Jonathan Safran Foer uses his literary gifts to give the reader some very visceral, very gruesome descriptions of factory farming and the slaughterhouse.
Books
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New York Times
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Books of The Times: ‘You Know That Chicken Is Chicken, Right?’
20 Nov 2009 | 8:23 am -
Malcolm Gladwell, Eclectic Detective
19 Nov 2009 | 12:51 pmThe themes of this collection are a good way to characterize the author himself: a minor genius who unwittingly demonstrates the hazards of statistical reasoning. -
Colum McCann Wins National Book Award
19 Nov 2009 | 11:43 amColum McCann won for his novel “Let the Great World Spin,” while T.J. Stiles won in the nonfiction category. -
Voters Choose Flannery O'Connor in National Book Award Poll
19 Nov 2009 | 7:41 amIn an online poll conducted by the National Book Foundation, the O'Connor collection "The Complete Stories" was named the best work to have won the National Book Award for fiction in the contest's 60-year history. -
Library Leader in Era of Change to Step Down
19 Nov 2009 | 6:48 amPaul LeClerc announced that he would step down as president of the New York Public Library in 2011.
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Publisher's Weekly Latest News
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Barnes & Noble Out of Stock on Nook
20 Nov 2009 | 1:18 pmBarnes & Noble is out of stock on the Nook, a note on its Web site said Friday. The company said that it expects to ship the e-reader the week of January 4 for customers who pre-order the device. -
RWA, MWA and SFWA Angered by Harlequin's New Self-Publishing Imprint
20 Nov 2009 | 7:06 amRomance Writers of America and other writer associations yesterday spoke out against the announcement earlier this week that Author Solutions had teamed up with Harlequin to form Harlequin Horizons, a new imprint for self-published romance authors. RWA has deemed Harlequin no longer eligible for RWA-provided conference resources—meaning the publisher is not entitled to enter any award competitions. -
The PW Morning Report: Friday, November 20, 2009
20 Nov 2009 | 4:57 amA daily roundup of book and publishing news from across the Web: Oprah to Go Off Air; Palin Sold 300,000; Canadian Publishers Scramble for Kindle; Google Hearing 3; More Apple Tablet Rumors -
Book Category "Stabilized" at Books-A-Million, Though Sales Slip
19 Nov 2009 | 1:55 pmTotal revenue fell 0.6% at Books-A-Million in the third quarter and comp sales were off 1.9%. Still the company said the book business stabilized in the quarter and execs were optimistic about the holiday season. -
Penguin Authors Share Holiday Recommendations
19 Nov 2009 | 1:40 pmMore than 40 Penguin authors are sharing book recommendations for holiday gift-giving as part of Penguin’s What to Give & What to Get campaign. The program, started last year, includes books from any imprint that are new, old, for children and adults.
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NPR
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Book Recounts Challenges Of Eradicating Smallpox
20 Nov 2009 | 10:00 amIn Smallpox: The Death of a Disease, Dr. D.A. Henderson recounts the history of the deadly virus, from the development of the first vaccine in the late 18th century to his involvement in the successful global eradication campaign in the 1960s and 70s.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
'The Onion': Mocking All Who Deserve It Since 1988
20 Nov 2009 | 4:00 amAmerica's Finest News Source has released a book celebrating its 21 years of satire (with a wink). Onion editors Joe Randazzo and Joe Garden talk with Renee Montagne about the serious business of being funny. Also: See the fun The Onion has had at NPR's expense.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
Army Relents; Allows Limited Media At Palin Event
19 Nov 2009 | 4:28 pmArmy officials had said they would prohibit coverage of Palin's on-post event, saying it would turn into political grandstanding against President Barack Obama.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
'Googled': From Brainchild To Behemoth
19 Nov 2009 | 10:00 amHow much do you know about the company that knows so much about you? In Googled: The End of the World as We Know It, Ken Auletta chronicles the growth of Google, from the brainchild of two computer science graduate students, toiling in a California garage, to the multi-billion dollar, multi-nation corporation it is today.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
Books That Will Help You Understand Afghanistan
19 Nov 2009 | 10:00 amThe conflict in Afghanistan dominates headlines, but many people seek a deeper understanding of the country and the war the U.S. is fighting there. In the first of a series of suggestions for an Afghanistan "reading list," Washington Post special military correspondent Tom Ricks shares his recommendations, ranging from a collection of Afghan proverbs, to a history of the CIA's involvement in the country.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
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The New York Review of Books
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Light on the Dark Side
3 Dec 2009 | 9:00 amBy Paula Fox A Meaningful Life by L.J. Davis, with an introduction by Jonathan Lethem One Manhattan mid-morning in the spring of 1967, I heard the crack of a gun going off below, along the broad reach of Central Park West. I jumped up from the table where I was working on my second novel and looked down five stories to the street, on the other side of which breathed the quiet greenery of Central Park. What I saw was a man lying in the middle of the street attempting to raise himself up from the waist, like a seal, collapsing, trying again, then falling flat. -
Israel & Palestine: Can They Start Over?
3 Dec 2009 | 9:00 amBy Robert Malley The idea of Israeli-Palestinian partition, of a two-state solution, has a singular pedigree. It has been proposed for at least eight decades. Jews first accepted it as Palestinians recoiled; by the time Palestinians warmed to the notion in the late 1980s, Israelis had turned their backs. Still, its proponents manage to portray it as fresh, new, and capable of leading to peace. International consensus on a two-state agreement is, today, stronger than ever. Meanwhile, interest among the two parties most directly concerned wanes and prospects for achieving it diminish. -
Who Are the Blue Dogs?
3 Dec 2009 | 9:00 amBy Michael Tomasky A crucial fact about today's Congress, and one that even many politically astute observers may not fully appreciate, rests in the vast ideological differences between the two congressional parties. I don't mean by this that the Democrats have become uniformly liberal and the Republicans uniformly conservative, which is the standard grievance issued by the press, but rather that only the latter has happened--and that it has happened with surprising speed. -
With Berlusconi in the Soup
3 Dec 2009 | 9:00 amBy Ingrid D. Rowland It is a measure of the ineptitude--or is it a death wish?--of Italy's major opposition party, the Partito Democratico (Democratic Party), that it has spent the entire season of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's discontent wrangling over the election of its own party secretary--only to be caught, on the eve of the October 25 vote (its winner was Pier Luigi Bersani, a sensible former minister in several left-wing administrations), by a veritable Vesuvius of erupting bimbos. The day before, Piero Marrazzo, the Democratic governor of the region of Lazio (approximately… -
Velvet Revolution: The Prospects
3 Dec 2009 | 9:00 amBy Timothy Garton Ash In the autumn of 1989, the term 'velvet revolution' was coined to describe a peaceful, theatrical, negotiated regime change in a small Central European state that no longer exists. So far as I have been able to establish, the phrase was first used by Western journalists and subsequently taken up by Václav Havel and other Czech and Slovak opposition leaders. This seductive label was then applied retrospectively, by writers including myself, to the cumulatively epochal events that had unfolded in Poland, Hungary, and East Germany, as in 'the velvet revolutions of…
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Salon
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Why the Berlin Wall fell
19 Nov 2009 | 3:11 pmStephen Kotkin's fascinating "Uncivil Society" presents a revisionist account of Communism's failure -
Democrat goes rogue, declares Palin's book "great"!
19 Nov 2009 | 3:11 pmThe surprising charms of the week's most talked-about political memoir -
Vanity book awards
19 Nov 2009 | 3:11 pmWant to win some props for your masterpiece? We can do that -- for a price -
Critic's Picks: The tragic twilight of Leon Trotsky
19 Nov 2009 | 3:11 pmA gripping new account captures the October Revolution's great intellectual facing doom (and feeding bunnies) -
How memoirs took over the literary world
19 Nov 2009 | 3:11 pmA new book says: Fiction is dead, long live the age of autobiography
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book-blog.com
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Bartlett, Allison Hoover: The Man Who Loved Books Too Much
17 Nov 2009 | 7:03 amRiverhead Books © 2009, 288 pagesNote: Review copy received from publisher. Amazon affiliate: Links pointing to Amazon contain my affiliate ID. Sales resulting from clicks on those links will earn me a percentage of the purchase price.Allison Hoover Bartlett's The Man Who Loved Books Too Much is a quick, readable look at the world of book collection. She dips into the history of bibliomania and provides vignettes of other characters, but mostly the book is an account of two men and the author's experiences in getting to know them. Ken Sanders is the owner of a rare book store in Salt Lake… -
Kluge, P.F.: Gone Tomorrow
15 Nov 2009 | 2:18 pmOverlook © 2008, 368 pagesNote: Review copy received from publisher. Amazon affiliate: Links pointing to Amazon contain my affiliate ID. Sales resulting from clicks on those links will earn me a percentage of the purchase price.The bulk of P.F. Kluge's Gone Tomorrow purports to be a manuscript that was found among the belongings of the late George Canaris, whose three previous books had landed him in the canon of must-read 20th century authors. Canaris became a writer in residence at a no-name Ohio college at the height of his fame, eager for a place that would give him the space to write… -
Wells, H.G.: The Time Machine
11 Nov 2009 | 1:52 pmPenguin © 2005 [orig. pub. 1895], 128 pagesNote: Amazon affiliate: Links pointing to Amazon contain my affiliate ID. Sales resulting from clicks on those links will earn me a percentage of the purchase price.With a Kindle in one's hands, downloading and reading many older books that are no longer in copyright is both free and simple. Having thus come into possession of H.G. Wells' The Time Machine the other day by way of experimenting with the Kindle, I found myself reading it at once, and so, almost without meaning to begin it, I've finished. In the book, first published in 1895, an… -
McNair, Cici: Detectives Don't Wear Seat Belts
6 Nov 2009 | 11:46 amCenter Street © 2009, 368 pagesNote: Review copy received from publisher. Amazon affiliate: Links pointing to Amazon contain my affiliate ID. Sales resulting from clicks on those links will earn me a percentage of the purchase price.In her book Detectives Don't Wear Seat Belts, Cici McNair introduces readers to her very unusual life. As the title suggests, she's a private detective (see Green Star Investigations), and stories about her experiences as a detective form the backbone of her memoir: her initial attempts to break into the business, stake-outs with guys with thick accents and foul… -
Maugham, W. Somerset: The Hero
28 Oct 2009 | 11:35 amNorilana Books © 2008 [orig. pub. 1901], 248 pagesNote: Amazon affiliate: Links pointing to Amazon contain my affiliate ID. Sales resulting from clicks on those links will earn me a percentage of the purchase price.In The Hero, which was originally published in 1901, Somerset Maugham tells the story of Captain James Parsons, who comes home to Little Primpton a wounded hero. He's been away for five years, first at Sandhurst and then in India and South Africa. During that time he has not seen his parents--his "people," as Maugham consistently refers to them--nor his fiancé, Mary Clibborn, to…
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Chronicle Books Blog
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Dovima with the Elephants
20 Nov 2009 | 11:26 amA colleague and I took a little field trip for the last hour of our day last Friday to catch the Avedon show at the SFMOMA before it goes away at the end of this month. What can I say? It’s divine. The whole show is really fantastic—HUGE prints of fascinating faces, including many very famous folks. But by far my favorite room was the very first one you walk into at the beginning of the show, which features a great selection of his early fashion work. You walk into the room and you’re facing a print—taller than you are—of the iconic image “Dovima with the Elephants.” All images… -
Spot the Plot and Win a Bundle of Picture Books!
20 Nov 2009 | 10:00 amI sit down to read And turn the first page, Expecting to watch One plot take the stage: One princess, one moon, One tin man, one train— But wait—change that tune! It’s one giant chain Of riddles and hooks About picture books! A riddle book—about books? Yep, that’s right! In our recently released picture book Spot the Plot, thirteen witty and wacky poems challenge readers to “Name That Book.” With a glass slipper here and a spiderweb there, Lynn Munsinger’s sweet illustrations lead young readers to the solutions. From Goodnight Moon to Madeline, children and parents… -
Chronicle Craft: My Neighbor Kayte Terry, Philadelphia’s Martha Stewart
19 Nov 2009 | 3:40 pmThis post was written by Jimmy Contreras, who recently worked with Chronicle author Kayte Terry on a workshop in Philadelphia to launch her new book, Appliqué Your Way. My name is Jimmy Contreras and I recently opened my very first store: a home, gift and baby boutique in the gentrifying Italian neighborhood of South Philadelphia – or as we like to say, “Souff Philly.” My store is on East Passyunk Avenue. It’s like a small town’s Main Street, lined with mom-and-pop shops — butchers, bakers and tailors – and dotted with two small piazzas. If you’ve seen any of the dozen or… -
I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas
19 Nov 2009 | 1:25 pmTwo weeks ago my first book, I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas officially launched. It all started off in San Francisco at Parc 55 at a party hosted by my dear friend Zem Joaquin (who wrote the foreword to the book) and Ecofabulous. The event was well attended. Zem Joaquin, Ecofabulous and myself. Photo courtesy of Heather Wiley for Drew Altizer Photography This week Rachel Sarnoff and Ecostiletto with Ecobash Events put together the LA launch at Environment Furniture (my favorite sustainable furniture company). The Border Grill truck provided food and Christmas music played in the… -
Baby Loves Disco—Win Tickets in San Francisco!
18 Nov 2009 | 2:09 pmChronicle is thrilled to sponsor Baby Loves Disco—an afternoon dance party featuring real music spun and mixed by real djs at real dance clubs blending classic disco tunes From the 70s, & 80s. The fun spills out from all corners of the club: bubble machines, baskets of scarves and egg-shakers, a chill-out room (with tents, books and puzzles), diaper changing stations, a full spread of healthy snacks and dancing, LOTS of dancing. But at its core, Baby loves Disco is a community event that brings kids together with kids and parents together with parents. Everyone who attends goes home…
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Bookslut
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An Interview with Margaret Jull Costa
2 Nov 2009 | 2:13 pmReading Spanish novelist Javier Marías, whose narrators wrestle exhaustively with interpretation, my thoughts cannot help but turn to his real-life English translator, Margaret Jull Costa. Through Costa, whose translations have been praised by various critics as “smart,” “resourceful,” and... -
Wars of the World
2 Nov 2009 | 2:12 pmEvery day the world gets a bit more complicated, especially when we consider just how many ongoing conflicts are currently underway. Here are several excellent recent titles on war around the world, both declared and not, that older teens... -
Things That Are Good
2 Nov 2009 | 6:21 amI swear that I’m trying to work on my positive inner-speak, as so often encouraged by friends and loved ones. But sometimes I have to wonder if this is the moment we’ll look back on and say, “Yep, that’s... -
Inside Out: Graphic Sickness and David Small's Stitches
2 Nov 2009 | 6:05 amThere's a cute touch on the cover of David Small’s Stitches. Small's credit is held in a word balloon coming from his grandmother’s mouth, surrounded by her own introduction: “by my durn grandson DAVID SMALL durnit...!!” Adorable, right? But this... -
Failures of the Imagination
1 Nov 2009 | 3:35 pm“All night I had been hitting / on the daughter of a tiny woman / orphaned by Hiroshima.” -Brett Eugene Ralph “Before I can stop him, / my pet ferret gobbles / down the sliver of / hot pepper...
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Inkwell Bookstore Blog
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Palin Quits...Again.
20 Nov 2009 | 3:32 pmFrom nationalbroadcasters' YouTube entry:"An angry crowd shouts at Sarah Palin...on November 19, 2009 after Palin quits and refuses to sign books for around 300 families that spent about 3+ hours getting wristband and another 3+ hours waiting in line to get the Palin book signed." -
Go, Look: Cover Art Copycats
20 Nov 2009 | 10:00 amOr: 'Reusable Cover Art in Historical Novels -- A Gallery'(Via.) -
Inkwell Irregulars, Assemble!
20 Nov 2009 | 9:00 amHere's an easy post: A list of links to bookish blog posts made by our Inkwell Irregulars. Not only does it save me the time of sorting through an unwieldy assembly of AP articles featuring the words 'book,' 'publisher,' and 'bookstore,' it links you (our beloved blog reader) to them (our other beloved blog readers). Incestuous? Sort of. But this is a cult -- that sort of thing is par for the course.This is one of those pitch-perfect posts that's just one well-connected Tweet away from becoming an internet sensation: Estoreal's Without Boulders -- Woody Allen's long-lost Flintstones… -
Book News, In Brief
20 Nov 2009 | 5:00 amThe Bad Sex Award shortlist pits Philip Roth's The Humbling against Nick Cave's The Death of Bunny Monroe. While Roth silently stews, Cave's publishers have put out the following press release: "Frankly we would have been offended if he wasn't shortlisted." Rad.Q: Who doesn't like boobs & boners? A: Portland City Commissioner Randy Leonard. OregonLive.com reports, "The owners of Cindy's Bookstore, torn down in 2008 after repeated inspections, have sued City Commissioner Randy Leonard, the city, PGE and others for nearly $1 million, arguing Leonard selectively enforced ordinances against… -
Scutopedia Entry #00001
19 Nov 2009 | 5:06 pmThe Inkwell's very own Wendell 'Scutopus' Edwards coined a new word today. I'll let him tell it:"Those customers who come in talking about how much they love bookstores to their friends, wander about looking at everything, and then leave without buying anything are just one species of...meanderthal! One person even came in today saying they wanted to own this very store, yet left with nothing but that which they entered. Walk the walk, folks!"
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Powell's Books: Overview
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Review-a-Day for Fri, Nov 20: The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science
20 Nov 2009 | 12:00 amThe Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science by Richard Holmes, a review from Harper's Magazine by Benjamin Moser. -
Daily Dose for Fri, Nov 20: Smoke and Spice:Cooking with Smoke, the Real Way to Barbecue (Revised Edition)
20 Nov 2009 | 12:00 amSmoke and Spice:Cooking with Smoke, the Real Way to Barbecue (Revised Edition) by Cheryl and Bill Jamison Reviewed by Richard from Mount Holly, New Jersey. -
Review-a-Day for Thu, Nov 19: Impossible Motherhood: Testimony of an Abortion Addict
19 Nov 2009 | 12:00 amImpossible Motherhood: Testimony of an Abortion Addict by Irene Vilar, a review from The Oregonian by Cheryl Strayed. -
Daily Dose for Thu, Nov 19: Secret Lives of Great Authors: What Your Teachers Never Told You about Famous Novelists, Poets, and Playwrights
19 Nov 2009 | 12:00 amSecret Lives of Great Authors: What Your Teachers Never Told You about Famous Novelists, Poets, and Playwrights by Robert Schnakenberg Reviewed by Kelly from Toms River, New Jersey. -
Review-a-Day for Wed, Nov 18: The Ninth (Writings from an Unbound Europe)
18 Nov 2009 | 12:00 amThe Ninth (Writings from an Unbound Europe) by Ferenc Barnas, a review from The Quarterly Conversation by Josh Maday.
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Charles Petzold
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Text Morphing but with Decomposed Outlines
13 Nov 2009 | 4:44 amI'm not quite sure how to describe this Silverlight program. It contains two text strings of approximately equal linegth for which I've generated flattened PathGeometry objects using a WPF program I've described in a previous blog entry. The character outlines of each text string thus consist of a series of tiny lines. By animating these little lines back and forth between the two outlines, the text strings seem to morph into each other, but in a rather unusual way. DecompositionComposition.html Through a little finagling, the program equalizes the number of lines that comprise the outlines… -
Displaying Text at Angles
12 Nov 2009 | 10:55 amI'm not sure if this TV trend is for real, or whether I'm just noticing it more, but I think there's been an increase in the past year or so of text displayed with perspective effects — not necessarily 3D text had has depth and body, but regular flat 2D text that appears to occupy a 3D space. One example is the titles on Fringe that seem to be attached to the sides of buildings, but I've also seen text in TV commercials where the words seem to meet at angles. That's the effect I was after in this Silverlight 3 program, but of course I wanted to animate it as well: TextAtAngles.html… -
Random Globules This Time
2 Nov 2009 | 3:59 pmAfter I posted a blog entry on writing a random-rectangle program for Silverlight, I added a comment with links to Win16 and Win32 random-rectangle programs. It's really amazing to see how fast those old programs run on modern machines! Can we persuade a WPF or Silverlight version to run as fast? I don't think so. Keep in mind that WPF and Silverlight implement retained-mode graphics systems where a composition layer is responsible for assembling all the visual objects into a composite video image. Retained-mode graphics is pretty much essential for the correct implementation of animation and… -
Random Rectangles in Silverlight (using WriteableBitmap)
30 Oct 2009 | 7:37 amI remember going to COMDEX in Las Vegas sometime in the early 90s when Microsoft Windows had just reached some kind of tipping point (at least among manufacturers if not users) and the floor of the Convention Center was ablaze with Windows machines, most of them running random-rectangle programs. The traditional random-rectangle program is short, simple, silly, and ridiculously hypnotic as it covers the display with an ever increasing number of overlapping rectangles of random sizes and colors. Some of those early random-rectangle programs worked off the Windows timer, but the really fast… -
Book Royalties, Advances, and "Retainers"
29 Oct 2009 | 11:19 amLike many authors, I had to be briefly hospitalized upon learning that Sarah Palin was paid a $1.25 million advance for her memoir "Going Rogue." But what really puzzled me was the description in the press of this amount as a "retainer." I've never heard the word "retainer" used in connection with book publishing. Apparently, this is the word Ms. Palin used on the financial disclosure statement rather than the more customary word "advance," and the New York Times suggests that the $1.25 million is only part of her advance! Some people may not be familiar with advances (and other details about…
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The Book Design Review
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Something New for This Year's Favorite Covers Post
19 Nov 2009 | 5:00 amEach year since the BDR started, I've written a "my favorites of the year" post (here are the 2008, 2007, 2006, and 2005 lists.)This year, I've got something different in mind.I've asked the staffs of three independent bookstores to contribute a list of their 10-15 favorite book covers and jackets of 2009. I'm really looking forward to seeing what they pick. It's a big, big publishing world, so I'm hoping their involvement helps reveal the wide range of fantastic design out there.Here are the participants and the dates on which their selections will appear:WORD, Brooklyn, NY: Monday, Nov… -
In Cold Blood, Magnum Collection Edition (and a few others)
17 Nov 2009 | 7:48 pmBDR reader Cynthia pointed this out to me this morning; it's one of six in the Penguin Magnum Collection published earlier this year. Click for a much larger version -- and note the removable sticker. Cool.Penguin has published a number of different editions over the years; here's a few. The first is designed by David Pelham (1970); the second is uncredited and is from 1966. (The first two images are from Seven Hundred Penguins.) Anyone know anything about the last two?Illustration by Andy Bridge:UPDATE: I missed this one, designed by S. Neil Fujita. (Read about the hatpin and Capote's… -
On the Road
15 Nov 2009 | 10:47 amApologies for the lack of activity here; I'm traveling on business. Regular posting should resume in a few days, hopefully with an announcement about 2009's favorites of the year post. It's going to be very different, and hopefully entertaining for y'all.Off to eat more carne asada fries... -
How to Be Inappropriate
11 Nov 2009 | 9:54 pmDesign by Alvaro VillanuevaThis is so spot on: it really is inappropriate to forgo a belt when wearing a nice pair of trousers. -
Not Everyone Loves the New Nabokov Editions
10 Nov 2009 | 7:33 pmLots of folks are talking about the John Gall-curated Nabokov redesigns. And well they should -- it's not often that we see an author's entire body of work redesigned by such an impressive cadre of designers.Three days before Gall posted the series at Design Observer, though, a BDR reader wrote in about the "best Nabokov cover I've ever seen--blows the sh**ty Vintage/Random House motif out of the water." His words, not mine. Here's what he sent in (source here); if anyone's got any info on this cover, please pass it along. (UPDATE: "(the designer is) Jerzy Faczynski, a well-known Polish…
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The Millions
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South Africa, 2010
20 Nov 2009 | 1:08 pmThe last of the World Cup qualifying matches wrapped up this week and the final list of qualified teams is in. See the list of the 32 qualified national teams headed for South Africa in 2010 here. -
November Is the Month for Madrileños
20 Nov 2009 | 1:07 pmLate November brings work of another favorite Madrileño to the forefront. The final book of Javier Marías’s Your Face Tomorrow trilogy, Poison, Shadow, and Farewell, will be published at the end of the month by New Directions. The incomparable Marias will make two New York appearances, a reading at the 92nd St Y (with Paul Auster) and a conversation with Paul Holdengräber at the New York Public Library. -
Broken Embraces
20 Nov 2009 | 12:16 pmCatch it while you can: Charlie Rose’s hour-long interview with Pedro Almodóvar and his muse, Penélope Cruz, touches on character, confidence, and control, and is currently available online. Almodóvar’s latest film,Broken Embraces, which I saw last summer in Madrid sans subtitles, was so visually stunning and well-acted that despite my meager translation the film enthralled. With a proper translation, it should be ravishing. -
Goodbye to Oprah’s Golden Ticket
20 Nov 2009 | 4:10 amThat sound you hear is a thousand book publicists wailing. Oprah Winfrey will announce today that her eponymous talk show will end in September 2011. That means that in less than two years, the ultimate book publicity coup will be off the table. Oprah’s Book Club isn’t quite the powerhouse it once was. The club was started in 1996, a savvy move when neighborhood book clubs were in vogue with the Oprah demographic. The Book Club also was a way of distancing the show from its increasingly shock-oriented daytime peers (a format, we may forget, that Oprah once partook of.) In those… -
Storytelling: Jonathan Safran Foer’s Eating Animals
20 Nov 2009 | 4:10 amI became a vegetarian when I was 14 years old for a variety of reasons, not all of them necessarily admirable or based on ethics. I was concerned for animal welfare but vegetarianism was also an easier way of hiding my brief and painful eating disorder from my parents and friends, a way to assert my 14-year-old self into a particular brand of neo-hippie fashion, and a way to manufacture an identity at a time when I wanted to stand out and be heard. Also, somewhere deep down inside me, beneath the ornament and artifice, I truly felt that eating animals was wrong. I returned to meat when I was…
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The Book Publicity Blog
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NPR Books Watch — 11/13-11/19
20 Nov 2009 | 6:35 amHere are the NPR interviews for the last week. Anyone who emails me the imprints of all the books listed (or houses if no imprint is available) will win the NPR Books Grid for the prior week that includes, in addition to the information below, interviewer, pub date, imprint, genre, post-interview Amazon ranking, pre-interview ranking (if the book was mentioned on Shelf Awareness and I was able to look up the number before the interview), and interview hyperlink. TOTAL book stories for the past week: 30 (30 last week) All Things Considered: 6 (8 LW) Diane Rehm: 3 (4 LW) Fresh Air: 2 (3 LW)… -
NPR Books Watch — 11/6-11/12
13 Nov 2009 | 6:03 amHere are the NPR interviews for the last week. Anyone who emails me the imprints of all the books listed (or houses if no imprint is available) will win the NPR Books Grid for the prior week that includes, in addition to the information below, interviewer, pub date, imprint, genre, post-interview Amazon ranking, pre-interview ranking (if the book was mentioned on Shelf Awareness and I was able to look up the number before the interview), and interview hyperlink. TOTAL book stories for the past week: 30 (29 last week) All Things Considered: 8 (7 LW) Diane Rehm: 4 (5 LW) Fresh Air: 3 (4 LW)… -
How to save time in book publicity
9 Nov 2009 | 7:14 amI’ve posted a lot about what drives me crazy (what can I say — I can be a complainer) but I thought it would also be useful to post about a couple life savers from these past few crazy weeks. Microsoft Outlook’s Calendar Function When interview requests for authors are flying fast and furious, it can get really tricky figuring out when an author is available and, once an interview has been confirmed, getting him / her the correct booking information. Sometimes, this all must be done in a few hours, so anything that saves time and trouble — sending information… -
NPR Books Watch — 10/30-11/5
6 Nov 2009 | 6:59 amCheck out the new NPR Books feature “What We’re Reading.” Here are the NPR interviews for the last week. Anyone who emails me the imprints of all the books listed (or houses if no imprint is available) will win the NPR Books Grid for the prior week that includes, in addition to the information below, interviewer, pub date, imprint, genre, post-interview Amazon ranking, pre-interview ranking (if the book was mentioned on Shelf Awareness and I was able to look up the number before the interview), and interview hyperlink. TOTAL book stories for the past week: 29 (30 last… -
NPR Books Watch — 10/23-10/29
30 Oct 2009 | 6:11 amHere are the NPR interviews for the last week. Anyone who emails me the imprints of all the books listed (or houses if no imprint is available) will win the NPR Books Grid for the prior week that includes, in addition to the information below, interviewer, pub date, imprint, genre, post-interview Amazon ranking, pre-interview ranking (if the book was mentioned on Shelf Awareness and I was able to look up the number before the interview), and interview hyperlink. TOTAL book stories for the past week: 30 (31 last week) All Things Considered: 6 (10 LW) Diane Rehm: 4 (4 LW) Fresh Air: 5 (5 LW)…
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ReadersRead.com Book Blog
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Harlequin Creates Self-Publishing Romance Imprint
17 Nov 2009 | 3:00 pmAuthor Solutions has teamed up with Harlequin to create a romance self-publishing imprint called Harlequin Horizons. It will be traditional self-publishing, meaning that the author will pay to have her book published. Publisher's Weekly reports: Author Solutions will handle all aspects of the venture, although Harlequin Horizons will exist as an imprint of Harlequin, and the publisher will be able to monitor sales and sign authors to a traditional imprint. This is the second deal Author Solutions has signed with a major publisher. Earlier, it reached an agreement with Thomas Nelson to publish… -
Stephenie Meyer: I'm a Little Burned Out On Vampires
16 Nov 2009 | 1:00 pmStephenie Meyer appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in a surprise move. She hasn't done any interviews in over a year, but she said she was so thrilled with what director Chris Weitz did with New Moon that she wanted to come out and support him. Stephenie said that she is a little bit burned out on vampires for now, when asked by the show's staff if she was going to write another Twilight book. She didn't really answer the question except to say that she might write another book. But no promises. Oprah asked her what Rob Pattinson smells like (no doubt because of the tabloid stores about his… -
Tim LaHaye Writing New Apocalyptic Series
13 Nov 2009 | 5:00 amTim LaHaye, co-author of the bestselling Left Behind series, is moving to Zondervan. LaHaye is partnering with lawyer Craig Parshall on a new apocalyptic series called The End. The series deals with the political lead-up to the end times as foretold in the Book of Revelations. Publisher's Weekly reports: "While my past works have piqued interest in biblical prophecy on a global level, The End series includes many prophecies that were not covered in Left Behind," LaHaye said in a statement. Parshall is the author of the Chamber of Justice legal thrillers series. The Left Behind series,… -
Researchers Find Clues in the Scent of Old Books
12 Nov 2009 | 12:00 pmResearchers have found a fascinating new way to determine the degradation of old and rare books. The researchers got the idea to use smell to evaluate old books -- or other historical artifacts -- by watching rare book experts who often smell books as part of their examination. It turns out the the odor emitted by old books tells what kind of shape the book is in and whether it is in immediate need of restoration to keep it intact. The test developed by the researchers identifies the chemicals that the pages emit as they degrade over time. Dr Strlic told BBC News that the idea for new test… -
Australia Keeps Book Import Laws Intact
11 Nov 2009 | 6:00 pmThe Australian government has ditched proposed changes to book import laws and has left the current restrictions on importing cheaper versions of books in tact. But at the same time, the government is embracing online booksellers such as Amazon.com. The government position now is that electronic books and online retailers will lead to price reductions for consumers and will drive innovation. Booksellers are furious, saying that it will cost them jobs and profits: people can buy cheaper books online, but not at local bookstores. The news has been warmly welcomed by Australian publishers and…
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Eye on Books - Author Interviews
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Lidia Bastianich - "Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy"
2 Nov 2009 | 5:48 pmFor a country of less than 120 thousand square miles, Italy produces a disproportionate share of the world's most appreciated cuisine. In her book "Lidia Cooks From the Heart of Italy," famed restaurateur and TV chef Lidia Bastianich takes her readers on a virtual tour of the land of her birth. From north to south, Lidia introduces all kinds of new recipes that she says represent a back-to-basics respect for fresh, wholesome ingredients. -
Irene Khan - "The Unheard Truth"
2 Nov 2009 | 5:46 pmPoverty is not about a lack of money. The secretary general of Amnesty International, Irene Khan, makes the argument that poverty is a global human rights violation, inasmuch as it is really a crisis of insecurity, deprivation, discrimination, and voicelessness. She makes her point in a book called "The Unheard Truth." -
Brandon Sanderson - "The Gathering Storm"
1 Nov 2009 | 3:57 pmMany say Robert Jordan was the greatest fantasy author of our time. His untimely death at age 58 in 2007 left his masterful "Wheel of Time" epic unfinished. His widow and longtime editor Harriet McDougal handpicked bestselling author Brandon Sanderson to complete the Wheel of Time. With access to Jordan's papers, recordings, and notes, Sanderson realized the final book would have to be three books - the first of the series-ending trilogy is called "The Gathering Storm." We talked with both Brandon Sanderson and Harriet McDougal at a recent bookstore event near Baltimore. -
Vince Flynn - "Pursuit of Honor"
1 Nov 2009 | 3:56 pmDo whatever it takes. That instruction, in the hands of Vince Flynn's series hero Mitch Rapp, means two things: one, that there are some really, really bad guys to be taken out. And two, that Mitch will get the job done, whatever it takes. In Flynn's latest, "Pursuit of Honor," a brazen and bizarre act of terrorism has shocked Washington, DC, and Mitch and his trusted cohort Mike Nash have a nasty job to do. -
Nicholas Sparks - "The Last Song"
25 Oct 2009 | 3:03 pmAn angry and self-absorbed teenage girl has her eyes opened to the rest of the world - including her estranged father - in the Nicholas Sparks novel "The Last Song." Exiled from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina for the summer by her mother, 17-year-old Veronica Miller must find a way to coexist with her father, who walked out on the family three years earlier. And, as in every Nicholas Sparks book, there will be love found - and love lost.
