'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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Becoming the Baltics: Novelist Rein Raud Reflects on the Literary Life of His Region

The novelist and scholar discusses the distinct literary characters of the three Baltic nations. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Neil deGrasse Tyson Talks Science and the Power of Words

Tyson has been writing for general audiences for more than 20 years—but his latest book, 'Astrophysics for People in a Hurry,' is his first runaway bestseller. And he thinks he knows why. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Macmillan Children's Books buys debut World War Two story

Macmillan Children’s Books has bought a middle-grade book about a mouse whose home is bombed in World War Two by debut writer Anna Fargher. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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TLA 2018 Preview: Telling Stories in Texas

A star-studded lineup of authors and speakers awaits librarians at the 2018 Texas Library Association conference in Dallas—but the spotlight will also shine brightly on librarians’ own stories. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Complete fiction: why 'the short story renaissance' is a myth

With soaring sales, viral hits like Cat Person and a cameo by Tom Hanks, the form seems to be staging a comeback. But did it ever go away?In 2017, almost 50% more short story collections were sold than in the previous year. It was the best year for short stories since 2010. Booksellers are... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's Books in China 2018: Survival in China: The Bear Grylls (Middle-Grade) Story

As of February 2018, 12 volumes of Bear Grylls’s Mission Survival series have been published in China, with overall sales exceeding 6.8 million copies. The numbers are a surprise to many, including some at the Jieli Publishing House, though not to editor-in-chief Bai Bing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's Books in China 2018: The Continuing Story of the Children’s Book Market in China

Eleven years ago, in 2007, China Children’s Press & Publication Group (CCPPG) participated in the Bologna Book Fair for the first time. Their booth in Hall 29 was small, shabby, and minimally decorated and very few visitors dropped by. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In Other Words reveals books in translation shortlist

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[ The Bookseller | 2018-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Manchester-based author who's won a life-changing $165k book prize

Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi's debut novel was initially rejected by British publishers. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2018-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Five Viewpoints on Creating Tomorrow’s Readers: Literacy, Digital, and Children’s Books

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Stuff | 2018-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Elizabeth Strout’s ‘Anything Is Possible’ Wins The Story Prize

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'A different story'

Philip Jones looks back on "maverick" Richard Johnson's nine years at the helm of Bonnier Publishing.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lafaye to tell story of Scrooge's ghostly colleague

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[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ad Lib Podcast: Pop-Up Magazine's Chas Edwards Takes the Written Word on The Road

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[ Advertising Age | 2018-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Unusual Life of Andy Kaufman: PW Talks with Box Brown

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Readers to Choose ‘Golden Man Booker Prize’: 50 Years of Winners

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jack Deere Shares His 'Broken Life'

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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