Is an X Factor for novelists a good idea?

A literary talent show is about to be aired in Italy, but is television the right place to nurture literary talent?Jonny Geller, agent and joint CEO, Curtis BrownAn X Factor for books is about to launch on Italian TV – it had to be Italian, didn't it? – and you can imagine the literati running for cover in horror. It's "reducing the craft to a reality freak show", "further degradation of the cultural value of the word" etc. And yes, the programme [Masterpiece, which broadcasts on Italian channel Rai 3 today, billed as "the first talent show for aspiring writers, competing to... publish their novel with Simon & Schuster"] will probably be vulgar, ill-conceived and wrong-footed. But we need it. We need to allow young people into the secret we have held too closely to our hearts for too long – that books can change your life, that what makes us human is books, that reading is not just for nerds. The National Literacy Trust recently surveyed 35,000 children from 188 schools and one in five is embarrassed to be caught with a book in their hands.On British TV at the moment, there is not one single programme about books or for book lovers. We in publishing bemoan how few people buy books and yet we do nothing to make them feel relevant. In a changing publishing scene where most purchases are made online, where independent bookshops are closing every week and where the chains all feature the same books, we desperately need an entertaining format to ignite the imaginations of... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2013-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #vice versa

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Is an X Factor for novelists a good idea?'

Is an X Factor for novelists a good idea?

A literary talent show is about to be aired in Italy, but is television the right place to nurture literary talent?Jonny Geller, agent and joint CEO, Curtis BrownAn X Factor for books is about to launch on Italian TV – it had to be Italian, didn't it? – and you can imagine the literati running... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #vice versa

David Duchovny wants to be taken seriously as a novelist. His new book makes a good case.

“Truly Like Lightning” is an irreverent and ambitious tale that shows off the “X-Files” actor’s literary chops. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-02-01 13:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #david duchovny #book makes

Is a New Publisher Called Bad Idea Actually Good For Comics?

Bad Idea is a newly launched comics publisher designed to revive monthly periodical comics and provide economic support to direct market comics shops. Beginning in May the house will publish a limited number of monthly serials by popular artists, sold exclusively via comics shops. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-02-18 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #comics shops #bad idea #limited number

A new book suggests Albert Camus was assassinated, but is speculation a good idea?

For almost a decade now, Italian author and academic Giovanni Catelli has been researching and writing about the untimely death of Albert Camus, the French author who died in 1960, at age 46, when a car driven by his publisher swerved off-road and crashed into a tree. Camus’ death was certainly... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-12-05 17:20:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #untimely death #albert camus #good idea #french author

Despite Selling Millions of Books, Novelist Nick Hornby Still Can’t Tell if He’s Good Enough

With Fever Pitch, About a Boy, and High Fidelity, Nick Hornby created a niche penning romantic comedies from the male perspective and launching the crush-worthy careers of Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, and John Cusack on both sides of the pond. Then he went on to prove that he can deftly embody a... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2019-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #critically acclaimed #tv series #film industry #book publishing

Rangan Chatterjee | 'We all want a quick, magic pill, but good health is a combination of factors'

GP and television presenter Rangan Chatterjee tells Caroline Sanderson how his four-pillar plan could rejuvenate readers - and possibly lighten the load for the NHS. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #magic pill #good health

Is self-publishing a good idea? I can’t get a deal for the novel I’ve written

I’m worried it will cost too much and don’t know what cover price to chargeEvery week a Guardian Money reader submits a question, and it’s up to you to help him or her out – a selection of the best answers will appear in next Saturday’s paper.This week’s question Continue reading... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-01-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #good idea #ve written #cover price

Waterstones’ Daunt Pimps for Amazon Kindle: Good Idea?