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Boston Globe
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From a man’s mind come a girl’s thoughts
20 Nov 2009 | 9:19 amIt’s a little disconcerting, maybe even a little creepy, when a grown man pretends to get inside the head of a young girl. But such is the imaginative fantasy that literature can afford, and in “Mathilda Savitch,’’ poet-playwright Victor Lodato does a great job of conjuring the first-person voice of a feisty, precocious young teen dealing with the death of ... -
Following the trail of ‘Craigslist killer’
19 Nov 2009 | 10:00 amLast April, a Las Vegas prostitute who had flown to Boston was robbed at gunpoint in her Copley Square hotel room. She had placed an ad on Craigslist seeking Boston clients, and a young man had responded. Four days later, on April 13, Julissa Brisman, 25, a New York model who specialized in “sensual massage,’’ traveled to Boston after placing ... -
Palin leads her own charge into the reality spotlight
19 Nov 2009 | 9:58 amThis week’s Sarah Palin TV tour has been like “Jon & Kate & Sarah & Todd & Bristol & Levi Plus Kids.’’ A 2012 presidential candidacy may not be on Palin’s “radar screen right now,’’ as she told both Oprah Winfrey and Barbara Walters in separate interviews, but her desire to remain a free-floating reality star on the American stage ... -
Shining new light on Opus Dei’s mission
18 Nov 2009 | 9:07 pmOpus Dei means “work of God’’ in Latin. At the Montrose School in Medfield, it means educating girls to be leaders with “faith, character, and vision,’’ said the independent Catholic institution’s head, Karen E. Bohlin. -
Nitze, Kennan, and the Cold War
18 Nov 2009 | 8:54 amFor many Americans, the Cold War is a distant memory, along with the enmity between the United States and Soviet Union and the threat of nuclear annihilation that characterized the period. While the dangerous world of today is quite different on many levels, reviewing the events of a previous era can help avoid repeating some of the mistakes of that ...
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The Book Deal: A Publishing Blog for Writers and Book People
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9 tips for successful author readings
19 Nov 2009 | 12:43 pmReaders are fans. They love author appearances! What’s more, a successful author reading can spark sales and help build a following for a new book. Publishers know this, but unfortunately, the days of big budgets for glamorous book tours and star-spangled author events are now largely behind us. Author readings still a hot ticket Established and emerging authors, nevertheless, are still actively engaged in promoting and selling their work by reading, signing, and speaking at bookstores, libraries, seminars, and all manner of creative locations, like theaters, clubs, restaurants, retail… -
Ask the editor: The top 5 secrets to getting a book deal
29 Oct 2009 | 6:20 pmQ: I haven’t had any luck finding a publisher for my book. What’s the secret to getting in the door? A: Here’s my advice on how you can beat the odds and overcome the biggest reasons most books get rejected. But first, I’d like to give you an idea of what it’s like behind the scenes at a publishing house, and how acquiring editors go about the business of signing up books. The reality: Editors are desperate to find books! Writers often don’t realize that editors are strongly motivated, in fact desperate, to find authors and their books. Editors wake up in the… -
Why book publishers love short stories
12 Oct 2009 | 4:07 pmShort story collections are big business. Thousands of anthologies are in print with many more published each year. A quick look at Amazon shows 29,000 story collections listed. Of those, more than 3,500 are anthologies of stories by a single author. That may surprise some short story writers, including those who’ve asked me if they have a prayer of ever getting the attention of agents and book publishers. There’s a robust market for books of stories We know that avid readers love short stories. Short stories are easy to digest, and can provide a little emotional sparkle or epiphany… -
Ask the editor: Help! I can’t seem to finish my book
23 Aug 2009 | 5:28 pmQ : Everyone says I need to wrap up my manuscript and stop writing already. But I’m really stuck. Any advice? A : This isn’t unusual. You may have taken a wrong turn early in the story as a result of poor planning. Or you may have painted yourself into a corner. Or you could be suffering from avoidance, procrastination, and other writer’s blocks. Structural problems and solutions The inability to finish up a book can often be traced back to a lack of adequate initial planning. Have you considered the narrative arc and characterizations? The balance of dialogue, visual description… -
Proposal critiques: 3 novels, a biography, a children’s book and an academic treatise
15 Aug 2009 | 9:28 pmWelcome to the final round in our series of book proposal critiques. It’s an audiocast, so to get started, just click the play button below. The six book proposals •The first proposal we’ll be looking at today is for a sci-fi/fantasy novel that takes place in a South American jungle. The hero is a hack novelist, whose fictional characters, including a serial killer, come to life. •The second is an illustrated children’s story about a boy, his dog and a conductor, who make music from the noisy sounds of the their city. •Then, we’ll take a look at another novel, a…
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Personanondata
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Identifying My Package (Repost)
20 Nov 2009 | 12:12 amEvery Friday I will reach into my archive and re-post an article. The following was originally posted on October 18, 2007. Identifying My PackageAs publishers we remain committed to defining for our readers and users the ‘package’. At the Frankfurt supply chain meeting last week as I listened to another “history of the ISBN” and other bedtime stories I was stuck by our insistence as publishers to define for our customers just how they should consume our content. This was manifested in our approach to identifiers for segments of content. I include myself in this criticism as a… -
Your Price May Vary
18 Nov 2009 | 9:50 amI was enamored with the airline industry as I grew up and close readers will know I’ve always traveled a lot. Out of business school I interviewed with three airlines in their pricing departments where newly hired MBA’s went to learn the business. In that role, staff managed pricing of airline seats to maximize revenue per flight. Remembering that once a flight left the gate any open seat amounted to zero revenue for the airline, this activity was potentially highly stressful as the job also required close comparison with competing airlines’ pricing.All this activity is now done with… -
Media Week 46: Elsevier, Hathi, Virtual Education, Downloading
15 Nov 2009 | 4:19 amElsevier continues their 'article of the future' experiment with some new functionality (link):The Cell-Reflect pilot is the next step in Elsevier’s ongoing Content Innovation effort with the scientific community to determine how a scientific article is best presented online. This follows Elsevier’s recent launch of an initial ’Article of the Future’ prototype with Cell, where the traditional linear journal article is displayed in a much more useful format for life scientists. IJsbrand Jan Aalbersberg, Vice President of Content Innovation for Elsevier Science & Technology Journal… -
My Education Space: 'Ed-Space' (Repost)
13 Nov 2009 | 12:03 amEach Friday I am going to reach into 'my archive' and re-post articles. Here is one from October 17, 2006. Conceptually related is an initiative at JISC on e-Portfolios which I just read about.My Education Space: 'Ed-Space'Did you ever wonder what it would be like to re-visit some of the projects and papers you wrote in college or recall some of the essays you either wrote or read for books you are now re-reading? If you are like me, you probably don't care about everything you were studying in school but for some of the material it could be fun to experience again the material that is still… -
Veterans Day for Animals
11 Nov 2009 | 10:32 am
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Ghost Word
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Bay Area Literary Tidbits
19 Nov 2009 | 9:46 amSan Francisco writer T.J. Stiles won the National Book Award in Nonfiction Wednesday night for his biography of Cornelius Vanderbilt.Siles, who lives in the Presidio with his wife and son, wrote The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt after completing a book about Jesse James. He talks about the project here.Film is courtesy of Galleycat.The adaption of Michael Lewis’ The Blind Side, about Michael Oher, a homeless African American youth who is adopted by the Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, a white, Christian Southern family and who achieves great success on the football… -
Andrew Ross Sorkin's Too Big To Fail
15 Nov 2009 | 11:47 amI have just started reading Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin and I must say it is a page turner. Sorkin has done a masterful job of narrative non-fiction, making the reader feel like he or she is in the center of the action, in real time.Since Sorkin only had 10 months to write the book -- and he continued to write his column for the New York Times in this time -- he needed a lot of help. In its current issue, New York Magazine details just how extensive that help was. With his $700,000 advance, Sorkin hired two researchers. Check. That I understand. But then he also hired three… -
Catch Towers of Gold on TV
13 Nov 2009 | 11:18 amAfter a quiet interlude, I am about to do a bevy of events for Towers of Gold. I will be on CBS’ Mosaic show this Sunday Nov. 15 at 5 am. Yes, you read that right: 5 am.Mosaic is a weekly show on spirituality. This week the host, Rabbi Eric Weiss, brought in guests to discuss Jewish Book Month. I talk about Towers of Gold and how social networking is changing publishing. Howard Freeman, talks about the programs and resources offered by the Jewish Community Library in San Francisco, and Joel Harris, owner of the wonderful independent bookstore, Clayton Books, in Clayton, CA talks about… -
A Tribute to Nien Chang, author of Life and Death in Shanghai
9 Nov 2009 | 8:52 amI was saddened to read today that Nien Chang, the author of Life and Death in Shanghai, had died. I only met Nien Chang once, and briefly at that, but it is a meeting I have remembered all my life. I was a reporter in Ithaca, New York, working for the Syracuse Newspapers, and I had free reign to write about almost anything I wanted.I spent a lot of time writing about events at Cornell University because the school brought in so many interesting speakers, had such distinguished scientists, and a plethora of fabulous authors.Chan’s memoir, Life and Death in Shanghai, was a critical and… -
McSweeney's "newspaper" issue on San Francisco will be 380 pages
5 Nov 2009 | 3:55 pmMcSweeney’s has announced some details of its newspaper-sized edition focusing on San Francisco and northern California.The 380-page broadsheet will go on sale the first week of December and feature an investigation into the reconstruction of the Bay Bridge, the growth of pot farms in Mendocino County, a 116-page book section, a 112 page magazine and three pull out posters.Lots of well-known writers are contributing to the paper, including Stephen King, Michael Chabon, Andrew Sean Greer, Nicholson Baker, Allison Bechdel, Junot Diaz, and Michelle Tea, among others.“We think that the best…
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The Guardian (UK)
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AL Kennedy: Just because a story's about sex doesn't mean it's about sex
20 Nov 2009 | 5:09 amThe subject reliably grabs attention, but the words in a good story are usually getting up to all sorts of other stuffNow then, Best Beloveds: the short story. If we're sensible and care about prose, we will agree that it's a fine, exacting and beautiful form. It's perhaps not huge and showy, like making the Eiffel Tower disappear – it's more like someone holding your empty hand until it's satisfactorily and strangely filled with your granny's cameo and the powder-sweet scent of her long-gone lipstick. The short story is small, but can be devastatingly penetrating – quite like, as I… -
Booker club: The Bone People by Keri Hulme
20 Nov 2009 | 1:49 amKeri Hulme's The Bone People deals with hefty issues surrounding Maori displacement. Shame it breaks down too easily into bad writing and spiritual nonsenseThe buzz when The Bone People won the Booker prize in 1986 was all about the struggle Keri Hulme had to bring it to publication. First there was the monumental effort of writing it over a 12-year period, then the fact that nearly every publisher rejected it out of hand. Those who were prepared to look at it wouldn't contemplate bringing it to print without severe re-edits, prompting the author to declare she would rather have the book… -
Never mind the bad sex award – where's the good sex in fiction?
19 Nov 2009 | 8:52 amAs someone who works hard to get it right in my own novels, I'm very aware of just how difficult it is to depict wellAs the bad sex in fiction award shortlist lined up yesterday, the authors and their publishers scrambled to declare they'd have been offended not to have made the cut. Perhaps they were forgetting: it's the quality of the writing, not the sex, that's being assessed – and writing about sex well is one of the hardest things to do. There's an assumption that it will involve writing the nuts and bolts, what goes where. Wrong. Try it. "His right hand slipped down her left thigh,… -
Books of the decade: your best books of 2001
19 Nov 2009 | 7:00 amIt was the year of Atonement, The Body Artist and The Corrections, but what was your favourite book from 2001?It was the year our era began, with unprecedented abruptness, in obscene rolling news. But, blessedly, literature moves at a much slower pace, and it would be some years before the convulsions of September 2001 began to resound in serious fiction. Saturday, Ian McEwan's post-9/11 novel, was four years away, and his Booker disappointment this year was for Atonement.Its story of a young girl who ruins at least three lives with a single lie, nonetheless won a lot of hearts in the year's… -
Name the best science fiction titles
19 Nov 2009 | 2:25 amSpeculative fiction has produced some of the most intriguing story titles ever. But which are the best of the best?You should never judge a book by its cover, but should you judge a story by its title? If the recent success of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is anything to go by, then for many readers today the answer is yes. Seth Grahame-Smith's bestselling mash-up of Jane Austen and George A Romero became one of the most pre-ordered titles this side of The Lost Symbol, based solely on a zeitgeist-surfing title. And if those readers came to the story expecting an obvious joke stretched thin…
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Ready Steady Book
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Hans Ulrich Obrist in conversation with Raoul Vaneigem
17 Nov 2009 | 1:52 amHans Ulrich Obrist in conversation with Raoul Vaneigem over at Info Exchange: HUO: Today, more than forty years after May ‘68, how do you feel life and society have evolved? RV: We are witnessing the collapse of financial capitalism. This was easily predictable. Even among economists, where one finds even more idiots than in the political sphere, a number had been sounding the alarm for a decade or so. Our situation is paradoxical: never in Europe have the forces of repression been so weakened, yet never have the exploited masses been so passive. Still, insurrectional consciousness always… -
Robert Kelly's The Will of Achilles
16 Nov 2009 | 9:55 amRobert Kelly's long poem, The Will of Achilles has just been posted up on the Web Conjunctions website. But under the rain a different thing. Vine leaves Achilles sees, inconsequent myrtles. There is no end to weather. The gods are done with him. (More...) -
Patrick Keiller and more at blinkbox
16 Nov 2009 | 9:38 amblinkbox.com "is a premium movie and TV site that allows you to stream or download the best programming on the web." They have "over 5,000 movies and TV shows to choose from" which you can purchase or rent, but, on top of that, they have lots of free movies. Normally, I wouldn't bother to mention such a website, but the free movies include Caravaggio, The Draughtsman's Contract, Death And The Compass and Patrick Keiller's superb London and its follow-up Robinson in Space. -
Shlomo Sand and Avi Shlaim in discussion
13 Nov 2009 | 8:42 amShlomo Sand, author of The Invention of the Jewish People, and Avi Shlaim, author of Israel and Palestine, were in conversation about their new books at a packed Frontline Club yesterday. Jacqueline Rose, author of The Last Resistance, was chairing. A video of the event is now up on the Verso blog. -
50 Books You’ll Want to Read in 2010?
13 Nov 2009 | 3:43 amBookmunch has listed 50 Books You’ll Want to Read in 2010. If you're anything like me, this is mostly a list of the books that you'll be avoiding next year, but will be getting blanket coverage in the papers... Nevertheless, it's a useful selection of what's coming down the publishing pipe.
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ABA Blogs
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Nothing but opera and Beethoven? Not here.
20 Nov 2009 | 2:59 pmFrom Digital Book World: "No conversation about publishing’s future and the importance of engaging readers directly is complete if it doesn’t include the perspective of the independent bookseller — our partners, curators and, most importantly, community organizers." On the origin of humor: "When a child is about a year and a half old, they might point to a dog and say, 'cat,' and that’s the beginning of humor and nonsense." Who says studying rare books is impractical?: "What struck me was Professor Traister’s reminder that the book was never intended to be… -
Tree houses and book covers and buttons, oh my!
13 Nov 2009 | 10:50 amOkay, it has nothing to do with books, but go admire anyway: "Putting this principle into practice, Whole Tree Architecture is dedicated to building with materials that lumber companies consider scrap – weed trees, also know as 'managed forest thinnings.' The resulting projects are beautiful displays of locally sourced and sustainably managed materials." (via @TatteredCover) Looking for a place to donate books?: "He contacted Bullitt County Public Schools and churches in that area, asking people to help him collect 100,000 books for libraries that needed them. He asked for… -
Something for everyone edition
6 Nov 2009 | 10:30 amFor those who prefer their information in flowchart form: apostrophe usage and "Hey Jude." If you're just looking for an excuse to write on walls - or know your customers would love to: IdeaPaint. Ugliest? Sure. But some of these qualify for so-ugly-it's-cute - although I don't think I'll be trading my Civic for a CitiCar. If you thought the Harry Potter parties of 2007 were impressive, check out BTW's photo gallery from bookstore Graveyard Book parties. Speaking of holiday events, Buy Books for the Holidays is gearing up for another season, and they've extended a special invitation… -
An e-book for Mr. Herriot
30 Oct 2009 | 11:05 amThe audio versions of James Herriot's books are awesome. The books are narrated by Christopher Timothy, who played Herriot in the BBC series based on the books, and the man's got a gift for the Yorkshire dialect. And I've been thinking (because listening while I drive to work means there's plenty of time for such ponderings) that Herriot's books are about a technology gap. Sure, they're also about small-town life and family and animals and the bygone world of rural England and what it's like to be on call 24 hours a day - but look at how many of the stories boil down to conflicts between the… -
Just a few links
23 Oct 2009 | 8:27 amRegarding the bestseller price wars, ABA's statement is fully contained in the letter reprinted in Bookselling This Week. But our members have plenty to say, as do some of our friends, so take a look at commentary from The Avid Bookshop, Bear Pond Books, Elizabeth Dulemba, Chris Doeblin, Geoffrey Jennings, Accent on Books, Loganberry Books, Aaron's Books, Rich Rennicks, Bob Miller, RiverRun Bookstore, Steve Ross, Josie Leavitt, Boswell Book Company, the Florida Center for Literary Arts, Beyond Her Book, Pudd'nhead Books, Ryan Chapman, TeleRead, Paul Kozlowski, several St. Louis-area…
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Litopia
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The Velvet Rope
19 Nov 2009 | 1:04 pmValerie Plame Wilson - a former CIA agent whose unmasking led to the conviction of former Vice President Dick Cheney's top aide has lost an appeal to declassify parts of her memoir. The only winner in this case appears to be her publisher, Simon & Schuster – who will publish the selfsame Dick Cheney's memoirs in 2011. Google and two author and publisher organizations have submitted a new version of a legal settlement that would allow Google to distribute millions of digital books online. And an author who rented a hip New York nightclub to host her book launch is suing the club for $1… -
Someone's Impersonating Me!
17 Nov 2009 | 10:03 amA really good question for Peter today about authors’ names – what happens if you discover that there’s another author out there with exactly the same name? And... Peter wants to ask you a question about book clubs... did you ever belong to one? And whatever happened to them? The answer could be more important than you might think... If you have questions for Peter, simply post them in the Colony. -
Question Time
16 Nov 2009 | 9:27 pmIt’s an impressively long Question Time for Peter today – nearly half an hour of accumulated questions from authors covering a wide variety of topics. Are two books better than one when it comes to writing a proposal? What’s an agent thinking when they request the full manuscript? Should you try out your big new idea in a short story contest? What are MP3 rights - and how can you protect them? All these and more today! -
Crushed Dreams
15 Nov 2009 | 1:15 pmDo editors know that they hold authors' dreams in their hands? An anonymous blogger, who purports to be a children’s book editor, believes that authors should toughen up. “When you receive a rejection letter and feel your dreams being crushed”, she says, “BE AWARE: it's YOU crushing your dreams.” True? Or just heartless ranting? Eve’s Salmagundi Club also examines the quest for perfection – is it really necessary for that covering letter+synopsis+sample to be word-perfect before it goes out? Nicola Morgan’s blog has some good advice to offer. And – oh yes – Stephen Fry is… -
The Audacity of Narcissism
14 Nov 2009 | 4:13 amTo promote her new book – for which she’s been reportedly paid anything up to $11m – the former vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin has taken to Twittering. But not in the way that lesser mortals use the social media site: by following others and being followed in equal measure. No - Ms. Palin has 16,000 followers – of which she’s followed back precisely no-one. This is arrogance of the first order, and a gross breach of online netiquette according to Litopia’s own social media whizz, Jamie Mollart. “It’s the most flagrant misuse of a social media site I have ever seen”,…
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Omnivoracious
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Go Ahead, Judge: The Best Book Covers of 2009
20 Nov 2009 | 4:25 pmAs anyone in the business of selling books knows, sometimes we really do judge books by their covers. (I know I've bought books because of their covers, and not bought others for the same reason.) We've blogged casually but enthusiastically about our favorite book covers in previous years (and it's a constant topic of conversation on our book team here and just about anywhere book people get together, as far as I can tell), but this year, as they say in the reality shows, we've taken it to the next level. Thanks to our Magazines team, which built a sleek and fun voting… -
Omni Daily News
20 Nov 2009 | 11:14 amOprah's Movin' On: Today Oprah Winfrey announced that the "The Oprah Winfrey Show"--the biggest daytime show in television history-- will come to a close during its 25th season. The last show will air on September 9, 2011. The multimedia icon and mogul is expected to launch a new talk show on her eponymous cable network. [Yahoo News via AP and The New York Times] Martin Amis' New Novel: In an interview in today's Guardian, Martin Amis talks about the genesis of his forthcoming novel The Pregnant Widow (coming May 2010), and counters claims that the… -
Graphic Novel Friday: "The Red Monkey Double Happiness Book"
20 Nov 2009 | 7:00 amRolling in like a slow, fuzzed-out guitar line from an Orange-brand amp, The Red Monkey Double Happiness Book lives up to the good vibes promised in its title. Artist and writer Joe Daly's full-color graphic novel collects two stories starring best buds Dave and Paul, as they wander about Cape Town while fully under the influence. Dave has a genetic disorder he calls "monkey feet," where his feet have what appear to be opposable digits. Throughout the book, Dave tries to overcome insecurities stemming from this oddity, and Paul tries his best to compliment his friend's… -
National Book Awards: A Newcomer's Point of View
19 Nov 2009 | 8:37 pm(The crowd lining up to get into the National Book Awards, the amazing Cipriani ceiling inside) The National Book Awards for first-time attendees like my wife Ann and me constituted a kind of blur of sharp-dressed men and women, most of them graying a bit but still elegant, mixed with a few twenty-somethings running around on the fringes like the kids at a bar mitzvah. The location, with its high ceilings and spectacular dome, perfectly lit, conveyed a sense more of publishing’s memory palace than of its harsh reality right now. At the same time, you could hardly blame editors and… -
Omni Daily Crush: "Changing My Mind"
19 Nov 2009 | 5:41 pmZadie Smith is not only one of my favorite novelists to read, but one of my favorite novelists to hear talk about being a novelist (she's like Jonathan Lethem that way). As I wrote in my Best of November review of her new collection of "occasional essays," Changing My Mind, it's been clear that she is a novelist from the moment she broke through with White Teeth in her early twenties, but what kind of novelist she is (or will become) seems open to change. I was always fascinated with her response to James Wood's sometimes harsh criticisms of her early work: without…
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FreshFiction...for today's reader
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Robert M. Edsel | “Finally, A Woman!”
