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 ]

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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 ]
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Lorin Stein Takes At-Large Editor Post at FSG

The editor of 'The Paris Review' is taking on an editor-at-large role at the storied Macmillan division. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-09-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Man Group c.e.o. joins PRH board

Emmanuel Roman, the c.e.o. of the Man Group, sponsor of the Man Booker Prize, has joined the board of directors of Penguin Random House. Roman will act as an independent director. He has served as c.e.o. of the London-based Man Group since 2013. As well as a career in investment, Roman has... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Her Struggle

After I recommended My Struggle to a friend, she texted, “What if a woman wrote it?” I wrote back, “or an American?” and I began to wonder what would happen if the literary sensation were written not by the handsome Norwegian writer Karl Ove Knausgaard but by Carla Olivia Krauss of Cobble Hill,... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2014-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Warby Parker's New Store Delivers Your Glasses Via Pneumatic Tube

What's more fun than ordering your next pair of nerd-chic glasses on the Internet? Getting them delivered to you via a magical pneumatic tube, that's what.Much like Warby Parker's flagship SoHo store, its new Upper East Side location has the feel of a luxurious, smartly curated book lover's den.... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2014-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Is $319.20 Too Much to Pay for an Ebook?

In an article for the Paris Review, “This Month’s Most Expensive E-Books," Dan Piepenbring wonders 'what's the limit one is willing to pay for a digital edition?" Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Offered Without Comment: B&N’s “Literary” Magazines & the NYTimes

The literary magazines at a Barnes & Noble include Tin House, The Paris Review, Mad Magazine and comics, while a New York Times renewal offers a year for $1099. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-11-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How to write faster.

Hunched over my keyboard, I'm haunted by anecdotes of faster writers. Christopher Hitchens composing a Slate column in 20 minutes—after a chemo session, after a "full" dinner party, late on a Sunday night. The infamously productive Trollope, who used customized paper! "He had a note pad that had... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2011-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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