'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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Penguin Life partners with SANE

Penguin Life and mental health charity SANE are partnering on the release of The Little Book of Lykke by Danish author and happiness expert Meik Wiking. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Biteback pulls 'true story' of Diana's fatal crash

Biteback has pulled a title claiming to tell the “true story” of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed's fatal crash in 1997 following "an abrupt change of mind" from Fayed's father, Mohammad Al Fayed. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Local words to feature in National Poetry Day

Distinctive local words such as "fam" and "to geg in" are to be celebrated in 12 specially-commissioned poems for this year’s National Poetry Day. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books in America are full of swear words: the more recent, the more profane

It's not just your @#%& imagination: American books have gotten a lot more profane over the last six decades, according to a study led by a San Diego State University psychology professor. A team of scholars reports that there's been a “dramatic” increase in curse words in American... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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July Religion Bestsellers: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ Makes a Comeback; James Patterson Tops

Rick Warren is back in the top 10 in Religion Nonfiction with his perennial favorite, ‘The Purpose Driven Life.’ Plus, James Patterson debuts on PW’s Religion Fiction Bestsellers list with the paperback edition of ‘Woman of God.’ Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pasquale's 'dark and surreal' horror stories to Caffeine Nights

Caffeine Nights Publishing has signed world rights to a collection of "dark and surreal" horror stories from comedian Joe Pasquale. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nicole Krauss | 'I could express things that I simply couldn't in my own skin, in my own life'

A novelist combining critical and commercial acclaim, Nicole Krauss turns her attention to a writer, named Nicole, who suffers writer’s block. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In an Economic Crunch, South African Readers Turn to Used Book Stores

From the VOA: Amid tough economic times in South Africa, consumers are supporting a growing number of used book stores, avoiding new-book prices. The post In an Economic Crunch, South African Readers Turn to Used Book Stores appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-08-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google Is About to Offer Publishers a Feature Similar to Snapchat’s Discover Stories

First, Instagram and Facebook wanted to be more like Snapchat, and now Google evidently does, too. The Wall Street Journal reported today that Google is developing a content system, called Stamp, that's designed to look like information seen via Snapchat's publisher channel Discover. Citing... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-08-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Heartbreaking' story of drowned disabled boy to JKP

Jessica Kingsley Publishers is to release Justice for Laughing Boy, the story of a disabled teenager who drowned while staying at a specialist NHS unit, written by his mother, Sara Ryan. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Zine queens: how women’s magazines found new life via indie publishing

Promoting diversity and representing women on their own terms, female-led, DIY zines are on the rise in the UK. Here, the industry’s rising stars reveal how they’re reshaping the genre on their own termsThe British media has a diversity problem. Research at City University last year found the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The literary life of Michiko Kakutani: the book critic's best feuds and reviews

The New York Times writer is stepping down from her role, leaving behind a remarkable career characterized by razor-sharp reviews and intra-literary rowsMichiko Kakutani, the New York Times’ revered chief book critic, announced she was stepping down from her post on Thursday after 38 years,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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LBF and Writer's Digest launch author conference

The London Book Fair and US magazine Writer’s Digest are to launch a new conference for authors, The Writer’s Summit, which will explore new opportunities in publishing and in developing successful writing careers. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Seasoned scribes to offer words of advice during Hamilton Book Month

Prospective poets, wishful travel writers, aspiring songwriters, budding children's authors and other would-be Waikato wordsmiths have a rare chance to learn from some best next month. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2017-07-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Industry Notes: Canada’s Shifts in Ebook and Print; London Book Fair Plans a Writer’s Digest Day

In Canada, BookNet's check on sales shows ebooks a bit up, In the UK, a new author day is announced by London Book Fair and the US-based Writer's Digest. The post Industry Notes: Canada’s Shifts in Ebook and Print; London Book Fair Plans a Writer’s Digest Day appeared first on Publishing... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-07-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sainsbury's to sell exclusive Peppa Pig story

Sainsbury’s has partnered with BookTrust, Penguin Random House and Peppa Pig brand owner, Entertainment One, to commission and exclusively sell children's book Shop With Peppa. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Six 'vengeful' P D James stories coming this October

Faber is to publish Sleep No More, a new collection of short stories from the late "Queen of Crime" P D James. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Biteback to publish 'true story' of Diana's fatal crash

Biteback Publishing has signed a title claiming to tell the "true story" of Princess Diana's fatal crash in 1997. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Marvel legend Stan Lee is creating an original story for Audible

Comic book fans (and comic book movie fans) are very familiar with Stan Lee, who has a cameo in pretty much every Marvel movie. Now, the legendary Marvel writer is creating yet another shared universe. Variety exclusively reports that Stan Lee will p... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2017-07-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon boosts kids' reading app with Signature Stories

Reading app Amazon Rapids has extended its offering with Signature Stories, a feature which introduces stories from its TV shows. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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