19 Nov 2009 | 11:15 pmI recently appeared on the Morning Joe program alongside legendary historian Doris Kearns Goodwin to discuss my new book, The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History. I had just finished telling the hosts, Mika Brzezinksi and Willie Geist, how excited I was to write about a woman heroine in the dramatic story of this small group of museum directors, curators, art historians, architects and artists who volunteered to save so much of the great cultural treasures of our western world, including paintings by Leonardo da Vinci and sculpture by… -
Fresh Pick | MOONBURN by Alisa Sheckley
19 Nov 2009 | 10:59 pmJune 2009On Sale: May 19, 2009Featuring: Red Mallin; Abra Barrow368 pages ISBN: 0345505883EAN: 9780345505880Mass Market Paperback$6.99Fantasy Urban Buy at Amazon.com Moonburn by Alisa SheckleySome instincts are too powerful to deny. Except when the moon is full...Some instincts are too powerful to deny.In the past year, veterinarian Abra Barrow has gone through some major changes: She’s left Manhattan for the deceptively quiet small town of Northside, ditched her cheating husband, and discovered that he has infected her with the rare werewolf virus. Now Abra is finally beginning to feel as… -
DAILY DOSE | The Splendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore
19 Nov 2009 | 2:44 pmEveryone once and a while, you discover an extraordinary piece of prose. The work captivates your imagination with history, compelling characters, rich, vibrant settings and language so alluring that you cannot put it down. I do not review books often for the Daily Dose, but I really want to share this book with you.Best Read of 2009 Presumptuous as the statement may be, considering we’re six weeks out from 2010, but for me, THE SPLENDOR FALLS was hands down the best book I’ve read all year. The first thirty pages captivated me, inviting me in to sit and stay a spell. Because I was only… -
Elisabeth Naughton | Getting a Bonus, Two Love Stories for Price of One!
18 Nov 2009 | 10:10 pmWho isn’t look for a good deal? Especially in this day and age where the economy’s in the toilet and we’re all searching for ways to save a buck or two? I have always been a fan of great love stories. So it’s always a plus when those stories I love include not only a main romance but a secondary one as well. Two of my favorite contemporary books include secondary romances-Perfect, by Judith McNaught and Match Me If You Can by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Often times, when rereading old books (which I tend to do when I just want to relax), I skim over sections that aren’t related to the… -
Fresh Pick | ETERNAL MOON by Rebecca York
18 Nov 2009 | 10:04 pmMoon #10April 2009On Sale: April 7, 2009Featuring: Renata Cordona; Jacob Marshall304 pages ISBN: 0425227006EAN: 9780425227008Paperback$7.99Romance Paranormal, Romance Suspense Buy at Amazon.com Eternal Moon by Rebecca YorkThey are destined to be together for all eternity—if they can defeat the evil stalking them.Determined to stop a madman, P.I. Renata Cordona is undercover when she’s almost attacked by a pack of vicious dogs. A lone wolf saves her. Then, out of nowhere, a man with an electrifying touch appears—the man who is clearly her destiny.Good and evil clash down through the ages…
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Young Adult (& Kids) Books
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Up for Auction: A full YEAR of advertising on YABC!
19 Nov 2009 | 8:06 amPlease see http://community.livejournal.com/kickstart_tu for all the details!There's an auction going on to support Tu Publishing and help raise the necessary funds. I've posted two auctions: one is for a 10 page critique and the other is for a full year of advertising on www.yabookscentral.com. Bidding starts at just $20!Support a new multicultural press & then advertise for a year! -
Review: Purple Heart
18 Nov 2009 | 1:31 pmIn Purple Heart, Patricia McCormick follows Private Matt Duffy through his ordeal of TBI, Traumatic Brain Injury after being 'on the business end of an RPG-rocket propelled grenade' in Iraq. He has no memory of the incident. TBI can cause loss of memory, mood swings, difficulty in assimilating new information.Matt goes through a variety of emotions and thought processes as he tries to remember what happened, gain back his strength and get back to his squad.Patricia McCormick has written an absorbing book about a real issue-the impact of war on soldiers. She has continued the tradition of her… -
YABC Needs a New Logo...(contest!!)
17 Nov 2009 | 1:08 pmOkay, I really do think it is time for a brand spankin' new logo for Young Adult (& Kids!) Books Central. So it's time for a contest, people.WHAT: you design a new logo for the site and submit it to me at kim@yabookscentral.com in either .gif, .jpg, or .tif format or what the heck, .psd is fine too.HOW: Any way you want. Any colors. Any look. Anything! You can create it on the computer or you can draw it and scan it in.WHO: Open to anyone in the U.S. or Canada (or anyone who has someone they know in the US that can accept the prize for them).WHEN: Submissions are due by December 31, 2009. -
16 Nov 2009 | 1:26 pm
16 Nov 2009 | 1:26 pmHumberto loves to read. Problem is Humberto is often alone. The other animals don't get him and don't understand why he doesn't want to play with them. Then one day a storm comes and destroys the animal's homes and most of Humberto's books. HUMBERTO THE BOOKWORM HAMSTER discovers that maybe having friends is important too. Read more of my review of this adorable picture book at YA Books Central. -
Winter Blog Blast Tour (WBBT)
16 Nov 2009 | 7:21 amFor the past two years, Colleen from Chasing Ray has organized series upon series of author interviews. These blog tours, hosted and posted at various blogs, have been dubbed the Summer Blog Blast Tour (SBBT for short) and Winter Blog Blast Tour (aka WBBT). Each event is one week long and involves a multitude of authors, bloggers, and readers. I conducted five interviews for WBBT, one of which will posted at my book blog, Bildungsroman, each weekday morning this week. I kicked things off this morning with author Courtney Sheinmel, the author of My So-Called Family and Positively.Visit Chasing…
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Top Shelf Reading Picks
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Inbound Marketing–What Would Don Draper Do?
11 Nov 2009 | 11:45 amThis week I read Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah. It was ironic that I was reading this while watching Don Draper and crew on TV’s Mad Men adjust to a whole new world of television advertising and other changes. Why is it ironic? Because we are undergoing a similarly huge shift in how we market, and the name that seems to have stuck is “Inbound Marketing.” This book, Inbound Marketing, is meant for marketers. Some of the other books I’ve reviewed are a bit more theoretical and great for all… -
Welcome to Twitterville
22 Oct 2009 | 9:53 amI’ll be honest. having just read Trust Agents and a couple of other books about social media, I was hesitant to dive into yet another one. However, Twitterville: How Businesses can Thrive in the New Global Neighborhoods by Shel Israel was different than expected. It’s less of a “how to tweet” and more about the evolution of the era of microblogging. Why would anyone tweet? From the forward by Charlene Li: “Twitter is made for my mom. That’s because she’s always infinitely interested in what I am doing and thinking, no matter how mundane–or… -
‘New Job, New You’ by Alexandra Levit
10 Oct 2009 | 9:41 pmWhen pal Alexandra Levit sent me an advance copy of her book, New Job, New You: A Guide to Reinventing Yourself in a Bright New Career, I thought it was quite timely. With the economy still stagnant and the unemployment rate bumping up against double digits, many individuals have to reinvent themselves to find employment. For some this may mean moving in a whole new direction, for others, it may mean it’s time to step back and reprioritize. Levit centers the book on seven motivators for change (listed below). Then throughout the book, she uses individual stories as examples for why and… -
How to Be a Trust Agent by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith
29 Sep 2009 | 11:17 amMost of what I read about social media is geared to audiences that either need to be converted or need to convert others, and who potentially have budgets in the tens of thousands to spend on social media. However, Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith is the first social media book that I found helpful for newbies as well as active users, no matter what size the budget. I’m going to gloss over all the “here are more reasons why you can no longer ignore social media,” and focus on items that are… -
For English Majors Who Love Social Media
17 Sep 2009 | 12:34 pmA couple of years ago, my co-author Lindsey Pollak and I were struggling with how to write an engaging “how to online network” book. Then we pondered: What would Jane Austen do if she were a blogger? The result: The Savvy Gal’s Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?). This is why when I heard about the book Ophelia Joined the Group Maidens Who Don’t Float: Classic Lit Signs on to Facebook by Sarah Schmelling, I just had to get my hands on it. Classic Lit + Social Media = Witty Fun! Schmelling takes classic literature characters and transports…
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Read Roger
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One question or two?
19 Nov 2009 | 5:10 amSo, what does it mean--if anything--that Phillip Hoose's National Book Award winning Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice is ineligible for the Coretta Scott King Award (because Hoose is white) and Jerry Pinkney's Lion & the Mouse is in the same position because it isn't about black people? Does it not matter, or have the CSK awards painted themselves into a corner? -
Too damned long
17 Nov 2009 | 8:36 amI see that PW has followed up on Betsy Bird's thoughts on the Amazon Vine program; their speculation that membership in Vine might be a perk for good customers is intriguing if not substantiated. What seems oddest to me is that this program--for which publishers and other producers pay for the privilege of having their products evaluated--is being criticized for eliciting cluelessly negative reviews, which does not seem to serve the purposes of either publishers or Amazon. It's not like the books don't otherwise get customer reviews, but perhaps the Vine reviews post early enough so that any… -
We skipped the maple candy, too
16 Nov 2009 | 7:41 amBack from Vermont--we did get to visit the Patersons (that Katherine bakes a mean scone and gave us plenty to take back to our Killington chalet, no snow but there was a hot tub) but not JRL as poor Buster was by then too exhausted and disoriented to either move or leave behind. (He is better now but still, twenty.) Our chief entertainments were books in the daytime (me, a Joy Fielding--never again--and the second Stieg Larsson mystery; Richard, Possession (and finally skipping the poetry like I told him to) and The Godfather movies in the evenings. (How had I missed all three of those?) Like… -
I hope it isn't ALL Ben & Jerry's
11 Nov 2009 | 5:54 amGoing to Vermont for a few days; hoping to see Katherine Paterson and HB reviewer Joanna Rudge Long (who lives not near but ON the Appalachian Trail) but otherwise just r&r, Roger and Richard, and Buster, who at twenty is too old for any trailwalking but we hope will enjoy the fireplace. Lots of reading planned--Richard gave me the latest Arthur Phillips for my birthday and I've got the second book about the tattooed lady (as well as the new Vanity Fair which promises a hatchet job on same by Christopher Hitchens) and the new Isabel Dalhousie "mystery" on audio. All that and a hot tub!And… -
Lions are . . .
9 Nov 2009 | 9:38 amThe New York Times Best Illustrated Books list is out, along with my review of The Lion & the Mouse. What a great book--I wish they had given me twice the space. When I sat down with it and my two young neighbors, the two year old boy announced, looking uncertainly at the cover, "lions are scary." His more intrepid four-year-old sister took over the narration from there ("Look out for the bird!") until the end, whereupon the two-year-old said, "lions are NOT scary." Now it's his favorite book, so we gave him a copy for his birthday, along with a little plastic lion he can carry around in…
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Joe Wikert's Kindleville Blog: All Kindle, All the Time
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Francis Hamit: An Author's Point of View
2 Nov 2009 | 8:27 amAuthor Francis Hamit emailed me recently about a major frustration he recently ran into with Amazon. Although Amazon generally offers a terrific customer service experience, Francis' story sheds light on the challenges faced by authors and other content providers. I asked him to write a guest post about his experience and here's what he had to say:I’ve pulled the Kindle edition of my novel “The Shenandoah Spy”. Although it was priced at six dollars less than the print version, it sold less than one percent as well as that edition. I saw a post from another author who said he was selling… -
Coming Soon to Your PC: Kindle Books
22 Oct 2009 | 9:13 amFirst there was the Kindle iPhone app and now Amazon is further hedging their hardware bet with this announcement about the future ability to read Kindle books on your Windows PC. No word on Mac support, btw.The most important point in this announcement is captured by these three words: "No Kindle required." You probably won't want to read on your laptop for hours at a time, but a netbook/tablet device becomes a more viable option, even with a backlit display.Just as printed books will never go away I can see where dedicated e-readers like the Kindle, Sony Reader, iRex, etc., could be around… -
The Asus Eee-Reader: I Don't Get It
14 Sep 2009 | 6:00 amHave you seen the leaked photos of the upcoming Asus Eee-Reader? If you missed it, here's a short article on CNET with a picture. OK, I get the lower price. Sure, that's something the market is clamoring for as the Kindles, Sony Readers, etc., are destined to be nothing more than nichey luxuries as long as they're $300+.But what's with the 2-panel hinged display? Why take a relic of the print book and force it into an e-reader? Think about it. There's not a single time in the past year where I've said, "gee, I really wish this Kindle had a second display that hinged onto this one." Never.Why? -
Managing Stolen/Lost Kindles
7 Sep 2009 | 8:10 amIt should be so much easier than this. I'm talking about Amazon's policy regarding lost/stolen Kindles, as outlined in this article. I can't imagine losing my Kindle and having Amazon tell me they won't disable it.Come on. That's an almost $400 device and it would be so easy for them to deny service to the person who found/stole it. If England can do this with cell phones why in the world can't Amazon do it with Kindles?Whatever happened to this company that built its reputation on a foundation of outstanding customer service? Anyone who accepts this policy and then buys another Kindle to… -
Sheet Music on Kindle DX
24 Aug 2009 | 6:07 amKudos to Andrys Basten and her Kindle World blog for opening my eyes to something I had never considered before: Using the Kindle DX to display sheet music. The DX screen still seems a bit too small to me for this but maybe that's just because my vision isn't what it used to be!You'll find there's a quite a bit of sheet music already for sale on Amazon's website but be sure to consider the free options as well. Andrys provides info on IMSLP, a free public domain sheet music library, as well as some screen shots of how sheet music renders on her own DX (here and here).If you're on Twitter, and…
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Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
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Booksquare
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Digital Rights Management — A Wrinkle or An Opportunity
16 Nov 2009 | 11:12 amFor the past few weeks, we’ve been talking about Digital Rights Management (“DRM”), and the diversity of comments have been fascinating. I still do not believe DRM prevents or slows piracy*. Add to this fact that public perception of DRM, honed by years of abuse by the music industry, is negative…or rather, though most people do not know nor use the terms “digital rights management” or “DRM”, they hate it when they encounter it. There are genuine concerns on both side of the DRM issue. (Oh, and do they hate it! This is a serious challenge for… -
Managing Digital Rights, Part 2
11 Nov 2009 | 10:14 amSo last week, I attempted to jumpstart a new kind of discussion about managing digital rights, and, happily, many people were more than happy to participate. This week, I’m going to try to summarize and respond to what they said. Here’s a sneak preview: publishers, you’re doing it wrong, but not for reasons you think! Let’s back up. Digital Rights Management (”DRM is not inherently evil, but it’s not winning friends or influencing readers. Any mechanism that keeps people from accessing their legally purchased books is a failure. The fact that there are no… -
A (Probably Naive) Attempt to Move the DRM Conversation Forward
2 Nov 2009 | 8:43 amIf there are two truths we hold to be self-evident, they are these: 1) DRM does nothing to stop piracy, and 2) DRM, as used by many publishers today, frustrates legitimate purchasers of books. This leads many to conclude that DRM does not work, and that DRM is evil. How do we get past “it’s good” or “it’s evil”? Not true. And not true. Consumers will happily accept the shackles of DRM if the trade-off is worth it to them. For example, while some Kindle users grumble about loss of rights, they express joy at the ease of purchase created by the Kindle system. -
On Listening and Learning
30 Oct 2009 | 11:51 amAuthor Mur Lafferty offers her thoughts about the changes in publishing. What really surprises me is when you hear publishing people say that they don’t know what to do, or that they refuse listen to Internet professionals. They seem to believe if they do what has worked in the past, eventually the storm will pass and the anchor of tradition will have kept them steady and safe. They look at the people who are succeeding by merging their digital plans with their traditional print plans and call them anomalies at best, or insane at worst. What they need to be doing is learning from them. I Am… -
The Week That Was
23 Oct 2009 | 11:58 amA lot happened in publishing this week — so much that just as I wrapped my head around one thing, something new popped up to either make me re-evaluate my previous thinking…or to send me down a different rabbit hole. Let’s just put it out there: once you’ve gone subterranean, things start to make a lot of sense. Which probably accounts for my mood today. Here in the dark and dangerous world of the publishing underground, spirits are sapped and minds are bent. Sometimes you travel toward the bright light, only to find a seemingly insurmountable pile of…
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carpelibrisreviews.com
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The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
When Dorrit Weger enters the Second Reserve Bank Unit, she knows she's there to stay; not by choice, mind you. She's hit that magical age where, without children and loved ones in need of her, she's become what has been considered "dispensable". While it's true the dwelling is luxurious beyond ... -
David Pritchard Guitar Quartet Music Videos
You may recall that not too long ago I featured the guitar music of David Pritchard. The music is astoundingly beautiful and complex, something to feed your brain and get your creative spirit flowing. Here now are a couple of videos from the David Pritchard Guitar Quartet. You can find ... -
“Bialetti Moka Express” Stovetop Coffee Maker Giveaway
Click Here for More Giveaways Is 'Italian" synonymous with "design"? Perhaps my husband could help answer that question. A proud European to the core, he practically shuddered with delight when a Bialetti Moka Express arrived in our home. Was I excited too? Yes, I adore coffee, especially any with a European ... -
“Cairo - Dancas Egipcias” by Nomad
Click Here for More Giveaways One thing I truly desire to do through this blog is to entice people to explore our world through music and literature. We sometimes get a little shortsighted in our selections, falling into the ruts of what is set before us through television and radio stations. ... -
Marianni - Vai Saber CD Giveaway
Click Here for More Giveaways When sitting still is just not an option, it's time to pop in Marianni Ebert's CD Vai Saber. This Brazilian Jazz singer puts on quite a show at the Zinc Bar in New York City, and fortunately you can hear a live performance anytime you like ...
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WriteBlack
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WriteBlack’s Twitter updates for this week
14 Nov 2009 | 8:59 pm@claudia_m I haven't seen "Whose Toes Are Those?" I shall look for it! # 25 books every Latina should read http://bit.ly/tNCV8 I've read 12. # @tayari 4862 is my fave, but I also like 4475, 4722, 4835, 5030 and 4878. Also? You = hair goddess. # Bought today for Baby's book collection: 'Goodnight, Moon' and 'Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?' # RT @FTmedianews Google to ease copyright concerns? NY court expected to rule on concessions for publishers, authors http://bit.ly/18TNFt # @claudia_m I probably picked it up from somewhere! # @claudia_m No. -
WriteBlack’s Twitter updates for this week
7 Nov 2009 | 8:59 pmRT @DUKEpress Thomas Glave, editor of Our Caribbean, interviewed in Examiner.com: http://bit.ly/1nLycA # Tomorrow, apparently, is National Bookstore Day. http://bit.ly/2p1r6w # Cutie-pie chef Marcus Samuelsson has a new cookbook, 'The New American Table' http://bit.ly/2V0TiS # ProQuest digitizes black newspapers http://bit.ly/4sxam2 But you may have to be a librarian to access the service. # It's a little disappointing that my daughter's still too young to be really interested when I read to her. Oh, well. She'll get there. # It's the first day of NaNoWriMo! But heed… -
A confession
6 Nov 2009 | 2:38 amI haven’t been able to finish Douglas A. Blackmon’s Slavery By Another Name. Each time I pick it up, it makes me angrier. That is all. -
Video Wednesday: Colson Whitehead talks about the writer’s life
4 Nov 2009 | 2:38 am -
Review: Bachelor Untamed, Brenda Jackson
2 Nov 2009 | 2:40 amBachelor Untamed Brenda Jackson Kimani Press 2009 Please stop me before I read another Brenda Jackson romance. I generally have the same complaints about her books: unrealistic dialogue and insipid heroines (and in case you’re wondering why I continue to read her, it’s out of some sort of possibly misplaced Florida-girl loyalty). Bachelor Untamed still has the dialogue problem, but for once the heroine isn’t a complete drip. A complete one, I said. Here’s the story: Ellie Weston’s aunt dies and leaves her a lake house, where Ellie reconnects with her childhood…
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London Review of Books
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Michael Wood: Barthes
It’s easy, and usually rash, to use the word ‘unforgettable’, or even ‘memorable’, since we can forget anything. But then what we hang on to becomes all the more remarkable, and Barthes, like Cole Porter, was the author of phrases and rhythms that for some of us will not go away until we do. -
John Gray: Keynes
To suggest that the source of market volatility is unreason is to imply that if people were fully rational markets could be stable. But even if people were affectless calculating machines they would still be ignorant of the future, and markets would still be volatile. The root cause of market instability is the insuperable limitation of human knowledge. -
Bernard Porter: MI5
As well as being relaxed about reading other people’s letters, these people seem – from the examples quoted here – to have been racist, anti-semitic, sexist and homophobic (ostensibly) to a degree unusual even for their time, though perhaps not for their class. They also tended to be cheery and fond of outdoor sports. -
Slavoj Žižek: Neo-Anti-Communism
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Tariq Ali: Af-Pak
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McSweeney's
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Catherine and Heathcliff Audition for "Twilight" (11/20/09)
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Conversations at a Wartime Cafe (11/20/09)
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Open Letters to People or Entities Who Are Unlikely to Respons (11/20/09)
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Has Bell Invented a "Telegraph Killer"? (11/19/09)
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Sean Michaels Listens to Music in Montreal (11/19/09)
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Podiobooker
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Finn, Again, The Later Adventure of Huckleberry Finn
20 Nov 2009 | 5:32 amDoug Hundley makes his debut on the site today. He’s making all 9 episodes of Finn, Again, The Later Adventure of Huckleberry Finn. You might have caught the subtext: Still a rascal and a wanderer, Huck Finn, now nearing thirty, narrowly escapes a shotgun wedding, outwits a crafty Treasury Agent bent on connecting him with the killing of President Lincoln, meets up with Tom Sawyer and his old river pal Jim, executes a clever con in saloons across Nebraska, and explores the American Frontier with a traveling band of Shakespearean actors. Along the way our free-spirited hero falls… -
Podioracket- R.E. Chambliss and Paul E. Cooley Close The Season
18 Nov 2009 | 11:17 pmThis episode wraps up Season 2 of Podioracket.com and kicks off our winter hiatus but you we’ve been putting in extra hours to ensure that you will never even know we are gone. Brian Rathbone our convention interviewer, and volunteer guest interviewers have provided plenty of entertaining information while we are out. However, new content will only be available from Podioracket.com. We will not be updating Podiobooker.com and there are no new BTR-PR shows until Season 3. In the next few weeks look forward to the Podiobooks.com promo special, interviews from our street team of… -
Greater Good
18 Nov 2009 | 5:45 amPlease welcome back Nathan P. Butler to the site. Today he’s making available — in its entirety — the serialized audiobook of his novel, Greater Good: In the world of tomorrow, the American Regime dominates our hemisphere, ruled by a new nobility: telepaths. While this powerful new minority rules over the normal human majority, society enjoys stability and security. However, with this new world comes new prejudices and oppression. Now, a powerful telepathic killer from the future has come to our present to eliminate this new world – a serial killer today, a genocide… -
Heaven – Season Five: War is COMPLETE!
18 Nov 2009 | 5:23 amWe’ve just posted the 20th and final episode of Mur Lafferty’s Heaven – Season Five: War. This also marks the end of the Heaven series. So if you like to wait until everything is done — it’s done! -
Cheating, Death
13 Nov 2009 | 8:10 amTeel McClanahan III is back. And this time, there very likely may be dead zombies everywhere. Cheating, Death starts now: When the walking dead fill the streets, who can cheat death? Who can survive? Featuring a zombie outbreak that devastates Denver, an indecisive adulterer, and a series of violent, disturbing, and perhaps even heart-rending events of the sort you’d expect when the dead rise up to eat the living, Cheating, Death is a roller-coaster ride through a horror show both of death and of the heart. Cheating, Death is the fourth glimpse of the storybook universe first seen in…
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Bookshop Blog
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Respect Your Space, even when it isn’t Yours.
17 Nov 2009 | 5:50 amIt’s amazing how little some store owners seem to own the space they lease. It’s a common problem in America, isn’t it? We don’t value anything unless we own it, and, even then, we don’t seem to care that much. With our first location, I didn’t think about it that much. We have had it pretty good; the lawn stays pretty and the things that aren’t pretty don’t cause trouble. But, I do like to take a look around every once in a while because I know that the owner of the place would appreciate it. I think if I owned a building that I… -
Considering a Facelift at Blarney Books, Port Fairy
16 Nov 2009 | 5:36 amWe have been asking ourselves this question for the last five years, but I think we are reaching the decision that we probably should. The front of our building isn’t very welcoming, looking more like a book warehouse than a character-filled secondhand bookshop. We have a problem in that council doesn’t want us to change the appearance of the front (it was once Port Fairy’s Masonic Lodge, and the Heritage people want to keep Port Fairy somewhat in the past). Here’s what it looks like, for those of you who might have missed earlier postings: Blarney Books front of… -
Working with Book Clubs
9 Nov 2009 | 6:51 pmBook clubs are a great constant source of clientele for a bookstore. I chatted with Julie Robinson of Literary Affairs about hints for how bookstores can better serve book club members and tap into that book loving audience. Julie is a professional book group facilitator who runs dozens of monthly book groups, in addition to hosting luncheons with literature professors and literary themed trips around the world. For many of her events, she works with Book Soup of Los Angeles – Julie provides the event and Book Soup provides the books, a perfect match. How do a book group facilitator… -
Books in plain brown wrappers
7 Nov 2009 | 3:23 pmOnce upon a time, if you wanted a “certain kind of book” you had to go to a certain kind of shop or order from a catalog and wait for a package in a plain brown wrapper to arrive. With the internet, the doors have been thrown wide open and people can find any kind of book they want and have it delivered to them… for a price. And the price for vintage erotica is often VERY high for a tiny little paperback in awful condition. Many dealers don’t want to touch erotica with a 10 foot pole. If you’re a specialist in a totally unrelated area, that makes sense, but… -
Children in Bookstores – Oh my….
