As celebrity books boom, professional authors are driven out of full-time work

Novelist Donal Ryan is the latest name forced to seek an income outside books, while children’s writers complain that stars from other media monopolise advancesDespite scoring three bestsellers in five years and a clutch of awards, The Spinning Heart author Donal Ryan has been forced to return to his day job in the Irish civil service in order to pay his mortgage.Ryan has become the latest casualty of tumbling incomes for writers. Despite receiving advances and signing a deal to write three more books with his publisher, the Irish novelist said he had found it impossible to earn a living wage as a full-time writer. “You need to have something else on the go,” he told the Irish Sunday Independent. “You could take a chance and scrape a living through bursaries and writing books, but I’d get too stressed out. It just isn’t worth it. I have two kids in school and I have a mortgage to pay.” Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2017-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #living wage #day job #irish novelist #full-time writer

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Hilary Mantel, celebrated author of Wolf Hall, dies aged 70

‘She saw and felt things us ordinary mortals missed,’ her agent says of Booker prize-winning author who died on Thursday• Hilary Mantel remembered: ‘She was the queen of literature’• ‘The pen is in our hands. A happy ending is ours to write’: Hilary Mantel in her own wordsThe Booker... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-09-23 11:29:23 UTC ]
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Javier Marías, celebrated Spanish author, dies at 70

His books sold nearly 9 million copies around the world with intricate and multilayered plots of crime, espionage and moral quandaries. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-09-13 23:18:42 UTC ]
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‘Maus’ Author Art Spiegelman Honored by US National Book Foundation

Art Spiegelman, whose 'Maus' is an example of his groundbreaking work, is to be introduced at the National Book Awards by Neil Gaiman. The post ‘Maus’ Author Art Spiegelman Honored by US National Book Foundation appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-09-12 04:09:42 UTC ]
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How to watch chef Keith Corbin discuss 'California Soul' at the L.A. Times Book Club

Keith Corbin talked about growing up in Watts, going to prison and finding an unexpected career as a chef. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-08-23 19:57:41 UTC ]
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Here are the meanest lines from the Times review of Jared Kushner’s book.

The first major review for Breaking History—odious lickspittle Jared Kushner’s memoir about his tenure at the Trump White House—has dropped, and it is a doozy. Published by Broadside Books (a lamentable neocon imprint of Harper Collins which boasts a stable full of prize grievance ponies like... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-08-17 15:19:36 UTC ]
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Half Price Books Celebrates its 50th Anniversary

Half Price Books, a Texas-based company, has firmly established itself as the nation’s third-largest bookstore chain with 121 stores. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The UK’s Society of Authors Adds a New Disability-Focused Book Award

The Society of Authors in London opens its 2023 submission program, having awarded 32 writers and illustrators with 2022 prizes. The post The UK’s Society of Authors Adds a New Disability-Focused Book Award appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-08-05 13:37:47 UTC ]
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20 of the Best Book Series of All Time

Is there anything better than a series that has you immediately reaching for the next book? The best book series of all time deliver. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-08-04 10:34:00 UTC ]
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Charlotte Pomerantz, Inventive Children’s Book Author, Dies at 92

Her imaginative use of words and lively rhymes entertained young readers, sometimes with a subtle message included, drawn from her own life. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-07-29 21:25:32 UTC ]
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Tomorrow is Paperback Book Day, so here are 21 new ones to celebrate.

July 30 is officially Paperback Book Day! It’s apparently the day that Penguin started publishing paperbacks, way back in 1935. And what a glorious day it was! Who doesn’t love paperbacks? They feel so nice in your hands! They fit so conveniently into your bag! Curious about the history behind... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-07-29 13:00:35 UTC ]
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Gilbert Cruz Named New York Times Books Editor

Mr. Cruz has been the Culture editor at The Times since January 2018, leading coverage of arts and culture. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-07-28 22:22:00 UTC ]
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How do you organize your books? 9 authors share their favorite shelves.

Shelfies by Elin Hilderbrand, Diana Gabaldon, Garrett Graff, Vanessa Riley, Emma Straub, Hernan Diaz, Jennifer Weiner, Chris Bohjalian and Christopher Buckley Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-07-28 11:00:58 UTC ]
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How to watch actor Jennifer Grey at the L.A. Times Book Club

Jennifer Grey discusses her bestselling memoir, "Out of the Corner," and the "Dirty Dancing" sequel. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-07-27 22:08:56 UTC ]
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New and Forthcoming Books by Latinx Authors

This fall, publishers will deliver a bounty of new books on the diverse communities that make up the Latinx diaspora. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-07-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House put up billboards displaying the work of LGBTQ authors in Texas and Florida.

In the midst of a deluge of book bans across the country, Penguin Random House has erected billboards featuring quotes from books by LGBTQ authors in six cities—New York City, Chicago, Dallas, Orlando, Miami and Austin. Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law and Texas’ anti-trans youth healthcare bills... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-07-19 14:46:40 UTC ]
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20 new books to celebrate today.

Okay, maybe I say this every Tuesday, but I really, really mean it today: we’ve got a good book bounty this week, folks. * K-Ming Chang, Gods of Want (One World) “Relationships between women—familial, beloved, strange, imagined—dominate queer Taiwanese American Chang’s explosive and bizarre... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-07-12 12:00:03 UTC ]
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Is the Book Sales Boom Finally Over?

After two straight years of solid growth, print book sales fell 6.6% in the first half of 2022. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-07-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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111 Queer Books Recommended by Librarians, Booksellers, and Authors

While we celebrate queer literature and history all year long at Lit Hub dot com, we also love a good book list. This year, in honor of Pride, we reached out to some of our favorite librarians, booksellers, and authors and asked them about the queer books they find themselves recommending over... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-06-24 08:52:38 UTC ]
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Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

Celebrate the The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art's 20th anniversary with a whole summer of Eric Carle goodness! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-06-20 10:39:00 UTC ]
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How to watch 'Letter to a Stranger' night at the L.A. Times Book Club

Pico Iyer, Maggie Shipstead, Michelle Tea and Colleen Kinder discuss 'Letter to a Stranger' at the L.A. Times Book Club. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-05-26 21:35:13 UTC ]
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