'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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Braithwaite, Rankin and Wesolowski make Amazon Publishing Readers’ Awards shortlist

Booker Prize longlistee Oyinkan Braithwaite has made the shortlist for the 2019 Amazon Publishing Readers’ Awards with Ian Rankin and Matt Wesolowski each bagging two nominations.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-24 09:47:48 UTC ]
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What's on TV this week: 'Another Life'

This week we're loaded with new stuff to watch on streaming, including Katee Sackhoff in a new non-Battlestar Galactica science fiction series, Another Life. Also new on Netflix this week is The Great Hack, a documentary focusing on the Cambridge Ana... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2019-07-23 02:28:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #science fiction


Barton, Cavanagh and Griffiths win Dead Good Reader Awards

Books by Fiona Barton, Steve Cavanagh and Elly Griffiths are among the winners of this year’s Dead Good Reader Awards for crime and thriller novels. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-22 02:40:27 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fiona barton #steve cavanagh #elly griffiths


Introducing Young Readers to Classics with Graphic Novels

A reader makes a case for the incorporation of graphic novel adaptations of classics, abbreviated for younger readers, into the classroom. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2019-07-18 10:36:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #graphic novels #younger readers #graphic novel


The New York Times would like to have a private word with you

Welcome to the latest edition of Ad Age Publisher’s Brief, our roundup of news from the world of content producers across digital and print. Got a tip? Send it our way. Joining us late? Here’s the previous edition. A private word: Back in April, The New York Times announced the launch of... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-07-17 18:51:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ground floor #regular basis #named editor #marie claire #publishing giant


Mojave Desert creates ideal climate for Laila Lalami's story of immigrants

Why author Laila Lalami chose the Mojave desert as the setting for "The Other Americans," the latest read of the Los Angeles Times Book Club Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-07-17 14:00:28 UTC ]
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The Best Bookish Kindle Covers For Your Literary Life

Tired of boring Kindle covers? I have some good news for you! These bookish Kindle covers from Amazon are here to help you live your best literary life. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2019-07-17 10:33:49 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #literary life #kindle


It’s My Story and I’ll Pitch if I Want To

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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Panel Mania: Drawing Power: Women's Stories of Sexual Violence, Harassment, and Survival Edited by Diane Noomin

This excerpt-sampler of work from the anthology ‘Drawing Power: Women's Stories of Sexual Violence, Harassment, and Survival’ Edited by Diane Noomin, includes three stories by artists who survived sexual assault: Lee Mars’ “Got Over It,” Carol Lay’s “A Sampler of Misdeeds,” and Ajuan Mance’s... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-07-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Everything with Words signs Eve McDonnell debut

Independent publisher Everything with Words has acquired world English rights to Elsetime, a middle-grade debut by Irish author Eve McDonnell. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-16 01:32:37 UTC ]
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Sony Gives Literary Film Division, Axed by Disney, a Second Life

Elizabeth Gabler, the executive behind hit movies like “The Devil Wears Prada,” will run a venture financed by Sony Pictures and HarperCollins Publishers. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2019-07-15 22:19:51 UTC ]
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With ‘Turbulence,’ a BBC Radio show finds new life

David Szalay’s novel connects a dozen stories about people linked by air travel. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-07-15 15:35:38 UTC ]
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‘Mundos Alternos,’ Where Other Worlds Come to Life

Science fiction illuminates reality by imagining the unreal in a mind-bending show at the Queens Museum. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2019-07-15 09:00:06 UTC ]
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Comma Press teams up with Northern Short Story Festival for prize

Indie publisher Comma Press and the University of Central Lancashire have teamed up with the Northern Short Story Festival for the next Dinesh Allirajah Prize for Short Fiction. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-15 08:57:23 UTC ]
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Stratford Literary Festival expands Bedtime Stories project with ACE funding

The organisers of Stratford Literary Festival are extending their Bedtime Stories project, which helps families in areas of disadvantage read with their children, thanks to a £15,000 Arts Council England (ACE) grant. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-15 08:55:07 UTC ]
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Crazy about books? These 5 L.A. book events offer inspiring stories from Los Angeles and beyond

As we descend into the hazy thick of summer, this week’s book events remind us that one day in a life has the power to change everything. Indeed, it’s all that ever changes anything. In the memoir corner, we have a traumatic encounter at the train station, a knock on the door of a rundown... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-07-12 14:20:00 UTC ]
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Life During Wartime: War & Military History 2019–2020

New titles reflect on 21st-century warfare and look to the past for lessons in combat. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-07-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The almost-charmed life of JFK Jr.

Steven M. Gillon offers a few surprises in recounting the presidential son’s short life. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-07-11 14:24:26 UTC ]
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CWA Margery Allingham Short Story prize to continue until 2024

The Crime Writers' Association will continue the Margery Allingham Short Story competition for at least another five years and has plans to rename next year's prize. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-11 11:04:19 UTC ]
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Arundhati Roy: Stories ‘Must Not Lose Their Wilderness’

Arundhati Roy, whose books include the Booker Prize-winning The God of Small Things along with The Ministry of Utmost Happiness and My Seditious Heart, spoke with writer Siddhartha Deb in May at Harlem’s Apollo Theater as part of PEN America’s World Voices Festival. The following is adapted from... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-07-10 08:49:18 UTC ]
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