2 Nov 2009 | 7:37 amNo One Cares This chapter is sort of a side-note to everything that is being discussed in this book. Of course, with a good selection, fair pricing, and a nice store, most everyone will appreciate your products and what you are doing as a bookseller. However, they don’t care at all about your books and sundry items until they have bought it for themselves. By using a short story, I will illustrate this point. Keep in mind that I am excluding how no one cares about the people around them while shopping in your store. As I write this chapter, there is a young man standing fifteen…
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Berkeley Heights Public Library Book Blog
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On Secret Pseudonyms
20 Nov 2009 | 1:47 pmWhile reading a review for Boston Teran's latest book, it occurred to me that authors who don't want to reveal their real name, and yet want you to know that they are already "well-known," drive me crazy. You can't have it both ways. But I think it's OK if you later plan on telling the world. Donald Westlake originally did this with his pseudonym Samuel Holt. He wanted to see if he could still make it in fiction without his famous name. In an interview with the University of Chicago Press, he explained:Some years later, I had reached that point known by a lot of writers: What if I were… -
Throw Out Your Diet Books (Unless You Borrowed Them from Us)
18 Nov 2009 | 1:05 pmIf you’ve ever fallen asleep trying to read a book that tells you exactly what to eat and how much of it, complete with diagrams, give one of the following books a try instead.In Defense of FoodJournalist Michael Pollan points out that we’ve been eating plants for 10,000 years. Sticking with what worked for our ancestors is the genesis of his motto: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” And by food, he means things that have been around since your great-grandparents’ time, not chemicals, additives, food with packaging that declares itself to be healthy, or Tootsie Rolls.The End… -
H1N1 Vaccinations for Berkeley Heights
17 Nov 2009 | 9:32 amReposted from the Township of Berkeley Heights website:H1N1 Vaccination ClinicMonday November 30th4PM – 8PMAt Columbia Middle School 345 Plainfield Ave. Berkeley HeightsNotice there is no parking onsite until after 3:30 PM.Open to residents that are;• Pregnant women• Household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months of age• Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel• All people from 6 months through 24 years of age• Persons aged 25 through 64 years who have health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from influenza.You should… -
Friday's Inspiration Board
13 Nov 2009 | 11:07 amSome worldly suggestions for the weekend.Compare photographs of what is considered to be a week's worth of food in 25 different countries in What the World Eats by Peter Menzel. Consider the point of modern monarchies in On Royalty: a Very Polite Inquiry Into Some Strangely Related Families by Jeremy Paxman. Find out if your ability to curse in three languages means you're Jubana in Jubana!: the Awkwardly True and Dazzling Adventures of a Jewish Cubana Goddess by Gigi Anders.Learn how to speak the King's English with the audiobook Acting with an Accent: Standard British.Read a biographer's… -
Two Mystery Recommendations
12 Nov 2009 | 8:39 amTwo mysteries in a row from the towering pile on my bedside table have turned out to be fun, readable, entertaining and above all, finishable. Not all books in the T.P. are finishable; one just never knows when cracking open a book whether it will entertain, educate or bore you to tears. I recommend the following books for fans of light, humorous, "cozy" mysteries.A Slice of Murder by Chris Cavender in which N.C. pizza parlor owner, Eleanor Swift delivers a pizza only to find the customer dead on the floor of his house. The police consider her a suspect and so she investigates to clear her…
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Joe Wikert's Publishing 2020 Blog
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Free Content, Registration Required
16 Nov 2009 | 5:30 amAuthor David Meerman Scott recently wrote a terrific blog post about free ebooks and how distribution is affected when registration is required. It's easy to think that "free is free" and requiring registration shouldn't have much of an impact, but check out the stats in David's post.OK, the numbers presented there aren't exactly ironclad or statistically irrefutable but still, it's an interesting study. I tend to agree with David that there's a valuable trade-off in getting your content into more people's hands for possible Twittering,… -
Is the eReader Financial Model Upside Down?
9 Nov 2009 | 7:38 amI finally started listening to the free audio version of Chris Anderson's latest book, Free. I'm only a couple of chapters in and it's interesting so far but since I downloaded it months ago it (once again) shows just how much I tend to ignore all the free stuff I'm hoarding, especially iPhone apps. That's probably a worthwhile subject for a future post... For this post, I'd rather think out loud about altering the pricing models for e-reading devices and e-content.I won't buy a Kindle edition of a book that's more than $9.99. Why? Besides the… -
B&N's Nook...and Beyond
26 Oct 2009 | 6:06 amThe big news in e-readers last week was B&N's announcement of their upcoming Nook device. My first reaction was "meh", but the more I think about it, the more potential I see...not necessarily for the Nook, but rather for the e-reader space. Let's start with the Nook features I find interesting:3G Wireless and Wifi -- I blogged about this long ago and have often wondered why Amazon didn't bother offering wifi with the Kindle. Some said it would be redundant with Whispernet. I say nonsense, particularly since I use wifi every day with my iPhone 3GS.Exclusive… -
Google Editions Should be a Game-Changer
19 Oct 2009 | 4:45 pmI spent last week in Frankfurt at the book fair and our inaugural Tools of Change (TOC) conference there. TOC was terrific, but one session in particular grabbed my attention. Amanda Edmonds, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Google gave a presentation on the much-anticipated Google Editions program. Google Editions is ebooks, done right. When it launches you'll be able to buy ebooks in (almost) every format for (almost) every device. Why "almost"? According to Amanda, the Kindle will be excluded.So how can a new service be successful when it ignores the market… -
How the Kindle Prevents eContent from Evolving
12 Oct 2009 | 1:09 amPerhaps I shouldn't single out the Kindle on this one. What I'm about to say is true for the entire current generation of dedicated e-reader devices, not just the Kindle. But the Kindle leads the way, so it gets the headline. The problem with these devices is that they encourage quick print-to-e content conversion and nothing more. In fact, they even discourage some of the simplest ways of enhancing print-to-e conversions. Embedded links are a great example. If you're a Kindle owner how often do you click on those links? More specifically, how often do you groan as…
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The Journal of Electronic Publishing
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How the Media Frames "Open Access"
The Journal of Electronic Publishing Vol. 12 Issue 1, 2009-02-15. Framing has its roots in how journalists construct news in a way that makes sense to lay audiences. Frames capture the essence of an issue. They define what the problem is, and how to think about it. Often they suggest what should be done to remedy a problem (Kinder 1998). -
Two Scenarios for How Scholarly Publishers Could Change Their Business Model to Open Access
The Journal of Electronic Publishing Vol. 12 Issue 1, 2009-02-15. In scholarly publishing as in many other industries, the Internet has also opened innovative new ways of doing business. A grass-roots movement of scientists advocating the publication of scientific journals openly on the Web, which they called “open access,” started in the mid-1990s (Guédon 2001). Open access can be seen as part of a larger Web-enabled phenomenon of peer production, user-generated content, and open-source development (Benkler 2002, 2006). The open access advocates propose two partly complementary… -
Toward the Design of an Open Monograph Press
The Journal of Electronic Publishing Vol. 12 Issue 1, 2009-02-15. The cellulose-based engine of academic life in the humanities and social sciences, otherwise known as the monograph, is being increasingly displaced not by MacBooks or FaceBook but by its long-standing junior companion, the journal. After playing a supporting role for centuries as a place for trial runs, interim reports, reviews, and updates, the journal article has become the principal measure of academic achievement in many disciplines. The journal does bring a measure of precision to the academy’s reputation economy, with… -
Open Access in 2008
The Journal of Electronic Publishing Vol. 12 Issue 1, 2009-02-15. A staggering amount of energy was poured into implementing open access (OA) in 2008. This is an attempt to show its depth and breadth, while admitting that the full story can’t be captured in one article. There’s a lot of detail here, but it’s selective and I’ve tried to present just the highlights of 2008 in nine categories, with a 10th section for highlights of the highlights. To keep it within bounds, I’ve omitted some sections I’ve formerly included, such as open education, open access for public-sector… -
Current Models of Digital Scholarly Communication: Results of an Investigation Conducted by Ithaka Strategic Services for the Association of Research Libraries
The Journal of Electronic Publishing Vol. 12 Issue 1, 2009-02-15. The networked digital environment has enabled the creation of many new kinds of works that are accessible to end users directly, and many of these resources have become essential tools for scholars conducting research, building scholarly networks, and disseminating their ideas and work. The decentralized distribution of these new model works can make it difficult to fully appreciate their scope and number, even for university librarians tasked with knowing about valuable resources across the disciplines. In the spring of 2008,…
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First Book Blog
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Odds and Bookends: November 20
20 Nov 2009 | 2:05 pmKids books: A conversation with ‘Strega Nona’ author Tomie dePaola Tomie dePaola, author of “Strega Nona’s Harvest,” talks about the grandmotherly Italian witch/folk healer and her magic pasta pot. What to Give & What to Get More than 40 Penguin authors are sharing book recommendations for holiday gift-giving as part of Penguin’s What to Give & What to Get campaign. Check out videos of authors Nick Hornby, Kate Jacobs, Robert B. Parker and Frank Bruni who share favorite books on camera. Oxford Word of the Year 2009: Unfriend The New Oxford American… -
Welcome New Campus Advisory Boards
18 Nov 2009 | 12:16 pmWe are excited to announce two new additions to the First Book family this fall – First Book-Central Michigan University and First Book-Duke University! First Book-Central Michigan University was established in September by students from several campus organizations including the Student Michigan Education Association, Alpha Sigma Alpha, and Kappa Delta Pi. The Board is off to a great start having already held their first fundraising event and making their first grant award. First Book-Duke University was established in October by Arlene Melchiorre in Duke’s Office of Durham… -
Duck for Turkey Day
17 Nov 2009 | 2:40 pmGuest Blogger Lydia Breiseth is the manager of the bilingual English-Spanish website Colorín Colorado, whose mission is to provide educators and parents with information about teaching English language learners to read and succeed. Ms. Breiseth began her career teaching English to adults in Ecuador with the educational exchange program WorldTeach, and has subsequently taught English and Spanish in a variety of educational and family literacy programs to students of all ages. Prior to working at Colorín Colorado, Ms. Breiseth served as the Community Affairs Liaison at Telemundo Washington… -
Eight O’Clock Coffee Brings Boxes of New Books to Brooklyn Kids
17 Nov 2009 | 8:35 amGuest blogger Evette Rios is regularly featured on the syndicated TV talk show, “Rachael Ray.” Evette Rios has also designed on camera for HGTV’s “Freestyle”, and TLC’s “In A Fix.” Evette Rios designs interiors through her firm Sitio, bringing experience working in several of Manhattan’s top interior firms. A graduate of Bates College, Evette Rios also attended both Parsons School of Design and the Graduate School of Design at Harvard. Evette Rios also shares her design advice in spanish in “Siempre Mujer” magazine. Walking… -
4-Stars for 3 Years Running…
16 Nov 2009 | 8:10 amAt First Book, we love good news! And we just got some great news from Charity Navigator, the nation’s leading charity evaluator. We’ve received a 4-Star rating for the third year in a row! Only 13% of the charities rated by Charity Navigator have received at least 3 consecutive 4-star evaluations. This rating indicates that we consistently execute our mission in a fiscally responsible way and that we outperform most other charities in America. In a letter from Charity Navigator, President Ken Berger wrote, “This ‘exceptional’ designation from Charity Navigator…
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Publishing 2.0
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High-End Brand Publishers Need to Sell Scalable Premium Ad Solutions, Not Commodity Ad Space
26 Oct 2009 | 9:26 amNewspaper online advertising has not benefited greatly from the recent upswing in online ad spending, according to the New York Times and most of the recent newspaper company quarterly results. This is no surprise because most newspaper websites sell SPACE for commodity advertising — display ads and classifieds — and thus are hard pressed to compete with ad networks that specialize in selling commodity ad space by the megaton (or giving it away for free, in the case of Craigslist). Back when newspapers where the only game in town for ad space, they could charge whatever they… -
Content Doesn’t Matter Without the Package
16 Sep 2009 | 8:25 pmIn response to the launch of Google’s Fast Flip, I observed that Google is correctly focused on creating a new user interface for news, when most media companies are not. A lot of people responded that Fast Flip is not an innovative or effective UI for news — which may be true, but that misses the point entirely. It doesn’t matter so much whether Google succeeds or fails with this particular experiment. What matters is that they are trying to solve the right problem. The challenge for media companies is not to figure out what to do with their content — content in and… -
What Google Understands About the Future of News and Publishing That Publishers Do Not
14 Sep 2009 | 5:37 pmGoogle knows a lot about the future of news — more than many publishers. It’s evident in Google’s new product, Fast Flip, which allows news consumers to “flip” through news stories. What’s striking about Fast Flip is that Google is innovating precisely where publishers used to lead innovation. Fast Flip is a new package for news. The publishing business has always been about packaging content. Newspapers. Magazines. Newsletters In digital media, on the web, the news package is now a function of software — which is why Google is innovating precisely… -
The Briefing: Start at Y Combinator, finish at EveryBlock
17 Aug 2009 | 1:54 pmIt was a busy Monday morning in two corners of the hacker journalist community: EveryBlock is acquired by MSNBC, and Y Combinator announces a “request for startups” to address that whole “future of journalism” question hanging out there in the open air. Want to catch up? Start here: Msnbc.com acquires local news Web site MSNBC.com | August 17, 2009 Ryan Sholin says: MSNBC acquires Everyblock. This brief includes a reminder that they bought Newsvine some time ago. Not a bad stable of news sites to have around. Tags: Media & Journalism, EveryBlock, msnbc, Adrian… -
What I Read Today: Facebook Buys FriendFeed Edition
10 Aug 2009 | 5:17 pmWhy Facebook Wants FriendFeed GigaOm | August 10, 2009 Scott Karp says: Om Malik calls it “the problem of plenty.” Facebook is trying to solve it by acquiring FriendFeed. Will news orgs compete? Facebook Takes FriendFeed To Take On Twitter TechCrunch | August 10, 2009 Scott Karp says: M&A, as always, is driven by startups building what incumbents should have but couldn’t. karaswisher: Now That There’s FaceFeed, Does That Make Twoogle More Inevitable?: http://bit.ly/fET9I Twitter | August 10, 2009 Scott Karp says: Winner – Best FF/Facbook Post Title mathewi:…
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Publishing Insider
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Zinn special!
20 Nov 2009 | 5:36 amDo not miss Howard Zinn's TV documentary coming in December. With Matt Damon and others as the voices!! Harper and Seven Stories Press have the tie-in books. -
French booksellers
17 Nov 2009 | 5:48 amGood guy Ed Nawotka has a piece about a Michelin-esque rating of French bookstores. -
one of my heroes passes on
13 Nov 2009 | 10:07 amI was NUTS for Soupy Sales as a kid!!!!!!!!! I mean, he was Lenny Bruce, George Carlin and Milton Berle wrapped in in one guy before I knew who those other guys were. I mean, subversive and funny as hell!!! I had the bowties, trading cards and Black Tooth and White Fang down to a t. Soupy, we miss you. Read the life story. -
Miami nice
12 Nov 2009 | 4:56 amNothing beats being there, but in lieu of that, here's some Miami Book Fair on Book Tv. -
regl show future
9 Nov 2009 | 3:45 amHope you saw my musings/rant in PW!
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University of Nebraska Press
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UNP on the WWW – A round-up
18 Nov 2009 | 10:29 amAs I was drinking my morning coffee and getting ready for work today, I checked one of my very favorite book blogs and found a review of TWO University of Nebraska Press titles featured prominently on the homepage. Which was a great way to start the day. In her short story collection Call Me Ahab, Anne Finger explores disability and the way it affects (and doesn’t) art, relationships, legacy and a host of other topics. It’s a powerfully and beautifully written book, which has gained it much notice. Including from Millions reviewer Amy Halloran, who calls Finger “a talented… -
Off the Shelf: Corkscrewed by Robert V. Camuto
16 Nov 2009 | 5:30 amToday we're highlighting one of the books featured in our cooking sale. Read from "As the Corkscrew Turns" in Corkscrewed: Adventures in the New French Wine Country byRobert V. Camuto: "It was a perfect day to lose faith in wine. By midmorning on June 21, 2005, the heat and humidity were conspiring to make it another in a series of stifling hot days in Bordeaux. I’d set out from Saint-Émilion in my tiny Citroën rental car—windows rolled down to make up for the lack of air conditioning—en route to Vinexpo, the world’s largest wine convention held once every two… -
Nebraska Book Festival is tomorrow!
13 Nov 2009 | 1:53 pmA note to all our literary Lincoln friends: The Nebraska Book Festival is tomorrow! Michael Forsberg, Allison Hedge Coke, William Kloefkorn, Ted Kooser and Hilda Raz are among just some of the UNP authors to conduct workshops or read at the event. A full listing of tomorrow's activities is on the NBF's snazzy Web site (I love their logo this year). Have a great weekend! -
In time for Thanksgiving, cooking titles on sale
10 Nov 2009 | 9:30 amHalloween, to me, signals the arrival of an annual event I think of as The Official Two Months of Eating Well. It begins with apple cider and popcorn balls, moves into apple cake and pumpkin bread territory, before arriving in full-fledged Thanksgivingland, then giving way to peanut brittle, fancy holiday breads with raisins, currants and nuts, and, of course, cookies. Being The Official Two Months of Eating Well are rooted in tradition, the potential for falling into a rut (albeit a savory rut) runs high. But the University of Nebraska Press is here to help. On sale through November… -
Off the Shelf: Double-Edged Sword by Bart Paul
9 Nov 2009 | 5:30 amRead the beginning of Chapter 1, "The Bull" from Double-Edged Sword: The Many Lives of Hemingway's Friend, the American Matador Sidney Franklin byBart Paul: "He was born Sidney Frumpkin on July 11, 1903, one of nine surviving children to Abram and Lubba Frumpkin of Minsk and Kazan, respectively. His parents, both Orthodox Jews, emigrated from Imperial Russia in 1888. After eight years in this country and the birth of his first few children, Abram joined the New York City Police Department, eventually working out of Brooklyn’s Seventy-Eighth Precinct. The borough of…
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The Book Bag Blog
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Lost in Luxembourg? Ehh France is that way....
13 Nov 2009 | 4:06 am -
Lost in luxembourg? Germany is this way.........
13 Nov 2009 | 4:03 am -
Spot the book bag part II
30 Sep 2009 | 7:32 am -
Spot the book bag? Heddal Kirke Stave Church
30 Sep 2009 | 7:22 am -
I wonder what's inside.........
11 Sep 2009 | 4:41 am
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Up The Mast
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All You Have To Do Is Listen
26 Oct 2009 | 7:01 amMy prediction: Ebooks are here to stay and will be an accepted and even assumed part of publishing forever. I find it fascinating that for several years, devices and technology have been improving, and the quantity of ebook content increasing, yet we are still surprised when wide scale adoption actually begins. Which it has.I am not ashamed to admit, even though I am thoroughly embedded in the book publishing world, that I am already tired of the endless analysis and statistics on ebooks. I just don't understand why everyone is so surprised that tomorrow is now and regular people are buying… -
Brings Tears to My Eyes
3 Oct 2009 | 1:51 pmI am admittedly a geek. Seeing a new version of our software come to life very nearly brings tears to my eyes (not really, but you get the point). We have hit many key milestones during this long journey of completely re-engineering our Title Management software from a Windows client server app to a web based application. And this is one of them. Although we have had our web based Title Management in use for several years for specific constituents, and have installed Title Management Version 7.0 on the web exclusively to new clients coming aboard, Version 7.1 represents the first real… -
2009 Firebrand Community Conference Is Upon Us
17 Sep 2009 | 6:35 amWe are in the final stages of planning and preparing for our Firebrand Community Conference to be held October 5-7 in Newburyport. The registrations are climbing and the sessions are slowly coming together. Last year, we had to pull off the trifecta of re-branding the company, developing Title Management Version 7 to demo, and pulling together our first conference. Looking back now, it is hard to believe that it all came together, but such is the energy of pressure - and a lot of late nights. This year, the conference structure is back in place with some tweaks based on feedback from our… -
Klick, Klick Go The Kindles
22 Jul 2009 | 4:53 amIf you will indulge me for a moment, I would like to gush a bit about reading books the new-fashioned way - with an e-reader.Since I am an atmospheric guy, let me set the stage for you. It is late in the evening, all the girls are finally asleep (why is it the energetic kindergartner always stays up the latest?). We live on a dead-end street down near the bay, so it is quiet - really quiet. No traffic noise. No background noise, unless the wind is up (but for sake of atmospherics lets assume the sea breeze has died down and a light northerly has taken its place).But there is one curious sound… -
Where the Heck Did June Go?
7 Jul 2009 | 5:00 amTime to start making excuses - lots of them for not blogging, or even twittering much, in the past month. It is hard to believe that it is July and we are into full summer swing, but indeed it is.The spring is normally a very hectic time at Firebrand, given the intensity of preparing and executing our presence at BookExpo and other conferences and the follow up from each.This spring, however, was nearly unprecedented. Here is what I was up to in the last month alone:The biggie: Ingram Publisher Services is now live on our Title Management Enterprise software and Eloquence Metadata Solutions.
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The Penguin Blog
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Around the World in 80 Books: the sixth leg
5 Nov 2009 | 8:18 amLast night, my visiting mother raised a perfect French brow and asked me, "Zo... you 'ave not put up a blerg* since June, non?"** I realised, with horror, that she was right, and set out immediately to rectify this terrible fact. Since there's only fifty-six-ish days left to complete my journey around the world, I reasoned that enough procrastination was enough, and it was time to dust off my passport and leave Austria for less... sadomasochistic climes. So here I am, in merry, merry Germany Sixth stop: Germany Book: The Complete Tales, by The Brothers GrimmView Around the… -
A morning in the woods: diary of an editor
30 Oct 2009 | 4:13 amIt’s been years since I set my alarm for 4.30 am – I’ll do anything to avoid easyJet or any other such ungodly calls upon my time – but on Monday I was going off into the forest to see the deer, and being up before the sun was part of the deal. So I set off in what I can only call the very, very dark and joined my guide for the day, Colin Elford, and his two dogs.I first met Colin, a forest ranger, when he’d come on one of his very rare trips to London. We’re publishing his diary of a year in the woods – aptly named A YEAR IN THE WOODS: DIARY OF A FOREST RANGER – so we had… -
In praise of independent bookshops
21 Oct 2009 | 9:39 amDon’t tell anyone I work with but I don’t actually buy that many books. I used to, when I worked in Waterstone’s, as I a) was constantly surrounded by lots I wanted, b) had a staff discount, and, most crucially of all, c) couldn’t get them for free like I can often do now. When I do buy books, though, I like to try and do it from an independent. Yes, it’s more expensive as you usually pay full price but I find the experience quite edifying, mainly for the fact that it feels like everyone else in the transaction is getting maximum benefit: writer, publisher and, of course and… -
Penguin Press Design blog Autumn '09
15 Oct 2009 | 9:13 amWith the latest stress of dates and deadlines passed there is just time to bring the second round up of new Penguin Press covers, this time looking at the pick of covers being published this Autumn 2009. So all these books are just out in the shops or will be imminently. There's been a few covers to get excited about this month, starting with Great Ideas Vol. IV. Again, David Pearson and his merry team, Phil Baines, Catherine Dixon and Alistair Hall, have run riot over these covers producing another diverse, irresistible and often beautiful set of designs, many are saying the best yet. -
Hitchcon'09
1 Oct 2009 | 6:03 amIt's nearly the end of September, and there's something seriously stirring in the Galaxy. The countdown (10 days, 12 hours, 42 minutes) is, well, still counting down, towards the much anticipated publication of 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Part Six of Three...And Another Thing' by Artemis Fowl author Eoin Colfer, published to mark the 30th anniversary of the publication of the Douglas Adams' first book. And to celebrate publication of quite possibly the most remarkable book ever to come out of the great publishing corporations of Ursa Minor (probably), a…
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will work for books
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David Levien's Frank Behr series, books 1 and 2
17 Nov 2009 | 10:26 pmCity of the SunMP3 book/audiobook read by Scott BrickBooks on Tape, IncorporatedISBN: 1415945543Where the Dead LayKindle bookDoubledayASIN: B002DBIOE8 Books 1 and 2 in the Frank Behr Series, by David LevienGeneral comments on the series thus farI'd call this hard-edged detective fiction that is actually about a PI (who was *formerly* a detective). The strengths of the series are that the main character, Frank Behr, is tortured and self-hating while also being smart and able to get out of his own misery (mostly). He has been wounded emotionally by the death of his child, so he has the tortured… -
Sally Goldenbaum, Death by Cashmere
17 Nov 2009 | 9:58 pmDeath by Cashmere by Sally GoldenbaumTrade paperbackISBN: 0451225538What is the book about?A group of wealthy people who live in Cape Cod and like to knit. The main characters are Nell and Ben, a couple in their sixties, and Izzy, their niece, who owns the Seaside Knitting Studio. Izzy was once a high-powered lawyer at a firm in Boston but gave it up to run the knitting studio. She is a knitting genius and loves creating patterns and making lovely window displays in the store. Nell and Ben do nothing but go to meetings for charitable foundations and buy art. They may be retired now. Anyway,… -
That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo
28 Oct 2009 | 6:00 amThat Old Cape Magicby Richard Russocloth978-0-375-41496-1KnopfRating (on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being best)Plot: 4.5Characters: 5Writing: 5Final: 4.83Comments: This book deviates a little from the usual Russo formula where the small northeastern town is treated like an additional character. I happen to really enjoy that formula, but I liked this one, too.Griffin has been tooling around for nearly a year with his father’s ashes in the trunk, but his mother is very much alive and not shy about calling on his cell phone. She does so as he drives down to Cape Cod, where he and his wife, Joy,… -
Home by Marilynne Robinson
26 Oct 2009 | 6:00 amHomeby Marilynne Robinsoncloth9780374299101Farrar, Straus and GirouxRating (on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being best)Plot: 5Characters: 5Writing: 5Final: 5Comments: I'm not going to be able to do this book justice. The two words that keep coming to mind are beautiful and devastating. It gave me a feeling I don't experience much any more--I don't know how common this feeling is, so this might not mean much to you. Particularly throughout my childhood, in that indefinable period of stillness between late afternoon and evening (generally on Sundays) I would be overwhelmed by what I can only describe… -
Marked and Anita
23 Oct 2009 | 6:00 amJana and Bethann's recent postings on Kellerman and Evanovich inspired me to review a couple of series I've recently read part of . . .I'd like to think I'm just not the demographic for the Young Adult novel anymore, and that maybe I never was. I fancy myself too cynical and jaded. Admittedly, I read the entire Twilight series. I'll even cop to staying up all night to read the first one and seeing the movie with my Twi-hard co-workers. It was a nice diversion, but in the end I wanted more biting and fighting. I vowed to move on.But, here I am again in the middle of another too young vampire…
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Pub Rants
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Harlequin News Flash
19 Nov 2009 | 3:12 pmSTATUS: Sara’s first day back in the office. Totally fun.What’s playing on the iPod right now? SHAKE THE DISEASE by Depeche ModeThis just in (literally five seconds ago) from Donna Hayes, CEO of Harlequin.Harlequin was very surprised and dismayed to receive notice late yesterday that the RWA has decided that Harlequin is no longer eligible for RWA-provided conference resources. We were even more surprised to discover that the RWA sent a notice to its membership announcing this decision, before allowing Harlequin to respond or engage in a discussion about it with the RWA board.Harlequin… -
And I Thought The Furor Was Bad Yesterday….
18 Nov 2009 | 2:58 pmSTATUS: Who can get work done when there is so much Harlequin gossip flying around?What’s playing on the iPod right now? EDGE OF SEVENTEEN by Stevie NicksThen today can’t even compare. I think Harlequin has just gotten the smack down.I have not confirmed this rumor yet, but a fellow agent just emailed me to say that RWA revoked Harlequin’s recognized publisher status. Uh… that means no Harlequin author can enter the RITAs.Let me tell you, the emails are flying fast and furious among the agents.And RWA just sent out this announcement:RWA Alert: RWA Responds to Harlequin HorizonsDear… -
Exploitation or Empowerment?
