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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Canongate is to launch a campaign in praise of letter writing, after signing two new books... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cass Sunstein, nudge inventor and former White House official, explains how his nudges have helped Americans save for retirement and eat better. He co-wrote the best-selling 2008 book Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness with Richard Thaler. His latest book Simpler: The... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2013-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Developed by Democrasoft, a software developer specializing in collaboration and engagement, a WeJIT is “a way to make books better by embedding interactivity that allows readers to connect and collaborate in a customized online social experience that is engaging and fun,” Democrasoft CEO... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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German publishers will disappear from Google News on Aug. 1 unless they opt in to the service as Google seeks to comply with a new German law. But the publishers said on Monday that this is not good enough, they want a share in Google's revenue.The law will come into effect on Aug. 1 and gives... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2013-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook Inc. FB -3.51% is aiming to become a newspaper for mobile devices. The social network has been quietly working on a service, internally called Reader, that displays content from Facebook users and publishers in a new visual format tail ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Conventional wisdom says that entrepreneurs who start a Web-based business will do so with VC money. Read enough stories of Internet ventures that enjoy lucrative exits in the millions (in some cases billions) of dollars, and it’s easy to assume that the only path to success is to begin by... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2013-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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JADS International creates scent for comic book iconCreate a fragrance that smells heroic with a touch of villainy — that's what Andrew Levine's Lutherville company set out to do. Continue reading at Baltimore Sun
[ Baltimore Sun | 2013-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Have a well-defined set of expectations for customers based on platform and device. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2013-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Patricia van Rhijin, director at CIDCLI, discussed the problems getting Mexican children's books published in the US. American publishers are 'so square,' she says. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For all the activity around “marketing services,” publishers in general still have a lot to learn when setting up a sales operation around this kind of service strategy. The lessons typically center on three core buckets: Culture, market approach and data. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2013-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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British publishers reported good business for the most part at Book Expo America, which concluded... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Jörgits, an indie fantasy novel for kids nine and up, uses interactivity as a supplement to the story, not a stand-in for it. If there’s one reading experience that truly has been transformed by the interactive wonders of the tablet, it’s got to be the children’s book. Apps like The... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For the first time in a long time some optimism is returning to the publishing industry. Circulation numbers and revenues were decimated by the rise of the internet and while the future for print still looks shaky, the companies behind newspapers and ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pearson has revealed “significant changes” to its organisational structure and... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Despite the lack of a publisher and censorship issues, pirated copies of "Fifty Shades of Grey" are proving popular at Chinese online bookstores. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Orange Prize-winner Ann Patchett has warned that authors who decide to shun traditional... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When Granada Books opens in downtown Santa Barbara, Calif., next month, it will operate on a hybrid model with a for-profit bookstore and a not-for-profit event series, Pomegranate Arts. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Arts Council England’s new director for libraries has said he would like to “change... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette, the last holdout among America's "big six" publishers, will make its full ebook catalog available to nonprofit public libraries and school libraries across the nation on May 8th. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Egyptian journalist and bestselling author Ibrahim Issa believes the Arab Spring has added religious oppression to the existing political hardships of the region. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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