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 ]
Malorie Blackman laments the lack of BAME children’s characters. I know – it’s a real battle to get writers of colour publishedMy daughter, like me, is of mixed heritage. She has wildly curly hair, as have I. When she was born four years ago I was given five copies of the same kids’ picture book... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-08-17 07:00:41 UTC ]
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Tributes have been paid to Gay’s The Word bookshop co-founder Jonathan Cutbill, who has passed away aged 82 after a period of ill health. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-15 17:00:19 UTC ]
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Literary agent alerts (this one with Abigail Frank of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates) are golden opportunities for new writers because each one is a literary agent who is likely building his or her client list. The post Agent Alert: Abigail Frank of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates by Robert... Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2019-08-10 11:00:04 UTC ]
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Hatchards’ new bookshop at London’s St Pancras Station will be officially opened tomorrow by children's author and illustrator Benji Davies. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-07 09:17:40 UTC ]
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A reader recalls a favorite independent bookstore in Southampton in the UK. Hear all about radical bookshop October Books. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-08-06 10:39:02 UTC ]
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W H Smith has opened a flagship branch of The Bookshop, the largest yet of its 12 standalone stores, at Gatwick Airport’s North Terminal. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-05 09:37:10 UTC ]
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This giveaway is sponsored by William Morrow. From the New York Times best-selling author of The Bookshop on the Corner comes this witty ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-08-02 10:31:10 UTC ]
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John Francisconi, the general manager of Bank Square Books in Mystic, Conn., is finishing up a three-week residency at Otherwise Bookshop in Rome and reflects on the experience for PW. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-08-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette has announced seven people are leaving its HR department to be replaced by new appointments, mainly from outside the publishing world, in a major shake-up. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-01 14:50:21 UTC ]
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Literary agent alerts (this one with Heather Carr of The Friederich Agency) are golden opportunities for new writers because each one is a literary agent who is likely building his or her client list. The post Agent Alert: Heather Carr of The Friederich Agency by Robert Lee Brewer appeared first... Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2019-07-30 11:00:02 UTC ]
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Edinburgh's latest indie The Portobello Bookshop has opened its doors to the public, with customers queuing to get in on its first day of trading. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-29 21:32:06 UTC ]
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Literary agent alerts (this one with Gail Fortune of The Talbot Fortune Agency) are golden opportunities for new writers because each one is a literary agent who is likely building his or her client list. The post Agent Alert: Gail Fortune of The Talbot Fortune Agency by Robert Lee Brewer... Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2019-07-23 15:00:43 UTC ]
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Cultural Cross Sections Dipika Mukherjee A writer travels from Chicago to a residency in rural Malaysia, where part of her novel-in-progress is set. While encountering the many living creatures who surround her and making progress on her work, she... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2019-07-23 13:14:38 UTC ]
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Indie press Open Pen and Newham Bookshop are joining forces to host a fundraiser for the homeless in East London. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-22 07:47:05 UTC ]
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We talk to Galway institution Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop, which will celebrating its 30th birthday in October, and Nibbies Children’s Bookseller of the Year shortlistee, The Blessington Book Store. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-18 23:52:32 UTC ]
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Foyles bookshop has joined forces with indie publisher Jacaranda for its Twenty in 2020 initiative, celebrating black British writers. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-17 20:34:16 UTC ]
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Gardners Books has joined forces with ecommerce firm Monwell Ltd in a new partnership that will see the wholesalers take over the Guardian Bookshop account from Bertrams. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-16 23:50:20 UTC ]
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Literary agent alerts (this one with Bibi Lewis of the Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency) are golden opportunities for new writers because each one is a literary agent who is likely building his or her client list. The post Agent Alert: Bibi Lewis of the Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency by Robert... Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2019-07-16 10:48:03 UTC ]
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Imagine that you are a character from a classic tale pitching your memoir to a literary agent. You know that it will become the next bestseller. Write your query letter, story synopsis, or elevator pitch to the agent. The post It’s My Story and I’ll Pitch if I Want To by Cassandra Lipp appeared... Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2019-07-16 09:00:28 UTC ]
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As publishers vie to persuade us to pack their titles for the holidays, we chart the evolution of the ’beach read’Summer reads, beach reads, holiday reads … at this time of year, the publishing world works itself into a sweat trying to force its novels into our carry-on luggage, or over the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-07-14 07:00:23 UTC ]
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