17 Nov 2009 | 6:04 pmSTATUS: Only 205 emails in the inbox now. I’m making headway!What’s playing on the iPod right now? MY EVER CHANGING MOODS by Style CouncilSo Harlequin is causing quite the furor today. Last week they announced a new ePub imprint called Carina to potentially compete with ePublishers like a Samhain or Ellora’s Cave with royalties of 30% of retail price on copies sold (which by the way, should piss off any Harlequin authors who are being traditionally published by that house as their eRoyalties suck).Then this week, they announced a self-publishing arm called Harlequin Horizons partnering… -
Really Good Might Not Be Enough
16 Nov 2009 | 4:55 pmSTATUS: Ugh. I’ve got 300 emails in my inbox.What’s playing on the iPod right now? HAMMER AND A NAIL by Indigo GirlsI have to say that I’ve been shaking my head a lot lately. This market is just brutal.Today I wrote a rejection letter to a really talented author. Previously published, had a really good manuscript but I honestly didn’t think I could sell it so passed on offering representation.You know things are bad when as an agent, I’m passing on really good novels because currently I believe that really good might not be good enough in today’s market.I really hope another agent… -
When The No-Compete Clause Comes Into Play
13 Nov 2009 | 6:34 amSTATUS: TGIF! Have a great weekend. I plan to.What’s playing on the iPod right now? CAN’T GET YOU OUT OF MY HEAD by Kylie MinogueCurrently, Publishers consider non-multimedia electronic rights as part of the “standard” package of the grant of rights when buying a work from an author.For years, I often held electronic rights (back when publishers weren’t paying attention to it) but now, publishers will walk away from deals unless eRights are granted. Very few authors, especially the new or the debut, are willing to walk away from an offer over a right that makes up such a small…
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The Rejecter
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Getting a higher degree for the sake of a book
19 Nov 2009 | 10:10 pmHello -I have a question about the kind of experience, academic background, etc. required for book-length nonfiction writing. I wrote my undergraduate thesis on post-apocalyptic literature and recently wrote an article for a popular sci-fi blog on why we like the apocalypse, which got something like 20,000 views and has helped make my blog (which has other nerdy apocalypse stuff) pretty popular. A lot of commenters have been asking for my thesis and encouraging me to publish it, which is flattering, of course, but who wants to read a book by someone who only has a B.A.? As a reader, I would… -
Yes, yes, I know you mean Twilight
16 Nov 2009 | 8:39 pmAlso, I am deeply sorry, I feel as though I am pestering you, yet, since you are an agent...what do you see in this paranormal trend for young adult novels? That is the manuscript I have been sending out since April.I would think it would be easier now, considering the fame of a certain book. Yet, almost all the rejections are automatic. I know, certain agents have their areas, but even to agents who have represented young adult/paranormal, I received form rejections. (And I am not even writing about vampires, werewolves, ghosts, or faeries!)Do you think that agents automatically reject these… -
Google Books Ducks Copyright Law, Sort of
14 Nov 2009 | 3:10 pmI thought this was an interesting article. It reminds me of a case I once heard about from a copyright lawyer:A publishing company decided to republish a book that was on their backlist. The original contract of course stipulated that the author had to be paid royalties, something they hadn't had to worry about for some time because the book wasn't in print. Most contracts say that if the book goes out of print for a certain amount of time (usually 5-10 years), the rights revert entirely to the author and the author can republish the book with a new company if he/she chooses to, or can… -
A rare reason to make a call
3 Nov 2009 | 1:29 pmDear Rejecter,I moved this past summer. Before I moved overseas, I sent a query to an agency that doesn't have a website or e-mail address. My relatives in the US informed me that the said agency replied asking for a full. I sent the full from my current country of residence in September. (The letter for the full came in July). My question is, should I call the agency to know the status of my manuscript? I know this is a no-no, but I did not send the package as certified because it was going to a PO Box, and for the past month, many letters have gone missing in the post offices around here. I… -
Non-Platform Fiction
31 Oct 2009 | 5:41 pmI'm a completely non angsty person, so feel free to punch as hard as you want on this one.I know that most non-fiction depends on a great platform; either you are famous already or you are writing about something insanely compelling(you accidentally spent a magical summer with chairman mao.). With that said, and while I acknowledge that this is a completely logical and fair way to do business, is there any space for someone with an interesting non-fiction concept, written with humor and wit?I'm talking about something without historic signifigance or tear-jerking poignancy, but still a…
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Kate's Book Blog
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Aritha van Herk on L.M. Montgomery's The Blythes Are Quoted
14 Nov 2009 | 7:12 amAritha van Herk on what's new about the new L.M. Montgomery book:The Blythes are Quoted collects 27 short stories about different characters from communities that we recognize as part of Montgomery's map of Prince Edward Island. They are interspersed with poems "authored" by Anne Blythe and her son, Walter Blythe, and accompanied by vignette-like commentaries on those poems from members of Anne's family. These dialogues reflect the Blythe family's memories and cognizance, thus recording an intimate conversation that resonates beyond their circle. More important, they shape this book into an… -
"Librarians love good readers..."
13 Nov 2009 | 7:40 amFrom Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and me, Elizabeth by E.L. Konigsburg (a marvelous book which I somehow missed in childhood despite having loved others by Konigsburg):So it happened that we got to meeting in the library every Saturday morning "at 10:00 a.m. o'clock of the morning," as Jennifer said. We'd check out our books. I usually took out one book besides renewing The Black Book of Witchcraft. Jennifer always took out seven books. I could tell that the librarian liked Jennifer even though Jennifer never said "hello" or "good-bye" or "please" or "thank you." Librarians… -
Shelf Discovery Challenge
27 Oct 2009 | 10:35 amI've been successfully resisting participation in reading challenges all year, feeling that I needed a bit of respite after getting carried away with them in previous years and thereby transforming my pleasure reading into a source of stress. But Booking Mama's Shelf Discovery Challenge dovetails so nicely with my current project of revisiting the books that mattered most to me in childhood that there's no way I'm going to pass this one up! The challenge simply involves choosing six of the books featured in Lizzie Skurnick's Shelf Discovery: The Teen Classics We Never… -
Book Sale Finds
24 Oct 2009 | 6:45 pmI didn't get carried away at today's book sale, but I did come away with some good finds, each just a dollar or two apiece:C.S. Lewis, An Experiment in Criticism;Alain Robbe-Grillet, For a New Novel: essays on fiction;Jeffrey Meyers (ed.), The Craft of Literary Biography;Eve Garnett, Further Adventures of the Family from One End Street;E.L. Konigsburg, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler; and,Carolyn Keene, The Clue in the Diary.An odd mix of weighty litcrit tomes and kidlit classics that nicely reflects my current preoccupations. -
Why I Still Love Encyclopedia Brown
21 Oct 2009 | 3:00 amI've just reread the first of Donald J. Sobol's Encylopedia Brown books, Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective, and it is readily apparent to me why I loved these books as a kid, and why kids today continue to embrace them. Here are some of the reasons:1. Ten-year-old Encyclopedia Brown is an irresistible character. Sobol introduces him thus: "Leroy Brown's head was like an encyclopedia. It was filled with facts he had learned from books. He was like a complete library walking around in sneakers." People are always asking him questions. For example, old ladies stop him in the street to ask his…
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Used Books Blog
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The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde
31 Oct 2009 | 3:08 pmThe Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde is an entertaining, inventive read but doesn’t quite measure up to the Thursday Next series. Reduced down to a simple scale, The Big Over Easy is very good, while most of the Thursday Next series (including The Well of Lost Plots) are great. Fforde is a victim of his own creativity. The Big Over Easy is a mystery novel that follows detective Jack Spratt of the Nursery Crimes Division (NCD). Yes, he’s that Jack Spratt and in this alternate world nursery characters are real and live among us. The NCD is under the microscope after Spratt fails to… -
Arthur & George by Julian Barnes
3 Oct 2009 | 10:41 amArthur & George by Julian Barnes is an interesting blend of history, biography and mystery. Rich in description, Barnes is able to provide a compelling biography for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle through his relationship with the George Edalji case. In doing so, Barnes creates both a tense mystery and a personal account of a historic event. Arthur & George succeeds on many levels. It is an intricate character study, a period piece, a mystery and a biography. However, it does fall short in some areas. At times Arthur & George takes a turn into Jane Austen like territory. The incessant… -
A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
15 Aug 2009 | 5:07 pmA Dirty Job by Christopher Moore is a quick, engrossing, macabre and hilarious novel. It is everything that Moore’s next novel, You Suck, is not. A Dirty Job remains original while still drawing on many characters from previous Moore novels. Where You Suck felt like a recycled paint-by-numbers affair, A Dirty Job feels fresh and is brimming with ideas and unique insight. Moore is a master satirist and combines his satire with blazing creativity and a healthy dose of the absurd. Be forewarned, Moore is not for the easily offended. Nothing is out of bounds and he’ll regularly write… -
Kindle Sales Theory is Flawed
10 Aug 2009 | 1:14 pmIn February, a Kindle sales theory was proposed by Citi Investment Research (PDF) using Sprint activation numbers. Thanks to CIR Telco Analyst Mike Rollins, we have uncovered a key disclosure in Sprint’s September Quarter 10Q filing. P. 42 in the Wholesale, Affiliate and Other Revenue sector. Here’s the text: “Certain wholesale devices are activated on the network by our wholesale partners prior to selling the device to the end customer, which resulted in approximately 210,000 such additions being activated on our network during the third quarter 2008.” Additional sleuthing on… -
Fear and Loathing in Borders Books
28 Jul 2009 | 9:13 amDue to the non-blogging contract, some Borders employees don’t feel like they can speak up for fear of being fired. I recently received an email from an employee at a store in Florida regarding a newly installed supervisor who posted the following by the time clock on July 4th. Read Me The past NO longer matters. It doesn’t matter who you are, how long you have worked here, or what your position is. If I do not feel that you are working hard meaning (selling make titles, shelving carts, cleaning the store, borders rewards, customer service, etc.) You WILL lose your hours and…
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Duffbert's Random Musings
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I'll be a bit busy at Lotusphere2010 this year with two sessions...
17 Nov 2009 | 6:25 pmAcceptance emails went out today, and I found out the true meaning of "be careful what you ask for, as you may get it." :) I'll be doing two sessions this year, and I'm looking forward to both of them. The first one is with Kathy Brown and is a Jumpstart session: The Top Things All New Notes Domino Developers Need To Know Are you a newbie developer? Are you just getting started in the world of Notes and Domino? Do you wish you had someone to tell you the top mistakes to avoid? What about the top tips you need to know to create successful applications? … -
Have YOU tried to read and understand all the rules in hockey?
16 Nov 2009 | 7:10 pmShort of my son Ian (no pun intended there) who is a hockey referee, there's few people I know who has tried to read AND understand all the rules in the hockey rule book. I can now add a coworker, Samantha Meese, to that rare category. She has a blog, 87 in 107, that is an interesting project: It’s pretty simple, really. I have avowed to learn all the official rules to hockey. There are 87 rules in the NHL 2009 – 2010 rulebook. There are 107 days until the opening of the Winter Olympics at Whistler on February 12. 87 in 107 is my attempt to learn all of the rules… -
Book Review - Don't Just Roll The Dice - A usefully short guide to software pricing by Neil Davidson
15 Nov 2009 | 11:11 amIf you've created software for sale, you have dealt with the all-important question... what do I charge for it? Neil Davidson does an excellent job in helping you figure out the answer in his book Don't Just Roll The Dice - A usefully short guide to software pricing. He doesn't tell you *what* to charge. Instead, he give you a short lesson on how to come up with the best pricing strategy given your situation. And best of all, he does it in a concise 73 pages. I was impressed! Contents: Some - but not too much - Economics; Pricing Psychology - What is your product… -
Book Review - House of Reckoning by John Saul
15 Nov 2009 | 8:55 amGenerally speaking, I like John Saul's work. Supernatural thrillers tend to work for me, and I can easily get wrapped up in one. But his latest, House of Reckoning, left me wanting. The plot had potential, and I kept turning pages, but I never felt like I got the answers as to *why* all of this was taking place. By the end, I felt as if I had been cheated a bit or I got a version of the book that left out a few important chapters. Sarah Crane is the main character, a teenager trying to grow up in a small town without a mother. Her father is also struggling with… -
Book Review - The Defector by Daniel Silva
14 Nov 2009 | 6:58 pmEven with all the reading I do, I still feel like I need a whole 'nother 24 hours a day to read all the stuff I'd *like* to catch up on. A friend and reader of my blog recommended I read Daniel Silva's The Defector, so I picked it up at the library. I have read one other Silva novel with the Gabriel Allon character (2006 - The Messenger), and I remembered the basic makeup of Allon. The Defector would have been a bit more enjoyable had I at least read the previous episode (Moscow Rules), but it wasn't a show stopper. Defector was a good espionage thriller that had solid…
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Three Percent - Article
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Ugly Duckling Presse Subscriptions
20 Nov 2009 | 11:22 am2010 Subscriptions to Ugly Duckling Presse are now available. They limit the total number of subscribers to 200 and usually sell out pretty quickly, so act fast. There are three levels of subscriber/donors: At the BASIC SUBSCRIBER level ($150) you receive more than 20 books throughout the year, sent directly to your home, including new works of poetry, essays, and artist books by emerging and established writers and artists; and these books are all uniquely designed, with frequent use of letterpress, hand-sewn binding, and more, demonstrating “a philosophical curiosity about what makes a… -
Aira on Translation
20 Nov 2009 | 10:17 amSeems ironically fitting to follow the first Making the Translator Visible post with this bit from Conversational Reading about a recent interview with Cesar Aira (whose Ghosts is—to steal a line from a New York Times article—so good it’s in need of adjectives yet invented that would be written in italics and all caps) in Letras Libres and Aira’s feeling about translators: A una corrección sobre todo. Pero yo siempre a la traducción la tomé como un oficio del que viví. Ahí sí lo vi con todo pragmatismo, hasta tal punto que me especialicé en literatura mala. -
Making the Translator Visible: Megan McDowell [1]
20 Nov 2009 | 8:10 amSo after the first ALTA panel—on the “subversive” translator and the idea of making the translator “visible” without interfering too much with the original text—Megan McDowell (pictured above) and I came up with a project idea. (Or what some may call a gimmick.) We thought that we could help literally make translators visible by posting pictures of ALTA attendees and asking a few questions. We thought it would be a cool way of letting non-translation world people get to know who these “invisible” translators are, while pointing out how cool the… -
2009 Finlandia Prize Nominees
20 Nov 2009 | 7:05 amFILI just announced the finalists for this year’s Finlandia Prize—a 30,000 euro award given every year to the best Finnish works of fiction, nonfiction, and children’s literature. Personally, I’m most interested in the fiction, so here’s the complete list with descriptions of each title from FILI: Turkka Hautala: Salo (Gummerus) The theme of Turkka Hautala’s debut novel is one of human destiny. One by one the residents of Salo take their turns speaking, in a chain-like structure. The spectrum of viewpoints extends from the anguish of a factory manager to the… -
Florence Gould Foundation and French-American Foundation Translation Prizes
19 Nov 2009 | 8:30 amJust received this reminder from Emma Archer: The Florence Gould Foundation and the French-American Foundation are currently accepting submissions for their Annual Translation Prizes. DEADLINE: DECEMBER 31, 2009 This year the foundation will present a $10 000 cash award for the best English translation of French in both fiction and non-fiction. Translations for consideration must have been published for the first time in the United States between January 1 and December 31, 2009 and must be submitted, accompanied by the French original work by December 31, 2009 (one French copy and one English…
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HarvardBusiness.org
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Of Goldman Sachs, the Yankees, and Level Playing Fields
20 Nov 2009 | 12:06 pmHave you noticed that the two most successful teams in New York City both engender passionately mixed emotions of admiration and contempt? One team is the New York Yankees, the storied baseball franchise that just won its 27th World Series title — when no other team has won more than 10 times. The Yankees have the largest revenue stream thanks to their own cable television network, a new billion-dollar ballpark, and owners who can afford the highest-paid players in baseball. (These players, in turn, generate yet more revenue.) The other team is Goldman Sachs, the legendary investment… -
Stop Wasting Time on Voicemail
20 Nov 2009 | 10:43 amEvery time you make or receive a phone call that involves leaving or listening to a message, you're wasting time. You can't write as fast as people speak, so transcribing phone numbers, addresses, and other information from a voicemail message is tedious. When you have to leave a voicemail for someone, you're forced to listen to Robotic Voice-Mail Woman trod through the instructions on how to wait for the tone before you can start. There are two ways to cut this unnecessary voicemail overhead out of your day: 1. Get your voicemail messages transcribed automatically and emailed to you. Instead… -
What Innovators Can Learn from Bill Belichick
20 Nov 2009 | 10:09 amEven non-football fans probably heard about Bill Belichick's "blunder" of a call on Sunday night. Believe it or not, the call — and the firestorm that followed — has important lessons for innovation managers. A quick recap. The New England Patriots led the Indianapolis Colts by six points with two minutes to go. It was fourth down, the ball was on the New England 28 yard line, and the Patriots needed just two yards for a first down that would almost certainly have sealed a victory. Conventional wisdom called for a punt, but Coach Belichick decided to go for it. After the Patriots… -
Summoning the Courage to Tear Down Walls
20 Nov 2009 | 8:31 amOn November 9th, the world rejoiced in recognition of the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down. The anniversary was occasion for me to reflect on walls that have fallen for me in my career but also about the kind of conviction that's needed to break down walls — be they miles of concrete in a former Communist area or invisible but no-less-apparent in an office setting. One thing I wondered is whether the Berlin Wall would have fallen without President Reagan's speech? Possibly. Probably. But not as quickly. And yet, according to The Wall Street Journal, the State Department,… -
Can Good Journalism Also Be Profitable?
20 Nov 2009 | 7:54 amFeatured Guest: Umair Haque, director of the Havas Media Lab and author of the Edge Economy blog on HarvardBusiness.org.
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Books on the Nightstand Blog and Books Podcast
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BOTNS Books Podcast #53: Piles and Piles of Books
18 Nov 2009 | 8:08 amBooks on the Nightstand, Episode 53 (25:24) Reading over Publishers Weekly’s list of the 100 Best Books of 2009 made me realize that there are many, many books that sound wonderful, and sound right up my alley. And yet, I will never, ever get around to them and that really upset me. I also recently came to terms with the fact that I have way too many books in my house and that I need to find new homes for many of them. Ann doesn’t keep many of the books that she finishes, but I always have. What about you? How do you “deal with” books? The ones you’ll never get to, the ones you’ve… -
Hey, That was MY Idea! :)
13 Nov 2009 | 7:14 pmI have a lot of cookbooks. A LOT of cookbooks.Cooking magazines too. It's a bit of a problem actually. There's the physical storage of them all, but there's also the frequent question I ask myself: "Which book was that recipe in?" About a year ago, I dreamed of creating a website where I could enter all of the cookbooks I own, then enter my favorite recipes in each book. I could then easily search for a recipe and I'd know in which cookbook I'd find it. As more people joined the site and rated recipes, I could even discover hidden gems in the cookbooks I already own. The model for the idea… -
BOTNS Books Podcast #52: In praise of women writers
11 Nov 2009 | 3:00 amBooks on the Nightstand, Episode 52 (22:04) Publishers Weekly, the trade journal that covers the book industry, just released their list of Best Books of 2009, with a new "top ten" list to go along with the announcement. We're happy to pat ourselves on the back, since we've talked about 6 of the top 10 here on Books on the Nightstand, but like many others, we question the lack of women authors in the top ten. You can follow the controversy about the lack of women by reading twitter messages that are tagged with #fembook. Out of the brouhaha comes The Willa List Wiki, started by Women in… -
BOTNS Books Podcast #51: It's All the Rage
9 Nov 2009 | 6:49 amBooks on the Nightstand, Episode 51 (22:49) In this episode, we take a look at "literary fads" -- you know, like when every new book in the bookstore seems to be about the same thing, or uses the same type of jacket image. The current "fad" seems to be books inspired by Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. Not all "fads" are deliberate, however, and coincidence plays a large part. In segment two, we bring one of these literary fads back to life by discussing it to death. (Sorry, but how else do you introduce a segment about zombies?). Yes, Zombies. As evidenced by books like Pride and Prejudice… -
BOTNS Books Podcast #50: FIFTY!
27 Oct 2009 | 9:05 pmBooks on the Nightstand, Episode 50 (18:13) Here we are, our 50th episode! It's been amazing and we're looking forward to what the future brings for Books on the Nightstand. We couldn't have come this far (or had such a great time!) if it weren't for all of you, our loyal readers and listeners. Thank you so much to Denise, Ashley and Shona who wrote in, and to Heather, Melissa, Suzanne and Tanya who called our voice mail line. They all shared books they loved, that they heard about here. All of the books mentioned are listed below and the titles link back to the original post or…
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Omnivoracious
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Go Ahead, Judge: The Best Book Covers of 2009
20 Nov 2009 | 4:25 pmAs anyone in the business of selling books knows, sometimes we really do judge books by their covers. (I know I've bought books because of their covers, and not bought others for the same reason.) We've blogged casually but enthusiastically about our favorite book covers in previous years (and it's a constant topic of conversation on our book team here and just about anywhere book people get together, as far as I can tell), but this year, as they say in the reality shows, we've taken it to the next level. Thanks to our Magazines team, which built a sleek and fun voting… -
Omni Daily News
20 Nov 2009 | 11:14 amOprah's Movin' On: Today Oprah Winfrey announced that the "The Oprah Winfrey Show"--the biggest daytime show in television history-- will come to a close during its 25th season. The last show will air on September 9, 2011. The multimedia icon and mogul is expected to launch a new talk show on her eponymous cable network. [Yahoo News via AP and The New York Times] Martin Amis' New Novel: In an interview in today's Guardian, Martin Amis talks about the genesis of his forthcoming novel The Pregnant Widow (coming May 2010), and counters claims that the… -
Graphic Novel Friday: "The Red Monkey Double Happiness Book"
20 Nov 2009 | 7:00 amRolling in like a slow, fuzzed-out guitar line from an Orange-brand amp, The Red Monkey Double Happiness Book lives up to the good vibes promised in its title. Artist and writer Joe Daly's full-color graphic novel collects two stories starring best buds Dave and Paul, as they wander about Cape Town while fully under the influence. Dave has a genetic disorder he calls "monkey feet," where his feet have what appear to be opposable digits. Throughout the book, Dave tries to overcome insecurities stemming from this oddity, and Paul tries his best to compliment his friend's… -
National Book Awards: A Newcomer's Point of View
19 Nov 2009 | 8:37 pm(The crowd lining up to get into the National Book Awards, the amazing Cipriani ceiling inside) The National Book Awards for first-time attendees like my wife Ann and me constituted a kind of blur of sharp-dressed men and women, most of them graying a bit but still elegant, mixed with a few twenty-somethings running around on the fringes like the kids at a bar mitzvah. The location, with its high ceilings and spectacular dome, perfectly lit, conveyed a sense more of publishing’s memory palace than of its harsh reality right now. At the same time, you could hardly blame editors and… -
Omni Daily Crush: "Changing My Mind"
19 Nov 2009 | 5:41 pmZadie Smith is not only one of my favorite novelists to read, but one of my favorite novelists to hear talk about being a novelist (she's like Jonathan Lethem that way). As I wrote in my Best of November review of her new collection of "occasional essays," Changing My Mind, it's been clear that she is a novelist from the moment she broke through with White Teeth in her early twenties, but what kind of novelist she is (or will become) seems open to change. I was always fascinated with her response to James Wood's sometimes harsh criticisms of her early work: without…
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Avon Romance Blog
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Romance Radio - Captive of Sin
18 Nov 2009 | 11:42 pmRomance Radio Event TODAY (11/19)!CAPTIVE OF SIN author Anna CampbellCAPTIVE OF SIN is about two tortured souls who, despite the odds, find a once-in-a-lifetime love.Join us at 5 PM EST, and let's talk about love against all obstacles, alpha male issues, and the merits of good old-fashioned romance with one of everyone's favorite authors!Listen on Romance Radio or call in LIVE (347) 826-9686. -
Friendship Cake & Christmas Cake
18 Nov 2009 | 8:30 amNine years ago, Lynne Hinton wrote a book called FRIENDSHIP CAKE that quickly became a national bestseller. It told the story of five women in a small town in North Carolina who help each other overcome life’s adversities through conversation, friendship, and plenty of good food.Two books in the series later (HOPE SPRINGS and FOREVER FRIENDS), the ladies are back for the holiday season in CHRISTMAS CAKE.Some things have changed for them--one has moved to New Mexico to run a women’s shelter, another finds that her cancer has returned--but other things, like their friendship, remain… -
Shelf Discovery
16 Nov 2009 | 7:35 amWhere are the top female authors?The controversy started at the end of last month, when Publishers Weekly put out their list of The Top Ten Books Of 2009--and not one female author made the list. As everyone knows, there are more female readers than male and more female buyers of books than male buyers. It’s no coincidence that the romance genre is one of the few markets that has actually done well in this past year of economic decline.Women are also more likely to form book clubs, make recommendations to their friends, and provide the kind of word-of-mouth that is so valuable in prolonging… -
Romance Retrospective
13 Nov 2009 | 7:35 amEveryone should take a trip over to The Season Blog today. They have up an INCREDIBLE retrospective of Avon Romance covers.Also, I think it's only appropriate to take a moment to give a gigantic THANK YOU to our Art Director, Tom, without whom our heroes and heroines would be ugly, naked, and sitting in front of a blank wall. Thank You, Tom, for never ever disappointing and making us all fans first and editors second.What's your favorite romance cover of all time? Is it the classic Shanna with those red, red flowers? Or is it loin-cloth clad Fabio with his luscious blond locks on the old… -
Veterans Day...And Beyond
11 Nov 2009 | 9:01 pmWe spent a lot of time yesterday thinking about the brave men and women who have taken their lives into their hands to protect not only Americans, but kindred souls across the globe.People want to help in little ways--sending letters, beanie babies...even toaster pastries!...to show love and support to the members of our armed forces. We asked ourselves, "well, what can *we* do?"Well, we know that soldiers love books and paperbacks are great diversion in war zones. So, please, comment on this post and tell us about your service man or woman. We're hoping to pick a bunch and to send boxes of…
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mediabistro.com: GalleyCat
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GalleyCatnip: Edwidge Danticat Will Miss the Oprah Winfrey Show
20 Nov 2009 | 3:23 pmFor your weekend reading pleasure, here some publishing news briefs... Oprah Winfrey announced today that she will end her popular show in 2011, closing the televised side of the most influential book club in America. Author Edwidge Danticat told the Wall Street Journal why she will miss the club: "When she calls to tell you that your book has been selected for the book club, she sounds so excited that you feel as though she's both your ideal reader and your biggest cheerleader." To write its embargo-breaking scoop about Sarah Palin's memoir (which has reportedly sold 300,000 copies already),… -
Book Stock Watch: Barnes & Noble Sells Out Nook for Holidays
20 Nov 2009 | 2:23 pmToday the NY Times reported a digital reading milestone for one bookseller's upcoming device: "Barnes & Noble says customers ordering a Nook will receive their devices the week of Jan. 4. So that stockings are not left completely empty, the bookseller will furnish buyers with a special holiday certificate." GalleyCat has been tracking the stock performance of the major companies that influence the bookselling business. We created this chart with eight publicly-traded publishing stocks hand-picked by our readers--including company name, symbol, current stock price, and price increase or… -
Be Not E-fraid
20 Nov 2009 | 1:23 pmIn his National Book Awards acceptance speech this week, biographer T. J. Stiles thanked everyone in a book's traditional production chain, from the agent to the bookstore clerk. Stiles concluded with an note of apprehension: "The advent of the eBook is fooling some into thinking that these people are not necessary anymore." As the digital publishing industry grows over the next few years, publishers, authors, and readers need to reconcile these fears about the future. Earlier this week, GalleyCat writers and readers mingled at the eBook Summit preview party, trying to start a more productive… -
Regretsy Scores Latest Blog-to-Book Deal
20 Nov 2009 | 11:23 amComic author and radio personality April Winchell is the latest author to turn a blog into a book deal. She just sold "Regretsy," a title based on the her blog that highlights the oddest creations on Internet craft sites. The Regretsy blog has featured everything from miniature paintings to those knitted spats. The title puns off the name of the popular craft site, Etsy. Jill Schwartzman at Random House's Villard imprint bought the title for trade paperback publication. Meg Thompson at LJK Literary Management negotiated the deal. The site also features a fascinating page counting successful… -
How Swine Flu and eBooks Changed Medical Publishing
20 Nov 2009 | 10:23 amLittle, Brown has just released an eBook-only update of the print title, "The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child"--an instantaneous publishing response to public concerns about H1N1 flu (or Swine Flu) vaccines. To find out more about how eBooks can help medical publishing, GalleyCat interviewed the book's author, Robert Sears, M.D., about the digital addition. He hoped that more medical publishers could adapt a similar digital book strategy: "Since I wrote "The Vaccine Book," several important changes have occurred that I wish I could have immediately updated. This is true…
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Chronicle Books Blog
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Dovima with the Elephants
20 Nov 2009 | 11:26 amA colleague and I took a little field trip for the last hour of our day last Friday to catch the Avedon show at the SFMOMA before it goes away at the end of this month. What can I say? It’s divine. The whole show is really fantastic—HUGE prints of fascinating faces, including many very famous folks. But by far my favorite room was the very first one you walk into at the beginning of the show, which features a great selection of his early fashion work. You walk into the room and you’re facing a print—taller than you are—of the iconic image “Dovima with the Elephants.” All images… -
Spot the Plot and Win a Bundle of Picture Books!
