When a man routinely hailed as one of America’s “greatest living writers” publishes a new novel, one hardly expects it to draw reviews posing questions along the lines of “Can he do it? Can he actually pull it off?” Because when you’re Michael Chabon, Pulitzer Prize winner, the act of writing a decent novel ought to be taken as something of a given. But Chabon’s newest book, Telegraph Avenue, out last week, is set against the backdrop of race, and its author undertakes the task of inhabiting and giving life to characters whose skin color is different from his own. The book is a sprawling narrative about the intertwined lives of Archy Stallings and Nat Jaffe, two proprietors, one black and one white, and a used vinyl store trying to survive on the shifting, gentrifying frontier between hippie-dippy Berkeley and its neighbor, the historically black enclave of Oakland. Or, as Chabon neatly puts it, “the ragged fault line where the urban plates of Berkeley and Oakland subducted.” Continue reading at 'Slate'
[ Slate | 2012-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
Copyright, fair contracts for authors, and libraries were among the points addressed by politicians at a hustings hosted by the Society of Authors (SoA) and the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) last night (24th March). The event saw writers given the opportunity to question... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At the Salon du Livre in Paris, a new program introduced indie publishers to agents and scouts, while authors continued protesting poor contracts. The post Salon du Livre Paris: Indie Intros a Success, Authors Continue Protests appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The cherished French children’s book author and editor of hundreds of books Grégoire Solotareff offers his tips for creating books fore very young readers. The post Keys to Writing Books for Very Young Readers appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Family Christian Stores bankruptcy drama continues to reverberate across the Christian publishing world. Some publishers owed money by FCS are holding back royalty payments, to try to forestall their own financial hiccups. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The eighth annual NYC Teen Author Festival featured events throughout the week of March 15-23. Several authors participated, and shared photos from the event across social media. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With meager advances, often just 500 euros, and royalty rates of 3-8%, French children's book authors have much to complain about. The post French Children’s Book Authors Suffer Pint-sized Payments appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books about the natural world are now huge sellers, tapping into a new appreciation for the countryside and scepticism about material wealthBondage is so last year. Publishers who spent much of the past year in search of the next Fifty Shades of Grey are now seeking to exploit another literary... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Canongate will publish three books by the late American author Charles Bukowski, based on his letters. Publishing director Francis Bickmore signed the books in a deal with Catherine Barbosa-Ross at HarperCollins US. On Writing is a collection based on previously unpublished letters, and will... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A debut author has arranged a marketing and publicity campaign she estimates is worth £200,000 to support the release of her book, and which her agent said “must be unique for a first-time author”. Janet Kelly’s Dear Beneficiary, about an older woman who has a relationship with a Nigerian man... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Erdrich is the author of such works as 'The Round House,' which won the 2012 National Book Award, and 'The Plague of Doves.' She is also the owner of the Minneapolis bookstore Birchbark Books and Native Arts. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pupils from St Edmund Arrowsmith High School meet author Joseph Delaney and talk to him about his best-selling book The Spook's Apprentice which has just been made into a Hollywood film. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2015-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Grammy Award-winning rock musician Jack White's indie publishing effort, Third Man Books, has signed a North American distribution with Consortium, and is looking ahead to releasing three titles in 2015. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The indie SF publisher Wonderment plans 20 ebook titles exploring a universe of characters enduring world-shattering eventsWriting can be hard – not hard like mining diamonds in Zimbabwe or making cheap clothes for westerners in Bangladesh, of course, but anyone in the 21st-century knowledge... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Matt Sumell, author of the exceptional "Making Nice," on writing as an "emotionally expensive" undertaking. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pratchett is the author of such works as 'Wyrd Sisters,' 'Night Watch,' and 'The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents.' He was knighted in 2009 and was the bestselling author in the United Kingdom in the 1990s. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Some public schools now exclude boys from school visits by female authors and it is driving authors crazy. The post Authors Annoyed by Gender-Segregated School Visits appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sir Terry Pratchett, the author best known for his Discworld series, has died aged 66. His novels weaved fantasy, science fiction, satire and whimsy to great effect -- more than 80 million Discworld books have been sold worldwide. Despite publishing ... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2015-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Poxl' is being published on March 17 and centers on teenager Eli, who loves to hear stories of his uncle's World War II bravery. However, he soon discovers all may not be what it seems. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wimbledon BookFest is to start paying a fee of £150 each to all participating authors. This will be the first year the 10-day book festival has paid authors for appearing. Previously it only paid chairs of events. The announcement follows a story in The Bookseller in which a number of authors,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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