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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Independent publishers And Other Stories and Penned in the Margins have been included for the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook’s most recently published study is not unique. This is a call to action. We should work together to demand that companies promise not to make us involuntary accomplices in corporate activities that compromise other people’s autonomy and trust. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2014-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Freshman Fifteens, a group of 15 authors with debut Young Adult novels in 2015, are teaming with the online writing community Wattpad to organize The Common Room Teen Mentoring Contest, a writing and mentoring contest that opens for entries on June 30. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Brick-and-mortar book stores have clearly been on the decline for a while -- just look at Barnes & Noble's rocky finances. However, there's now some tangible evidence that the pendulum has swung in favor of internet-based sales. BookStats estimates... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2014-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Chinese publishers have declined to purchase translation rights for Clinton's bestseller, said publisher Simon & Schuster, and China's major import agency will not import the book in English. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Two years after its launch, Kobo Writing Life (KWL), ebook retailer Kobo’s self-publishing channel, carries more than 250,000 self-published digital titles by over 30,000 authors who publish regularly through KWL. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Video is on the tip of every publisher's tongue these days. And for good reason: Advertisers want it. Still, video is complex and not necessarily for everyone-at least not right away. That is, there's no disputing that the medium has arrived but what's still debatable is the value proposition... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2014-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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According to S&S, the memoir has been an "instant international bestseller" in all of the territories in which it has been published. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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From #Girlboss to #Scandal, publishers are discovering a new marketing hook for hard-copy as well as online readingCan a book go viral in the same way a cat video on YouTube can? Unless its Harry Potter or Fifty Shades of Grey, probably not. So rather than simply trying to reach mass audiences,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Columnist of 20 years given ultimatum by Sydney Morning Herald: its us or the Saturday PaperRichard Ackland says he has ended 20 years as a columnist for Fairfax Media after the Sydney Morning Herald asked him to choose between writing for a rival publication, the Saturday Paper, and the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hillary Clinton's "Hard Choices" failed to crack the top five on Apple's iBooks bestseller list for the week ended June 16. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Winners of the 18 awards, which in total amount to $150,000 in fellowships, grants, and prizes, will be revealed on July 30, and celebrated at a ceremony on September 29 at the New School in New York City. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hillary Clinton’s "Hard Choices" sold 85,721 copies in its first week on sale at outlets that report to Nielsen BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Everyone is the poorer for publishers' widespread assumption that nobody wants to read about this part of societyI have spent the last 25 years selling and then publishing books, so I read with interest Melvyn Bragg's recent comments on working-class characters in fiction being stereotyped and... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Works has seen a 7% boost in sales following unprecedented growth in its e-commerce arm.... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-06-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hackers at the first ever FutureBook Hack need to come up with ideas that will work in the real... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-06-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Rainforest Action Network has given 10 leading children’s book publishers generally high marks for the actions they have taken to protect the Indonesian rainforest and other endangered forests. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Science takes on one of the most important questions of the ages.A Kindle and iPad are great for conveniently porting your entire bookshelf in your purse. But for the majority of Americans who view the independent bookstore as a haven and who get grumpy at the idea of not feeling the physical... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2014-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After J.J. Smith's appearance on the "Steve Harvey Show," the author's "10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse," published in February, moved from #42 to #2 on Amazon's bestseller list, pushing Hillary Clinton's memoir down to #3. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hillary Clinton's memoir 'Hard Choices' was released on June 10. What are critics saying about the book? Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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