20 Nov 2009 | 10:00 amI sit down to read And turn the first page, Expecting to watch One plot take the stage: One princess, one moon, One tin man, one train— But wait—change that tune! It’s one giant chain Of riddles and hooks About picture books! A riddle book—about books? Yep, that’s right! In our recently released picture book Spot the Plot, thirteen witty and wacky poems challenge readers to “Name That Book.” With a glass slipper here and a spiderweb there, Lynn Munsinger’s sweet illustrations lead young readers to the solutions. From Goodnight Moon to Madeline, children and parents… -
Chronicle Craft: My Neighbor Kayte Terry, Philadelphia’s Martha Stewart
19 Nov 2009 | 3:40 pmThis post was written by Jimmy Contreras, who recently worked with Chronicle author Kayte Terry on a workshop in Philadelphia to launch her new book, Appliqué Your Way. My name is Jimmy Contreras and I recently opened my very first store: a home, gift and baby boutique in the gentrifying Italian neighborhood of South Philadelphia – or as we like to say, “Souff Philly.” My store is on East Passyunk Avenue. It’s like a small town’s Main Street, lined with mom-and-pop shops — butchers, bakers and tailors – and dotted with two small piazzas. If you’ve seen any of the dozen or… -
I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas
19 Nov 2009 | 1:25 pmTwo weeks ago my first book, I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas officially launched. It all started off in San Francisco at Parc 55 at a party hosted by my dear friend Zem Joaquin (who wrote the foreword to the book) and Ecofabulous. The event was well attended. Zem Joaquin, Ecofabulous and myself. Photo courtesy of Heather Wiley for Drew Altizer Photography This week Rachel Sarnoff and Ecostiletto with Ecobash Events put together the LA launch at Environment Furniture (my favorite sustainable furniture company). The Border Grill truck provided food and Christmas music played in the… -
Baby Loves Disco—Win Tickets in San Francisco!
18 Nov 2009 | 2:09 pmChronicle is thrilled to sponsor Baby Loves Disco—an afternoon dance party featuring real music spun and mixed by real djs at real dance clubs blending classic disco tunes From the 70s, & 80s. The fun spills out from all corners of the club: bubble machines, baskets of scarves and egg-shakers, a chill-out room (with tents, books and puzzles), diaper changing stations, a full spread of healthy snacks and dancing, LOTS of dancing. But at its core, Baby loves Disco is a community event that brings kids together with kids and parents together with parents. Everyone who attends goes home…
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The PlanetEsme Plan: The Best New Children's Books from Esme's Shelf
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NED'S NEW HOME (PICTURE BOOK)
16 Nov 2009 | 8:48 amPICTURE BOOKNED'S NEW HOME by Kevin Tseng (Tricycle) When a worm's real estate value plummets (i.e. his apple starts to rot), it's time to go house hunting. A pear? Too wobbly. A watermelon? Sometimes bigger isn't better. And life is anything but a bowl of cherries when he finds himself riding fruit that has been plucked by a bird. They say you'll know your true home as soon as you enter it, and so it goes for Ned; he finds the perfect place to lay his welcome mat, and a clever surprise ending suggests even a feathered foe has been added to Ned's friend list. This book does everything right… -
BOO TO YOU! (PICTURE BOOK)
23 Oct 2009 | 4:41 pmPICTURE BOOKBOO TO YOU! by Lois Ehlert (Beach Lane)A raccoon or a squirrel might bite a veggie,But a cat loves meat, and that makes us edgy.The mice are planning an autumnal celebration, but guess who they didn't invite? Their nemesis will have to crash that party, but at his peril, as these mice are prepared to scare! Busy collage illustrations camouflage the turquoise torn-paper mice, but nothing can hide the pumpkin seed teeth of the cat against a midnight black background. One part spooky and two parts seasonal, visuals are this story's strength, and the last page sports a double page… -
THE MONSTEROLOGIST: A MEMOIR IN RHYME (POETRY)
22 Oct 2009 | 7:54 amPOETRYTHE MONSTEROLOGIST: A MEMOIR IN RHYME "ghostwritten" by Bobbi Katz, illustrated by Adam McCauley (Sterling)Greasy green lizardsAnd raw chicken gizzards,Spell-binding spellscast by spell-casting wizards.Dead mice and head liceand flapping bat wings--these are a few of my favorite things!Yes, even Rogers and Hammerstein takes a Halloween hit in this erudite collection of rememberances by one who has spent his life chasing the most famous of creeps. This poem is a good representation of the work because it underscores the poet's distinct lyrical quality, with a wit, sophistication and… -
THE YELLOW TUTU (PICTURE BOOK)
9 Oct 2009 | 7:19 amPICTURE BOOKTHE YELLOW TUTU by Kirsten Bramsen, illustrated by Carin Bramsen (Random House)Too-too adorable. While that should probably be the summation line of a review, the degree of darlingness of this book dictates that adjectives go first. When Margo receives a lovely yellow tutu for her birthday, she decrees that the garment is better suited for wearing on her head, and is shocked and wounded when her circle shirks her fashion-forward thinking. Luckily, by putting her true self out there, she is able to locate an equally true friend, who appreciates a little creative couture. The… -
REDWOODS (NONFICTION)
7 Oct 2009 | 7:48 amNONFICTIONREDWOODS by Jason Chin (Roaring Brook)In this effective melding of picture book format and nonfiction content, a redwood forest sprouts from a book that a boy finds in a subway station. A Thanks to a fertile imagination, the facts carry him off into the world of the tallest living things on the planet, rising over three hundred feet in the air. Through the perils of a forest fire, encounters with things that creep and leap and soar (follow the little flying squirrel from page to page!) and a majestic climb into the crown of the Titan tree, the boy comes to appreciate the survival of…
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The Writing Life
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What Are You Reading?
9 Nov 2009 | 2:34 pmIt’s a familiar routine. I’m on the way to another conference as I write these words on an airplane. Airports have always been a fascinating opportunity to see what people are reading. Or I observe if they are reading at all. A cross section of the population travels on a regular basis. Some people use the travel time to catch up on their sleep. Others use the time to talk with a seatmate and other people read. The gentleman in the next seat is working his way through his second newspaper. He’s already breezed through the local Arizona Republic and now he’s studying the pages of USA… -
Always Cover The Basics
3 Nov 2009 | 8:37 amLast week, I received a U.S. priority mail package sent to my old agency mailing address. My literary agency ended a year ago when I became a publisher at Intermedia Publishing Group. Check out this free teleseminar if you want to know more details about Intermedia and the distinct role we play in the marketplace. According to Sally Stuart, more than 90% of the entries in her market guide change each year. The address should have been my first clue to what was inside but it gets worse.The author failed to include a cover letter with his contact information--phone, mailing address and email… -
Are You Determined To Get Published?
1 Nov 2009 | 12:44 pmOne of the common failures among writers is their lack of determination to get published. Many would-be authors are rejected a few times and give up on their manuscript instead of continuing to look for the right place.Tap into the wisdom in James Scott Bell's article, Rejecting Rejection. It will lift your spirits and give you renewed determination. This weekend, I was reading Entertainment Weekly. This story from Kate Ward about Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help caught my attention: "Nearly 60 agents turned down Kathryn Stockett's debut novel before publisher Amy Einhorn picked it up in… -
Catch This Golden Opportunity
18 Oct 2009 | 5:17 pmLast week I spotted several neighborhoods that are stringing their lights for Christmas. Yes, it is only mid-October but we're moving closer to the Christmas season. Last week, something that came across my computer screen was counting down the days saying only 72 more shopping days (it is even closer today).Each holiday season brings new personal experiences in your life. Maybe you will be at a holiday gathering and see a new drink or desert. Or from reading the Scripture you will gain a new personal insight. Are you aware of those new ideas? Are you making the effort to write them down then… -
Find Your Open Door
16 Oct 2009 | 10:03 amIt's one of the most common failures for people who want to get their book published. They give up too quickly and lack the perseverance to keep looking for the open door. Yes, rejection is difficult. With the information, skill and training that you have, you have poured creativity into your words. Yet when you send them out to an agent or editor, it's returned to you. There is great wisdom in this article from James Scott Bell, Rejecting Rejection. If you are struggling with rejection, I encourage you to read this article from time to time. One of the keys from my perspective is to continue…
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The Kindle Reader
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A Week of Entertainment: Books Reviewed in Entertainment Weekly 20 Nov 09
20 Nov 2009 | 7:33 amEach week Entertainment Weekly reviews a small selection of popular new books. Titles available for the Kindle reviewed in the November 20th issue include:Last Words, by George Carlin with Tony Hendra. Free Press. MEMOIR. EW's slant: "...at turns biting and touching and often both". Amazon customer rating: 5 stars (6 reviews). Kindle edition $12.95. Text-to-Speech: Enabled."As one of America's most pre-eminent comedians, with 50 years worth of material and appearances on the international comedy circuit, George Carlin saw it all and made fun of most of it. Blending his signature acerbic humor… -
Kindle Genre Watch (17 Nov 09)
18 Nov 2009 | 7:13 amGenre fiction - as opposed to nonfiction, graphic novels and picture books - lends itself to enjoyable Kindle reading because when you pick up a book of fiction you don't necessarily expect it to be illustrated. Authors of mysteries, science fiction, fantasy, romance novels and westerns paint word pictures and their readers use their own imagination to picture the scene of the crime or the stare of a vampire or the track of an alien space craft hurtling towards earth. Now you can spend less time searching for new genre fiction and more time reading it as I watch for newly-released genre… -
Weird & Esoteric Books for Your Kindle
16 Nov 2009 | 7:38 amOf the roughly 5 million books in print in the U.S., almost 377,000 are now available in Kindle editions. You might assume that these books are those that are most in demand by Kindle readers. Actually the Kindle library is just growing like topsy, based I assume on which titles publishers want to convert to Kindle format. Here's my current top ten list of some of the weird and esoteric books you may never wish to purchase for your Kindle. 1. How To Trapping - Build Snares, Deadfalls, Homemade Traps & More by Lee Overton. If you're an avid trapper, you may want this one, but I'd venture a… -
Kindle E-Books on the Cheap: A Weekly Selection (14 Nov 2009)
14 Nov 2009 | 6:28 amOnce you've purchased an Amazon Kindle e-book reader, the wonderful world of public domain, Creative Commons and free e-book promotions opens up to you. In this weekly Kindle Reader feature, I point you to a few of the most interesting new free (or very cheap) e-books available for download from the web. Free e-book selections for this week include Joseph Altsheler's Young Trailers series in an inexpensive eight volume omnibus edition, satirical novels by Anthony Trollope and G. K. Chesterton, mysteries by Mary Roberts Rinehart and Dorothy Sayers and a Hugo nominee for best science fiction… -
A Week of Entertainment: Books Reviewed in Entertainment Weekly 13 Nov 09
12 Nov 2009 | 7:20 amEach week Entertainment Weekly reviews a small selection of popular new books. Titles available for the Kindle reviewed in the January 16th issue include:The Lacuna, by Barbara Kingsolver. HarperCollins. NOVEL. EW's slant: "I so wanted to love this sprawling, old-fashioned historical novel... but the book - told through newspaper clippings, letters, bits of memoirs, and the like - never quite comes together." Amazon customer rating: 4 1/2 stars (16 reviews). Kindle edition $9.99. Text-to-Speech: Enabled."...a poignant story of a man pulled between two nations as they invent their modern…
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Storytellers Unplugged
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“genre vs literary” in the days of the Technorenaissance
19 Nov 2009 | 11:35 pm1 I was hanging out in a writer’s forum and came across the age-old question of how do you define genre and literary? which always turns into genre vs literary: genre types bash the literati for lacking plot (which is absurd), while the literati bash the genre-ati for lacking everything else (equally absurd). One person said you could recognize a genre novel by its “shallow theme and simple characters”. He wasn’t trashing genre novels; he considered himself a ‘genre’ writer writing a ‘genre’ novel. He had given himself an ‘out’ when… -
FORENSICS 123: CRIME SCENE MISINTERPRETATIONS
19 Nov 2009 | 2:55 amThere are many things that, when misinterpreted, can result in inaccurate crime scene investigation results. The following describe some potential misinterpretations. Body positions: Bodies burned in a fire often assume a pose commonly referred to as a “pugilist position.” Their hands are clenched and raised like those of a prize fighter. This could be misinterpreted to mean that the victim was fighting or trying to ward off an attacker when killed. Actually, the pose is simply the result of the heat of the fire causing muscles to contract. Bullet and knife wounds: When bullets or… -
A Mile Plus One
18 Nov 2009 | 9:21 amI’m a member of a lot of different writing organizations..International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, National Association of Women Writers, Novelists Inc, Science Fiction Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, Horror Writers Organization, and the Writers Guild of Acadiana. I’m probably forgetting one or two at the moment, but whew, just listing them tires me out! My primary reason for joining these orgs was to network with other writers. It didn’t take me long to figure out, though, that you get a lot more out of an org if you give… -
Location, Location, Location
17 Nov 2009 | 4:04 amMy newest book was the inspiration for my February essay (Book packagers) and also influenced other essays throughout 2009. It’s called The Stephen King Illustrated Companion,published by Fall River Press. “Who’s that?” I hear someone in the back ask. Fall River Press is part of Sterling Publishing, a conglomerate that encompasses dozens of imprints including Gollancz, Hearst, Metro Books, Orion, SparkNotes and the San Francisco Chronicle. Sterling is a wholly owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble. My work on this project was enlisted by becker&mayer!, a book packager in Seattle… -
Thomas Sullivan: “HE STOPPED LOVING HER TODAY…” or MURDERING YOUR MUSE
15 Nov 2009 | 11:00 pmLove that George Jones song. If you have an ounce of passion in you for anything, a single unblemished ideal, or if you feel a poignant stab in the heart for any kind of perfection, then you understand what’s behind that song. Writers get it. Real writers. Lovers of the Muse. When you want something so badly that it makes your teeth ache and you swallow sand and you know that whatever the obstacles, it’s just right for you – not for someone else maybe, but absolutely for you — and life just won’t move forward unless you are in pursuit of that holy grail,…
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Paulo Coelho's Blog
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LIVE Video Chat with Paulo Coelho
19 Nov 2009 | 10:17 pmI REALLY APOLOGIZE, THE SERVER WAS OVERLOADED, VOKLE COULD NOT HANDLE THIS Related posts:The Winner Stands Alone : Chapter VII by Paulo Coelho Read the Seventh Chapter of The Winner Stands Alone here ...Mike’s mood improves when Paulo Coelho arrives “Famous author (he’s sold more than 100 million books) Paulo Coelho just arrived here at...The Winner Stands Alone : Chapter VIII by Paulo Coelho To read Eighth Chapter of The Winner Stands Alone, please click here. ... -
Por que odeio Paulo Coelho
19 Nov 2009 | 10:28 amNoto que este blog tem sido parcial - visitam apenas aqueles que gostam do meu trabalho. Portanto, a partir de hoje, e pelo proximo mes, estou deixando aqui este espaço aberto para as pessoas tambem terem oportunidade de dizer por que nao gostam de mim. Exceto palavroes, nada mais será censurado Related posts:The Winner Stands Alone : Chapter VII by Paulo Coelho Read the Seventh Chapter of The Winner Stands Alone here ...LIVE Video Chat with Paulo Coelho I REALLY APOLOGIZE, THE SERVER WAS OVERLOADED, VOKLE COULD NOT HANDLE THIS ...The Winner Stands Alone : Chapter VIII by Paulo Coelho To… -
Quote of the Week
16 Nov 2009 | 3:08 amHaters are confused admirers who can’t understand why everybody else likes you. Related posts:Quote of the Day By Paulo Coelho The more you understand yourself, the more you will understand the world....Quote of the Week For the Warrior of Light, there is no such thing as an impossible love. (Manual...Quote of the Week The path to wisdom is not being afraid to make mistakes. ... -
This Week : Gossip
16 Nov 2009 | 3:07 amI was reading a very interesting article about gossip. Of course, gossip is something very dangerous. But at the same time it is used to locate people in this world. Somehow they can establish comparisons, feel better, and dont feel lost. So I’d like to hear your opinion on gossips. Thank you, Paulo DON’T WORRY ABOUT YOUR ENGLISH. BUT IF YOU FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE, POST IN YOUR MOTHER TONGUE (PORTUGUES, ESPANOL, FRANÇAIS, ETC.). Related posts:Quality of Life Would you do a list of 5, 6 or 7 things that you should...The feminine face of God Since 1989, when I did my second… -
The readers and my books
16 Nov 2009 | 12:11 amEnglish Português Español You are more than welcome to participate in a workshop on the titles above, discussing with other readers your opinions. In some months from now I will add other titles. Click on the covers for each Workshop or here to start the discussion. Love, Paulo Vocês são bem-vindos a participar do workshop sobre os títulos acima, discutindo com outros leitores suas opiniões. Daqui alguns meses colocaremos novos títulos. Clique nas capas para acessar cada workshop ou aqui para começar a discussão. Com amor, Paulo UD es bienvenido para participar de el workshop…
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Condalmo.
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Dude, I know.
11 Nov 2009 | 10:13 amI confess: I have not seen The Big Lebowski. It’s always been one of those things I say I’ll get around to one of these days: I like the other Coen Brothers movies I’ve seen, I know a lot of Coen fans hold Lebowski in high esteem, that it has cult following. I think I’ll probably be watching it tonight, though; one of the review books that came in the mail yesterday was The Year’s Work in Lebowski Studies (Indiana University Press), and it’s just fantastic. Some of the essay titles: “The Really Big Sleep: Jeffrey Lebowski as the Second Coming of Rip… -
Scholastic flips on censorship of “gay-friendly” books.
30 Oct 2009 | 10:29 amDid you hear about the kerfuffle? Here’s the short version: Scholastic, one of the largest education publishers in the world with broad influence over the reading materials of children everywhere, just dipped its toe into the anti-gay movement. The publisher is censoring a book that depicts a girl character with two moms because they consider it offensive and inappropriate for children, preventing it from appearing in its Scholastic Book Fairs. These are the same book fairs that have reach to millions of schoolchildren nationwide. By censoring the book, Scholastic is sending the… -
Philip Roth and the importance of reading.
27 Oct 2009 | 7:30 amYou asked if I thought my fiction had changed anything in the culture and the answer is no. Sure, there’s been some scandal, but people are scandalized all the time; it’s a way of life for them. It doesn’t mean a thing. If you ask if I want my fiction to change anything in te culture, the answer is still no. What I want is to possess my readers while they are reading my book – if I can, to possess them in ways that other writers don’t. Then let them return, just as they were, to a world where everybody else is working to change, persuade, tempt, and control them. -
The past future of reading.
20 Oct 2009 | 10:01 amIn schools and colleges, in these audio-visual days, doubt has been raised as to the future of reading — whether the printed word is on its last legs. One college president has remarked that in fifty years “only five per cent of the people will be reading.” For this, of course, one must be prepared. But how prepare? To us it would seem that even if only one person out of a hundred and fifty million should continue as a reader, he would be the one worth saving, the nucleus around which to found a university. We think this not impossible person, this Last Reader, might very… -
Book infusion.
17 Oct 2009 | 6:54 pmAfter going to the office today for a bit, then the bank, I stopped at the annual book sale of a local library. Here’s what I picked up: The Second Tree from the Corner, E.B. White. Why The Library of America hasn’t collected all of his work yet is baffling and disappointing. Mythologies, Roland Barthes. I’ll probably start with this one. Grimms Fairy Tales – I picked this up chiefly because there’s no publisher information, date, anything – except that it says BOOKS INC. on the side. Mysterious! Hopefully not the sign of a bad book. Four Souls, Louise…
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Advanced Fiction Writing Blog
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13 Hours Left on Snowflake Pro Special
20 Nov 2009 | 11:11 amAs I write this, there are only about 13 hours left on my 80% discount special for Snowflake Pro. The special ends at midnight tonight, California time. This has been the biggest product launch I’ve ever had, and it’s gone the smoothest. Thanks to all those of you who’ve already been plugging it on blogs or e-mail loops or Facebook! To find out all about Snowflake Pro, click here. Lots to do today, so I need to run . . . -
Snowflake Pro Is Available At Last
17 Nov 2009 | 2:59 pmMost of my loyal blog readers receive my Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine, so they will have already received an e-mail earlier today about this. But in case you missed it: Snowflake Pro is available at last! I’m incredibly excited. “Snowflake Pro” is software I’ve created that makes it easy, fast and fun to work through the first nine steps of the Snowflake method for designing your novel. (Step 10 is to write your first draft, but you already have the word processor of your choice as an incredibly powerful tool to help you with that task.) Snowflake Pro has a killer… -
Sam the Plumber’s Book Reviews
14 Nov 2009 | 12:50 pmA quick note to mention that my latest humor article featuring dear old Sam the Plumber was posted a week or two ago. I forgot to mention it. Sam latest foray into the publishing world is his slightly bent book review service, “Honest Injun Reviews.” You can only imagine what Sam is up to this time. -
Interview With a Nigerian Novelist
11 Nov 2009 | 5:17 pmIn September of 2007, I received an e-mail with a Nigerian return address. Based on my past experience, I jumped to a conclusion you can easily guess. The sender informed me that she had discovered my Snowflake method in late 2006, written a novel in January and February of 2007, signed with an agent in April, and sold the book to Hyperion in July. The surprising thing to me came after that. The surprising thing to me was that there wasn’t anything else in the e-mail, except a thanks to me for creating the Snowflake method. I wondered if this e-mail could possibly be legitimate. I… -
My Interview With Margie Lawson
28 Oct 2009 | 8:44 amI have an interview today on Margie Lawson’s blog. Margie interviews me on my forthcoming book, WRITING FICTION FOR DUMMIES, which will be hitting the shelves in only a few weeks. If you leave a comment on Margie’s blog, you’ll be entered into a drawing for a free copy of my book (to be shipped in a few weeks when I get copies). You’ll also be entered for a drawing for one of Margie’s six courses on writing. (I love her teaching, so any of her courses is well worth it.)
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ReadersRead.com Book Blog
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Harlequin Creates Self-Publishing Romance Imprint
17 Nov 2009 | 3:00 pmAuthor Solutions has teamed up with Harlequin to create a romance self-publishing imprint called Harlequin Horizons. It will be traditional self-publishing, meaning that the author will pay to have her book published. Publisher's Weekly reports: Author Solutions will handle all aspects of the venture, although Harlequin Horizons will exist as an imprint of Harlequin, and the publisher will be able to monitor sales and sign authors to a traditional imprint. This is the second deal Author Solutions has signed with a major publisher. Earlier, it reached an agreement with Thomas Nelson to publish… -
Stephenie Meyer: I'm a Little Burned Out On Vampires
16 Nov 2009 | 1:00 pmStephenie Meyer appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in a surprise move. She hasn't done any interviews in over a year, but she said she was so thrilled with what director Chris Weitz did with New Moon that she wanted to come out and support him. Stephenie said that she is a little bit burned out on vampires for now, when asked by the show's staff if she was going to write another Twilight book. She didn't really answer the question except to say that she might write another book. But no promises. Oprah asked her what Rob Pattinson smells like (no doubt because of the tabloid stores about his… -
Tim LaHaye Writing New Apocalyptic Series
13 Nov 2009 | 5:00 amTim LaHaye, co-author of the bestselling Left Behind series, is moving to Zondervan. LaHaye is partnering with lawyer Craig Parshall on a new apocalyptic series called The End. The series deals with the political lead-up to the end times as foretold in the Book of Revelations. Publisher's Weekly reports: "While my past works have piqued interest in biblical prophecy on a global level, The End series includes many prophecies that were not covered in Left Behind," LaHaye said in a statement. Parshall is the author of the Chamber of Justice legal thrillers series. The Left Behind series,… -
Researchers Find Clues in the Scent of Old Books
12 Nov 2009 | 12:00 pmResearchers have found a fascinating new way to determine the degradation of old and rare books. The researchers got the idea to use smell to evaluate old books -- or other historical artifacts -- by watching rare book experts who often smell books as part of their examination. It turns out the the odor emitted by old books tells what kind of shape the book is in and whether it is in immediate need of restoration to keep it intact. The test developed by the researchers identifies the chemicals that the pages emit as they degrade over time. Dr Strlic told BBC News that the idea for new test… -
Australia Keeps Book Import Laws Intact
11 Nov 2009 | 6:00 pmThe Australian government has ditched proposed changes to book import laws and has left the current restrictions on importing cheaper versions of books in tact. But at the same time, the government is embracing online booksellers such as Amazon.com. The government position now is that electronic books and online retailers will lead to price reductions for consumers and will drive innovation. Booksellers are furious, saying that it will cost them jobs and profits: people can buy cheaper books online, but not at local bookstores. The news has been warmly welcomed by Australian publishers and…
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Joanna Campbell Slan
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Great Post on Writers and Their Finances
18 Nov 2009 | 1:42 pmCheck it out athttp://whatever.scalzi.com/2009/11/09/writers-and-financial-woes-whats-going-on/I have to say I hear a lot of writers who are shocked at the costs associated with the job. I guess most people dream of having a book published, and a part of that fantasy is a windfall like Stephenie Meyer or J. K. Rawling enjoy. Frankly, you're more likely to get hit by lightning than to hit the jackpot as they did.Instead, it's much more realistic to view writing as a sort of entrepreneurship. We are small business owners. The start up costs include bookmarks, conferences, association… -
More Links to Murder and Mayhem in Muskego
17 Nov 2009 | 9:55 amMurder and Mayhem in Muskego - Beyond Her Book - Blog on ...The afternoon began with a non-stop comedic affair with Joanna Slan Campbell, Denise Swanson, Shirley Dammsgaard, Julie Hyzy and Deb Baker as they discussed who they like to kill, where and how. Kudos to Tom Schreck for facillitating ...Publishers Weekly - Beyond Her Book - http://www.publishersweekly.com/blog/880000288.html?nid=3383Jen's Book Thoughts: Murder and Mayhem in Muskego VBy Jen Forbus And Tom's humor matched up with the wits of Joanna Slan Campbell, Denise Swanson, Shirley Dammsgard, Julie Hyzy and Deb Baker, literally… -
Mayhem and Murder in Muskego!
15 Nov 2009 | 2:21 pmHere I am (below) with "my posse." These lovely ladies are my fans! I have to say, there's no better feeling than being at a large conference and knowing there's a group of people who came just to see YOU. In fact, one lady drove eight hours. I think these women are pretty special. And on those days when I think, "Okay, time to revise...AGAIN," I'll pull up my image of their shining faces and remind myself, "These wonderful people are my readers. I need to give them my best!"Below is the photo we had taken of our panel. We roped Tom Schreck of the Duffy Dumbrowski series into being a… -
What Does a Publicist Do?
15 Nov 2009 | 8:36 amI was reading my emails the other day. The writer suggested that I tell my publicist to do more publicity on the other side of the pond.That was incredibly thoughtful...and lovely.http://www.newyorker.com/humor/2009/10/19/091019sh_shouts_weiner?printable=true -
A Beautiful Thought About Books...
