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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Protest planned over Lewisham library cuts

Library campaigners plan to gather this Saturday to protest the £1m cuts to Lewisham Council’s library budget, which will see staff removed from four libraries across the borough. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Northern Ireland library cuts scrapped

Proposals to reduce opening hours at 14 of the busiest libraries in Northern Ireland have been scrapped. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Trusted Media Brands Cuts Children’s Book Publisher

Thirty-one employees face layoffs, though magazine brands not affected. The post Trusted Media Brands Cuts Children’s Book Publisher appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2016-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Winning formula pays off for mid-size publishers

For the first part of 2016, it is the mid-sized publishers that are driving the overall market’s excellent 9.3% print sales growth. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Blackwell's urges Pokémon Go fans to 'catch 'em all' in store

Blackwell's is running a photo competition to celebrate the launch of Pokémon Go, a mobile game that allows users to catch Pokémon in real life using gps technology. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pearson UK 'ahead of plan' on 2016 job cuts

A spokesperson for Pearson UK has said the company is "80% of the way there and ahead of plan" on its latest job-cutting restructure, as the wider company looks to make £250m annualised cost savings globally this year plus a further £100m in 2017. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fresh plans to cut 22 more libraries across England emerge

Libraries across the country continue to be threatened with closure, with councils proposing to close 22 venues altogether across Swindon, Gateshead and Coventry. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Osborne pledges to cut corporation tax to 15%

Chancellor George Osborne has pledged to cut corporation tax from 20% to 15% to encourage businesses to keep investing in the UK, according to news reports. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Staff Pick: 'The Pocket-Size God' by Robert F Griffin

Reviews editor Seth Satterlee recommends 'The Pocket-Size God' by Robert F Griffin, a collection of columns from the Notre Dame cleric between 1972 and 1994. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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University Presses Cope with Budget Cuts

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Waterstones cuts ebook deal with Kobo

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[ The Bookseller | 2016-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2016: Kenny Loggins: Cutting Loose on the Page

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Richard Desmond's firm in £25m loss after price cuts and digital investment

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[ The Guardian | 2016-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BuzzFeed cuts projected revenue by half after missing 2015 financial target

The digital media company is ‘very comfortable’, it told the Financial Times, despite a report that internal financial targets were missed by over $80mBuzzFeed missed internal financial targets in 2015 and had to substantially cut its projected revenue by about half according to a report... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Too many school libraries 'face cuts'

Too many school libraries in England face cuts or closure with schools increasingly viewing books as obsolete, a conference has heard. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2016-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fairfax's warm glow short-lived amid cuts, strike and Sheehan debacle | Amanda Meade

With the SMH brand celebrating its 185th year, record readership figures and even a $27m profit, further cuts have provoked anger among Fairfax staff As the Sydney Morning Herald looks forward to its 185th birthday next month staff had been celebrating the fact that the masthead is the most... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Scotsman staff threaten strike action over job cuts

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[ The Guardian | 2016-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rodale Cuts 40 More Staffers

Department heads, director-level staffers among those laid off as turbulence continues at the health and wellness publisher. The post Rodale Cuts 40 More Staffers appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2016-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pan Mac launches pocket-sized classics imprint

Pan Macmillan has launched a new hardback classics imprint: Macmillan Collector’s Library. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Delight at U-turn on Welsh Book Council cuts

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[ The Bookseller | 2016-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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