From Uber driving to huge book deal: Adrian McKinty's life-changing phone call

Despite awards and acclaim for his crime fiction, the impoverished novelist lost his home and was set to quit – then the phone rangIt was1.30 in the morning in Melbourne and Adrian McKinty had just got home after dropping off his last Uber customer of the night at the airport. His phone rang. It was Shane Salerno, agent to authors including Don Winslow, and it was a call that would pull McKinty into “some major league craziness”, ending in a six-figure English-language book deal and, last week, a seven-figure film deal from Paramount for his forthcoming novel The Chain.“Don told me you’ve given up writing,” said Salerno. McKinty, an award-winning crime novelist, had recently blogged about his decision to quit being an author. Beginning with his debut, Dead I May Well Be, written while he taught high school English in Colorado, and continuing with his award-winning series about Northern Irish detective Sean Duffy, McKinty’s books might have won him prizes and great reviews, but they weren’t making him any money. The family moved from the US to Australia in 2008 because McKinty’s wife, author and academic Leah Garrett, was offered a job there. Now the family had been evicted from the home they’d had lived in for eight years, and he was working as an Uber a cab driver (“the world’s worst,” he says now) and bartending in an attempt to actually bring in some cash.When they were evicted from their home, 'I was thinking to myself, "Oh God Adrian, what have you done with your... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2019-07-08 06:00:17 UTC ]
News tagged with: #adrian mckinty #crime fiction #book deal

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Colson Whitehead wins for fiction at the National Book Awards

In a year plagued by racial tensions, Colson Whitehead took the National Book Award for fiction for his novel "The Underground Railroad," a visceral and creative imagining of a female slave's escape from slavery. Although it takes years to write a book and bring it to publication, the National... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #racial tensions #colson whitehead #underground railroad


London Book Fair’s ‘Building Inclusivity’ Conference Explores Diversity

Amid 'rhetoric of animosity and intolerance and the growing support for right-wing politicians,' a new conference examines the publishing community's accelerating drive for diversity. The post London Book Fair’s ‘Building Inclusivity’ Conference Explores Diversity appeared first on Publishing... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #building inclusivity #publishing community


Author asks for books to be withdrawn from Daily Mail

YA author Melinda Salisbury has asked her publisher not to submit her books for review to newspapers such as the Daily Mail in support of the ‘Stop Funding Hate’ movement. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #author asks #daily mail


Anna Kendrick book: Her career and the rise of 'Pitch Perfect'

Anna Kendrick's new memoir, 'Scrappy Little Nobody,' was released on Nov. 15. One of the actress's most famous roles is as the protagonist in the 'Pitch' films, which became an unexpected hit. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2016-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #unexpected hit


The 2016 National Book Awards: Lewis, Kendi, Borutzky, Whitehead and Politics

In an evening of references to the US general election, the National Book Award ceremony brought to the fore writers of color, the Civil Rights movement, and joy as 'an act of resistance.' The post The 2016 National Book Awards: Lewis, Kendi, Borutzky, Whitehead and Politics appeared first on... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #general election


'March,' Borzutzky, Kendi, and Whitehead Win 2016 National Book Awards

At the 67th National Book Awards, held at Cipriani New York in Lower Manhattan on Wednesday night, the junction where politics and publishing meet was in the spotlight from the start. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #lower manhattan #wednesday night


Adult Books Sales Fell in First Half of 2016

Sales of adult trade books dropped 2.8% in the first half of 2016 compared to the same period in 2015, according to figures released by the Association of American Publishers. Sales in the children’s/young adult segment, meanwhile, rose 0.9% in the same period. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #figures released #american publishers


Children to receive free titles for Book Week Scotland

Every Primary-1 child north of the border is to receive three free picture books for Book Week Scotland 2016. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Movie Alert: 'A Monster Calls'

A monster is calling. YA author Patrick Ness's story of a boy named Conor who is visited after midnight by an ancient monster stalks into theaters on December 23. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-11-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rates of change

The BA's Giles Clifton says that the government's reforms to business rates have been welcomed, but they still present "a real threat" to booksellers. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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You can't judge a book by its cover – if you're a robot

An algorithm has been built to predict a book’s genre by its cover. Sadly for online booksellers, it doesn’t do a very good jobBack in September, a report suggested that robots will have eliminated 6% of jobs in the US by 2021. Fortunately for book designers, it doesn’t look as if androids are... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-11-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #cover design #book based #online booksellers #report suggested


Apple's newest product is a $300 photo book

"Designed by Apple in California" is a new book that commemorates 20 years of Apple design. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2016-11-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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EU ebook ruling means change to PLR, says SoA

The Society of Authors has welcomed the European Court's ruling on e-lending, which it argues removes “the final barrier” to applying Public Lending Right (PLR) to the remote lending of ebooks and audiobooks. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #european court


Read On. Get On. coalition calls for new national measurement of reading

Read On. Get On. is to campaign for a new measurement of primary school children’s reading, as part of plans to get all children enjoying reading by 2025. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Is Apple crazy to sell a $300 hardcover photo book? Not at all

Last month, Apple unveiled new MacBook Pro laptops. While the machines were undoubtedly great, their prices were very high -- even for Apple. Despite the cost, they are apparently flying off virtual shelves, as shipping dates are now in late December. In other words, price be damned, people will... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2016-11-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #apple unveiled #apple announces #virtual shelves #late december


Machine Learning: Can a Computer Judge a Book By Its Cover?

Could software someday design book covers that could be judged—correctly—by human readers? Research in Japan says...it depends. The post Machine Learning: Can a Computer Judge a Book By Its Cover? appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon to double Black Friday deals

Amazon's 2016 Black Friday promotion is set to double the number of deals on offer compared to last year, stretching the promotion out for almost two weeks. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Why is Emma Watson dropping books on London subways?

It's part of a collaboration between Emma Watson's feminist book group, Our Shared Shelf, and Books on the Underground, which leaves books all over the London subway system for riders to enjoy. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2016-11-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #leaves books #london subways #emma watson #shared shelf


The Guadalajara Book Fair Expands Its Range of Offerings

The largest Spanish-language book fair in the world has become a place where thought leaders, artists, educators, and scientists gather to share information that impacts the publishing industry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-11-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #share information #publishing industry