5 Nov 2009 | 2:05 pmI don't think people should burn books, ban books or throw books away but I do think they are meant to be used in a way that best suits the reader. I have books from university, graduate school especially, which are filled with my notes, thoughts, on related and even unrelated topics that come to mind.My Norton Anthologies, Oxford and Penguin Complete Works, Histories of Art all have my scribbles in the margins along with arrows, highlights, underlines and circles, all precious memories.There are the Dr. Seuss books from childhood filled with scribbles and an added face to the ones in the…
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Living to Read
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Enough of a Good Thing
18 Nov 2009 | 5:00 amWhen I first read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (see my blog of November 19, 2008), I thought that I was ahead of the curve. It wasn’t quite so well known at that time. But when The Girl Who Played with Fire came out this summer, I had to wait several months to get a copy from my local library.I’m not sure it was worth the wait. It has the expected healthy doses of body piercings, sex, beatings, motorcycle chases, and an outsized human “freak”. You do find out more about the personal family background of our Girl heroine Lisbeth Salender (no wonder she is so… -
Summer Vacation
13 Nov 2009 | 1:14 pmSummer Vacation – what an evocative phrase. We all have memories from our childhood and adolescence of that long stretch of days that opened up before us on the last day of school. I always thought that the light in my grade school classroom looked different on that final day – more golden. And if, like me, you grew up in a city, and your summer vacation included an escape to the beach, you probably remember the pleasure of that simpler, lazier existence. That's the feeling Colson Whitehead captures in his novel Sag Harbor. Sag Harbor is first of all a real place – a small community in… -
Perfect Timing
11 Nov 2009 | 5:00 amIt’s a week before I am scheduled to run a marathon and I am nervous, jittery, and sluggish. There is an article in the NY Times reviving the controversy that slower runners (undefined but I definitely include myself in that category) who take walk breaks (also me) are not really true marathoners and are messing up the sport for the other fast runners. My training partner has the flu. I’m still battling a nagging hamstring injury. Why did my physical therapist mention scar tissue at my last visit? My work office is closed this week so I don’t have that as a distraction – more time for… -
Living2Read Roundtable: On a scale of 1 to ...
5 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am“A decent novel can entertain you.A good novel can make you feel stuff.A great novel can change your life.” Brad BollenbachWhere does this novel (The Secret River by Kate Grenville) fit?There are many ways to judge a novel.- Did it expand your emotional repertoire?- Did it deepen your self-understanding?- Did any character change your perception of the world?That’s a lot of heavy lifting for “made-up words.”How well do you think the author succeeded with this book?This is the fourth and last blog in this Roundtable series. You can find the others on Nov. 2, Nov. 3 and Nov. 4. We… -
Living2Read Roundtable: The Language
4 Nov 2009 | 5:00 amThe Secret River by Kate GrenvilleWhat did you think of the author's use of local speech patterns...not exactly a dialect but the grammar of the less educated, I guess? Did you find it distracting or authentic? Some of the terms I never did figure out and just kept on reading. But I did have to smile when I finally realized that "baccy" meant tobacco.Did you notice the author's convention of writing all direct conversation in italics rather than in the conventional quotation marks?I was especially moved by the author's descriptions of the physical landscape, the weather, the skies, the sea,…
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RobAroundBooks
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Daily Bookshot: Paris Turns Purple
20 Nov 2009 | 12:17 pmParis Turns Purple, originally uploaded by Robert Burdock. It’s always a special time in my reading life when Canongate Books get around to publishing a new edition of the too-good-for-words Paris Review Interviews (Picador in the US); not least because I get to find out the latest colour that’s been decided on for the cover. This time around it looks like the powers that be have been listening to a little too much of 80s pop mogul Prince, because as you can see, Vol. 4 has gone not a little purple. But of course my passion for the The Paris Review Interviews runs a lot deeper… -
Reading Journal: Thursday 19th November 2009
19 Nov 2009 | 3:52 pmArthur Miller joined me for breakfast this morning, in what is most definitely becoming a routine for the week. Please Don’t Kill Anything is the third story from Presence: Collected Stories of Arthur Miller (Bloomsbury), and to be honest it is rather an odd little story. Short in length, and apparently recalling an incident that Miller experienced while walking with his wife, Marilyn Monroe, on the beach one day, Please Don’t Kill Anything is about a married couple who happen on a couple of fisherman pulling nets out of the water. As the fisherman recall the nets they sort the… -
Daily Bookshot: Digging up Fflur
19 Nov 2009 | 3:25 pmDigging up Fflur, originally uploaded by Robert Burdock. If I’ve said it once then I’ve said it a thousand times – I love debut novels from emerging writers – and just lately I seem to have had an affinity with Welsh-based ones. First, although not from an emerging writer of course, there was Caradog Prichard’s most excellent One Moonlit Night (Canongate Books). Then there was Jayne Joso’s superb Soothing Music for Stray Cats (Alcemi) – which embarrassingly I’ve still to write up my final super-positive afterthoughts on *blush*. And now there is… -
Reading Journal: Wednesday 18th November 2009
18 Nov 2009 | 3:47 pmAnd so my journey through Presence (Bloomsbury), the collected short stories of Arthur Miller continued first thing this morning with a read of Miller’s 1951 short story, Monte Sant’ Angelo. The story, which first made it’s appearance in Harper’s in 1951, follows close American friends Vinny and Bernstein as they tour the Italian countryside in search of Vinny’s Italian relatives. They arrive at the isolated and largely inaccessible village of Monte Sant’ Angelo, where Vinny has it on good authority that his relatives have resided in the village since the… -
Bookshelf of the Week: Shawn Soh’s Tree Bookcase
18 Nov 2009 | 2:10 pmFor this week’s Bookshelf of the Week we return to the aesthetically sublime, and the Tree Bookcase; the creation of South Korean design artist, Shawn Soh. Motivated to create products which are wholly practical yet artistically pleasing, Soh was inspired to create the Tree Bookshelf from an earlier memory of sticking letters on tree branches. From that memory the concept that ‘a tree becomes a book becomes a tree’ was born, and from there Soh created the Tree Bookshelf on which books ‘become flowers of the tree, and indeed part of the artwork itself in its day-to-day…
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Bookninja
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On-the-run update
20 Nov 2009 | 5:57 amI stupidly tried to use WordPress’s “upgrade automatically” feature last night and experienced about half an hour of what it must be like to be a ‘roid addict with serotonin problems. Anyway, here’s hoping she holds together for the weekend until my RL crap passes. Come on, baby, hold together…. Flannery O’Connor wins American vote Book trailers—sign of the apocalypse? Oxford gets museum of storytelling Women and the Twilight of American culture NYPL leader steps down Something happened down south with the words “National”,… -
World’s long nightmare of yuppy banality posing as grassroots populism comes to an end
19 Nov 2009 | 6:49 pmOrpah will leave the building (presumably buying it, and the country it’s based in, on the way out) in 2011. I… I… I’m too emotional to comment further right now. Somebody pass me a diamond-studded, monogrammed hankie to wipe my retouched nose on. It’s like a long, deadly world war is ending for me. Now, on to the guerrilla quagmires! After more than 20 years in which Oprah Winfrey shook up the medium of the daytime talkshow, rising to become a ratings and cultural powerhouse, she is to announce today that she is bringing her show to an end. Yesterday she told… -
Aaaand because you need to know…
19 Nov 2009 | 4:08 pmThe single best explanation I’ve ever seen about how to have productive conversation with someone who’s just made a racist remark. Bril. Liant. (via Lady Ninja) -
Too busy for posting
19 Nov 2009 | 5:01 amI’ll resume posting again on Monday, but for now, take this quote from Cormac McCarthy in a WSJ interview and suck on it for a while, you short fiction writers (speaking as someone who just handed his editors 20 new pages of novel, yo… oh, yes, this is happening. It is so ON!) (from the pages of my beloved ex-Ninja Pete (or beloved ex, Ninja Pete)) I’m not interested in writing short stories. Anything that doesn’t take years of your life and drive you to suicide hardly seems worth doing. -
Aaaaand because I can…
18 Nov 2009 | 11:20 amA single sentence animation from the boys and girls at Electric Literature.
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Kat Meyer The Bookish Dilettante
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Glue: Online Book Curation That Sticks With You
4 Nov 2009 | 10:33 am"AdaptiveBlue's Glue is a site-centric product that acts as both a hub and a spoke of the social web." -- ReadWriteWeb "Last year, it was Facebook. This year, it's Twitter. What's it going to be next year? Allow me to present a possible contender: Glue." - Shelf AwarenessHello my bookish friends:I am hoping I can get you all to take a look at (and share) some info about Glue. In the not-so-distant past, I've waxed poetic about Glue and how it can/will revolutionize online book curation. Yes, I've loved and talked about them all along, and --BIG DISCLAIMER-- EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE A NOW A… -
#BISG Tweet Archive 090909
9 Sep 2009 | 11:41 amBecause I am a total geek, I've archived the tweets from this morning's Book Industry Study Group annual meeting. I find it fascinating. If you, like me, enjoy listening in on what smart bookish techy types discuss when they get together, here's your chance. While it's not exactly on par with my "Johnny Depp/George Clooney to Save Publishing" post, it is pretty good stuff. -
SXSW Panel Picker: A Self-Promoting (But Deserving) Pitch
21 Aug 2009 | 1:38 pmDear everyone: I need some SXSW Panel Picker Love. And, as I have no pride (nope, not really - used to, but then I noticed it was getting in the way of my ability to grovel - so it had to go), I am blatantly begging for votes. Please go vote for the cool SXSW panel that I'll be on with an impressive line up of very smart, creative, good looking, and forward-thinking bookish types, including: Joe Wikert, General Manager + Publisher of O'Reilly Media, and proprietor and head honcho of the Publishing 2020 and Kindleville blogs Lisa Holton, Founder and CEO of Fourth Story Media (making awesome… -
Ain't Nothing Wrong With Getting Horizontal - Just Let's Maybe Get To Know Each Other First.
14 Aug 2009 | 9:47 pmInstead of going horizontal based on relentless push marketing ("come on you reader, you. You know you want it! right? come on - i won't go away until you read me!"), today's reader needs to be able to trust that oh-so-widely-appealing book. -
Publishing - It's Alive! (Just Tune in Tomorrow)
8 Jul 2009 | 4:02 pmIn spite of rumors to the contrary- Very Persistent rumors! Yes, book publishing is alive. But, it looks like it may be morphing into something that looks different from what we're used to. It's like on a soap opera when a character supposedly dies going over a cliff in his fancy red sports car, but then he shows up one day, announcing he didn't really die, he just got washed down a river and lost his ID and they found him in some far away town, and he has had major reconstructive plastic surgery and been rehabilitated by this totally cute nurse, and has now come home to reclaim his position…
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Flashlight Worthy
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The Best Tween Books of 2009
Tweens are my life. I’ve raised already two, and I'm raising my third and last now. As a school librarian, I work with them all day. So I think I know a thing or two about tweens. In my experience, you can't raise readers. Readers are born. Kids want stories — good ones — great ones even. It’s our job to give them great stories. So here’s a list — in no particular order — of what I think are the best books for Tweens that came out in 2009. (Ok, I admit it. Some of them are originally from 2008. Their inclusion is explained below.)Click here to see the… -
8 Books Featuring Inventive (and Immersive) Fantasy Worlds
There’s absolutely nothing else like losing yourself in a book. Some people might point out that movies can also suck you in, but there’s just nothing like a book to spark your own imagination. When I’m reading a great novel — one where the author has created a world that truly captures your mind — it stays with me long after I’ve finished reading. You know the kinds of books I’m talking about: the ones where you can see the world in your head. The ones that really amaze me are the inventive and immersive fantasy worlds that some authors build —… -
Great Book Club Books Set in New York City
These books are all excellent in their own right. That they use the backdrop of New York City to tell their story? That just makes them all the more ripe for discussion.Click here to see the 7 books on the list -
10 Out-of-Print Children's Books Worth Overpaying For
I started collecting vintage children’s books after I paid $18 for a brand new hardcover of Where the Wild Things Are for my son’s first birthday and thought, hell, there’s got to be a cheaper way. I bought my first one (Helen Palmer’s 1964 classic Why I Built the Boogle House) for $1.25 at a used book shop and haven’t looked back since. Thought I still troll junk shops and Goodwills looking for those 25 cent holy grails, there are some books I would chop off my right arm for (and have… stops to wave with stump). These guys are the endangered species of… -
Favorite Reissues of Neglected Books
My web site, The Neglected Books Page, is devoted to the subject of forgotten, underappreciated, and (in some cases) never-discovered books. I usually focus on books that are out of print, but we are fortunate to have a number of publishing houses willing to take a gamble on reissues of books that have fallen by the wayside of popular and critical taste, and I wanted to take a moment to pay tribute to a dozen examples from some of these fine publishers.Click here to see the 12 books on the list
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The Millions
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South Africa, 2010
20 Nov 2009 | 1:08 pmThe last of the World Cup qualifying matches wrapped up this week and the final list of qualified teams is in. See the list of the 32 qualified national teams headed for South Africa in 2010 here. -
November Is the Month for Madrileños
20 Nov 2009 | 1:07 pmLate November brings work of another favorite Madrileño to the forefront. The final book of Javier Marías’s Your Face Tomorrow trilogy, Poison, Shadow, and Farewell, will be published at the end of the month by New Directions. The incomparable Marias will make two New York appearances, a reading at the 92nd St Y (with Paul Auster) and a conversation with Paul Holdengräber at the New York Public Library. -
Broken Embraces
20 Nov 2009 | 12:16 pmCatch it while you can: Charlie Rose’s hour-long interview with Pedro Almodóvar and his muse, Penélope Cruz, touches on character, confidence, and control, and is currently available online. Almodóvar’s latest film,Broken Embraces, which I saw last summer in Madrid sans subtitles, was so visually stunning and well-acted that despite my meager translation the film enthralled. With a proper translation, it should be ravishing. -
Goodbye to Oprah’s Golden Ticket
20 Nov 2009 | 4:10 amThat sound you hear is a thousand book publicists wailing. Oprah Winfrey will announce today that her eponymous talk show will end in September 2011. That means that in less than two years, the ultimate book publicity coup will be off the table. Oprah’s Book Club isn’t quite the powerhouse it once was. The club was started in 1996, a savvy move when neighborhood book clubs were in vogue with the Oprah demographic. The Book Club also was a way of distancing the show from its increasingly shock-oriented daytime peers (a format, we may forget, that Oprah once partook of.) In those… -
Storytelling: Jonathan Safran Foer’s Eating Animals
20 Nov 2009 | 4:10 amI became a vegetarian when I was 14 years old for a variety of reasons, not all of them necessarily admirable or based on ethics. I was concerned for animal welfare but vegetarianism was also an easier way of hiding my brief and painful eating disorder from my parents and friends, a way to assert my 14-year-old self into a particular brand of neo-hippie fashion, and a way to manufacture an identity at a time when I wanted to stand out and be heard. Also, somewhere deep down inside me, beneath the ornament and artifice, I truly felt that eating animals was wrong. I returned to meat when I was…
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Jacket Copy
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Reviews this week: not just Palin and Agassi
20 Nov 2009 | 3:22 pmThis week, there were some small books competing for attention against some blockbusters. Andre Agassi's memoir, "Open," is charming everyone, including our reviewer David Davis:This literate and absorbing book is, as the title baldly states, Agassi's confessional, a wrenching chronicle of his lifelong search for identity and serenity, on and off the court. Peter Mayle, best known for "A Year in Provence," begins in Malibu but swiftly heads back to France, in a wine-and-food fiction this time around. Reviewer Bernadette Murphy writes:"The Vintage Caper"… -
Shakespeare and Company's new literary mural
20 Nov 2009 | 10:17 amThe English-language bookstore on Paris' left bank, Shakespeare and Company, has been a draw for generations of expatriate writers. That goes for both its first iteration, owned by Sylvia Beach, who was the original publisher of James Joyce's "Ulysses," and the more recent version, opened in 1951 by George Whitman. And those writers are rendered in portraits in a new mural in the shop, on the stairwell between the ground floor and the upstairs browsing/reading room.On its website, Bomb Magazine has a slideshow of the mural's creation, and an interview with the artist,… -
Can Nick Cave rival Bad Sex Award favorite Philip Roth?
20 Nov 2009 | 6:46 amBritish magazine the Literary Review has announced the shortlist of finalists for its Bad Sex Award. The contenders list could be plucked from any highbrow literary award competition: John Banville has won a Booker, Amos Oz has been awarded the French Legion of Honor and Philip Roth has one Pulitzer and two National Book Awards. But maybe they'd prefer not to add the Bad Sex Award to their achievements. "Nobody wants to win that award," Margaret Atwood -- who is not in the running -- told Jacket Copy in October. Not all the finalists feel that way. Nick Cave's… -
Amy Goodman's book tour draws noontime crowd
19 Nov 2009 | 1:48 pmIt's hard to fill a bookstore at noon on a weekday, but that's exactly what happened at Skylight Books in Los Feliz today when Amy Goodman appeared to talk about her new book, "Breaking the Sound Barrier." By 11:45 a.m., all the seats were filled, decent standing room was taken and people were queuing up behind high bookshelves -- even if they couldn't see, they could listen. Listening is what they're used to doing with Goodman, a longtime left-wing radio host. In Los Angeles, her show Democracy Now!, now in its 13th year, airs on KPFK-FM (90.7). Out on the street, a… -
Oprah pick Uwem Akpan in the Southland tonight
19 Nov 2009 | 9:08 amOprah Book Club fans in the Southland can see Uwem Akpan this evening at Loyola Marymount University’s William H. Hannon Library. The author is set to appear at 5:30 p.m. Akpan, a native of Nigeria, is the author of Oprah's latest book pick, "Say You're One of Them." The book marked two firsts for Oprah's Book Club: It was the first set in Africa and the first short story collection. "He is the author of the most powerful collection of short stories that I believe I've ever read," Oprah said on her book club broadcast. Akpan is a Jesuit priest who…
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Buzz, Balls & Hype
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THE DOCTOR IS IN
19 Nov 2009 | 10:01 pmJANE-ITIS Earlier this week I visited the Jane Austen exhibit at the Morgan Library and Museum. I'm sure I'll be back several times, probably dragging friends with me, before it leaves in March, but I wanted to make my first visit alone. I get annoyed at people who claim exclusive ownership of a particular book or author based on pereceived expertise or deep sensitivity or something. "You didn't write the damn books," I always want to snap when someone refers to a writer she's not acquainted with by her first name, turns up her nose at "noobs" or otherwise… -
The Ad Man Answers #73
18 Nov 2009 | 11:32 pmThursday + Gregory Huffstutter = The Ad Man Answers Q: I am looking into buying remnant Cable TV and radio spots. Any ideas? What should I bid if I am doing a reverse auction with Bid4Spots as an example? Are there any other ways to go after the remnant advertising on my own that you know of? Thank you for your input. It is greatly appreciated. --David Domm A: Remnant advertising can be tricky business. On the surface, it seems easy enough... you're just snatching up unsold space on TV, radio, newspapers,… -
Linktopia
16 Nov 2009 | 8:39 pmLinktopia (with the help of Judge Page) and another trio of links. Love it, hate it, or just don't care about it, but if you are looking for publicity you should at least be looking at Twitter. Guy Kawasaki shows you how he tweets for business here. Nikon teamed up with Ashton and his Twitter popularity to start a new promotion with a video hook. The rest of the story at brandweek.com is here. Staying at brandweek.com because here's the story on an app promotion (do you remember months and months ago when we kept saying mobile was going to be bigger than… -
When Twittering Does Work
15 Nov 2009 | 7:24 amCBS Sunday Morning just did a story on the food trucks in Los Angeles and how they are drawing crowds via Twitter (one has 44,000) followers and it makes us wonder (not for the first time) how authors/publishers can do something similar. All these people showing up at different spots to get food they love could be meeting authors they love... or lots of other things.. what if publishers created events to give out samples in one spot one day in one city.. and what if... Here's a link that that came after the Twitter story in the Spring. -
THE DOCTOR IS IN
12 Nov 2009 | 10:01 pmCheck out Susan Perry's article about my work on Psychology TodayDear Dr. Sue, Your recent post about how negative words have a greater impact on people really struck a chord with me. Sometimes, though, no words at all can be just as bad. I've been querying agents and getting back nothing but form rejection letters, no comments whatsoever. I have no idea why they don't want to read my novel, and trying to blindly guess at what I might need to do differently to attract someone's attention is impossible and frustrating.On top of that, they take…
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My Mind on Books
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‘Migraine Art’
15 Nov 2009 | 6:26 pmA recent library find—Migraine Art: The Migraine Experience from Within by Klaus Podoll and Derek Robinson (North Atlantic Books, 2009) [link for UK], a fascinating & beautiful book I probably would not have discovered if it hadn’t been in the new books section of my local library. Product description from the publisher: Migraine Art includes more [...] -
coming soon – ‘The Faith Instinct: How Religion Evolved and Why It Endures’ by Nicholas Wade
11 Nov 2009 | 10:37 amThe Faith Instinct: How Religion Evolved and Why It Endures by Nicholas Wade is a preorder as I’m writing but due out from Penguin tomorrow (Nov 12) so it may be available by the time you’re reading this. (link for UK) Product description from the author’s website: The Faith Instinct presents a novel approach to religion. It [...] -
coming soon – ‘Reading in the Brain’
8 Nov 2009 | 6:00 pmReading in the Brain: The Science and Evolution of a Human Invention by Stanislaus Dehaene is due out this Thurs (Nov 12) from Viking. (link for UK) Product description from the publisher: A renowned cognitive neuroscientist’s fascinating and highly informative account of how the brain acquires reading How can a few black marks on a white page evoke an [...] -
new book – ‘The Big Questions’ by Steven E. Landsburg
30 Oct 2009 | 12:45 pmThe Big Questions: Tackling the Problems of Philosophy with Ideas from Mathematics, Economics and Physics by Steven E. Landsburg (Free Press, 2009) (link for UK) Product description from the publisher: In the wake of his enormously popular books The Armchair Economist and More Sex Is Safer Sex, Slate columnist and Economics professor Steven Landsburg uses concepts [...] -
‘Fall of Sleep’ by Jean-Luc Nancy
27 Oct 2009 | 9:47 pmFound via the Book Bench at the New Yorker: Fall of Sleep by Jean-Luc Nancy, tr. Charlotte Mandell (Fordham University Press, 2009) (link for UK) Product description from the publisher: Philosophers have largely ignored sleep, treating it as a useless negativity, mere repose for the body or at best a source for the production of unconscious signs out [...]
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Reading Local
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Portland Based Editor Needed For Culturally Sensitive Novel
20 Nov 2009 | 12:45 pmI received a note in my inbox the other day from Melody Stromquist of Small Business Affinity asking if I could help find a Portland based editor for a client of hers. Here are the details and contact information for anyone interested: Looking for local editor in Portland Metro area. New self publishing house has novel and trilogy that needs editor support. Urban culture/gangsta lifestyle/anti-society topics and tone. Must be able to balance traditional writing with Ebonics (dialogue in book). If you are the right match, this could be a very regular job. Most books out of this… -
Tonight 11-20: Mortified PDX Celebrates 2nd Anniversary at Someday Lounge
20 Nov 2009 | 12:09 pmToday’s Featured Book Event: Mortified PDX 2nd Anniversary (Someday Lounge, @8:30pm, 21 & Over, $12 door): Part comedy, part theater, part therapy. True tales ripped from the pages of real life! Mortified stars everyday adults sharing their most embarrassingly real teenage diary entries, poems, love letters, lyrics and locker notes… in front of total strangers. Featuring a distinct lineup of local performers – it’s never the same show twice! Join us for the follow-up to our sold out shows this past June! Online tickets are sold out, but a handful of tickets will be… -
Event Recap: Melissa Hart Explores Writing and Marketing a Memoir at Wilsonville Public Library
19 Nov 2009 | 12:07 pmThis recap is cross posted from Portland writer Cara Holman’s frequently updated and always entertaining blog Prose Posies. I went to hear Melissa Hart speak, this past Sunday as part of the Northwest Author Series. She shared with us that she legally changed her name before publishing her memoir “Gringa: A Contradictory Girlhood” to protect the privacy of those involved. She then went on to ruefully admit that she should have done more research before choosing her pseudonym, as there are two other well-known Melissa Harts: the politician and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. (Btw, I… -
New Release: “Whiskey Days” by Tommy Gaffney
19 Nov 2009 | 11:41 amIf you are a Portland author, poet, zinester, cartoonist or publisher looking to publicize your new release(s), email us (portland@readinglocal.com): the title of the release, a brief description, when it will be available, and a link to where it can be purchased or pre-ordered. We will then help you to promote your new release by posting this information on the site. Tommy Gaffney’s newest collection of stories and poetry, Whiskey Days (Night Bomb Press), is coming out in early December and is available for pre-order on the Night Bomb Press site now. Gaffney describes Whiskey Days as… -
Tonight 11-19: Peter S. Goodman presents “Past Due” at Reed College
19 Nov 2009 | 8:35 amToday’s Featured Book Event: Peter S. Goodman presents Past Due (Reed College, Vollum Lecture Hall, @7:00pm): Peter S. Goodman has been a national economic correspondent for the New York Times since 2007. He began his career as a freelancer in Southeast Asia writing for several American newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times and the Dallas Morning News, before working for a decade as a staff writer at the Washington Post, for which he spent five years in China as the newspaper’s Asian economic correspondent and five in New York as the international economics correspondent. Goodman…
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Boomerang Books Blog
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On tour
17 Nov 2009 | 11:18 pmAuthors on tour from November to March 2010: November Susan Duncan, Random House (A Life on Pittwater) Ben Elton, Random House (Meltdown) Danny Buderus, Random House (Talent is Not Enough) Judy Nunn, Random House (Maralinga) Diana Gabaldon, Hachette (Echo in the Bone) Paul Mercurio, Murdoch Books (Mercurio’s Menu) Alex Miller, A&U (Lovesong) Paullina Simons, HarperCollins (A Song in the Daylight) Reg Mombassa, HarperCollins (The Mind and Times of Reg Mombassa) Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, HarperCollins (Never Mind the Bullocks, Here’s the Science) Di Morrissey, Macmillan (The Silent… -
Bestsellers this week
17 Nov 2009 | 10:56 pmThe unthinkable has happened–there’s not one Stephenie Meyer title in the Bestsellers chart (top ten) nor the top five of the Highest New Entries or Fastest Mover charts this week. This may well change once the film version of New Moon is released in cinemas later this week however. Michael Reilly’s The Five Greatest Warriors comes in at number one on the Bestsellers chart, Barbara Kingsolver’s The Lacuna is this week’s ‘highest new entry’ and I, Alex Cross by James Patterson is top of the Fastest Movers chart. Source:… -
YABBA award winners announced
17 Nov 2009 | 10:46 pmThe winners of this year’s YABBA Victorian children’s choice book awards have been announced. The winners were: * Fiction Years 7-9: Then (Morris Gleitzman, Viking) * Fiction Older Readers: Specky Magee And The Spirit Of Game (Felice Arena & Garry Lyon, Puffin) * Fiction Younger Readers: ‘Zac Power’ Series 1 (H I Larry, Hardie Grant Egmont) * Picture Storybooks: Are We There Yet? (Alison Lester, Viking). The YABBA Awards are determined by students around Victoria voting on their favourite books. For more information about YABBA visit the… -
Brooks wins US$40,00 Peggy V Helmerich award
17 Nov 2009 | 10:37 pmAustralian-born author Geraldine Brooks has been announced as the winner of this year’s Peggy V Helmerich Distinguished Author Award. The US$40,000 (A$42,800) award will be presented by the Tulsa Library Trust on 4 December and recognises Brooks’ contribution ‘to the field of literature and letters’. The Tulsa Library Trust is a public foundation created by private contributions to benefit Tulsa City-County Library. Source: http://www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au/articles/2009/11/14011/ This article from Thorpe Bowker’s Weekly Book Newsletter and Media Extra is… -
ACT Book of the Year Award Shortlist announced
17 Nov 2009 | 10:33 pmThe shortlist for this year’s ACT Book of the Year Awards has been announced. Twenty-three nominations were received for the $10,000 award, which recognises ‘excellence in quality contemporary literary works by ACT writers’ and includes fiction, nonfiction and poetry. The shortlisted titles were: * Her Father’s Daughter (John Clanchy, UQP) * A Guide to the Birds of East Africa: A Novel (Nicholas Drayson, Viking) * The Freedom Paradox: Towards a Post-Secular Ethics (Clive Hamilton, A&U) * Speaking our Language: The Story of Australian…
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Reading Copy Book Blog
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Oprah nightmare for publishers
20 Nov 2009 | 9:19 amOh the horror! If you look up towards the sky in Manhattan right now, you will see some very sad people dotted along the ever-so-high ledges of those massive media corporation buildings. Yes, just when book publishers thought life could not get any worse comes the news that Oprah Winfrey, the publisher’s best friend, will shutdown her daytime talk show in 2011. All this comes on the heels of the rise of e-books, the Kindle, the Nook, the Sony e-thingy, and the demise of book coverage in the mainstream US media. So what will be the ultimate go-to source for bookselling when Oprah pulls… -
McCann remembers McCourt
19 Nov 2009 | 3:57 pmLet the Great World Spin by Irish-American writer Colum McCann triumphed last night in the fiction category at the National Book Awards. There’s been lots of interest in this novel for some time now - last month it was AbeBooks fourth bestselling signed book. There’s plenty of signed copies available right now and they start at $35 and range up to $200. McCann dedicated his award to another Irish-American writer, “good old Frank McCourt,” who died earlier this year. “I think he’s dancing upstairs,” he said. -
75 Most Iconic DC Comic Book Covers
19 Nov 2009 | 12:02 pmGoodcomics.com is spending November celebrating DC Comics’ 75th Anniversary. How, you ask? By combing through the unimaginable numbers of covers from 75 years of DC comics, posting a few a day, and at the end, having readers vote on their top 10. The result will be a list of the 75 most iconic comic book covers in DC Comics history! This has been going on for a few weeks now, so the master list is pretty impressive already. Go have a look - voting starts November 23rd! So far, this would be my top ten: -
17th annual Bad Sex Awards shortlist
19 Nov 2009 | 9:20 amThe Shortlist for the 2009 Bad Sex Award has been announced. For the un-initiated the Bad Sex Award was set up by Auberon Waugh to “draw attention to the crude, tasteless, often perfunctory use of redundant passages of sexual description in the modern novel, and to discourage it”. The shortlist was announced in yesterday’s Guardian where an excerpt from Philip Roth’s nominated novel The Humbling which stars a large green dildo. “This was not soft porn. This was no longer two unclothed women caressing and kissing on a bed. There was something primitive about it… -
Twilight Tattoos
18 Nov 2009 | 4:53 pmIt’s Twilight week still … The Daily Beast has photos a dozen Twilight fans tattoo’s. While not the first to get literary ink I wonder if the series has the staying power to justify permanent body art.
