to keep it simple:
Repurpose content — don’t stress about creating new content for video. You’re simply using content you’ve already written and transferring it to video form.No need to get fancy — a smartphone is enough right now. At least to start. Put more focus into the scenery and mood you’re creating and don’t worry too much about expensive video equipment.Be consistent — Like anything else, you need to be consistent. BEFORE starting any video content, sit down and write out a strategy. This will ensure you set realistic goals and stay dedicated to hitting milestones.Hopefully, publishers start picking up some of the slack. If they can develop strong video platforms, it will only help us writers.
Video for writers? It’s a thing was originally published in C.R.Y on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
September 2, 2019
August 25, 2019
Audible is messing up — infringement on its platform
Audible is planning to launch a feature called Captions. Anyone listening to a book on Audible will be shown “computer-generated transcriptions” of texts. Make no mistake, writers, this is copyright infringement and the Association of American Publishers (AAP) is suing. This feature will be launched on September 10th unless the suit is successful in blocking it.
So you understand why this is not a good thing, think about this: why would a reader purchase a digital version of your book when they can listen and read it on the same platform in which they didn’t purchase your book, but listened to it with a credit on a subscription platform? With book sales already an issue, this is another potential blow to all authors. Not to mention that Audible itself says that its new feature may contain up to 18 pages of errors in a 300-page book.
Will send an update on how this goes, but if you have an audible subscription, let’s get ready to act should they not act in our favour.
CRY
Audible is messing up — infringement on its platform was originally published in C.R.Y on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
