Last week, Ruth Rendell claimed that reading novels is a dying art. Sadly, she might have a pointNo one can say precisely why John Williams's novel Stoner has become a bestseller almost 50 years after its first publication. After all, plenty of books, "forgotten" or otherwise, are recommended by word of mouth and yet most will not go on to sell more than a few hundred copies. And it's hard to know in what ways, if any, its story – a young man falls in love with literature and thus a new world is revealed to him – might have touched people. Many of those who rushed to buy it will not yet have got around to opening it and some will never read it. Stoner will languish on their shelves, its spine unbroken, just like Jung Chang's Wild Swans, the non-fiction hit of 1992.But still, it has given us something to think about, this dusting down of so plangent and substantial a novel. On Radio 4 last week, Ruth Rendell, the novelist and Labour peer, suggested that Stoner is a book for our times, her argument being that we live in an age when reading is for most an alien pastime, just as it is to William Stoner until he has an epiphany. (Asked to elucidate a poem by a professor, he is unable to say anything except: "It means... it means..." and yet, in this moment, everything changes; the verse, whether he understands it or not, has touched him on some powerfully deep level.) "We are told that it isn't happening," said Rendell. "But it is. Reading is no longer something that everybody... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2014-01-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
Independent publishers are exploring digital opportunities to boost trade in a tough climate for... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With many more authors appealing direct to the public by releasing their novels themselves over the internet, are any of them able to make money? Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2013-08-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An Appreciation: Michael Connelly, bestselling author of the Harry Bosch books, on being under the influence of the late Elmore Leonard.I never wanted to be Raymond Chandler. I wanted to be Philip Marlowe. I never wanted to be Ross Macdonald. I wanted to be Lew Archer. Elmore Leonard was the... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-08-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook has designed a system that would allow individuals and advertisers to make direct connections to those physically nearby that share similar interests or are open to receiving certain advertisements. The company’s work was outlined in a U.S. patent filing for a “wireless social... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2013-08-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This could be the final blow to paper and ink news: Reporters graduating out of journalism school and headed to work at newspapers and magazines don't read print media, with over seven of 10 choosing digital news and social media websites instead ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Miranda McKearney is to step down from her role as director of The Reading Agency in December.... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The collaboration between plush toy manufacturer Animal Magic and California-based interactive media publisher Fat Red Couch, Inc. (FRC) has many in both industries puzzled and intrigued. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'How I Live Now' is being adapted into a film starring 'The Host' actress Saoirse Ronan. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon's Android-flavored reading app is offering up a couple more of its own e-reader's features for those with Google-fied devices. Just like folks with Kindles have already encountered, the Kindle for Android app now keeps tabs on time remaining in both chapter and book should pace be of... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-08-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tony Cliff's Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant has been delighting audiences online for years?garnering three Eisner nominations in the process?and at the end of August, it hits print as a 168-page full-color paperback from publisher First Second. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2013-08-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A poll by Gallup reveals South Korea's favorite foreign novelist was, surprise, French SF author Bernard Werber, followed by Murakami and Hemingway. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The children's book centre Seven Stories has been voted best education project in the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Reading Agency has partnered with publisher Barrington Stoke to create initiatives that will... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When the University of California Press, in November 2010, published The Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 1, it was in for a surprise: the 760-page hardcover, priced at $45, became an immediate bestseller. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A story said to have been written by Larsson when he was 17 will be part of an anthology titled 'A Darker Shade of Sweden,' which will be released this February. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The cost of ebooks has strained relations between libraries and publishers, forcing both to look for solutions. One answer is coming from distributors of self-published ebooks. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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One part of a proposal to enforce the verdict against Apple for allegedly fixing ebook prices would require Amazon and Barnes & Noble 'buy' buttons in the Apple store, allowing consumers to easily compare ebook costs. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Oh, the magic of finding a great book through the sheer power of chance! Is the summer the best time for that to happen? Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-08-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Anything but a 'misery memoir,' the remarkable and moving, 'She Left Me the Gun' by Emma Brockes explores the power of resilience and humor. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A report from the University of Illinois shows that copyright laws have squashed the market for books from the middle of the 20th century. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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