10 Movies for Writers
I spent part of the holiday weekend catching up on the towering stack of magazines that threatened to fall over and crush my cat. Which would be no small feat since my boy is uhhh, how can I say it politely, big-boned. But in my magazine reading, I came across an interesting article in the…
continue readingUhhh, This Might Be a Tad Too Much
In a book proposal, it’s always challenging to strike the perfect balance between being excited and positive about your work and going over the top. Here’s a case of where someone might have gone too far. GalleyCat discussed a book proposal making the rounds that raises eyebrows with it’s outlandish claims. The unnamed literary agent claims…
continue readingChip Kidd’s Book One
And while we’re talking book design, I should mention that I finally picked up a copy of Chip Kidd’s Chip Kidd: Book One: Work: 1986-2006 recently when I was at AJ Jacobs’s book signing. Kidd is the associate art director at Alfred A. Knopf and flipping through this book, it’s utterly breathtaking to see just…
continue readingThe Design of Chronicle Books
I’ve always enjoyed the design of Chronicle Books. They’re generally fun, visually intriguing books. Yeah, I know… we’re writers and we’re concerned with words. But I do believe there’s something to be said for publishing companies that make books an event, that make them more than just words on white paper. So I was thrilled…
continue readingNational Medals of Arts and National Humanities Medals
A number of writers and artsy folks received honors at the White House yesterday. But I’m most excited about guitar pioneer Les Paul’s award. Modern Guitars reported that “The 2007 National Medal of Arts to Les Paul for his innovation as a musician, his pioneering designs of the electric guitar, and his groundbreaking recording techniques…
continue reading