From fairy porn to romantasy via the Omegaverse, publishing is sexier than ever. The reason? A big shift in gen Z and millennial attitudes to respectability and shame ...I spent a fortnight reading nothing but smut and I don’t need to give you a reason. But since there is one, here it is: business is booming in the publishing world of love and sex. Aficionados draw fine distinctions – between romance and erotica; “steamy” and “smutty”; fantasy and saga fiction – and endlessly subdivide the genres, but the takeaway is that the stigma around what used to be called “books that women like” has gone. And, as the UK literary agent Alice Lutyens puts it: “The steamier the sex, the better the book does.”I started two books simultaneously, which just happened to span the gamut, from the almost completely chaste The Stars Too Fondly, by Emily Hamilton, to the most pornographic thing I’ve ever read (and I’ve read De Sade): Heat Clinic, by Alexis B Osborne. So, I could give you a take on the difference between romance and erotica, but I would rather throw it to an expert. Leah Koch started the independent romantic bookshop Ripped Bodice in Los Angeles with her sister, Bea, in 2016 (they recently opened a second shop in New York). She says readers tend to assume erotica is sexier. “The technical definition is that, in erotica, character development happens from sexual situations. We stock both.” Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2024-08-06 04:00:33 UTC ]
Efforts raise questions about the far right’s place in the broader culture wars waged by the Trump administration The far right US publisher Passage Press is now part of Foundation Publishing Group and it is connected via a Foundation director, Daniel Lisi, to Network Press, whose only title to... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2025-06-03 10:00:33 UTC ]
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In this episode of "Writer's Digest Presents," literary agent Jessica Berg helps us write fiction based on our lives. The post Writing Fiction Based On Your Life: A Chat With Jessica Berg appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2025-05-20 18:00:00 UTC ]
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After nearly 50 years in the book business—as a literary agent, book publisher, market researcher, and journalist—Jo Henry has stepped down as managing director of the U.K. publishing newsletter BookBrunch, a role she has held since 2018. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-05-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Alyssa Reynoso-Morris breaks down the process of crafting picture books and then landing a literary agent for your project. The post Picturing Success: A Guide to Crafting Picture Books and Landing Agents appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2025-05-15 16:44:36 UTC ]
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Literary agent alerts (this one features Jess Gilbert of D4EO) are great opportunities for writers because each agent is building their list. The post New Agent Alert: Jess Gilbert of D4EO appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2025-05-14 19:36:10 UTC ]
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Literary agent for children's book authors Mary Cummings explains the biggest mistake she sees in picture book pitches—and how you can avoid making that mistake. The post Picture Book or Short Story? Which is it? appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2025-05-03 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Down the belly of the whale, a submerged world of gods and myth, rival bookshop owners, and more of today's best book deals. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-04-29 13:00:00 UTC ]
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We’ve got the latest round-up of collection news for librarians: publishing world updates, new book announcements, adaptation news, and a ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-04-29 10:00:00 UTC ]
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Sometimes, it can be hard to know exactly what a literary agent is looking for. Other times, they just come out and tell you, via a “Manuscript Wish List” (#MSWL). These can be both helpful and oddly specific. The following is a quiz: some of these are real #MSWL requests, posted by agents and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-04-18 15:46:06 UTC ]
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Booksellers take stand against influence of conservative billionaire by limiting orders of his company’s books and placing them on lower shelvesA conservative Catholic billionaire and media owner is facing an independent bookshop rebellion in France over his influence in the publishing... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2025-03-22 06:00:42 UTC ]
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Two Dollar Radio has been quietly rocking the publishing world since its inception in 2005. The Ohio-based indie publisher and “family outfit” turns twenty this year, and we at Lit Hub want to extend a hearty happy birthday. In a literary landscape that’s often knocked for a fear of risk-taking,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-14 18:01:37 UTC ]
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This week on The Lit Hub Podcast: How the publishing world can respond to Trump, and “What energizes you?” | Lit Hub Radio “When in doubt, leave the reaction out.” Eric Puchner on how to be funny when writing a novel. | Lit Hub Craft Ted Hamm on how Jimmy Breslin and Langston Hughes each […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-02-21 11:30:16 UTC ]
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Matthew Teller, whose books include Nine Quarters of Jerusalem, said the society’s response to the event which saw two leading booksellers detained was ‘an abject failure’A writer has left the Society of Authors (SoA) in protest after the UK’s largest writers’ body made a statement on a recent... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2025-02-20 17:34:09 UTC ]
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Regular bookstores might be dying—but bookstores dedicated to romance novels are thriving thanks to TikTok and a desire for third places. Throughout Harvard Square, there are many bookshop brimming with the latest literary fiction and intellectual memoirs, patronized by scholarly types. But in... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2025-02-13 10:30:00 UTC ]
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Industry organizations and publishers are condemning the detention of two Palestinian booksellers by Israeli police, who raided the Educational Bookshop in East Jerusalem on February 9, seizing books that they alleged incited terrorism. The booksellers were confined to house arrest this morning. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-02-11 05:00:00 UTC ]
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As of this morning, you can now easily buy ebooks from your local indie bookstore. Thanks to Bookshop.org, the reigning David to Am*zon’s Goliath. As Wired reports, a new platform on the site will now sell ebooks directly to customers. Bookshop users can buy and read titles via a handy-dandy... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-01-28 14:35:29 UTC ]
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John Taylor “Ike” Williams, the longtime literary agent and intellectual property and media and entertainment lawyer, died at his home in Cambridge, Mass., on Dec. 26. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-01-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
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