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About.com: Bestsellers
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Funny Holiday Books
19 Nov 2009 | 4:13 pmThe holiday season can be hectic. Whether you love November and December or dread the string of parties and get-togethers, all of us have moments when we could use some comic relief. These holiday books are witty, sometimes moving and often laugh out loud funny. Cover Photo Courtesy Hachette Book Group Funny Holiday Books originally appeared on About.com Bestsellers on Friday, November 20th, 2009 at 00:13:34.Permalink | Comment | Email this -
Books about India
17 Nov 2009 | 4:09 pmIn the next couple months, many of us will be traveling or taking some time off from work. Even if you can't go somewhere exotic over the holidays, you can still visit a far off place through great fiction. Here are four Books about India that are full of love, adventure and intrigue. Cover Photo Courtesy Atria Books about India originally appeared on About.com Bestsellers on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 00:09:50.Permalink | Comment | Email this -
South of Broad by Pat Conroy
15 Nov 2009 | 4:35 pmPat Conroy, bestselling author of novels including Prince of Tides and Beach Music, has made his fans wait fourteen years for his newest novel. South of Broad is a rambling novel about Charleston, South Carolina and a group of unlikely friends who weather life's storms together. While South of Broad offers definite charms, it lacks the charisma of some of his earlier novels. Read a complete review of South of Broad by Pat Conroy Cover Photo Courtesy Knopf South of Broad by Pat Conroy originally appeared on About.com Bestsellers on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 00:35:41.Permalink | Comment |… -
Most Disappointing Books of 2009
12 Nov 2009 | 5:01 amWondering what not to read? Every year there are books that just don't match their hype. These titles are often prominently displayed in bookstores, but don't be fooled -- good marketing does not a good book make. Here are the most disappointing books from 2009 along with suggestions for books in the same genres that would be better choices. Cover Photo Courtesy DoubledayMost Disappointing Books of 2009 originally appeared on About.com Bestsellers on Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at 13:01:30.Permalink | Comment | Email this -
Pulpy Paperback: Beat the Reaper
10 Nov 2009 | 4:09 pmPulp ER Fiction. Ever wondered what would happen if Michael Crichton and Quentin Tarantino hatched an idea and then coated it in violence and wit? No worries. Josh Bazell is their offspring. Bazell's debut novel, which was released earlier this year, is available in paperback for those who need an escape from holiday cheer. Read a complete review of Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell Beat the Reaper Book Club Discussion Questions Cover Photo Courtesy Little, BrownPulpy Paperback: Beat the Reaper originally appeared on About.com Bestsellers on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 00:09:07.Permalink |…
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The Creative Penn
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NaNoWriMo Day 18: Lessons Learned on Writing My First Thriller Novel
18 Nov 2009 | 10:04 pmMy word count = 17,399. Here’s my video with text below if you just want to read. In the last few week I have learnt: I am behind in word count, but I don’t mind much. I am enjoying the process and exploring ideas. I am also continuing to blog, tweet and read – plus move house, the day job and oh yes, real life! I am serious about this novel so I know it will take a good 9 months to 1 year to actually get into a state that means you could read it. This month I start writing a novel, not finish a novel! You can’t edit a blank page. Yes, this has been said before but now… -
Why Do Great Writers Steal?
16 Nov 2009 | 10:45 pmThe full quote is “Mediocre writers borrow. Great writers steal.“ T.S.Eliot There is also a version for visual artists, attributed to Picasso (or Banksy!) I was asked on a teleconference the other day, “What do I do if I am stuck in writing my book?” and I referred to this quote. I am also making my way to the mid-point of NaNoWriMo and the well is getting a bit dry for my first fiction novel. So what does it actually mean? Steal ideas. Read other people’s works, or look at other people’s art work. If you like an idea, ruminate on it, muddle it around in… -
The Law of Attraction For Writers and Authors
13 Nov 2009 | 10:17 pmThe Law of Attraction gained a huge audience with the global success of The Secret a few years ago, and is still followed by many although there also seems to be a bit of a backlash against it’s popularity these days. Whatever your opinions of the Law of Attraction, the principles can still help authors and writers on their journey. In this post, I explain some of the principles using my own experience in the hope you will find it helpful. It is more of a personal post than usual, and as ever, I appreciate your comments. The basic principles (according to Wikipedia) are: Decide what you… -
NaNoWriMo Day 11: Update and Lessons Learnt
11 Nov 2009 | 10:10 pmWord Count: 14,562 (I’m behind!). Here’s the video…with text below. I had this request from @sheetalMakhan on Twitter “Hi! In ur next vid, if poss could u pls share a bit more about how u save ur work & do wordcount (daily?) etc :0)”, so here goes. (Please feel free to email / tweet me more questions!) I have been writing on the train on my Dell Mini 9 Netbook, just onto Wordpad (basic typing only). Then I put the saved doc on a USB key and add it to my master file on my big Laptop at home. I don’t delete anything, I have just been writing without fear! -
Podcast: Tips for Sci-Fi and Fantasy Authors from Philippa Ballantine, Chris Lester and J. Daniel Sawyer
10 Nov 2009 | 10:02 pmIt is podcast mania this week! I am delighted to have these 3 sci-fi/fantasy authors on the show as all of them release their next podcast novels on 11 November. What does this mean for you? 3 brand new podcast novels to listen to – PLUS top tips on how to write sci-fi/fantasy novels in time for NaNoWriMo! Philippa Ballantine releases ‘Digital Magic’. Chris Lester releases ‘Metamor City: Things Unseen’ and J. Daniel Sawyer releases ‘The Antithesis Progression‘. In this podcast, you will learn: Who each of these podcast novelists are, what they have…
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www.publetariat.com
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The Fulfilling Facet: Emotional Influence
19 Nov 2009 | 6:56 pmThis post, from Anthony James Barnett, originally appeared on his Tell Me A Story blog on 11/17/09 and is reprinted here in its entirety with his permission. Emotional influence is sometimes the most ignored facet in novels. Emotion is important, not only when linked to what characters feel about themselves and others, but in the reaction they stir in readers. read more -
Dan Clancy Answers a Few Quick Questions About the New Google Book Search Settlement
19 Nov 2009 | 6:50 pmThis post, from Siva Vaidhyanathan, originally appeared on his The Googlization of Everything site on 11/17/09 and is reprinted here in its entirety with his permission. Dan Clancy is the Engineering Director for Google Books. Hi Dan. I know it must have been a stressful week for you. So I hesitate to ask you for a favor. But there are a lot of people in the scholarly/library community who have unanswered questions about the terms of the new GBS deal. So I was hoping you could help us out. read more -
Amazon Ranking Results
18 Nov 2009 | 6:00 pmThis post, from indie author and musician Rob Kaay, originally appeared on his Adventures In... blog on 11/9/09 and is reprinted here in its entirety with his permission. In it, he discusses the results of an "Amazon Rush" experiment he conducted for the release of his book, Silverbirch. In case you’ve been living under a bridge for the last week with no local unlocked wireless internet access to steal, I released my new speculative fiction novel entitled Silverbirch; A Tear in the Fabric of the Night Sky on Halloween. read more -
Harlequin Horizons & Thomas Nelson West Bow Press: Good For These Publishers and Author Solutions, Inc., Bad For Indie Authors
18 Nov 2009 | 6:00 pmJust as Thomas Nelson did about a month ago, Harlequin has announced it is partnering with Author Solutions, Inc. (ASI) to form a self-published books imprint. This new imprint is called Harlequin Horizons (HH), and according to a Harlequin press release: Through this strategic alliance; all sales, marketing, publishing, distribution, and book-selling services will be fulfilled by ASI; but Harlequin Horizons will exist as a division of Harlequin Enterprises Limited. Harlequin will monitor sales of books published through the self publisher for possible pick up by its traditional imprints.
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Book Covers blog
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Hundred Hit Wonder
19 Nov 2009 | 7:30 amAs part of the National Novel Writing Month I will be posting quickly-designed covers for participating authors - a new one every day. The synopsis for this cover is AWESOME. -
Rhythm of a (Reluctant) Desi Heart
16 Nov 2009 | 7:52 amI asked the talented Elena Giavaldi to help me out with this cover as I'm falling behind on this Nanowrimo project I swear she did it in five minutes. -
Soviet Kid
13 Nov 2009 | 11:26 amAs part of the National Novel Writing Month I will be posting quickly-designed covers for participating authors - a new one every day. The story is that the protagonist cobbles together clues about her father through underground Russian Cold War comics. -
Die Peperoni im Heu (The Red Pepper In the Hay)
10 Nov 2009 | 3:36 pmAs part of the National Novel Writing Month I will be posting quickly-designed covers for participating authors - a new one every day. This story is, quite simply, about a cow who finds a red pepper in the hay, and it changes her life. I know. It is totally radical. I wish I had more time to spend on the type on these, but as it is I really have to burn through them in 30 minutes. I'm already behind by three or four covers. Dangit! -
King of the Food Court
9 Nov 2009 | 1:01 amAs part of the National Novel Writing Month I will be posting quickly-designed covers for participating authors - a new one every day. I've always wanted an excuse to use Keedy Sans and I'm positive I've seen it on a fast food menu, so here you go! Old timers come to him for coffee Pretty girls talk to him for rest Plastic trays and paper plates All the people here got dates With the King of the Food Court
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There Are No Rules
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Glimmer Train Monthly News
17 Nov 2009 | 1:51 pmGlimmer Train has just chosen the winning stories for their September Fiction Open competition. This competition is held quarterly and is open to all writers for stories with a word count range between 2000-20,000. No theme restrictions. The next Fiction Open competition will take place in December. Glimmer Train’s monthly submission calendar may be viewed here. First place: Carrie Brown (pictured above) of Sweet Briar, VA, wins $2000 for “Bomb.” Her story will be published in the Fall 2010 issue of Glimmer Train Stories, out in August 2010. Second place: Ken Barris of Cape Town,… -
Best Tweets for Writers (week ending 11/13/09)
15 Nov 2009 | 7:41 pmI watch Twitter, so you don't have to. Visit each Sunday for the week's best Tweets. If I missed a great Tweet, leave it in the Comments. Always welcome your suggestions on improving this weekly feature. Best of Best Great post from an agent about why books are rejected @BubbleCow @RachelleGardner on when/how a book becomes profitable. Best thing I've read all week. @ChuckSambuchino 3 Common Mistakes an editor is seeing in manuscripts @ElizabethSCraig Great post about what an agent looks for in a query letter @BubbleCow Annie Dillard's take-no-prisoners approach to writing (via @ContraryMag… -
Best Tweets for Writers (week ending 11/6/09)
8 Nov 2009 | 10:55 amI watch Twitter, so you don't have to. Visit each Sunday for the week's best Tweets. If I missed a great Tweet, leave it in the Comments. Always welcome your suggestions on improving this weekly feature. Best of Best 3 Questions To Better Understand Your Novel @FictionMatters 3 Storytelling Exercises That Can Get You Published @BubbleCow Writing the perfect scene by Randy Ingermanson. Thought-provoking article. @mystorywriter Stand Alone Dear Querier, an agent is not going to steal your idea. In fact the only way to market your book is to share it. @mattwagner Fiction Writers, don't apologize… -
Marketing in a Digital Age
3 Nov 2009 | 4:24 pmMore than a year ago, I left a comment on the Booksquare blog by Kassia Krozser, on a post titled "Why Publishers Should Blog." Kassia argued that publishers needed to be more vocal about supporting the titles they publish. I responded: Definitely agree, but I have to wonder if the lack of enthusiastic comments direct from publishers is primarily due to lack of time (and energy, sadly). If an editor (or whomever) is juggling dozens of projects in a given year, accomplishing just the basics can be enormously demanding. (Lean staffs!) The “friendly” online marketing or buzz building has… -
Every Writer Needs a Little Salesperson Inside
2 Nov 2009 | 3:16 pmIt's not a natural thing for most creative people to sell their work, but when it comes time to publish, you have to know something about how to sell. You have to put in the effort, make the calls, not get beat down by rejection. (It's why I love this Alec Baldwin video, and my advice based on it.) I'm definitely not a salesperson by nature. But it didn't take long to learn some basic skills, since my first editorial job depended on convincing salespeople my ideas were worthwhile. Most writers need a little help in understanding how to pitch their work effectively, and I love being the one to…
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Better World Books Blog
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National Bookstore Day
6 Nov 2009 | 8:23 amSaturday November 7th is the first annual National Bookstore Day. We here at Better World Books are proud to support literacy, books and a love of reading in any way we can. Join us and the hundreds of bookstores across the country who are celebrating the day, by browsing the shelves, walking the aisles and finding a new treasure or an old favorite to add to your collection. Visit our brick and mortar locations: Better World Books Goshen 118 E. Washington Street Goshen, IN 46528 Phone: 574-534-1984 Better World Books Outlet Store 55740 Currant Road Mishawaka, IN 46545 Phone: 574-968-9701… -
Better World Books Podcast: Byron Pitts
3 Nov 2009 | 12:01 pmByron Pitts is a gifted broadcast journalist, an engaging and talented speaker, a published author and force for good. But that wasn’t always the case. As his book STEP OUT ON NOTHING details, Byron started out a skinny kid with the nickname “Pickle” who didn’t talk much and was often bullied. But worse than that, Byron was hiding and working hard to keep his secrets. He couldn’t read and had a debilitating stutter. If it wasn’t for his faith and the people who “stepped out on nothing” for him, Byron doesn’t believe he would have… -
My Trip to Books For Africa
26 Oct 2009 | 8:32 amby Paul “Paco” Miller On October 2nd and 3rd I had the opportunity to represent Better World Books (BWB) in Minneapolis/St. Paul at several events put on by our partner Books For Africa (BFA). Those two days were jammed packed with events that made me find my way around the twin cities, but were well worth the trip. My biggest take away is that BFA is a great partner for BWB. Everything about the trip reaffirmed how reputable an organization it is and made abundantly clear the important role it plays in the great task of confronting the obstacles to literacy and education in… -
Better World Books Podcast: Warren St. John
7 Oct 2009 | 8:14 amDid you ever have one of those days? The kind where everything comes together and you know you are doing what you are meant to be doing? That’s how I felt when I finished reading OUTCASTS UNITED and knew that I would have the opportunity to meet and interview author Warren St. John and help get the word out about this great book. The book tells the story of coach Luma Mufleh the soccer team of refugee boys she founded and the town of Clarkston, Georgia that wasn’t sure they wanted them… or their families. Once I finished reading the book, I knew it would be a perfect fit… -
Our partners stop by for a visit!
24 Sep 2009 | 11:02 amIt’s always great to meet with our partners face to face and to show them around our South Bend, Indiana warehouse so they can really get a feel for what’s we’re doing. Just last week we had a visit from Shaun Skelton, Executive Director of Visions In Action and Pat Plonski, Executive Director of Books For Africa where we discussed ongoing collaborative opportunities. Visions In Action is shipping seven containers of books to South Africa, Uganda, and Tanzania, with Books For Africa providing the books and Better World Books and the United States Agency for International…
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Art of Mike Cressy
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More NEW Abstracts for sale on ImageKind
15 Nov 2009 | 5:55 pmCatching up on the last couple of weeks NEW Abstracts. I've got 5 more for next week already! Hope you dig these and as always, they are available on ImageKind.com as prints.Enjoy! Hope you dig them!See you next post!-MC -
Finally NEW Doodles...
14 Nov 2009 | 5:19 pmBack at work and sat in a long meeting and created these doodles. Two are people I know, the other two are some ideas I came up with at the moment. Doodling the people I knew was the start up for Doodling the quirky stuff.Hope you dig them!-MC -
Pages from my graphic novel...
11 Nov 2009 | 8:36 pmI finally posted more images from my graphic novel,... sans the text and dialog. Have to keep things kinda secret ya' know. These two pages are from an intense portion in the book,... of which there are many. Hope you like the drawings and come back to see more. Hopefully when the Graphic Novel comes out you will be moved to purchase a copy or two. It's quite a story and the art is of a traditional graphic novel styling,... something I had to get used to ...Enjoy,... see you next post.-MC -
A NEWER set of Abstracts...
7 Nov 2009 | 9:48 pmI've been on a roll lately and I thought I'd try to catch up somemore on the Abstracts I've been creating... I promise to post from the graphic novel next time.Hope you dig these.-MC -
Abstract Art Update...
4 Nov 2009 | 1:48 pm4 Brand NEW Abstracts! Come and check them out on imagekind.com and pick a few for holiday gifts.http://mikecressy.imagekind.com/store/Images.aspx/97e5fe65-5006-4c0e-9745-c778120eb248/AbstractSee you next post!-MC
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The Reader's Advisor Online Blog
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Six Reasons It’s Time to Read Atlas Shrugged
19 Nov 2009 | 2:03 pmBy Cindy Orr If you’ve never read Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, it’s time my friends. Why? 1. It’s going to be a movie…starring Charlize Theron. It should be out in 2011…although it’s been in development one way or another for 35 years, so who knows? But that gives you plenty of time to get that old worn out shabby copy off the shelves and replace it with some new ones. Don’t believe me? I dare you to go get the thing and check its circulation. In most libraries it will have been checked out as much as a typical DVD. 2. Look for any survey of all… -
60th Annual National Book Awards
18 Nov 2009 | 7:39 pm*Fiction Winner: Colum McCann, Let the Great World Spin (Random House) FICTION JUDGES: Alan Cheuse, Junot Díaz, Jennifer Egan, Charles Johnson, Lydia Millet Other fiction finalists: Bonnie Jo Campbell, American Salvage (Wayne State University Press) Daniyal Mueenuddin, In Other Rooms, Other Wonders (W. W. Norton & Co.) Jayne Anne Phillips, Lark and Termite (Alfred A. Knopf) Marcel Theroux, Far North (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) *Nonfiction Winner: T. J. Stiles, The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt (Alfred A. Knopf) NONFICTION JUDGES: David Blight, Amanda Foreman, Steve… -
RA Run Down
15 Nov 2009 | 6:27 pmThe readers’s advisory librarian’s weekly update, from a scan of more than 100 blogs, newsletters, magazines, newspapers and television. This blog is brought to you by the Reader’s Advisor Online, the subscription database based on Libraries Unlimited’s Genreflecting Advisory series. We’d love to hear from you. Feel free to comment on any of our posts, or contact us at rablog@lu.com. By Cindy Orr This Week In Books New Titles on the Most Wanted Mashup This Week There are three fiction titles that made it to the top of the bestseller lists this week for the first… -
Most Wanted Mashup: Hottest Books of the Week
15 Nov 2009 | 1:28 pmFiction David Baldacci - True Blue Dan Brown - The Lost Symbol Patricia Cornwell - The Scarpetta Factor Vince Flynn - Pursuit of Honor John Grisham - Ford County Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson - The Gathering Storm Barbara Kingsolver - The Lacuna Hilary Mantel - Wolf Hall J.D. Robb - Kindred in Death Kathryn Stockett - The Help Nonfiction Mitch Albom - Have a Little Faith Larry Bird, Earvin Johnson, Jr., & Jackie MacMullen - When the Game Was Ours Timothy Egan - The Big Burn Malcolm Gladwell - What the Dog Saw Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner - SuperFreakonomics… -
New, Noteworthy, and No-Brainer
15 Nov 2009 | 1:08 pmReaders will see these titles in bookstores for the first time this week. Fiction Clive Cussler & Justin Scott - The Wrecker - 11/17/09 Alice Munro - Too Much Happiness: Stories - 11/17/09 Vladimir Nabokov - The Original of Laura - 11/17/09 James Patterson - I, Alex Cross - 11/16/09 David Weber - Torch of Freedom - 11/17/09 Non-Fiction Richard Ellis - On Thin Ice: The Changing World of the Polar Bear - 11/17/09 Sarah Palin - Going Rogue: An American Life - 11/17/09 David Priestland - The Red Flag: A History of Communism - 11/20/09
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iBraryGuy
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App-a-Day Extravaganza Finale: iBird Explorer for iPhone
20 Nov 2009 | 12:10 pmWell, here it is, our final App-a-Day selection! All week, we have been showcasing mobile and smartphone applications as suggested by you, our loyal readers. They have been awesome and we cannot thank you enough for your thoughtful and interesting submissions. Congratulations to all of our winners as well. We will definitely be doing this again in 2010! Now, for our final pick of the week: iBird Explorer for iPhone / iPod Touch Today's app was sent to us by @Fin4Us on Twitter. Her favorite app is iBird Explorer and what an awesome app it is! iBird is… -
App-a-Day Extravaganza, Day 4: Pocket CPR for iPhone
19 Nov 2009 | 8:40 pmWelcome to Day 4 of iBraryGuy's App-a-Day Extravaganza. Each day, we are featuring a new app for mobile and smartphones as recommended by you - our readers. Today's featured app comes to us via Twitter, courtesy of @annalibra. She recommends Pocket CPR as one of her personal favorites. We checked it out and were equally impressed! Pocket CPR is an app designed to help you learn, practice and administer CPR accurately and effectively. It not only provides coaching, but actually uses the accelerometer buit-in to the iPhone to give feedback on your compressions. -
iBraryGuy explores Google Scholar's case law.
18 Nov 2009 | 7:25 am@iBraryGuy on Google Scholar for legal research http://www.llrx.com/featres/googlescholarcaselaw Permalink | Leave a comment » -
App-a-Day Extravaganza, Day 2: Bloglines mobile RSS aggregator
17 Nov 2009 | 11:22 pmWelcome to Day 2 of our App-a-Day Extravaganza. Today's featured app comes to us via Twitter. Congratulations to @rbj0407 on the winning submission: Bloglines. Before we add our own comments on Bloglines, here is what RBJ had to say (and yes, we are keeping it intact with Twitter's character limits): Best mobile app - m.bloglines.com - follow all ur rss feeds on ur smartphone & email hlines to ur work email for dist. I love it. Thanks RBJ, we love it too! Bloglines is a simple, yet powerful, RSS aggregator. You need to create a free account to… -
App-a-Day Extravaganza, Day 1: Evernote for iPhone
16 Nov 2009 | 11:58 pmWelcome to iBraryGuy's App-a-Day Extravaganza! Each day this week, we will be featuring a new application of interest to smartphone and mobile users. We have asked you to tell us about those apps that make you productive and keep you on top of your game. For each review we choose this week, the author will receive a special giftcard to either Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, or Borders. Winner's choice! So please, keep sending us your suggestions! Today's App: Evernote for iPhone We have already extolled the virtues of Evernote here on iBraryGuy. Part…
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The Bat Segundo Show
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Rebecca Solnit (BSS #312)
19 Nov 2009 | 10:35 pmRebecca Solnit is most recently the author of A Paradise Built in Hell. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Finding hostility within legitimate clarification. Author: Rebecca Solnit Subjects Discussed: William James’s second treatise on pragmatism, the alternative notion which means the same as a preexisting notion, General Funston’s martial response to the 1906 earthquake vs. Pauline Jacobson’s push for camaraderie, beliefs conditioned by response, the psychological reset position, assumptions about human nature, innate helpfulness, responses to the Blitz bombings, the minority… -
Marjorie Rosen (BSS #311)
28 Oct 2009 | 8:03 amMarjorie Rosen is most recently the author of Boom Town: How Wal-Mart Transformed an All-American Town Into an International Community. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Kicked out of bed. Author: Marjorie Rosen Subjects Discussed: The white and non-Hispanic white majority in Bentonville, Arkansas, numerous houses of worship, multiculturalism, the largest population of Marshall Island immigrants in the United States, work for unskilled laborers, exploitation at Tyson and Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart’s $319 billion annual profit and its failure to offer proper healthcare, sentiments from former… -
Nicholas Meyer (BSS #310)
24 Sep 2009 | 8:49 pmNicholas Meyer is perhaps best known for his work on Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. He is most recently the author of The View from the Bridge. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Ah, listener my old friend, do you know the Klingon proverb that tells us revenge is a dish best served cold? Author: Nicholas Meyer Subjects Discussed: Lotus positions, talking back to prescience, writing books when the Writers Guild goes on strike, Samuel Johnson, the origins of The Seven Per-Cent Solution, words as a place of retreat, William S. Baring-Gould, generating “scholarly” commentary, Meyer’s… -
Brian Evenson (BSS #309)
23 Sep 2009 | 7:47 pmBrian Evenson is most recently the author of Fugue State and Last Days. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Latching onto toccata. Author: Brian Evenson Subjects Discussed: Knowing when a story concept has legs, ideas that never come to anything, the origins of “A Pursuit,” The Open Curtain, maintaining surprise, text sources vs. personal experience, writing fiction moments that hit two simultaneous emotions, grisly moments and descriptive detail, the reader’s imagination, revision and rhythm, not showing work to people, the surprise of audience responses, Bjorn Verenson, certain… -
Lawrence Block (BSS #308)
22 Sep 2009 | 8:22 pmLawrence Block is most recently the author of Step by Step. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Ruminating upon a life of exquisite indolence. Author: Lawrence Block Subjects Discussed: Step by Step as an anti-memoir, exploring childhood experience in print, randomness and finding connections, writing with a greater degree of freedom, Random Walk, concerns about a limited audience, earlier attempts at memoir, attempts by Block to write memoirs in the mid-1990s, the virtues of getting older, being less guarded with age, following up on Block’s remarks from Galut, avarice as the guiding principle,…
