Maurice Carlos Ruffin on how his dystopian future novel reflects being black in America today

“My name doesn’t matter,” proclaims the narrator of Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s debut novel, “We Cast a Shadow.” “All you need to know is that I’m a phantom, a figment ….” The first words of Ruffin’s book seem to be a tribute to the opening of Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man,” which begins, “I am in... Continue reading at 'Los Angeles Times'

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #dystopian future #america today #invisible man

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A Kickstarter Drive to Fund AEON and ‘Black Jack’

The comics character Aaron Day, better known as Black Jack, is an African American adventurer created by comics writer, playwright and educator Alex Simmons. A Kickstarter campaign has been started to support Black Jack and the launch of AEON, a new online gaming, comics and animation platform. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #kickstarter campaign #online gaming


Black confirms 'strategic review, potential sale' at Osprey

The chairman of the Osprey Group has confirmed the company is undergoing a “strategic... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-06-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #strategic review #osprey group #potential sale


Amazon vs. Hachette: The Battle for the Future of Publishing

The outcome of the current Amazon/Hachette pricing war has implications for the entire publishing industry, Wharton experts and others say. Continue reading at Knowledge@Wharton

[ Knowledge@Wharton | 2014-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Podcast: The Future of Reading

Looking ahead to the American Libraries Association annual conference in Las Vegas later this month, Andrew Albanese takes stock of efforts by ALA’s Digital Content Working Group to influence the future direction of reading. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #future direction #las vegas


The Future of Music: U.S. to Review Rules Covering Streaming Music Fees

Lobbyists for the music industry and streaming music services are gearing up to battle one another after the Justice Department said it will review decades-old agreements that govern songwriter royalties.The review, which follows court battles between rights holders and Pandora internet radio,... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2014-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #playing field


A History of America, Through Food and Cookbooks

What can cookbooks tell us about politics, economics, and daily life throughout American history? A new series from Michigan State University Press explores just that. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #american history #daily life


BEA 2014: New Opportunities for Agents and Authors in Today’s Publishing

A panel of veteran literary agents discussed the ways in which they now approach their jobs in the Thursday BookExpo panel “Beyond Authors: Self-Publishing & the 'New' Agents.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2014: The Future Isn’t What It Used to Be

Douglas Preston and John Scalzi have a lot in common: their work, of course—they both write speculative and near-future fiction about, as Douglas Preston says, “things we are quite sure will happen.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #future isn #douglas preston #john scalzi


How the Amazon-Hachette Fight Could Shape the Future of Ideas

While the bookseller and publisher are battling over mundane business specifics, the state of publishing hangs in the balance. Continue reading at The Atlantic

[ The Atlantic | 2014-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Teen authors' dystopian approach to feminism

Dystopia in teen fiction can be a vehicle to help teenagers explore feminism, according to three... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #teen authors #teen fiction


Orwell shortlist reflects "continuing power" of political history

The shortlist for this year’s Orwell Prize for books includes Alan Johnson’s This Boy... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kindle v Glass, apps v text: the complicated future of books | Antony Loewenstein

Antony Loewenstein: Is the future an interactive novel read on a Google Glass? One thing's for certain: the transformation of the written word is one of the defining issues of our ageAntony Loewenstein Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How USA Today reinvents for the digital world

USA Today is in the midst of rethinking what it’s all about. Gone is the mindset of being a national newspaper; in is the goal of establishing itself as a national news brand on several platforms -- and yes, that includes print. USA Today president and publisher Larry Kramer explained the... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2014-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital world #usa today #national newspaper


Black British writers: we're more than just Zadie Smith and Monica Ali | Irenosen Okojie

Our publishing industry seems to champion just one or two black and Asian authors at a time. Lack of diversity is a real problemMonths back I was trudging through the streets of Dalston when I spotted a copy of Simi Bedford's Yoruba Girl Dancing in a charity shop window. It evoked the same... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #eclectic range #poetry collections


Writing a First Novel: Reflections on the Journey – review

Karen Stevens's collection of essays offers practical advice and inspiration for those embarking on the long, lonely journey of writing a novelAccording to Karen Stevens, "writing a novel is the longest and loneliest journey a writer can embark upon". Her collection of essays by established and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Project Black Sky: Superheroes, The Dark Horse Way

In a comics marketplace crowded with works by The Big Two, is there room for another superhero universe, let alone another superhero publisher? Dark Horse publisher Mike Richardson thinks so. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New data says less than 3 percent of children's books surveyed in 2013 were about black people

The Cooperative Children's Book Center of the University of Wisconsin – Madison found that of the new children's books they received at their center, less than 3 percent focused on black people and even fewer were by black authors (about 2 percent, according to the CCBC.) Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In The New York Times' New Summary App, A Glimpse At The Future Of Reading

Mobile might be the biggest transition for news organizations since the World Wide Web--and the New York Times is on it.On March 8, the New York Times unveiled a new app called NYT Now that signals a major shift in how publishers package the news. For $8 a month, NYT Now will offer users access... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2014-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Future of Books Looks a Lot Like Netflix

The book business is merging into the magazine business as more publishers sell literature via subscription to highly targeted clusters of readers. High-profile literary studio Plympton is leading the charge with its $5-a-month iOS service Rooster.     Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2014-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book business #magazine business