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?'

Granta launches hunts for Best of Young British Novelists

Granta Magazine has opened submissions for the fifth edition of its Best of Young British Novelists list, to be released in spring 2023. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-13 08:19:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #granta magazine #opened submissions #novelists

Ugandan novelist Rukirabashaija named 2021 International Writer of Courage

Ugandan novelist Kakwenza Rukirabashaija, who was subjected to torture by the his home country's government while detained last year, has been named the International Writer of Courage at the PEN Pinter Prize ceremony. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-11 20:57:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #home country #international writer

If a book could talk, what would it say? Ruth Ozeki has some ideas.

“The Book of Form and Emptiness” is a tale of sorrow, danger and tentative redemption for a boy who hears the voices of inanimate objects. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-09-25 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ruth ozeki

Recovering from a workplace crisis, with ideas for fixing our civic crisis

Anne-Marie Slaughter shares how she examined her own behavior, flaws and biases. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-09-24 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Scholastic Has Good Start to Fiscal 2022—with a Caveat

Scholastic reported higher sales and a smaller loss in the first quarter of fiscal 2022 compared to the first quarter of fiscal 2021, and while it said business is improving, it did point to some “headwinds” which all publishers are facing: rising costs and disruptions in the supply chain. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-09-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #good start #rising costs #supply chain #scholastic

20 Kids’ Reading Chairs to Snuggle Into With a Good Book

All bets are off as #1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen introduces gambler Logan Tanner. He lives the exhilarating life of a professional gambler, but all the glitz and glamor hide a dark and violent past as an extractor—a world that comes rushing back to him when the beautiful... Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-09-10 10:37:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #good book #`https #bestselling author

Donald Newlove, 93, Dies; Novelist Explored the Depths of Drink

His acclaimed fiction and a memoir had a common theme: alcoholism. After becoming sober, he called his former besotted muse “Drunkspeare.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-08-28 11:13:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #common theme #memoir

The Loch Ness monster may not exist, but such mythical beasts fascinate for good reason

A look at several books that celebrate and analyze star attractions from the twilight zone of zoological fantasy. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-08-18 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #good reason #twilight zone

Octopus signs Krissy Cela's 'feel-good fitness' guide

Octopus is to release Happy Healthy Strong, the new exercise and lifestyle guide from fitness technology entrepreneur, personal trainer and author Krissy Cela. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-17 18:33:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #personal trainer

Zoë Playdon | 'I think I’m probably a hopeless optimist. I believe ultimately in the goodness of people'

A watershed legal case in the 1960s is the backbone of Zoë Playdon‘s investigation into how trans rights have regressed over the past 50 years. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-15 00:56:59 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #trans rights

Physical books are alive with memories. Has the pandemic pushed them into the ether for good?

Zoom book clubs and e-books are no match for physical books and the experience of sharing them with friends in person. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-08-10 15:56:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #physical books

Hearst UK wants all of its brands to have Good Housekeeping’s authority in product testing

The Good Housekeeping Institute set the precedent for Hearst UK and the new Hearst Institute is looking to replicate those successes across all its brands. The post Hearst UK wants all of its brands to have Good Housekeeping’s authority in product testing appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2021-08-03 04:01:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hearst uk #good housekeeping #product testing #hearst

Graphic Novelists Who Show Us What Loneliness Means

In her latest Graphic Content column, Hillary Chute looks at new books from Kristen Radtke and Lizzy Stewart, as well as a first graphic novel from Anne Carson. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-07-29 09:00:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #graphic novelists #hillary chute #kristen radtke #graphic novel #novelists

Aisling Fowler | 'I wanted to feel I was in a good place with the series before the books came out'

Aisling Fowler was watching her husband play a video game when inspiration for the heroine of her début novel first came to her. “He’s very keen to stress that he’s not a gamer,” she laughs, talking to me over video call from Sydney, where said husband is currently working. The female main... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-07-09 04:40:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #good place #video game #début #video call #fully formed

Rodrigo Garcia's memoir wrestles with the death of his father, novelist Gabriel García Márquez

In 'A Farewell to Gabo and Mercedes,' filmmaker Rodrigo Garcia writes about losing both parents — and the one event his renowned father couldn't record: his own death. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-07-07 16:19:08 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #rodrigo garcia #memoir

For Literary Novelists the Past Is Pressing

Historical fiction was once considered a fusty backwater. Now the genre is having a renaissance, attracting first-rank novelists and racking up major prizes. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-06-13 09:00:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #literary novelists #historical fiction #novelists

Zimbabwean novelist Dangarembga wins PEN Pinter Prize 2021

Zimbabwean novelist, playwright, filmmaker and activist Tsitsi Dangarembga has been awarded the PEN Pinter Prize 2021 for her "cultural significance" charting "the development of Zimbabwe from a British colony to an autocratic and troubled-free state". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-06-08 05:20:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #cultural significance #british colony

Review: Spellbinding novelist Rivka Galchen's new book is a hysterical witch hunt

'Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch,' historical fiction about Kepler's mother, is Galchen's first novel since 2008's 'Atmospheric Disturbances.' Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-06-03 14:00:33 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #first novel #historical fiction

Feel-good books to brighten your summer

If you find yourself longing for a happy ending, here are some of the most uplifting reads of the year so far. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-05-27 13:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #happy ending

I am doing a good job

As it is award season, I wanted to write a piece about celebrating your wins and being proud of yourself – but every time I sat down to do so I ended up deleting what I had written and staring at a blank page. Imposter syndrome can strike at any point, and it’s effects can be crippling.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-22 11:56:04 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #good job #blank page #imposter syndrome