Reading Crisis Con Game, and Oprah
n+1 features an intriguing article on the nature of the supposed reading crisis, the tactics the contemporary authors are using to stall the Grim Reaper, and the influence of Oprah. After listing some marketing tactics used by ambitious writers, The Reading Crisis states that the activity of reading, “flat on its back, encounters these clown-suit…
continue readingBook Standard Interviews Jim Harrison
The Book Standard recently posted a good interview with Jim Harrison. In ‘Legends of the Fall’ Author Jim Harrison: Loves Home, Hates School, the fantastic writer talked about his preference for the novella form, re-using the same locations for stories over and over again, and how too many aspiring authors don’t read enough. “I’m shocked…
continue readingAnother Year, Another Round of Da Vinci Contenders
As the days of 2005 fade away and we prepare to launch into 2006, CNN features an AP report on what surely will become a New Year’s tradition… picking the next batch of contenders to The Da Vinci Code crown. The article, Next ‘Da Vinci Code’? Plenty of choices, highlights three new novels that are…
continue readingThe Importance of Cover Art
According to a Times Online article, the story you slaved over for years, and then waited two years for it to be published and hit the shelves, has about the same time it takes to sneeze once or twice to make an impression. The article, You Can Tell a Book By Its Cover, points out…
continue readingNY Times Book Review Selection Process
Several of the book blogs recently pointed out the number of New York Times notable books that were written by staffers and even editors of the Grey Lady. For example, Paul McLeary wrote in CJR Daily, that “six of the 61 books on the nonfiction portion of the list were authored by Times staffers, and…
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