Cutting ’Em Down to Size

Every critic knows that readers love a spirited hatchet job, whether or not the author being chopped is one whose work they’ve hated—or even read. Much of the public seems to possess an ambient belief that the literary world is filled with frauds and self-styled geniuses whose reputations have been propped up by venal publishers and the reviewers who toady up to them. In this light, anyone who dares to challenge the allegedly phony consensus by ripping apart one of the unjustly elect gets hailed as a hero. Every so often, a particularly harsh review will prompt an outcry; recently this happened after William Giraldi’s slashing, in the New York Times Book Review, of two books by the relatively unknown novelist, Alix Ohlin, whom he damned for embracing “the bland earnestness of realism.” But Ohlin was small fry, and much of the outrage Giraldi’s review ignited—he was accused on Twitter of failing to perform a critic’s basic duties and of producing a “pretentious, vicious and self-regarding” piece of work, among other offenses—seemed to arise from the sense that he was an insufferable blowhard while she was nice, or at the very least, harmless. Continue reading at 'Slate'

[ Slate | 2017-09-05 00:00:00 UTC ]

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Librarians Vow to Fight Trump on Funding Cuts

In a statement, the American Library Association called Trump's proposal to effectively eliminate all federal library funding "counterproductive and short-sighted," and vowed to fight. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Industry Notes: Revenues Climb at UBM | HMP Acquires EMS World

Creative Loafing comes home, and more from around the publishing business. The post Industry Notes: Revenues Climb at UBM | HMP Acquires EMS World appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2017-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Weekly E-Ranking: Backstabber cuts to the top

Kimberley Chambers’ Backstabber cut through the competition to top the Weekly E-Book Ranking in the same week that it scored the crime author her best first-week sale in hardback. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Women’s Wear Daily Scales Back Print Editions and Cuts Staff

Women's Wear Daily, the so-called "bible of fashion," will be altering its print schedule for the second time in two years and letting go of several staffers. WWD confirmed to Adweek that it will cease publishing regular, weekly print editions and instead print only special editions. "We will... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Graeme Macrae Burnet backs campaign against Scottish library cuts

Man Booker shortlisted author Graeme Macrae Burnet has backed a national campaign against Scottish library cuts, launching today (14th February). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'New York Times' Cuts a Range of Bestseller Lists

As part of its effort to revamp its coverage of publishing, the 'New York Times' has eliminated a number of bestsellers lists, among them graphic novels/manga and mass market paperback lists. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Snapchat Is Trying to Get Publishers to Cut Back on Racy and Misleading Content

Snapchat Discover is one of today's hottest sources of news, but it's possibly ... too hot? With an expected IPO just months away, Snapchat wants to start cleaning up Discover's often racy content—created by a select group of publishers including Daily Mail, Cosmopolitan and MTV—by moving away... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-01-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reported Trump Spending Cuts Would Kill NEH, NEA

In an effort to shrink federal bureaucracy by cutting spending, President-elect Donald Trump and his administration reportedly intend to eliminate the National Endowments for the Humanities and the Arts. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-01-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Libraries minister visits Lancashire over cuts

Libraries minister Rob Wilson met with Lancashire County Council this week as part of an investigation into the council’s controversial plans to close 28 libraries. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers see short-form video views on Facebook cut in half

Publisher’s short-form Facebook videos have been on the wane after the algorithm has prioritized Facebook Live and the news feed has become flooded with content. Six months ago a well-performing video from The Sun would fetch 250,000 views, now it’s good to get over 100,000. In 2016, The... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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CMS committee warns cuts 'making arts less accessible'

The Culture, Media and Sport select committee has warned that budget cuts are making culture less accessible, as part of its latest report on funding and support for the arts outside London. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Heartbreaking' cuts to Swindon library service finalised

Swindon Council's scrutiny committee has passed plans to close two thirds of the town's libraries by the end of August 2017. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rogers Media Cuts 60 Staffers, Shutters LouLou Magazine

After selling off B2B magazines, the Canadian publisher swings the axe at its Francophone titles. The post Rogers Media Cuts 60 Staffers, Shutters LouLou Magazine appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2016-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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NASA demonstrates EM Drive theory, but don't get too excited

A fuel-free engine is the stuff of science fiction for now, but scientists at NASA Eagleworks have published a peer-reviewed paper that suggests the ideas behind an EM Drive are worth testing further. Researchers at Eagleworks, a small NASA team task... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2016-11-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Comic Arts Brooklyn Scales Down Size, Not Sales

Despite doubts that it would be held at all, this year’s Comic Arts Brooklyn, an annual indie comics festival held in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, turned in another successful year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-11-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publisher protests as Amazon Japan cuts back its KU offering

After underestimating the ferocity of Japan's manga fans, Amazon has made major adjustments to the contents of its Kindle Unlimited offer in the country, while dropping some publishers from the service altogether. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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CILIP urges Westminster to rethink library cuts

The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) has called on Westminster City Council to halt proposed cuts to the library budget of £750,000 a year "until a proper public consultation has been carried out". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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DCMS to investigate 'disgraceful' Lancashire library cuts

The government is to investigate plans by Lancashire County Council to close 21 libraries in a move which has been slammed as "disgraceful" by campaigners. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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NACS Cuts Staff by 17%

In response to changes in the industry, the National Association of College Stores eliminated 22 full-time and 13 part-time positions earlier this month. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lancashire to go ahead with 'disgraceful' library cuts

Lancashire County Council has decided to press ahead with plans to close more than 20 libraries after a 12-week consultation. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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