'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'


<i>PW</i>’s 10 Most-Read Religion Stories of 2018

Questions over the changing religious beliefs of millennials, a defamation suit filed by the subject of 2010’s bestseller ‘The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven,’ and reports of sexual misconduct at Christian writing conferences make up some of PW’s top religion and spirituality stories of 2018. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sexual misconduct #top religion #spirituality stories


November Religion Bestsellers: Lysa TerKeurst Takes #2; Christmas Stories Dominate

‘It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way,’ the new book by ‘Uninvited’ author Lysa TerKeurst, debuts at #2 in Religion Nonfiction; holiday-themed novels take over in Religion Fiction. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #religion nonfiction #religion fiction


Best e-readers for digital-book lovers

Folks used to think that e-readers would relegate traditional paper books to the scrapyard of the past and destroy the publishing industry as we knew it. But, in the time since the first Kindle e-reader was unveiled in 2007, the dire declarations of what effect the devices might have on our... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2018-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pretty great #easily readable #direct sunlight #models equipped #excellent choice #browsing periodicals #storing thousands #ink displays #word aficionados #market today—


And Other Stories signs five-book deal with Gerald Murnane

And Other Stories has secured a five-book deal with award-winning Australian author Gerald Murnane. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #five-book deal


Grand Central Publishing to Close Life & Style Imprint

Grand Central Publishing will absorb its Life &amp; Style imprint into the flagship GCP list at the end of 2018. The reorganization will result in a few job cuts. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-12-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #job cuts


Rakuten Kobo Forma e-reader review: Refined experience, flawed package

The Rakuten Kobo Forma is a poster child for the tug-of-war behind the design of every device you own. Companies strive to find the right balance of size, weight and features based on market research and what’s worked well for them in the past. Sometimes it works out. Sometimes things go... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2018-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #kobo aura #rakuten kobo #market research


Sex scenes in movies can be vital to telling the full story

When Philip Roth died in May, a publisher friend of mine admitted, a little sheepishly, that she was sad because from now on it would be impossible to publish books like his again. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2018-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publish books


Salt snaps up Virago founder's memoir about the 'messiness of life'

Salt will publish Virago’s founder director Ursula Owen's "deeply engaging" memoir Single Journey Only.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #salt snaps


'Nomophobia' named Cambridge Dictionary's Word of the Year

'Nomophobia', a word used to describe stress and anxiety caused by being separated from a mobile phone, has been deemed the Cambridge Dictionary’s inaugural People’s Word of the Year. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mobile phone


Netflix adapts Dahl's stories for original animated series

Netflix will create an original animated series of Roald Dahl stories including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG and The Twits. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #chocolate factory


Mike Huckabee Shares Advice for a Life ‘Well Done’

Former governor of Arkansas and two-time Republican presidential primary candidate Mike Huckabee is drawing on his experiences to offer advice on living meaningfully in ‘Rare, Medium or Done Well: Make the Most of Your Life.’ Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #offer advice


Aspen Words Prize Longlist of 16 Titles for 2019 Prize in Issue-Driven Fiction

This is the second year of operation for the Aspen Words Literary Prize, which stresses fiction that has social impact, work specifically addressing contemporary issues. The post Aspen Words Prize Longlist of 16 Titles for 2019 Prize in Issue-Driven Fiction appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #social impact


Guy Ware wins 2018's London Short Story Prize

Guy Ware's short story "the year of peace" has been crowned the winner of 2018's London Short Story Prize. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #short story


Have you ever read a pirated book or been affected by piracy? Share your stories

We’d like to hear from people who have downloaded books illegally and those affected by book piracyAccording to the Intellectual Property Office’s latest study of online copyright infringement, 17% of ebooks read online are now pirated – around 4m books. While stereotypes persist that young... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #latest study #stephen lotinga #publishers association #research shows


Chadwick's debut short story collection to Splice

Birmingham-based small press Splice has acquired world rights to Above the Fat, the début short story collection of Thomas Chadwick. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


My Brilliant Friend director talks about bringing Elena Ferrante&#8217;s beloved novel to life for HBO

Italian director Saverio Costanzo spoke with Fast Company about the challenge of adapting the first novel in the Neapolitan series (as a man, no less). In 2007, Italian director Saverio Costanzo wrote to the publisher of Elena Ferrante’s novella The Lost Daughter and asked if he could option the... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2018-11-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #film rights #young girl #big screen


4th Estate snaps up Vogue columnist's 'irreverent take on modern life'

4th Estate will publish the debut non-fiction title, Raven Smith’s Trivial Pursuits, described as “a smart and irreverent take on modern life” from the Vogue columnist’s perspective. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #modern life #4th estate


Kensington Brings U.K. Grip Lit to U.S. Readers

Britain's domestic and psychological suspense writers offer a dark, edgy take on this mesmerizing genre. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #grip lit


Inaugural Words Weekend unveiled for Gateshead

Spoken-word event producer Fane Productions has unveiled plans for a series of festivals, the first of which, the inaugural Words Weekend, will take place at Sage Gateshead next October. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #unveiled plans


How Libraries Can Help Readers Become Writers

The Cuyahoga County Public Library’s writer-in-residence program demonstrates the library’s increasingly critical role in our literary ecosystem. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |