'Reader's Digest' Wants Your Life Story in 150 Words or Less

Oh boy, do I have a contest for you long-winded Facebookers and personal bloggers. It's called, "Your Life: The Reader's Digest Version." The venerable magazine is willing to shell out $25,000 if you can keep The Story of You to a crisp and compelling 150 words (words, not characters—this isn't Twitter). Hell, I'd fork over that much if certain "friends" would stop sending me six-page family missives disguised as Christmas cards. Short and sweet, people! You are not that interesting. Jane Lynch, star of Glee and host of next month's Emmy Awards, gets the ball rolling with her own abbreviated life story on the magazine's Facebook page (see it after the jump). Shame, it sounds nothing like her caustic Sue Sylvester character from the Fox musical. Rather, it's an earnest promo-within-a-promo for Lynch's memoir, Happy Accidents, dropping in September. More celebrities with books to hawk will follow. But if Lynch, a sought-after, award-winning actress (Best in Show, Role Models, Party Down), can give a snapshot into her psyche within just a few sentences, so can you. I'd be even happier with a haiku. Jane Lynch's entry: "At the tender age of 50, I realized that I had the family, friends and the acting career I had always wanted. I had suffered on the way, feeling out of place, overcontrolling and drinking too much, but all that suffering had not fueled anything useful. The good things were a result of happy accidents that I had been willing, and let's hope smart enough, to... Continue reading at 'AdWeek'

[ AdWeek | 2011-08-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #award-winning actress #role models #tender age #acting career #good things #stay open

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Harlequin Hopes to Find 'Binge' Readers with New E-Serial

Mimicking the model popularized by streaming television, Harlequin is releasing all eight parts of its new Tough Justice digital serial today. The hope is that readers will binge-read the series, as they binge-watch certain TV shows. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-01-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Prose Factory by DJ Taylor review – beware the suggestion that literary life isn’t what it used to be

The truth about book prizes, why Amazon is like an old-fashioned library and how much famous writers really earned from their journalism …Periodically, signs go up saying that Grub Street is closed to through traffic. Observers speculate that the street is being redeveloped as gentrification... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A manifesto for readers

"Talk of reader engagement shows how out of touch our industry is with its lifeblood." And as the proliferation of content outstrips the growth of a consumer base, development of readership is one of the most urgent priorities of publishing in 2016. So it seems fitting that we have this... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-01-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Adweek's 10 Most Read Technology Stories of 2015

Here are the 10 most-read technology stories published by Adweek in 2015:     10. These Are the Digital Trends Everyone in Tech and Advertising Needs to Know Mary Meeker runs digital investments for top Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, and every year she... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2015-12-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The never-ending photo-story

Photographer Léonie Hampton's documentation of her mother's struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder is the Contrasto release, 'In the Shadow of Things.' That traditionally produced book now forms the basis of another work, Victoria Forrest's 'In the Shadow,' a photo-story app (iOS). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-12-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Is Blocking Readers Who Use Ad Blockers The Best Strategy?

There’s a growing trend in online publishing: Namely, media sites blocking users who choose to use ad-blocking software. In the past few days alone, a British publisher and the Forbes business news site have either implemented or are lookin ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-12-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW's Top Religion Stories of 2015

From Family Christian Stores’ bankruptcy journey to Ben Carson’s apology for plagiarizing, here are PW’s top religion stories of 2015. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers Weekly’s Top Comics Stories of 2015

These are the ten most popular stories about graphic novels and comics published on publishersweekly.com in 2015. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Top Publishing Stories of 2015

E.L. James surprised fans when she announced she would be releasing a fourth novel featuring the star-crossed, and occasionally tied-up, lovers in her Fifty Shades saga. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fry narrates two Max Carrados stories for Audible

Stephen Fry will voice two classic detective stories exclusively for Audible. Fry, who voiced all seven of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books, will voice The Coin of Dionysius and The Game Played in the Dark by Ernest Bramah, which features the blind detective Max Carrados who was first... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Quercus to publish The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k

Quercus is set to release The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**K on New Year's Eve in what the publisher has called its "take on New Year, New You". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW's Top Cookbook Stories of 2015

From food bloggers' cookbook picks to regional cuisine, these were PW's top cookbooks stories of 2015. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dark Horse to Publish Graphic Versions of Neil Gaiman Short Stories

The graphic adaptations of 'How to Talk to Girls at Parties,' with art by Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon, and 'Troll Bridge,' with art by Colleen Doran, will be released in 2016. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A reader's manifesto

Kobo c.e.o. Michael Tamblyn's full address from the FutureBook Conference 2015.   Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'American Horror Story: Hotel' recap: 'She Wants Revenge'

Aren’t we all kind of relieved this episode of "American Horror Story: Hotel" isn’t a flashback? After two consecutive backstory-heavy installments, the prospect of some small amount of forward momentum on existing storylines feels great. There’s probably not a self-help book for this. The... Continue reading at Baltimore Sun

[ Baltimore Sun | 2015-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Do These 'Instagram Husbands' Remind You of Any Poor Bastards in Your Life?

The life of an Instagram star might seem stylish and elegant, but what about the poor sidekick left holding the camera like some off-screen putz? A new video called "Instagram Husband" tells the heartbreaking (or at least relatable) story of men whose existence has dwindled into two roles:... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2015-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon releases 'Reader's Edition' tablet

Amazon US has launched a new tablet "for readers" in time for Christmas called the Fire HD 8 Reader’s Edition. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW's Top 10 Library Stories of 2015

We take a look back at some of the library stories that captivated the publishing world in 2015, and a look ahead at what they portend for 2016. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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FT to review digital publishing process after inaccurate ECB story

Newspaper publishes online article saying ECB had ‘confounded expectations’ by deciding to hold interest rates, causing euro to temporarily plummetThe Financial Times is to review its digital publishing practices after publishing an inaccurate article about the European Central Bank’s decision... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-Readers Now “Main Attraction” at Some Kenyan Libraries

The first of a two part report from the 2015 East Africa Digital Reading Summit in Kenya looks at developments in e-reading and library ebook use. The post E-Readers Now “Main Attraction” at Some Kenyan Libraries appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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