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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BookTrust celebrates books for the under fives with new prize

Reading charity BookTrust is launching a £5,000 book prize to celebrate titles published for babies and children aged 0-5. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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London Book Fair Names Its 2019 ‘Author of the Day’ Lineup

Recognizing the Brexit deadline that follows March's London Book Fair, the Author of the Day events include three writers from the Continent. The post London Book Fair Names Its 2019 ‘Author of the Day’ Lineup appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jill Abramson says Howard Kurtz trying to 'Foxify my book' by focusing on passage critical of New York Times

Jill Abramson, the former executive editor of the New York Times, says that a Fox News report claiming that she views her former employer as biased against President Trump took words from her forthcoming book out of context. The Fox News article, written by Howard Kurtz and headlined "Former NY... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Picture books perfect for story time

A collection of recent releases celebrates the joy of connecting with a grandparent, remembering the Moon landing, and slowing down to appreciate life, and much more. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2019-01-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Alice Walker under fire for endorsing book by 'anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist'

"The Color Purple" author Alice Walker last week endorsed a book by a British conspiracy theorist frequently accused of anti-Semitism, and literary observers are speaking out on social media. Walker, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, poet and activist, was interviewed for the New York Times... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors protest as children's books account for 7% of Christmas newspaper coverage

Authors and critics have called for newspapers to increase the space they allow for children’s book reviews after only 7% of the titles chosen for newspapers’ books of the year round-ups were for kids. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-12-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Why you should surround yourself with more books than you’ll ever have time to read

An overstuffed bookcase (or e-reader) says good things about your mind. Lifelong learning will help you be happier, earn more, and even stay healthier, experts say. Plus, plenty of the smartest names in business, from Bill Gates to Elon Musk, insist that the best way to get smarter is to read.... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2018-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW's Top Authors Pick Their Favorite Books of 2018

We asked the authors of our top 10 books of 2018 to share their favorite titles published this year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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William Collins wins Selfie author Storr’s next book at auction

William Collins has acquired The Science of Storytelling, the next book by Will Storr, author of 2016’s Selfie: How the West Became Self-Obsessed (Picador). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It's Time the Book Business Took Music Lessons

What can book publishers learn from the music industry? A lot, says Digital Perspectives columnist Bill Rosenblatt. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-12-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year 2018: English author Maine scoops prize

Waterstones has named The House Between Tides by Sarah Maine as its Scottish Book of the Year.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-12-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mexican author Taibo, nominated for cultural post, apologizes for vulgar comment at book fair

One of Mexico’s best-known authors has apologized for the public use of a coarse expression denounced as sexist and anti-gay. “I regret profoundly having used an unfortunate and vulgar phrase, and would hate it if this were interpreted as an aggression against feminist causes or the gay... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-12-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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National Book Awards: Isabel Allende warns of 'dark time'

The author spoke out at the National Book Awards against the rise of "nationalism and racism" in politics. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2018-11-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HQ brings together 24 authors and celebrates second anniversary

HQ celebrated 24 of its crime authors with a Crime Fiction Showcase, coinciding with the second anniversary of the imprint. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, Long-Serving Times Book Critic, Dies at 84

Christopher Lehmann-Haupt in 1979. Readers and colleagues called him a judicious, authoritative voice on fiction and a seemingly boundless array of subjects, from Persian archaeology to fly fishing. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2018-11-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Legacy of style: New book series celebrates residential architects of SoCal’s golden era

Architecturally significant homes in Los Angeles are not all modern glass boxes or Frank Gehry futurism. That’s exactly the point of the new 12-volume book series “Master Architects of Southern California 1920-1940” by Marc Appleton, Bret Parsons and Steve Vaught. The second book to be released... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ryan and Boyne among Irish Book Week authors

The inaugural Irish Book Week has unveiled its nationwide programme, featuring authors including Donal Ryan and John Boyne. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2018: The Audio Boom is Real, Global, and Just Getting Started

At the Frankfurt Book Fair’s inaugural Audiobook Conference on Wednesday, experts told attendees that the audio book is indeed a global trend with more growth to come. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2018: Chimamanda Adichie Says It's Time for 'New Storytellers'

At the 2018 Frankfurt Book Fair's opening press conference, the acclaimed Nigerian author called for more "boldness" in storytelling. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Twenty Five of Our All-Time Favorite Books

From Neal Stephenson's *Crytponomicon*, to N.K. Jemison’s *Broken Earth Trilogy*, WIRED staffers share their personal reading lists. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2018-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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