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 ]
A look at a the week's round of web musing on the future of publishing in concept, creative work, and technical production, after Frankfurt Book Fair. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Michael Anthony, executive chef at Gramercy Tavern, discusses how writing the Gramercy Tavern Cookbook changed his life. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Writer Sherman Alexie asked other authors to work at an indie bookstore on Small Business Saturday this year and hundreds of other writers have already pledged their support. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It was just more than a year ago that Ev Williams and Biz Stone created the publishing platform Medium. The Internet officially met the site in August 2012, and since then, Medium’s popularity has grown enough for even the most ske ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-10-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Porter Anderson looks at the Frankfurt Book Fair, at Sprint Beyond the Book and Book Sprints, at pen names, and more in Ether for Authors this week. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The author of literary thriller The Killing Lessons, snapped up by Orion at auction on the eve of... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Val McDermid tells the BBC's Nick Higham about her latest book Cross and Burn, the eighth novel in The Wire in the Blood series. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2013-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Two more books drawing buzz at the fair include a debut novel by Joshua Ferris's wife, and a co-authored book about friendship and the Iraq war. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Thriller writer David Baldacci is to publish fantasy novel The Finisher with Pan Macmillan... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Berg's memoir chronicles the death of his brother and the aftereffects of the crime. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The San Diego Reader is mining gold from its rich archives and releasing the treasures as a collection of six eBooks, the first installment of a series that will showcase the literary quality and historic value of a collection spanning more than 40 y ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If you'd like to combine your new iPhone and your wallet into a single device that looks like an old-fashioned mini datebook, Pad & Quill's Little Pocket Book is the case you want. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2013-10-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Irish writer William Trevor has been named winner of the inaugural Charleston & Chichester... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Roberta Pereira and Brisa Trinchero love working as Broadway producers and relaxing with a good book. But one night over drinks at Sardi's, the duo wondered why there weren't any good Broadway reads. A few cocktails later, they decided to start a Broadway-themed publishing firm, and Dress Circle... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2013-09-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#give people
Our Authors Guide to the Frankfurt Book Fair is now available in Spanish, thanks to Dosdoce, The Spanish Digital Link, and Actualidad Editorial. Download it here. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-09-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Poet Alice Oswald has won the third £25,000 Warwick Prize for Writing. It is the first time... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-09-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Bill Bryson calls on publishers to give away ebooks with printed copies in order to tempt readers back to buying physical books. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2013-09-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#printed copies
Our look at the week's web buzz including hotbutton issues around reader reviews, at questions of print vs. ebooks, and at Amy Tan's new book cover. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-09-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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News Corp., the publishing company that owns The Wall Street Journal, reported $506 million in net income for the fiscal year ended June 30, the last year before its split from Rupert Murdoch's entertainment operations.The profit, which amounted to 87 cents a share, compared with a loss of $2.08... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2013-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This week's buzz round-up looks at the controversial possible changes in the Man Booker Prize rules, New Zealand's publishing decline, Frankfurt tips and more. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-09-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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