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

Other news stories related to: "As celebrity books boom, professional authors are driven out of full-time work"


7 Books About Past Decades That Feel Like Traveling Back in Time

The Amazon review for my debut novel was glowing, including words like “compelling” and “fun.” And then there was this: “If you love historical fiction, you’ll love The Last Book Party.” Say what? How could my novel, which is set during the 1980s—a decade of my own youth—be historical fiction?... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2019-08-01 11:00:53 UTC ]
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If You Haven’t Yet Had Time to Read Moby-Dick Here’s a Pop-Up Book

Two hundred years ago, Herman Melville was born and the course of American literary history changed forever. In celebration of the author’s bicentennial, Chronicle Books published Moby-Dick: A Pop-Up Book from the Novel by Herman Melville, which shows ten key moments from the story in... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-08-01 08:48:17 UTC ]
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'The future is creativity': Children's book author Hervé Tullet nurtures kids' imaginations at ICA LA

Artist and "Press Here" author Hervé Tullet launches an interactive art-making project, Ideal Exhibition, at ICA LA in downtown L.A. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-07-26 10:00:39 UTC ]
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Chicago rapper Noname’s new book club highlights work from writers of color.

If you don’t know Noname, the Chicago rapper and former slam poet born as Fatimah Nyeema Warner, now might be a good time to read up following the official launch of her book club on Wednesday. The unassuming 90s kid launched to fame after some notable collaborations with artists like Mick... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-07-25 17:08:40 UTC ]
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These Middle-Grade Novels Are Some of the Most Formally Innovative Works of Our Time

When I took my copy of Lemony Snicket’s The Carnivorous Carnival up to the check-out line at Barnes and Noble, the cashier flipped through the book and paused.  She was sorry, she said, after a couple more puzzled page flips. There appeared to be a misprint. She called an employee in the kid’s... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2019-07-24 11:00:17 UTC ]
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Thriller author Dean Koontz signs five-book deal with Amazon

Amazon announced today that it inked best-selling author Dean Koontz to a five-book deal. The agreement will also include a short story collection called Nameless that will be available for free to Amazon Prime and Kindle Unlimited customers on Novem... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2019-07-22 15:24:00 UTC ]
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26 Of The Best Comic Book Covers Of All Time

Book Riot has talked about the best comic book artists working today and what makes a great cover in general. ... Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2019-07-12 10:35:23 UTC ]
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Carmen Marcus and the Book Corner launch free course for working-class writers

Author Carmen Marcus has teamed up with the North Yorkshire bookshop Book Corner to offer aspiring working-class writers a free course on developing a strategy to write professionally. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-10 19:37:39 UTC ]
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Grant hails ‘bigger and better’ World Book Day as outreach work pays dividends

With token redemptions up three per cent year on year and sales of the £1 books topping seven figures, World Book Day 2019 has been hailed a success by its organisers. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-08 08:19:01 UTC ]
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L.A. Times Book Club Launch

L.A. Times Today airs Monday through Friday at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Spectrum News 1.  Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-06-28 23:02:32 UTC ]
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Susan Orlean and readers share library stories at L.A. Times Book Club launch

In her research for "The Library Book," Susan Orlean was surprised to learn how many people call the Los Angeles Library on a daily basis with outlandish questions. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-06-26 21:09:36 UTC ]
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Susan Orlean and readers share library stories at L.A. Times Book Club launch

In her research for “The Library Book,” Susan Orlean was surprised to learn how many people call the Los Angeles Library on a daily basis with outlandish questions. Some people want help cheating on crossword puzzles. Others have more personal queries. “There is a guy who calls the library... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-06-26 20:35:00 UTC ]
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Ckbk launches digital book subscription service for professionals

Ckbk, a new digital subscription service billed as “Spotify for cookbooks”, is launching for the professional market with licences in place with publishers and big name UK chefs including Gary Rhodes and Ken Hom. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-24 05:59:01 UTC ]
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Zaffre bags 'timely' reality show novel from debut author Acton

Zaffre has bagged an "unbelievably timely" debut novel from Helly Acton, which has already been optioned for TV, in a two-book deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-14 12:23:54 UTC ]
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Visa issues could stop authors attending Edinburgh Book Festival, warns director

Problems obtaining visas to enter the UK could put off authors from attending the Edinburgh International Book Festival, its director has warned. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-09 05:37:20 UTC ]
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How I Got My Toddler Back On Books After She Got A Taste Of Screen Time

I want my kid to treasure that magical reading time as much as I did growing up. Continue reading at The Huffington Post

[ The Huffington Post | 2019-06-06 15:39:29 UTC ]
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Atwood, Haig and Kay join National Theatre's celebration of authors

Margaret Atwood, Matt Haig and Adam Kay will all take part in the National Theatre's upcoming Authors of Stage series celebrating authors across the world.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-02 09:38:02 UTC ]
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Book Expo 2019: Adult Breakfast Authors Say Crime Pays in Literary World

Thursday morning's Adult Book & Author Breakfast featured Rachel Maddow, Malcolm Gladwell, Karin Slaughter, Marjorie Liu, and Ta-Nehisi Coates introducing their newest books, with presentations emphasizing the true crimes that inspired each to write. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-05-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
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BookExpo 2019: Sharjah Celebrates ’Open Books, Open Minds’

For more than a decade, the United Arab Emirate of Sharjah (booth 507) has focused energy and resources on fostering literacy and encouraging book publishing throughout the region. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-05-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Readers can’t get enough World War II fiction, and authors are happy to keep the books coming

Pamela Jenoff, Kate Quinn and other authors talk about how they find inspiration for their novels. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-05-24 13:00:00 UTC ]
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