Something fascinating happened on the way to writing this blog post. The Big Four TV networks held their upfronts. And, as the Hollywood Reporter writes in their coverage, “What a difference a year (and a global pandemic) makes.” In the past, the upfronts were where network television sold their fall shows to advertisers. The list would come out, big stars would schmooze the advertising reps, […]
Business Musings: The Small Traditional Publishers (2017 in Review) 2
Once I separated out the Big Five from all of the other traditional publishers in the U.S., I came to a happy realization. There are a lot of good publishers doing the kind of work we readers want publishers to do—curating books with a voice and an attitude, so that we know what to expect from the company, marketing those books to the best of their ability, and making the books available in all formats.
The Business Rusch: How To Measure Success (Discoverability Part The Last)
Even though I posted a business blog on Tuesday, I couldn’t let a Thursday go by without a blog post. Especially since this week marks the fifth anniversary of the Business Rusch (and the business blog that came before it, The Freelancer’s Survival Guide). Yep, I’ve hit every single Thursday for five years, without a miss. Two-hundred-and-sixty posts. That, my friends, is success. But, weirdly […]
The Business Rusch: When The Old Ways Work (Discoverability Part 13)
Yeah, yeah, I was pretty disparaging of the old ways to promote books back fifteen weeks ago, when I was just digging into this series. And there’s a good reason to disparage the way Things Have Always Been Done. But here’s the catch: The old ways work. Occasionally. Sometimes. When done right. They usually aren’t done right. In fact, most places—including traditional publishers—use all the […]
The Business Rusch: Blogs, Guest Blogs, and Blog Interviews (Discoverability Part 9)
Before I get too deep in this week’s blog post, I’m going to point out a few things of my own that will be part of future blog posts (and also touch upon past posts). First, I’m participating in the first of three book bundles. This kind of bundle (there are several other kinds, which we’ll discuss) combines the fan bases of eight different writers. […]
The Business Rusch: The Year of The Bookstore
A week ago Sunday, one of our local booksellers, Sheldon McArthur of North by Northwest Books, tossed me the April 22, 2013 Publishers Weekly. The issue has a good review of my upcoming Kris DeLake novel, A Spy To Die For, but it turns out that wasn’t why Sheldon gave me the PW. He gave it to me to see my reaction to the ad […]
The Business Rusch: No Reader Left Behind
From 1991 to 2009, my entire career was about the failure to get my books to the readers who wanted them. Every week, I’d get a letter or an e-mail from a fan: Dear Ms. Rusch, Did you know that the fourth book of your Fey series is impossible to find? Do you have an extra copy you can send me? I’d happily pay for […]
Mid-Month Novel Excerpt: Charming Blue
Once per month, I’ll publish an excerpt of one of my novels, and I hope you’ll be intrigued enough to buy the rest of the book. I began this practice in February of 2011. Unlike the free fiction I put up every Monday, the novel excerpts will remain on the site. If you want to read the opening to the previous sixteen novels, click here. This month, […]
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