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 ]
Ron Burgundy will be the name behind a book titled 'Let Me Off at the Top: My Classy Life and Other Musings.' Ron Burgundy is Will Ferrell's alter ego in the 2004 film 'Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-08-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At Publishing Perspectives, Porter Anderson looks at Bowker's new market research, at grassroots survey efforts, and at questions around ebooks' potential. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Suvudu, Random House's online destination for science fiction and fantasy fans, launched Suvudu Universe, an online community for SF and fantasy bloggers. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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China's Douban is experimenting with crowdsourced translations of English literature, including SF and short stories by David Mitchell. Can it help authors enter the market? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Ben Wilson talks to the BBC's Nick Higham about his book charting the British Navy's history Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The longlist for the 2013 Polari First Book Prize has been revealed, with two self-published... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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em>Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin made a special appearance at the show of comedy musicians Paul & Storm during Comic-Con this weekend, smashing one of their guitars in (faux) outrage after they launched into their song "Write Like the Wind," which admonishes the fantasy... Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2013-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Glenn Greenwald, the journalist who first reported on a trove of classified documents leaked by Edward J. Snowden, will write a book about National Security Agency surveillance, his publisher announced on Wednesday. Mr. Greenwald’s articles ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Under the Carib Sun author Ro Cuzon's essay describes journey to becoming a novelist and his experience in the agency-created Rogue Reader self-publishing program. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Given the upheaval in digital publishing and many authors' entrepreneurial spirit, can today's literary agents engage their clients' art as they did in the past? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fellow bestselling author Stephen King and others in the literary community weigh in on J.K. Rowling's choice to release her latest book, 'The Cuckoo's Calling,' using a pen name. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Led by the news that Hugh Howey agent Kristin Nelson has signed self-publisher Barbara Freethy, who has sold 3 million books, the Ether looks at agent mystique. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-07-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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On Monday it was announced that one juror who had found George Zimmerman not guilty had landed literary agent, Sharlene Martin. By 10 p.m., Martin announced she was dropping Juror B37 as a client.Maybe a book by a juror in the Trayvon Martin murder trial isn't such a good idea after all. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-07-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Porter Anderson takes in recent discussions about metadata and book marketing, a live, crowdsourced writing experiment, book recommendation culture, and more. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Ros Barber recalls the early hostile reaction she received for her award-winning debut novel in which playwright Christopher Marlowe is credited as the true author of Shakespeare's plays. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The author of the new Asterix comic book says the Scottish landscape inspired the latest epic adventure Asterix and the Picts. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Porter Anderson takes in the week's online debates on the belief that big publishers' power is diminished, ebook royalties, Amazon Worlds, pay for writers and more. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin has urged a US court to dismiss a case brought against it and its self-publishing arm... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Veronica Roth will release four short stories written from the point of view of 'Divergent' hero Four. The first will be released a month before the last book in the trilogy comes out. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Richard Matheson, who was 87, has died at home. His family announced his passing in a protected Facebook post; the news was shared by publisher Tor/Forge.Author Richard Matheson, who was 87, has died at home. His family announced his passing in a protected Facebook post; the news was... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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