Nabokov on one page, nudes on the next: a Playboy literary editor reveals all

In the wake of Hugh Hefner’s death, the magazine’s former fiction editor shares how she got everyone from Donna Tartt to Margaret Atwood to write for herI am not the only woman who worked at Playboy and kept her clothes on. When I was hired as literary editor in 2005, Hugh Hefner’s basic recipe for the monthly had not changed much since the 1950s: insistent juxtapositions of high and low culture, the ingredients, as he wrote in his 1953 inaugural editorial, for “a quiet discussion on Picasso, Nietzsche, jazz, sex” at a cocktail party.Its DNA was spliced from Esquire’s, where Hefner worked as a young man; but the nudity gave it a daring few magazines had. By the time I arrived it was at once chaste, compared with what was on offer online, and sterile, given to an overabundance of models with big breast implants and big hair. The daring had to be found elsewhere. My task, or so I told myself, was to locate it in the fiction and literary pieces. Related: Effusive Hugh Hefner tributes ignore Playboy founder's dark side Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2017-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Literary Agent/ Film Producer Talks Book-Movie Synergy

Anna Soler-Pont of Barcelona's Pontas Literary & Film Agency discusses the her dual careers in books and movies, and role as an agent, writer and producer. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digiday welcomes Lucia Moses as our new senior editor

Lucia will lead our publishing coverage, digging into the evolution of traditional publishers and the rise of new powers. She joins us from Adweek, where she was a senior editor. Lucia will start at Digiday on March 20.The post Digiday welcomes Lucia Moses as our new senior editor appeared first... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2014-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Characters struggle for sleep in new literary works

Both acclaimed author Karen Russell's new novella 'Sleep Donation' and debut author Kenneth Calhoun's novel 'Black Moon' take place in a future world where sleep problems abound. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cannadine appointed editor of the ODNB

Princeton University history professor Sir David Cannadine has been appointed as the new editor... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Oscars 2014: '12 Years a Slave,' other literary adaptations take home prizes

The Oscars 2014 ceremony saw the movie '12 Years a Slave,' based on the memoir of the same name by Solomon Northup, score big by winning the Best Picture prize. The Oscars 2014 awards were held on March 2. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Winners of 2014 Golden Kite, Sid Fleischman Awards Revealed

The awards will be presented to the winners during a luncheon at the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators annual conference in Los Angeles in August. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book writers


Another HTC flagship leak reveals microSD slot, brushed metal finish (video)

Storage expansion went out of fashion over the last two years. Fortunate, then, for those of us wanting to take our music / audio book / photo collection everywhere, that HTC's upgraded One will see a return to microSD storage on its flagship series.... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2014-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mosse reveals plans for Baileys Women's Prize

Celebrating great writing by women and taking it to a wider audience than ever before are the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Stephen Page: Publishers need 'permanent conversation with consumers'

"There are a lot of people doing a lot of things we used to do," Stephen Page told the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Does Winning a Literary Award Lead to Negative Reviews?

A new study reports that after a book wins an award its social media ratings tend to dip. The Guardian explains why. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Diagram Prize reveals oddest titles of 2014

Working class cats, South African trouts and pies as biography are all some of the topics up for... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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First Carla Furstenberg Cohen Lit Prize Winners Revealed

Anthony Marra and David Finkel were the winners of the inaugural prize, established in Cohen's memory. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sheridan Morley Prize shortlist revealed

Authors Michael Blakemore, Michael Simkins and Philip Zeigler are all contenders for the 2014... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New literary agency from Crossland

Publisher Annette Crossland, who has worked in the industry for over 30 years, is starting up a... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Issues on the Ether: The Literary Elitism Question

Setting up Wednesday's #EtherIssue debate on Twitter, Porter Anderson looks at recent writing on perceptions of elitism in the literary world. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Love Lives of Japanese Literary Giants Get Manga-ized

The latest popular trend in manga looks at the sometimes unconventional romances and culinary habits of some of Japan's greatest writers. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ahdaf Soueif on Cairo’s Post-Revolution Literary Scene

Ahdaf Soueif spoke with The Daily Beast about life in Cairo since the uprising as well as its impact on the city’s writers and bookstores. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Meet the Editor: Dan Smetanka

When Dan Smetanka moved to New York City from California’s Orange County in 1991 for a summer intern job at Farrar, Straus and Giroux, he was only vaguely aware of the significance of working with Jonathan Galassi and Roger Strauss. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Religion Update February 2014: For Christian Fiction Editors, It’s Complicated

Acquiring editors face a daunting task when it comes to Christian and inspirational fiction: find gifted writers with strong voices presenting distinctive stories to lure readers looking for familiar yet unique, similar yet special books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sony turns the page on ebooks in North America

The PC business isn’t the only one Sony will abandon. The electronics giant is also closing the books on its North American ebook efforts.“Wait,” you’re probably saying after reading that sentence: “Sony was making an ebook effort in North America?”And you know, that’s pretty hurtful.Still, you... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2014-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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