Professor Selina Todd argues that you can be taught to write well, as demonstrated by American and Australian university students. Plus letters from Christopher Dodd and Anthony OrmsonIan Jack’s wariness towards writing manuals and classes is a peculiarly British response to teaching this craft (So you want to write better sentences than Jane Austen?, 27 May. While visiting Australian universities a few years ago, I was pleasantly surprised by the fluency and clarity of the (history) students’ prose. It turned out they were taught to write – not by rote learning grammar, which is the only form of pedagogy recognised by the current British government, but in lively writing workshops that encouraged them to believe that anyone, given time and hard work, could write well. Conversations with American colleagues revealed a similar mindset and introduced me to the American writer William Zinsser, whose book On Writing Well I recommend to all my students. Zinsser’s democratic premise is that good writing is the result of hard work, not innate “talent”. That’s a radical realisation for many British students, brought up with the gentlemanly myth that talent is hereditary, effortless and looks a lot like a public schoolboy.It is no coincidence that Zinsser spent part of his career at the New School in New York, the self-declared “comprehensive university”. In Britain, the adult education movement, including the Workers’ Educational Association, and the Open University, has... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2017-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Can a one-size-fits-all, low-price, consumer-dominated sales model support a diverse, innovative, challenging literary output?It is either an existential threat to intellectual freedom or a rustbelt media industry meeting its comeuppance at the hands of disruptive technology. The battle between... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-08-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The character of Alex Vause, portrayed by actress Laura Prepon on the show, is based on Wolters. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Despicable or brilliant? How three publishers have grown, at least in part by repurposing or resurfacing old content. The post Recycle, reuse … re-publish? How publishers make what’s old new again appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2014-08-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins has signed a book exploring the golden age of crime writing by author Martin... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-08-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hearst UK title edges ahead of Condé Nasts long-time leader in digital and print for womens lifestyle magazine sector Continue reading... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-08-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For publishers today, data has become the key to competitive advantage. But executing against data has traditionally been a challenge. Only in recent years has the publishing industry invested in the technology required to make sense of data's complexity and volume. It speaks to a culture shift,... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2014-08-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon is using “authors as collateral damage and using customers as pawns”, author... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When the Canadian Copyright Modernization Act was passed in 2012, publishing associations were happy with certain aspects of the legislation, including its antipiracy measures. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Julian Gough is using Kickstarter to part-fund a writing research trip to Las Vegas. The... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors United, the loosely knit group of authors who joined forces to formally ask Amazon to end its sales terms dispute with Hachette Books, is preparing to run a full-page ad in Sunday's "New York Times." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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I enjoyed the Windows-based Transformer Book T100 I tested a few months ago, so I was excited to see how its Android-powered sibling would stack up. The engineers at Asus engineers have now proven themselves to be pros at designing 2-in-1 tablet/laptop hybrids running in both Windows and Android... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2014-08-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New recommendations to help “foster and sustain innovation” between the publishing... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Growing up as a computer nerd, I remember thinking that I would learn how to program, so I could develop my own video games. I think this is a dream that many nerds share. I remember that my dad bought me a huge book on programming and after about 5 pages, I gave up and began reading comic books... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2014-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Stanfords is to hold a Travel Writers Festival at the Destinations Show in London next year.... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Focusing on the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize, WME literary agent Cathryn Summerhayes argues that book prizes are key to spotlighting talent for the global market. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Josh Bernoff, coauthor of the pivotal book on social media, Groundswell, describes himself on Twitter as a "Forrester analyst, idea developer and troublemaker." His latest book on The Mobile Mind Shift certainly lives up to those descriptions.In it, Bernoff discusses the difficulties companies... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2014-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sorry guys, I can't tweet this picture of a cat wearing a party hat right now, because I'm #amwriting. I'm in a coffee shop, you see, with my laptop and notebook proudly displayed so that anyone who walks past will know that I'm #amwriting a novel.... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2014-07-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'The Wake,' by Paul Kingsnorth was reportedly published by the website Unbound, which funds the publishing of books through donations. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nook has won market share in the UK over the past 12 months, the company has told The Bookseller... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-07-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook and Twitter may be giving publishers bigger audiences, but they're having the opposite effect on publishers' branding. The post Make the logo bigger? Publishers downsize appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2014-07-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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