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 ]
Novelist Eleanor Catton and her editor Max Porter's alliance shows how much more than wielding a blade goes into this relationshipHenry James called editing "the butchers' trade". But he also said, "I glory in the piling up of complications of every sort," so you can see how the old anglophile... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Connecting content creators and consumers would be an enormous coup for news sites, magazines, TV networks, and other media. We look at three startups that could help.At magazines like Fast Company, we rely on distribution networks to get our articles to our readers. In print, the primary... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2014-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Figures in its filing with the SEC show that Barnes & Noble cut Nook capital expenditures by 74% in the third quarter. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sheffield City Council has approved plans to slash its library funding and leave only 12 of its... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This celebration of bookish snark, won by AA Gill for his Morrissey assault, is less daring and less worthy than it thinksIt's the middle of a wet, wet winter, unaccountably you haven't shed the pounds or learnt the cello as per the optimism of 1 Jan, and to make matters even worse, Valentine's... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble acknowledged Monday that it has cut jobs throughout the company, but insisted that a report that said it had laid off its entire Nook hardware staff was “incorrect.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dumfries and Galloway Council is facing criticism after revealing plans to reduce the library... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fall 2013 will be remembered as the season that the Common Core State Standards began to take effect—and it was a rocky rollout indeed. As the calendar marks a new year, we pause now to reflect upon what has been a bumpy first few months. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rhondda Cynon Taf has approved budget plans that will see more than half of its 26 libraries... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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You might think December would be the calm before the storm at Time Inc., which is, to say the least, expecting an eventful 2014. But CEO Joe Ripp is busy this month too.The company, which publishes magazines including People and Sports Illustrated, is slated to spin off from parent Time Warner... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2013-12-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Library campaigners in Herefordshire have urged the council to abandon plans to slash funding and... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Alt-week takes a look at the best science and alternative tech stories from the last seven days. Don't pack your bags just yet, but Hubble has found indirect evidence of water on five different planets -- a lot of it, in some cases. Bigger brains ... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In October, we gave what was scheduled to be a one-hour presentation to a group of public librarians and library directors on collaboration between school and public libraries. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Osprey Publishing slashed losses and grew turnover in 2012. The publisher, which has filed... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-11-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tribune Co. chief executive officer Peter Liguori tells employees that “we have decided to unify the non-editorial functions of our publishing businesses,” but “creating these critical efficiencies and ensuring the ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Despite a dramatic drop in book sales, Aladin used bookstores have thrived, with some publishers dumping books to boost sales; a fixed-price law is now under debate. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-11-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Just as Kobo has cozied up to physical booksellers, so too does Amazon have a plan to smother them in e-ink kisses. Under the company's new "Amazon Source" program, any independent bookstore that sells a Kindle tablet or e-reader will be rewarded with ten percent of future book purchases made on ... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon, which has been blamed in part for the decline of independent bookstores, said it has a new program called Amazon Source to allow them and other retailers to resell Kindle devices and accessories, and also give them 10 percent on every ebook bought on them for two years. "With Amazon... Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2013-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia's choice of former metals-industry executive Daniel Dienst to lead the company meant going outside the media business for a manager with operational experience -- one who can hopefully reshape the unprofitable company.Mr. Dienst, the former CEO of scrap-metal... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2013-10-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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