Apocalypse Weird brings authors and fans a shared world of pain

The indie SF publisher Wonderment plans 20 ebook titles exploring a universe of characters enduring world-shattering eventsWriting can be hard – not hard like mining diamonds in Zimbabwe or making cheap clothes for westerners in Bangladesh, of course, but anyone in the 21st-century knowledge economy who wants to write a novel must have some kind of masochistic streak. Word processors have taken some of the strain out of editing and publishing, but there’s no app to automate the hard slog of getting 100,000 words down on paper in something resembling a coherent narrative. And the work doesn’t stop there for SFF writers, who have to construct an entire fictional world to support their stories.Enter the Apocalypse Weird, stage right. If any group of authors can find a way to collaborate on telling stories it’s those rebellious indie authors, authors who have already broken all the rules of publishing by stealing the ebook market out from under the industry. While writers may not be able to collaborate on individual books, they can work together to create the fictional “shared world” those books happen within, the world of Apocalypse Weird. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #telling stories #ebook market #individual books

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Apocalypse Weird brings authors and fans a shared world of pain'


Algonquin Launches Author Interview Series

Algonquin Books held the first in its new Algonquin Book Club Author Interviews March 21 at Miami's independent bookseller Books & Books, where local author Edwidge Danticat and local favorite Julia Alvarez sat down to talk about Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies. The sold-out event... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #streaming live


Alex and Aki's Ideas in Food: A new book brings technological cuisine within reach of the everyday cook.

As you may have heard, the cookbook sensation of the season, if not the decade, is Modernist Cuisine, a six-volume magnum opus on contemporary cooking principles that will set you back roughly $500. Self-published by Nathan Myhrvold—the genius founder of Microsoft's research division,... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2011-04-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #time ago


Canongate captures teen author

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 01/04/2011 - 10:32 Canongate has signed a book it describes as a "fearlessly modern coming of age novel" from a 19-year-old début author. Senior editor Francis Bickmore bought world rights in a pre-emptive deal from Jon Elek at A P Watt.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pre-emptive deal #jon elek #ben brooks #audio download


E-book sharing: Amazon and book publishers' stupid attempts to curtail lending sites.

As convenient as they are, I've long worried about the many ways in which ebook purveyors restrict readers' rights. You can't resell the books you purchase for the Amazon Kindle, and you can't read them on most other e-readers. We also don't really own ebooks in the same way we own... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2011-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #amazon kindle #book publishers


Transworld signs three from debut author Lamb

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Tue, 22/03/2011 - 08:30 Transworld has acquired three novels by debut author Victoria Lamb, all set in the time of Elizabeth I's reign. Publishing director Selina Walker bought world rights in the trilogy from agent Luigi Bonomi, and will... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #transworld signs


Hachette to bring French out of copyright titles into print

Written By: Barbara Casassus Publication Date: Tue, 22/03/2011 - 16:45 Hachette Livre and the French National Library (BnF) have signed a print-on-demand agreement for the publisher to sell through bookshops out-of-copyright works from the BnF’s online library Gallica. An initial 15,000 titles... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hachette livre #physical books #joint statement


No breakthrough over author ebook rights in France ahead of fair

Written By: Barbara Casassus Publication Date: Thu, 17/03/2011 - 06:39 French authors have urged culture minister Frédéric Mitterrand to intecede in order to break the deadlock in their negotiations with publishers over electronic rights. For the second year running, the Permanent Council of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #electronic rights #year running


French authors happier with publishers

Written By: Barbara Casassus Publication Date: Wed, 16/03/2011 - 13:30 French authors are increasingly satisfied with their publishers, according to the third annual survey conducted by the Civil Society for Multimedia Authors (Scam). The latest results show that 71% of respondents are... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishers pay #civil society


Simon & Schuster brings forward Octonauts release date

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Tue, 15/03/2011 - 09:07 Simon & Schuster has brought forward publication of its first tie-in titles to the Octonauts CBeebies television series from the summer to the end of March. The publisher had originally signed a deal with Chorion to publish... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #31st march #originally signed


World Book Day books top charts but sales are down on last year

Written By: Philip Stone Publication Date: Tue, 15/03/2011 - 15:56 Sales of the six £1 World Book Day books fell 36% week-on-week, to 159,000 copies sold—a figure down 9% on the comparative week last year—but they nonetheless continue to dominate the sharp end of this week’s Official UK Top... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Authors hit by new fears over taxation charge

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Fri, 11/03/2011 - 16:25 Writers’ ability to average out their earnings over a number of years could be abolished, according to new tax system proposals. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Sales of World Book Night titles 'double'

Written By: Lisa Campbell and Philip Stone Publication Date: Fri, 11/03/2011 - 16:27 Sales of the selected 25 World Book Night titles soared by over 100% at W H Smith, amid a wider trade sales boost, following television coverage, events and book giveaways to mark its inaugural year. On 5th... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book giveaways #inaugural year #5th march #million books #included works #david nicholls #philip pullman


Amazon has '80% online share', claims new survey

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Wed, 09/03/2011 - 09:48 Ten times as many people shop at Amazon than online at Waterstone's, a survey has revealed, while more than half of respondents bought books online. The research, carried out by the Institute of Direct Marketing,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #direct marketing #digital marketing #boosting sales


Female authors heralded on International Women's Day

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 08/03/2011 - 08:40 Inspiring books by and about women are being hailed for International Women's Day, as J K Rowling and Germaine Greer are named among 17 authors on the Guardian's Top 100 Inspirational Women list. Female novelists are holding... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #international women #germaine greer #female novelists


£1 World Book Day books storm to the top of the charts

Written By: Philip Stone Publication Date: Tue, 08/03/2011 - 16:01 The latest crop of £1 World Book Day books, led by Cope & Davies' Spy Dog/The Great Pet Shop Panic (Puffin/S&S) take positions one-through-six in this week's Official UK Top 50, with sales totalling 247,235 copies—a... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


World Book Night books defy the critics as sales grow

Written By: Philip Stone and Felicity Wood Publication Date: Fri, 04/03/2011 - 09:43 The majority of the books to be handed out tomorrow (5th March) as part of World Book Night have already received a sales boost in 2011. The figures will be a welcome fillip for the organisers, with founder... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sales grow #philip stone #sales boost #live event #trafalgar square #featuring authors #nick cave #margaret atwood #alan bennett


Sceptre spends six figures on debut author

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 04/03/2011 - 10:14 Sceptre has signed a six-figure deal for two novels by debut author Jess Richards, including Snake Ropes, set on an island "off the edge of the map". Deputy publisher Jocasta Hamilton made the deal for UK and Commonwealth... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #six-figure deal #debut author #lucy luck


Random House US to bring 17K books to iBookstore

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 02/03/2011 - 18:05 Random House US is introducing 17,000 books to the iBookstore, several days after it announced it had moved to agency pricing. At this afternoon's Apple iPad event in San Francisco, Apple c.e.o. Steve Jobs said users have... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #random house #agency pricing #steve jobs


A World with Fewer Borders

As the bookstore chains grew in the 1980s and ‘90s, the number of independent booksellers fell dramatically, but those that survived expect little pop from the impending closing of 200 Borders stores as part of the retailer's bankruptcy reorganization. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Author proposes WBN alternative

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Mon, 28/02/2011 - 15:43 A Carnegie-nominated author has proposed an alternative to World Book Night, suggesting readers buy one book from a bookshop this week and give it away. Writing on her blog, Nicola Morgan said she believed there were better... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #nicola morgan #million books