Keep Up With Publishing

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

The publishing world is in constant motion or change. How do you keep up? One of the best ways to monitor and learn about the changes is through online newsletters. Since 2001, I’ve been a part of an online group called The Writer’s View. It has an amazing resource of the various topics behind the scenes. (Read this post and follow the links to join this free group. Each week we change the topic and several times a year, I am one of their leaders. Last week I guided an online conversation on keeping up in the publishing world. For this article, I’ve compiled some of what I posted and the various links as a resource for you. These resources are in no particular order and for each one, I’ve included the link where if it is interesting to you, you can subscribe. 

As background, some of these publications are once a week while others are daily. If they are not right for your writing life, then you can unsubscribe. I do not study every line of these publications. Some of them I skim for the information but each of them are resources that I use to keep up on the world of publishing. 

Rush to Press is the weekly newsletter from the Evangelical Christian Publisher Association. For example, a week or so ago the issue included a release about The Quest Study Bible (Zondervan) which has sold two million copies worldwide. Many years ago I worked the study notes on a ten-chapter segment in Chronicles with a professor from Fuller Theological Seminary. As a contributor, my name is in the tiny print in the front of this Bible. It was fun to see this information in Rush to Press. 

Evangelical Press Association.  This is the group of Evangelical magazines like Christianity Today and many others.

Shelf Awareness published five days a week and is targeted to Bookstores. Last week,  they sent a special issue with different stories tied to Jesus Calling, a devotional from Thomas Nelson which has sold millions of copies. Follow this link to read this newsletter. 

Editor and publishing expert Jane Friedman has a newsletter called The Bottom-line with a free version. Here’s just one reason to subscribe to The Bottom Line. I’m quoting a couple of paragraphs from her WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2026 newsletter:

“Nonfiction decline deepens

I love nonfiction, so it gives me no pleasure to say this, but I think the declining sales of nonfiction will continue in 2026. Of the top nonfiction bestsellers in 2025, only one of them (Kamala Harris’s campaign memoir) was published in 2025. Mel Robbins’s self-help book The Let Them Theory performed best and released in 2024; Circana BookScan’s Brenna Connor told the New York Times that Robbins is “essentially carrying the entire self-help category right now.” The bright spot for nonfiction is in the Christian market: sales of Bibles, Bible studies, and other religious titles have been growing in the double digits.

Why the nonfiction decline? Most agents and publishers cite escapism, given the current sociopolitical environment. But more than that, I think it’s the increasing competition of other information sources that are right at your fingertips when you need them; they may require less time and even provide more clarity. Pick your favorite: newsletters, podcasts, information-rich social media posts, short-form video, long-form video, online education of all kinds. People can get the insight they need without buying or spending time on a book. The bright side: Audiobook sales are increasing, and that includes nonfiction.” I hope these trends are helpful to you. Like Jane, I love nonfiction and the decline shows me once again the need for everyone (including nonfiction authors like me) to include have great storytelling.

Publishers Lunch. I used to be on the free version but I’ve been on their paid version for years and find a lot of value in this subscription--beyond the newsletter.

Publishers Weekly has a number of free newsletters (use the link). 

Newsletter specialist Kate Huff has a free Newsletters Made Simple newsletter with tips at: https://bit.ly/49A8A1o  

Midwest Book Review. Each month, I get an email from editor Jim Cox. They are a respected publication and especially among libraries. I could not easily find where to subscribe but it is a publication you should know about and monitor.

As a journalist, I also take a publication called The Muck Rack and it has connections to journalists and other media resources. I often skim it and find something of interest. Here’s where you can subscibe. 

WildFire Marketing expert and author Rob Eagar has a weekly newsletter. 

Also I subscribe to Author Marketing Experts from Penny Sansevieri Founder and CEO Author Marketing Experts, Inc., bestselling author and internationally recognized.

Another marketing expert is Thomas Umstattd Jr. and his Author Media website. Last week, Thomas sent out his interview with Jerry B. Jenkins. You can catch the audio or the transcript at: https://bit.ly/49zSDYK 

I also read the substack called Writerly Things from Brooke Warner who is a publisher, writing coach, podcaster, and author advocate.

Also I read Ilise Benun the marketing mentor, who is a wise marketing person. Scroll down on her site and the pop up menu to subscribe will appear on your screen.

Phil Cooke is a media expert and Christian author who has valuable insights. 

Media expert Brian Feinblum writes the Book Marketing Buzz Blog with thousands of articles.

Finally my long-time friend and mentor Robert Bly (Bob) sends a daily email. Subscribe here.

There are probably more newsletters and resources that I use to keep up with publishing but these will get you started. I understand this article is different from my normal articles on The Writing Life. What tools do you use to keep up with publishing? Let me know in the comments below.

Tweetable:

The publishing world is constantly changing. This prolific author and editor provides details about how he keeps up with these changes in this article. (ClickToTweet)

New Podcasts:

In these articles, I’ve encouraged you to use PodMatch or some similar tool to book and record podcasts. Last week one more podcast recording launched:

 

Barry LaBov, author and CEO of LABOV and I spoke about author secrets for writing and promoting books on the Difference Talks Podcast. Listen and watch at: https://bit.ly/49Wx8mo or you can watch a short real here.

Currently I’m working with my third publisher as an acquisitions editor. During these years, I’ve spoken with many authors about their expectations, dreams and desires for their books. I find many unrealistic expectations. Many aspects of the publishing process are outside of anything an author can control. I wrote 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS to give authors practical help. You can get decades of insights in 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS for only $10, free shipping and over $200 of bonuses.

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