Two years after her apparent suicide, the novelist has announced she is still very much alive. Is this what it takes to sell books nowadays?‘All publicity is good publicity,” Susan Meachen thought to herself as she prepared to stage her suicide. In September 2020, Meachen, the self-published author of what she described as “perfectly flawed” romance novels, logged on to Facebook, pretended to be her daughter and wrote a post declaring herself dead. Meachen’s “daughter” continued to post numerous times after that. She suggested that Meachen was “bullied in the book world to the point of suicide” and encouraged people to buy Meachen’s “final” book. Then, plot twist: last week, Meachen posted on Facebook again to declare that she wasn’t actually dead. Surprise! “Let the fun begin,” she added.My very first sentence, by the way, was – like Meachen’s death – part fiction. I have no idea what the romance writer was thinking when she offed herself online. Nobody does. But people have a lot of questions. Meachen has alluded to mental health problems, which should obviously be taken seriously – but that still wouldn’t excuse using your fake death to try to hawk books, as has been suggested in the days since she announced her resurrection. People in Meachen’s writing community are furious. “I think she believed that if she died, her books would get attention,” an author in Meachen’s writing circle told the BBC. “Now, this is a new gamble: ‘Hey, if I come back, that will get... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2023-01-11 07:00:12 UTC ]
Last week was a relatively quiet one in the book world, with unit sales of print books falling 0.9% from the week ended August 15 at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-08-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
In the mid-Noughties the Decibel Writer of the Year prize for authors of “Asian, African and Caribbean background” was launched to focus attention on a neglected section of the writing community. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-03 00:25:08 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Check out these bookish tools that you can incorporate into your life to keep up to date on the book world and stay focused on your reading. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-06-01 10:34:41 UTC ]
More news stories like this
It kept happening. On Twitter, on Facebook, in your WhatsApp chats. The bookish people you know, the introverts, declaring that lockdown would give them more time to read. Or the people who know you, and know that you might be bookish, declaring that you’d got a head start on them in terms of... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2020-05-29 15:15:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
We talked with five middle grade editors about upcoming titles they are looking forward to introducing to the children’s book world. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
L J Ross' The Shrine, the self-published author's latest DCI Ryan title, has divined straight into the Bookstat e-book number one. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-18 22:56:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The S&S CEO left behind a prospering publishing company and earned the respect and affection of the book world. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Book groups are a massive force in the book world - but also a mystery. We don’t even know how many exist. Reading Groups for Everyone (which is part of The Reading Agency) has collated a list of 10,000 online and offline book groups in the UK. But academic surveys suggest that the real figure... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-28 06:17:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The fourth annual On Air Fest, held earlier this month in Brooklyn, prominently featured a number of figures and institutions from the book world, reflecting a growing publishing and literary presence in the podcast sector. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
An author examines how tours canceled due to Covid-19 impact all parts of the book world. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
We spoke to the director of a new documentary on the world of antiquarian bookselling about how the movie came about, what the future of the rare book world looks like to him, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Hilary Mantel’s conclusion to her Thomas Cromwell trilogy sold more than 95,000 copies in three daysHilary Mantel’s much-anticipated The Mirror and the Light has been selling a copy every 2.7 seconds since its release last Thursday, with the final book in the two-time Booker winner’s trilogy... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-03-10 18:55:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Wolf Hall author Dame Hilary Mantel discussed the final book in her trilogy with the BBC's Rebecca Jones. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2020-03-02 17:51:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this
From international book fairs to book manufacturing, the virus is causing lots of disruptions in the book world. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-02-28 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
London-based charity the Literacy Pirates is appealing for more people from the book world to volunteer their skills to help young people. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-01-14 04:47:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Adam Kay’s Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas (Picador) and Ryan’s Christmas by self-published author L.J. Ross were the most read books since Christmas Day, according to Amazon. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-01-02 10:20:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The book world can be a small one. We're playing a game of six degrees of separation, starting with Gabriel García Márquez, ending with Susan Sontag. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-09-26 10:41:27 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Abruptly-shuttered Pacific Standard is, in its final breaths, recommending some fall reading material in a list from contributing editor Maris Kreizman along with other contributors to the magazine. Senior editor Ted Scheinman writes, “While Pacific Standard won’t be around in the fall, these... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-08-14 18:09:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this
As the book world grieves the loss of legendary author Toni Morrison, many writers and readers took to Twitter to recognize her legacy. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-08-12 10:33:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Audiobook and large-print publisher W F Howes has acquired the Dr Alexander Gregory trilogy by self-published author Louise Ross. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-04 18:27:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this