In praise of unfinished books | Editorial

Boffins have a new way to check on whether we really get through impressive big books, but even half-finished reads help with plunging authorial incomesLike a mean teacher tripping up a keen-to-impress pupil, boffins have come up with a way of calling us on books we don't get through. Named after the author of that noted 1980s ornament, A Brief History of Time, the Hawking Index leafs through ebooks and asks where readers wield the e-highlighter pen. The choice nuggets of Thomas Piketty's top-selling political economy 700-pager are clustered in pages one through 26; "readers" of Hillary Clinton's new shelf-stopper are making Hard Choices to stop at an even earlier stage. But what flagellant ethic could demand they do anything else? While covers continually wink from new books, lost time is not found again. Shrewd non-fiction editors pull highlights to the front, and writers who might once have despaired at half-digested books will today be more concerned by authorial incomes plunging to an average of £11,000. Readers, whether they finish or not, all help with that. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #thomas piketty #hillary clinton

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In praise of unfinished books | Editorial

Boffins have a new way to check on whether we really get through impressive big books, but even half-finished reads help with plunging authorial incomesLike a mean teacher tripping up a keen-to-impress pupil, boffins have come up with a way of calling us on books we don't get through. Named... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #thomas piketty #hillary clinton


The Guardian view on US book bans: time to fight back | Editorial

Censorship is surging thanks to an organised rightwing minority targeting books on LGBTQ and Black characters and issues“A book is a loaded gun in the house next door,” warns a character in Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury’s dystopian vision of an America where books are considered so dangerous they... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-04-13 17:21:33 UTC ]
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James Patterson to complete unfinished Michael Crichton book

Late author’s estate has shared a manuscript with the bestselling novelist centered on a volcanic eruption in HawaiiThe bestselling author James Patterson is set to complete an unfinished manuscript from the late Michael Crichton.According to the Wall Street Journal, Crichton’s estate has... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-12-15 15:20:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #unfinished manuscript #james patterson #late author #bestselling author


Internet man uses AI to create a children’s book in praise of AI and it is fatuous and ugly.

What the hell are we doing? All the best things are shutting down and people are out here using computers to make children’s books? Not to get too Jeff Goldblum on you, but just because you build a tool to do something doesn’t make it interesting or worthy. To wit, a product designer named... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-12-13 15:19:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #make children #children’s book


The Guardian view on the book publishing industry: no one size fits all | Editorial

The failure of a recent bid to merge two large publishing companies shines a light on a central issue of cultural powerDespite a rise in self-publishing, commercial publishers are still the main gatekeepers of what arrives on our bookshelves. As such, they have great cultural and – if a book... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-11-04 18:25:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book takes #planned merger #simon schuster #publishing market #2bn deal #penguin random house #publishing companies #book publishing


Conservative lawmaker writes children’s book in praise of solidarity and collective action.

Does the following really sound like contemporary American conservatism to you?  Dawn of the Brave, which is aimed at children age 6 to 10, helps readers recognize that everyone has strengths and weakness, but teamwork allows people to come together for the greater good. I am… confused. Dawn of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-04-11 14:24:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #collective action #greater good #children’s book


Samantha Hunt is haunted by books left unfinished

"The Unwritten Book" is a memoir and essay collection that finds beauty in impermanence. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-04-11 10:00:28 UTC ]
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The Guardian view on changes to copyright law: book lovers beware | Editorial

A government proposal to ease restrictions on the sale of imported cultural works risks harming a world-class industryThe hoopla around the release of Sally Rooney’s new novel on Tuesday – with bookshops opening early, and queues of shoppers eager to lay their hands on Beautiful World, Where Are... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-09-07 18:00:33 UTC ]
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The Guardian view on a book glut: to the victor go the spoils? | Editorial

Many publishers are enjoying record sales – but not all. We must take care that those with the biggest names and deepest pockets are not the only beneficiariesAs the weather turns and the days shorten, as trees bend low with fruit and blackberries darken the hedges, bookshops are bracing for a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-08-23 17:25:02 UTC ]
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Broken Sleep Books appoints editorial board

Independent press Broken Sleep Books is to appoint an editorial board, in a move that expands the company. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-03 22:08:53 UTC ]
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Editorial: Why We Choose to Boycott Macmillan E-books

A librarian explains the decision to draw the line over Macmillan's decision to embargo new release e-books in public libraries. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-11-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Praised by Trump as ‘a Warrior,’ Is Writing a Book

The former White House press secretary will chronicle her time in the Trump administration in a memoir expected to come out next year. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2019-09-05 17:47:28 UTC ]
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In Praise of Jerusalem and the New Book Forum

Suzanne Balaban, president of BMM Worldwide, makes a case for the Jerusalem International Book Forum as "the new Silk Road for stories." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-05-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book forum #silk road


Alice Walker under fire for praise of 'antisemitic' David Icke book

The New York Times also faced criticism for publishing the Color Purple author’s recommendation without qualificationThe New York Times Book Review and Alice Walker have come under criticism for comments the celebrated writer made in an interview with the publication in which she recommended a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-12-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Guardian view on children’s books: a restricted view of a wide world | Editorial

Almost a third of school-age children are from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. But they will still struggle to find characters who resemble themselvesBooks can show us the world both as it is, and as it could be – “mirrors and windows”, as the author Malorie Blackman notes. For... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bame characters #titles featured #bame protagonists #white boys


Clinton praises feminist book trend ahead of Edinburgh

Chelsea Clinton is "excited" to be a part of the trend for feminist children’s books, she told The Bookseller ahead of her appearance at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #chelsea clinton #feminist children


At the Abu Dhabi Book Fair: An Industry Ready for Editorial Rigor and Literary Agents

At the 2018 Abu Dhabi Book Fair, Flora Rees of the Emirates Literature Foundation talks about the editor-author relationship and the role of literary agents in publishing across the Arab world. The post At the Abu Dhabi Book Fair: An Industry Ready for Editorial Rigor and Literary Agents... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Free speech groups praise UK decision to publish tell-all Trump book

Free speech groups have praised Little, Brown’s decision to release Michael Wolff’s tell-all book on Donald Trump’s presidency despite the UK’s strict libel laws and legal threats from the president. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Agent Mackenzie Smith made S&S picture book editorial director

Helen Mackenzie Smith is leaving the Bell Lomax Moreton Agency to become editorial director for children’s picture books and novelties at Simon & Schuster UK. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #picture books


Praising the Messiness of Motherhood in 4 New Books

This season, a number of authors are debunking myths of “supermoms" and are exploring spiritual truths about motherhood instead. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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