As the Kindle goes on sale at Waterstones stores, MD James Daunt has been defending the highly criticized decision, insisting it is to his company's advantage. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #amazon kindle #waterstones stores #good idea

The Good Book's Not So Good Numbers

The 'State of the Bible' finds reading frequency is slumping although the use of apps and listening to audio versions of Scripture is on the rise. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-08-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #good book #audio versions

Sponsored Content Needs More Than Good Storytelling, It Needs a Good Story

Sponsored content doesn’t have to be an oxymoron. As publishers and marketers double down on their commitment to providing deeper branded experiences, instead of traditional advertising, the rules of the road are becoming clearer on both sides. And more so than just four or five years ago;... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2020-03-05 17:34:24 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #social distribution #key metric #user experience

Dr. Oz The Good Life Is Good Business

With a rising rate base, the magazine will jump up to 925,000 at the start of 2017. The post Dr. Oz The Good Life Is Good Business appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2016-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #post dr #good life #good business

Good News for Dark Times: Lisa Sharon Harper’s ‘Very Good’ Gospel

In her new book ‘The Very Good Gospel,’ Harper examines the first three chapters of Genesis to reveal readings from the gospel that speak to today’s anxious minds, racial divisions, and threats of violence. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-07-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #dark times

Vernor Vinge, Innovative Science Fiction Novelist, Dies at 79

He conceived an early version of cyberspace and predicted the “technological singularity,” a tipping point at which machines would become smarter than humans. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-03-28 22:04:59 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #early version #tipping point #science fiction

Two novelists have cut ties with PEN over its Mayim Bialik event and Gaza silence.

Two prominent novelists have broken with PEN America over the organization’s decision to platform controversial actor and outspoken ceasefire opponent Mayim Bialik, as well as its relative silence on the unfolding genocide in Gaza (which so far has claimed the lives of at least 120 writers,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-01-31 20:56:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pen america #cut ties #national book award #novelists

Graphic novelist Posy Simmonds wins prestigious French comics award

Award marks first time a British artist and author has won Grand Prix at International Comics festival in AngoulêmeThe graphic novelist Posy Simmonds has won the Grand Prix at France’s Angoulême International Comics festival – the first time a British artist and author has been awarded the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-01-24 17:52:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #british artist #prestigious prize #lifetime achievement #graphic novel

‘There is joy, and there is rage’: the new generation of novelists writing about motherhood

From the shock and awe of labour to domestic isolation, a wave of recent novels captures the transformative nature of being a motherThey say nothing prepares you. Before having my baby, I approached the literature of motherhood as though I were about to sit an exam. If my studies tempered the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-01-20 11:00:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #shirley jackson #adrienne rich #toni morrison #margaret atwood #angela carter #early 2000s #present day #novelists

Meet the 10 best new novelists for 2024

Our annual pick of the most exciting debut fiction has previously tipped Sally Rooney and Louise Kennedy, Tom Crewe and Douglas Stuart. Here the class of 2024 tell us their storiesEach year since 2014, the Observer New Review’s writers and editors have read scores of forthcoming debut novels... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-01-14 07:00:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #short stories #ll love #previous years #gail honeyman #completely fine #orwell prize #jane austen #novelists

Keanu and co: how celebrities became bestselling novelists

From Richard Osman and Millie Bobby Brown to the upcoming book by Keanu Reeves, celebrity novels are everywhere. What’s behind the boom? And how do non-famous writers feel about it?I understood that if I was going to do it, I would have to put 100% of myself into it,” says Richard Osman about... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-01-13 09:00:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #geri halliwell-horner #paul mccartney #jamie oliver #adult fiction #celebrity author #tom hanks #including books #dolly parton #novelists #nielsen bookscan #upcoming book

Encyclopedia Britannica once published a catalogue of humanity’s ‘102 Great Ideas’ – and it created more questions than answers

Mid-century encyclopaedias claimed the power to decide what counted as knowledge and what didn’t – much as online publishing platforms and social media companies do today. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2024-01-09 17:02:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #encyclopedia britannica #online publishing

Novelist's book is canceled after she acknowledges 'review bombs' of other writers

A debut author who used fake accounts to “review bomb” other writers on the influential online platform Goodreads has been dropped by her agent and had her book deal cancelled Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2023-12-13 02:46:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fake accounts #book deal #debut author