Every author wants to write a book like David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas. Two decades after it first hit the shelves, the author of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow celebrates its daring, dazzling appealPity the writer who believes they have written the next Cloud Atlas! A literary agent once told me that when a fledgling writer compares their novel to David Mitchell’s, he invariably knows it will be awful. Once you have written a book like Cloud Atlas, you have not written Cloud Atlas because Cloud Atlas is not like anything.When the novel was published in 2004, critics compared it to everything. AS Byatt in the Guardian invokes Herman Melville, Raymond Chandler, Martin Amis, George Orwell and Ursula K Le Guin among others. Tom Bissell in the New York Times adds to the mix Cervantes, Defoe, Isherwood, William S Burroughs, and, in a last paragraph twist, James Joyce’s Ulysses. Theo Tait of the Telegraph writes in a rare negative review that “Cloud Atlas spends half its time wanting to be The Simpsons and the other half the Bible.” This line is funny more than apt, but had I read it at the time, it would have sold the book to me. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2024-04-06 10:00:31 UTC ]
In this episode of "Writer's Digest Presents," literary agent Jessica Berg helps us write fiction based on our lives. The post Writing Fiction Based On Your Life: A Chat With Jessica Berg appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2025-05-20 18:00:00 UTC ]
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After nearly 50 years in the book business—as a literary agent, book publisher, market researcher, and journalist—Jo Henry has stepped down as managing director of the U.K. publishing newsletter BookBrunch, a role she has held since 2018. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-05-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Alyssa Reynoso-Morris breaks down the process of crafting picture books and then landing a literary agent for your project. The post Picturing Success: A Guide to Crafting Picture Books and Landing Agents appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2025-05-15 16:44:36 UTC ]
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Literary agent alerts (this one features Jess Gilbert of D4EO) are great opportunities for writers because each agent is building their list. The post New Agent Alert: Jess Gilbert of D4EO appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2025-05-14 19:36:10 UTC ]
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When Donald Trump was elected in 2016, he changed the reading habits of the nation. George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four became the best-selling book of any genre on Amazon. Sinclair Lewis’s 1935 satire of a fascist takeover, It Can’t Happen Here, rose to 26th in the Amazon all-genre chart.... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-05-12 08:59:06 UTC ]
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Literary agent for children's book authors Mary Cummings explains the biggest mistake she sees in picture book pitches—and how you can avoid making that mistake. The post Picture Book or Short Story? Which is it? appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2025-05-03 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Sometimes, it can be hard to know exactly what a literary agent is looking for. Other times, they just come out and tell you, via a “Manuscript Wish List” (#MSWL). These can be both helpful and oddly specific. The following is a quiz: some of these are real #MSWL requests, posted by agents and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-04-18 15:46:06 UTC ]
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Fiona Warnick talks to Sheila Heti about AI, writing for children, and the negotiation of public and private selves. | Lit Hub In Conversation How much can—or should—we know about our literary idols? Anna Funder on George Orwell and real life doublethink. | Lit Hub Memoir “I’d always figured... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-02-24 11:30:43 UTC ]
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John Taylor “Ike” Williams, the longtime literary agent and intellectual property and media and entertainment lawyer, died at his home in Cambridge, Mass., on Dec. 26. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-01-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Since 1985, literary agent Richard Curtis has irregularly chronicled the state of trade book publishing in verse in the pages of 'Publishers Weekly.' In honor of his final year-end poem, we've republished them all here. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-12-20 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Some time ago–a decade at least, but it feels longer–a literary agent read a manuscript that I’d written and told me that she loved it, loved my style, but the book felt too calculated, too much like a math problem. It didn’t lack heart per se, she said, but it felt too much like a […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-11-18 09:55:11 UTC ]
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Books removed from Florida libraries include books by and about marginalized people as well as classic authors like George Orwell. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-11-15 12:15:00 UTC ]
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If you’ve read only one book about the Spanish Civil War, chances are it’s either Ernest Hemingway’s novel For Whom the Bell Tolls or George Orwell’s memoir Homage to Catalonia. And if you’ve read only two, as to what they might be, I’d confidently push all my chips into the center of the... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2024-11-11 12:00:00 UTC ]
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International bestselling author Freida McFadden signs a major deal with Sourcebooks; Pantheon lands a graphic novel adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s Trouble Is My Business, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-10-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The Irish city, once home to the likes of James Joyce and Oscar Wilde, is known for its bookstores, libraries and pubs, where writers found inspiration over pints of Guinness. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2024-10-02 09:01:07 UTC ]
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Betsy Lerner has spent decades in the publishing industry. Writing her first novel, “Shred Sisters,” unlocked a completely new side to her creativity. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2024-10-01 19:20:03 UTC ]
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In honor of the 75th anniversary of George Orwell's iconic dystopian novel, we've rounded up some recent books that reflect the legacy of '1984' with their stark visions of the future and sharp critiques of our social and political moment. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-08-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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From fairy porn to romantasy via the Omegaverse, publishing is sexier than ever. The reason? A big shift in gen Z and millennial attitudes to respectability and shame ...I spent a fortnight reading nothing but smut and I don’t need to give you a reason. But since there is one, here it is:... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-08-06 04:00:33 UTC ]
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