Drawing on her panoramic reading and her experiences of the authorly life cycle, Atwood surveys her trade with a mix of seriousness and gentle fun“You may find the subject a little peculiar,” warns Margaret Atwood, before she discusses the writer’s relationship with mortality. “It is a little peculiar. Writing itself is a little peculiar.” Atwood’s survey of her profession makes this seem like an understatement: after all, she argues, writers have been placed in close company with the devil and the dead; they have secret identities and hidden doubles; they are death-defying magicians, self-erasing nobodies, even – if you want to get “murky and pretentious” – shamanistic travellers. This book prefers to stay on the side of clarity and self-deprecation, combining evidence drawn from her panoramic reading – one chapter deals with The Tempest, The Wizard of Oz and Klaus Mann’s Mephisto – with her own experiences of the life cycle of an author. She tempers the seriousness of her questions – What is a writer? For whom do writers write? – by poking gentle fun at her trade, describing the machine-like publishing industry as “cog eat cog”, and quietly mocking endless discussion panels. Yet Atwood sees her kind reflected everywhere – from Gilgamesh to The Beast With Five Fingers – and works hard on their behalf: advocate, analyst and always, writer.•To order On Writers and Writing for £7.99 (RRP £9.99) go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2015-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
Facing publishing industry backlash, Slovakia's government reversed its 23-percent book VAT hike, instead slashing it to 5 percent. The post Slovakia’s Publishers Surprised by a VAT Reduction on Books appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2025-03-11 19:42:53 UTC ]
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Publishers and analysts say popularity of genres like manga and superhero comics is a gateway into readingThe best route to learning to love words in print could well be pictures. This, at least, is the hope of the publishing industry this spring, as it welcomes news that sales of children’s... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2025-03-09 14:00:11 UTC ]
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Don’t give in to moral panic, fellas! Here are some tips from my own bumpy literary journeyIf you really want to make a name for yourself, publish comment insisting you’ve been silenced.It happened again last week in a nationwide publication. Under a byline, accompanied by a headshot and the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2025-02-04 14:00:09 UTC ]
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RESPONDING TO THE SECOND TRUMP ADMINISTRATION: Kim Kelly on the how-tos and DOs and DON’Ts of mutual aid • Madeline ffitch on direct action and survival work in the face of fascism • Josh Cook on what the publishing industry can do in the face of authoritarianism. | Lit Hub Politics Matthew... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-01-25 11:30:02 UTC ]
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The way our legal system approaches issues of intellectual property must change to meet the novel questions posed by new technology, argues publishing industry analyst Christopher Kenneally. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-01-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The publishing industry can feel like an opaque, black box to aspiring authors, with countless gatekeepers—agents, editors, publicists, book buyers and more—shaping the process behind the scenes. Even established authors can find the sector confusing as they attempt to read the tea leaves behind... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2025-01-06 12:05:00 UTC ]
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Judy Garland once famously instructed us to make the Yuletide gay, and the publishing industry is really doing its part ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-12-19 13:00:00 UTC ]
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The holidays are approaching, and, with them, the end of 2024. As we near December’s various holidays and the start of an unpredictable 2025, observant readers will doubtless see that there haven’t been as many new books to list here as usual. This often happens in the publishing industry around... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-12-17 09:34:15 UTC ]
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No one has been more central to the publishing industry’s efforts to defend the freedom to read than the Penguin Random House SVP. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-12-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The CEO of Serendipity Literary Agency and president of the Association of American Literary Agents is bringing the innovative spirit of an engineer to the publishing industry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-12-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Many celebrities’ books are actually written by others, the UK writers’ union says, and it’s time they were acknowledgedThe Society of Authors (SoA) is calling on celebrities and the publishing industry to properly acknowledge the writers behind celebrity books, particularly those aimed at... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-12-10 16:42:22 UTC ]
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Rebellion Developments began life as a video game production studio, but over the past 25 years, it has become a force in the U.K. publishing industry, developing robust businesses around valuable IPs including Judge Dredd and Rogue Trooper. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-12-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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His blog, The Shatzkin Files, was an essential read for industry insiders. His observations about the changes digital publishing would bring were prophetic. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2024-11-22 22:38:42 UTC ]
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This year’s report, based on 632 responses to our annual survey, reveals the beginnings of a generational shift in publishing, and continuing unease about AI. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-11-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Despite the publishing industry’s grim outlook, many outliers are simultaneously fighting to change and reluctantly accepting the status quo. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2024-11-06 05:01:00 UTC ]
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Stewart Collins says support for the Petworth literary festival in West Sussex is growing, and Kathryn Streatfield suggests local events are the solution for a changing festival worldLaura Barton’s piece paints an understandably downbeat picture of where we are now in the world of the literary... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-10-29 16:25:30 UTC ]
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The United States' book publishing trade in August was up 13.4 percent year over year, and was up 8.1 percent year-to-date. The post AAP StatShot: US Publishing Industry Up 8.5 Percent in August appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-10-29 15:02:49 UTC ]
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The “Yellowface” author is using her voice to bring Asian and Asian American histories to life on the page, and advocating for others to do the same. Continue reading at HuffPost
[ HuffPost | 2024-10-22 15:00:22 UTC ]
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