'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

Other Publishing stories related to: ''Reader's Digest' Wants Your Life Story in 150 Words or Less'


Amazon's Black Friday sale brings Kindle e-readers back to all-time lows

Amazon's Black Friday deals have started going live, and its Echo Show displays, Fire tablets and Fire TV devices are already being sold at a discount. Also on sale? Its Kindle e-readers, some of which are now listed for the lowest prices we've seen for them on the website. The Kindle Paperwhite... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-11-18 13:13:24 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #all-time low #previous generation #signature edition #ebook collection #automatically adjust #kindle oasis #great time #kindle lineup #download books #worth noting #buying advice #follow @engadgetdeals #kindle


Choosing to Bear Witness: Writing the Story of a Body

My clearest memory of my freshman year of college takes place in the emergency room of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, where I was studying English Literature at Boston University and living on the eighteenth floor of Warren Towers, in Tower C, in a room with southern exposure. Despite... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-11-17 09:53:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #boston university #bear witness #freshman year #english literature


Beneath Its Pink Cover, ‘Lessons in Chemistry’ Offers a Story About Power

The best-selling debut author Bonnie Garmus created Elizabeth Zott, a chemist battling a sexist 1950s establishment, as the role model she craved — and found that readers wanted the same. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-11-16 14:07:21 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #role model #readers wanted #debut author


10 Picture Book Biographies of Authors to Show Kids How to Use Their Words

These picture book biographies of authors, including John Ronald's Dragons: The Story of J.R.R. Tolkien, show children how they can use their words to describe their inner and outer worlds. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-11-15 11:31:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #outer worlds #picture book


Would you let a real-life vendor stalk you like an Instagram ad?

And other questions asked in ‘Algorithmic Reality,’ a new graphic novel by WeTransfer’s cofounder, Damian Bradfield. You’re in a shoe store, trying on a pair of Nikes. The vendor is going on about how great the shoes are, but you’re not convinced, so you walk out empty handed. Sometime later,... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2022-11-15 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #questions asked #algorithmic reality #damian bradfield #coming back #graphic novel


Royal Reads: Honoring the Life of Queen Elizabeth II

To mark the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and the coronation of King Charles III, we highlight some vital books that explore the queen’s legacy and look to the future. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #royal reads


'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' Alters How Superhero Stories Handle Death

Comic book saviors get resurrected all the time. Chadwick Boseman’s 2020 death made that impossible for Black Panther’s sequel. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2022-11-10 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #black panther #wakanda forever #comic book


Publishing Perspectives Forum: ‘What Young Readers Need’

The pandemic, branding, and geopolitical politics were on the table in Juergen Boos' conversation with CEOs of Scholastic and Ravensburger. The post Publishing Perspectives Forum: ‘What Young Readers Need’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-11-03 14:51:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #young readers #juergen boos #scholastic


Review: The biggest, most intricately ambitious little story you'll read this year

Irish author Claire Keegan is one of those U.S. 'discoveries' who have been known back home for years. With 'Foster,' she earns that acclaim and more. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-11-01 14:00:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ll read #back home #irish author


“A Ghost Is a Memory.” On Bodies, Belief, and the Places Ghost Stories Live

The proprietor’s name is Amy (except that, of course, it isn’t). She’s a kind, petite woman in her forties, the owner of a ghost-themed bookstore in a small southern city. I won’t tell you which city. It’s for your own safety. This is, after all, a ghost story. And most importantly: it’s true.... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-10-31 08:57:03 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ghost story #bookshop #bookstore


Review: 'Still No Word From You,' a memoir that redefines the experience of reading

Peter Orner's 'Still No Word From You' melds memoir and criticism and, in the process, brings reading to life as a multi-sensory, communal experience. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-10-28 15:00:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #peter orner #memoir


Your Reading Life Needs More Manga In It

If you've avoided picking up manga out of genre/format snobbery, you're missing out. Manga has reminded me of just how fun reading can be. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-10-25 10:37:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #reading life #manga


The Eerie Experience of Watching My Science Fiction Story Become Real

On May 13, I finally got to read my wayward science fiction story “It Is the Voice That Unnerves Me” in The Dread Machine. I had been submitting the story since the spring of 2019, and had thought many times about consigning it to the “retired” list. I knew every word, sentence and section break... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2022-10-20 11:05:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #electric literature #science fiction


20 Must-Read Horror Short Stories

There's no better time to read horror short stories than October. With Halloween fast approaching, dive into these 20 spooky tales. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-10-17 10:31:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #short stories


A Posthumous Memoir Reveals Paul Newman in His Own Words

Compiled from interviews he gave to a close friend, “The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man” sheds light on the self-doubt of the seemingly imperturbable Hollywood star. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-10-16 18:47:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #close friend #extraordinary life #memoir


A Posthumous Memoir Reveals Paul Newman in His Own Words

Compiled from interviews he gave to a close friend, “The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man” sheds light on the self-doubt of the seemingly imperturbable Hollywood star. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-10-16 09:00:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #close friend #extraordinary life #memoir


Which Kindle should you buy? What to look for in an Amazon e-reader

Screen sizes! Storage! Lighting! With prices ranging from $100 to $350, some features might prove more valuable than others. I don’t want to spoil the punchline of this article, but Amazon’s Kindle e-reader lineup runs from inexpensive to expensive. And with the introduction of the latest... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2022-10-14 08:05:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #screen sizes #prices ranging #kindle


Jada Pinkett Smith writing memoir about life, 'complicated marriage to Will Smith'

Jada Pinkett Smith's memoir will take readers on 'a rollercoaster ride from the depths of suicidal depression to the heights of personal rediscovery.' Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-10-06 19:59:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #complicated marriage #memoir


‘Miracle find’: rare Don Quixote and short stories could sell for €900k

Sotheby’s describes 17th-century Cervantes editions as a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity for collectorsOne day in the early 1930s, a young Bolivian diplomat named Jorge Ortiz Linares walked into the illustrious Maggs Bros bookshop in London to ask if they might have a particularly fine edition... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-10-06 13:44:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #early 1930s #don quixote #waiting list #bookshop #short stories


The Pulse of American Life: On Emily Post’s Evolving Legacy

Emily Post became America’s primary source for etiquette advice in the twentieth century through both her bestselling book Etiquette and radio shows on the topic. She was a prominent woman in New York society from the early 1900s until her death in 1960. Born in Baltimore, the daughter of famed... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-10-05 08:51:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #american life #primary source #twentieth century #early 1900s #bestselling book