Bookslut was born in an era of internet freedom. Today's web has killed it

The books community that my site joined was driven by enthusiasm not clicks, goodwill and not money – and that culture has goneI miss the internet. I know that, technically, the internet still exists. It’s the Facebook-, Twitter-filtered series of algorithms designed to put cat videos, think pieces, and advertisements in front of you. But I get nostalgic for the days before money invaded the internet – the early 2000s, in particular, when I created the literary blog and webzine Bookslut.com.Back then, nothing you did mattered. And that gave you freedom. Back then, the online book culture was run mostly by enthusiasts and amateurs, people who were creating blogs and webzines simply for the pleasure of it, rather than to build a career or a brand. I know that nostalgia is a stupid emotion, but still I regret the day money found the internet. Once advertisers showed up, offering to pay us to do the thing we were doing just for fun, it was very hard to say no. Or understand exactly what the trade-offs would be.The most disappointing revelation about the books world: even an intellectual is susceptible to clickbaitYou click on it, you own it. Related: Jessa Crispin: 'We're not allowed to say the Paris Review is boring' Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2016-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #books world #jessa crispin #paris review

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Bookslut was born in an era of internet freedom. Today's web has killed it'

Bookslut was born in an era of internet freedom. Today's web has killed it

The books community that my site joined was driven by enthusiasm not clicks, goodwill and not money – and that culture has goneI miss the internet. I know that, technically, the internet still exists. It’s the Facebook-, Twitter-filtered series of algorithms designed to put cat videos, think... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #books world #jessa crispin #paris review

Publishers, Internet Archive Set for Key Hearing Today

After nearly three years of legal wrangling, a federal judge today will hear cross motions for summary judgment in a closely watched lawsuit challenging the legality of the Internet Archive's program to scan and lend print library books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-03-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #legal wrangling #summary judgment #internet archive

How a 1981 conference kickstarted today’s quantum computing era

Forty years ago, IBM researcher Charlie Bennett helped usher in the study of quantum mechanics’ impact on computing. IBM is still at it—and so is Bennett. In May 1981, at a conference center housed in a chateau-style mansion outside Boston, a few dozen physicists and computer scientists gathered... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2021-05-07 08:00:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #nobel laureate #memoir

Today in cool internet passion projects: the Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction.

If you’re on the hunt for new literary rabbit holes, today is your lucky day. The Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction, created by lexicographer Jesse Sheidlower (a former editor of both the OED and Random House Dictionaries) is “a comprehensive quotation-based dictionary of the language of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-27 16:14:09 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #historical dictionary #science fiction #random house

Lack of Innovation Is Killing Ad Tech and Maybe Even the Open Web

Ad tech on the open web has become a disjointed chain of systems that is so fragmented that it prevents any single player from innovating at scale. The walled gardens of Google, Facebook and Amazon have left the rest of the ad-tech ecosystem behind. Take publishers, for example. The industry has... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2019-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #open web #ad tech #walled gardens

A Star Is Born: Tatiana Maslany turns 33 today

JK Rowling once surprised readers by telling them that all along, without mention in her books, one of her "Harry Potter" characters was gay. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #jk rowling #harry potter

Medium keeps killing off blogs in the name of saving the internet

The next Ev Williams pivot has screwed over another round of scrappy media professionals. Yesterday I wrote about the weird breathless coverage that Twitter co-founder Ev Williams seems to get whenever he talks about Medium, his grand project to make online publishing sustainable. Williams will... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2018-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Akala: the internet has given me freedom

BAFTA and MOBO Award-winning hip-hop artist, writer/poet and historian Akala speaks to Philip Jones ahead of his keynote address at this year’s FutureBook Conference. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #keynote address #futurebook conference

How the Internet Killed Playboy

Starting next March, Playboy will stop publishing photographs of naked women. The cheesecake will be dialed back to a “PG-13” rating, the New York Times’ Ravi Somaiya reported Monday night. Playmate photos will look “more like the racier sections of Instagram” than the adult section of the... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2015-10-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #naked women #nude women #investigative journalism

Children's picture books get an internet-era makeover

Remember those customized children's books that the rich kids in school used to get, featuring a story with their name and face pasted onto the pages? It turns out that these things are still going, but now the companies that make them are harnessi... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2015-10-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #picture books

Cool Tools: A Whole Earth Catalog For The Post-Internet Era

If you're ready to tear yourself away from a screen for awhile, Kevin Kelly's Cool Tools is your must-read book and DIY muse. It's also the perfect gift for the geek in your life.With the advent of the Internet, the Whole Earth Catalog's curation of all the weird and wonderful things necessary... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2013-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #perfect gift #wonderful things #interesting things

Springer CEO Says "Free Beer" Era for Internet Ending

(Reuters) - Germany's largest newspaper publisher will introduce a paywall for its flagship national daily Die Welt by the end of this year and is confident competitors will follow suit, Axel Springer Chief Executive Mathias Doepfner said. In an ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #reuters - #follow suit

Watch Today, Read Today: Book Tie-Ins Are Hitting the Market Faster

Publishers are accelerating the development cycle for licensed tie-ins to satisfy consumer demand. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #read today

USA TODAY Celebrates The 20th Anniversary Of USA TODAY'S Best-Selling Books List

McLean, Va. – USA TODAY celebrates the 20th anniversary of the USA TODAY Best-Selling Books list, crowning not one, but three No.1 books for three different eras that reflect the changes in publishing over the past two decades.   Given ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-10-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #20th anniversary #usa today

‘Sex writing feels less cringe now’: are we entering a new era of erotic literature?

As the Erotic Review is joined by dating app Feeld’s literary magazine and Gillian Anderson’s anthology of women’s fantasies, there seems to be a fresh appetite for writing about desire‘Sexual liberation must mean freedom to enjoy sex on our terms, to say what we want, not what we are pressured... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-10-30 14:32:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #literary magazine #anthology #secret garden

Kids First: Peter Warwick on Scholastic’s Strategy for the Modern Era

Scholastic CEO Peter Warwick talks about his IP strategy, prioritizing kids' well-being, and this season's forthcoming titles. The post Kids First: Peter Warwick on Scholastic’s Strategy for the Modern Era appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-10-16 13:46:32 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #scholastic #forthcoming titles #modern era

Finding Freedom One Breath at a Time: PW Talks with Jasmine Marie

PW talks with the author of ‘Black Girls Breathing’ about how mindful breathing and other practices can help heal chronic stress and generational trauma. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-10-11 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #generational trauma #mindful breathing #jasmine marie #finding freedom