Are authors running out of book titles?

Novels by Kate Atkinson, Stephen King and Muriel Spark have all had namesakes. Should writers adopt the imitator-proof JK Rowling approach instead?People first started to notice last year when Kate Atkinson's Life After Life coincided in the US with Jill McCorkle's Life After Life, which had been published just six days earlier. Since then examples of novels with the same name have kept on cropping up. There is, for instance the story of Canadian writer Erica Schultz, who had no idea when she brought out Joyland in 2005 that Stephen King would find that title irresistible eight years later. This resulted in King fans buying Schultz's ebook in error, initially irritating her, but she's "not so upset any more" after receiving "a big royalty cheque for those mistaken books".Could authors and publishers be starting to run out of titles? It can look that way when you come across examples such as Bret Anthony Johnston's Remember Me Like This (just out, and this week's Book of the Week on Radio 4) and Sabine Durrant's Remember Me This Way (out in mid-July), from divisions of the same publisher yet both granted their unaccountable wish to reference the same 1970s Gary Glitter single. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #stephen king #muriel spark #jill mccorkle

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Print Book Sales Up 4.7% Last Week, Driven by New Adult Titles

A host of new titles and a solid performance by adult segments led to a 4.7% increase in unit sales of print books last week over the week ended October 8, 2022 at outlets that report to Circana BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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16 New Books by Indigenous Authors You Should Be Reading

Encompassing a wide range of genres from historical fiction to fantasy to poetry to investigative journalism to memoir, this exciting abundance of books published in 2023 by emerging and acclaimed Native writers speak to the rich diversity of the Indigenous experience. From meditations on the... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-10-09 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon restricts authors from self-publishing more than three books a day after AI concerns

The company announced the new limitations after an influx of suspected AI-generated material was listed for sale but said that ‘very few’ publishers will be affectedAmazon has created a new rule limiting the number of books that authors can self-publish on its site to three a day, after an... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-09-20 16:22:58 UTC ]
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Sharjah Book Authority Announces its 2023 Publishers Conference

The three-day Publishers Conference professional program this year runs October 29 to 31, just ahead of Sharjah International Book Fair. The post Sharjah Book Authority Announces its 2023 Publishers Conference appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-09-18 17:22:40 UTC ]
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'Big Bang of Numbers' – The Conversation's book club explores how math alone could create the universe with author Manil Suri

A book-length thought experiment uses math to investigate some of life’s big questions. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2023-09-18 12:19:43 UTC ]
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Art Books Extraordinaire: 10 of Phaidon’s Most Innovative Titles of the Past Century

Phaidon’s publishing program has always been characterized by a fundamental belief in the intrinsic value of art, and the role that books can play in bringing art into our lives. Our hundred-year anniversary gives us an opportunity to look to our past and see the origins of the ideas and ideals... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-15 08:35:11 UTC ]
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Society of Authors calls use of bad reviews for book blurbs ‘morally questionable’

After several critics complained of being quoted out of context on the covers of Jordan Peterson’s new book, the industry body has spoken out against the practiceThe Society of Authors (SoA) has spoken out against publishers misrepresenting negative reviews on book covers and the UK publisher... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-09-01 06:02:22 UTC ]
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Adelaide Books Continues to Ignore Author Complaints

Earlier this year, Adelaide Books owner Stevan Nikolic promised the Authors Guild he would act to fix numerous complaints lodged against his company. That promise has mostly gone unfulfilled. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
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'Friday Night Lights' Author Torches ChatGPT-Assisted Iowa Book Ban

H.G. "Buzz" Bissinger said whoever decided to use the software to pull his book from the Mason City school district is a "complete idiot." Continue reading at The Huffington Post

[ The Huffington Post | 2023-08-18 15:13:40 UTC ]
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Author Michelle Tea Launches Dopamine Books

Michelle Tea always wanted to become a publisher. And after a decade of helming imprints at established presses, she’s finally in the driver’s seat of her own nonprofit press, Dopamine Books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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London’s FT Business Book of the Year: A 15-Title Longlist

The FT Business Book of the Year issues a 15-title longlist, with a six-title shortlist ahead and a winner to be named in December. The post London’s FT Business Book of the Year: A 15-Title Longlist appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-08-16 16:57:51 UTC ]
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‘Times change’: what authors think about rewriting older books

Jacqueline Wilson is latest writer to wade into debate over changing dated and offensive languageThe publishing industry has been mired in debate in recent years about editing older books to remove content that could be deemed offensive.Even the prime minister became involved in February after... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-08-14 13:30:39 UTC ]
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Authors threaten boycott of Edinburgh book festival over sponsors’ fossil fuel links

An open letter signed by more than 50 authors including Zadie Smith, Ali Smith and Katherine Rundell calls for investment firm Baillie Gifford to be dropped as main sponsor for 2024Authors including Zadie Smith, Ali Smith and Katherine Rundell have called on the Edinburgh International book... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-08-11 12:45:25 UTC ]
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Amazon removes books ‘generated by AI’ for sale under author’s name

Jane Friedman claims she had to fight against Amazon’s refusal to remove the misattributed titles because she had not trademarked her nameFive books for sale on Amazon were removed after author Jane Friedman complained that the titles were falsely listed as being written by her. The books, which... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-08-09 14:28:36 UTC ]
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Author says the Apple TV+ 'Tetris' movie ripped off his book

The Apple TV+ film Tetris was copied from a book written years ago, according to a lawsuit filed against the tech giant and the Tetris Company. Dan Ackerman, the editor-in-chief of Gizmodo, has accused the plaintiffs of ripping off his book The Tetris Effect, which tells the history of the game... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-08-09 06:17:44 UTC ]
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What the sale of a major American book publisher means for authors, the industry — and you

Book publisher Simon & Schuster's sale to investment firm KKR is novel in many ways, but also part of a long-term trend. History tells us to expect the unexpected. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-08-08 17:35:35 UTC ]
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Bruce Handy on Becoming a Children’s Picture Book Author in His 60s

“Writing for kids had long been an ambition of mine, but until recently I didn’t know it had long been an ambition.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-07-28 09:00:25 UTC ]
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Bruce Handy on Becoming a Children’s Picture Book Author in His 60s

“Writing for kids had long been an ambition of mine, but until recently I didn’t know it had long been an ambition.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-07-28 09:00:24 UTC ]
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Children's Author Becomes a 'Loudmouth' for Banned Books

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-07-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
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How to watch bestselling author Luis Alberto Urrea at the L.A. Times Book Club

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[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-07-19 20:38:21 UTC ]
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