Every year I learn more about the publishing world by listening to other authors share their experiences in both the traditional and indie publishing worlds and also by watching trends in the industry. Here are three predictions for key events I think will unfold in 2016 in the world of publishing.

 

3. A previously unpublished author will sign a deal worth over $1M with one of the big publishing houses. This happens every year and every year the same responses ensue: the publishing world will use the case to argue that traditional publishing is still alive and well, and independent authors will point to the rest of the traditionally published debut authors who received less than stellar contracts. The fact that this happens year after year shows that the publishing world is still trying to settle on a genuine identity in the 21^st century.

 

2. BookBub will be sold, most likely to Amazon but perhaps to iBooks or Google. Bookbub is by far the most successful platform for promoting ebooks. I would guess that they are already routinely turning down offers from major companies. This will be the year that a company like Amazon or Apple makes an offer that the good folks at BookBub can’t refuse. Whichever company does buy BookBub will instantly have the #1 platform for distributing book deals, which would tie in perfectly with increasing their share of the ever-growing ebook market.

 

1. An independent book will be nominated for one of the major writing awards. Every year, more and more readers move away from big-name book reviewers who only give time to traditionally published works. These are readers who want to hear about the best new books, regardless of where they come from. In the same fashion, readers are also giving less credence to awards that only nominate books from a couple publishing houses. Understanding that these awards could begin to lose their luster if they don’t modernize with the times, one such award committee will take the progressive leap and nominate an indie book. It may not be this year, but it will happen soon. It will still be a while, however, until an indie books actually wins one of the top writing awards in the world.