Book-World Predictions for 2013

One of my friends recently said, “2013—just the numbers make me feel like I’m living in a science fiction story…”

Yes, much of what’s happening in Reading, Writing, and Publishing can seem like it’s coming from sci-fi and lots of it is dystopian sci-fi…

But, before we look ahead, let’s look at some results from Google’s Zeitgeist 2012 report ( these are for the USA but that link will let you choose other countries and there are more categories then just the two below :-) :

Top 10 Trending Authors for 2012

1. Charles Duhigg
2. William Landay
3. Brian Souza
4. ML Stedman
5. EL James
6. Cheryl Strayed
7. Gillian Flynn
8. Sylvia Day
9. Edward Klein
10. Edward Conard

Top 10 Tending Books for 2012

1. Fifty Shades Darker
2. Bared to You
3. Fifty Shades Freed
4. The Casual Vacancy
5. Defending Jacob
6. The Light Between Oceans
7. Quiet: The Power of Introverts
8. The Serpent’s Shadow
9. Indivisible: Restoring Faith…
10. The Psychology of Wealth

I’d Love to know your responses to those lists in the Comments :-)

Next, let’s look ahead via Smashwords‘ Mark Coker’s 2013 Book Publishing Industry Predictions – Indie Ebook Authors Take Charge.

Just two marvelous excerpts from that article (bolding done by me):

“Vision is an odd thing.  To see something which doesn’t exist either makes one a prophetic seer or a delusional nut.”

“Every one of us holds the power to change the course of history by taking actions today that enable the future we desire.  Our actions mirror our aspirations, which means the future of publishing will be determined by our collective and sometimes competing aspirations.  Readers are our gatekeepers.”

And, the first 5 of Coker’s 21 Predictions for The Book Industry:

1.  In the US, ebooks sales will reach 45% of US trade book market
2.  Follow the eyeballs:  2013 will be the first year unit volume of ebooks exceeds print
3.  The current glut of books will become even more pronounced
4.  It’ll get tougher to sell books
5.  Publishers, in search of Black Swans, will lose authors to self-publishing platforms

Do follow the link for that article and read all of Mark’s ideas—his business is on the cutting-edge of the Book World…

And, just to add a bit of balance, I’ll share some predictions from Jeremy Greenfield—”responsible for managing all editorial content on DigitalBookWorld.com, including the DBW Expert Publishing Blog, the Digital Book Wire and editorial email and social media communications.”—in his article, Ten Bold Predictions for Ebooks and Digital Publishing in 2013 [Just the first five :-) :

1. More consolidation. [of large publishing houses]
2. 2013 will be the year of the enhanced ebook.
3. The $0 Kindle.
4. More publishers will start selling digital-rights-management-free ebooks (DRM-free) and directly to consumers.
5. Ebook market-share growth will slow.

And, to round things out, the first five of The Guardian‘s, Our e-publishing predictions for 2013:

1. E-reader sales will tail off as people buy tablets instead, meaning ebooks will increasingly have to compete with YouTube and Angry Birds HD. Basic Kindles and Nooks will soon cost the same as a hardback.

2. Ebooks will continue to cost less than a single espresso.

3. As the self-publishing market booms, more writers will be scouted on Wattpad and more publishers will launch self-publishing services, such as Simon & Schuster’s controversial Archway.

4. We’ll see new digital publishing startups, along the lines of Plympton and Atavist. Self-published authors will start to form co-operatives, such as Awesome Indies.

5. Traditional publishing will become more experimental. “Storygames”, such as Random House’s intriguing blackcrownproject.com, will push the bounds of narrative and apps will stretch the definition of “book”.

So, what are Your  Predictions for the Book-World for 2013 ???
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