Will social media and aggregated preferences sweep away book reviewing and literary culture? There’s nothing new about the death of literatureThe writer Caleb Crain is unhappy about “the intrusion of counting into the life of literature”. He believes that big data and predictive-taste algorithms are cutting humans “out of the loop”, and that social media are undermining our faith in “the mental states of other people” when those inner states aren’t acknowledged in tweets and likes. It seems we are mired in “a new kind of disenchantment”, he says, which is devolving our sense of literary merit. As big data blurs personal opinion into preference aggregates, and as Twitter-propelled article-surfing destroys reviewing communities and the authority of critics alike, Crain contends, we have no choice but to “declare war on counting”. So that, you know, “literature will survive”. Related: Computer says no: Amazon uses AI to combat fake reviews Bad criticism in public is a nuisance. Does it spell the end of days? Hardly [S]uddenly the cosmos seems like one vast plan after all, patterned in such a way that the novel you’re reading at bedtime connects to your astronomy lecture, connects to what you heard on NPR, connects to what your friend discusses in the cafeteria at lunch – and then briefly it’s as if the lid has come off the world, as if the world were a dollhouse, and you can glimpse what it would be like to see it whole, from above – a vertiginous magnificence. Continue... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2015-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The German Bundestag has adopted a controversial, but weakened, online copyright bill that gives publishers the exclusive right to make commercial use of their publications on the Internet. The bill aims to protect publishers against systematic access to copyrighted content by search engine... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2013-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins has signed world rights to the autobiography of 16-year-old pop star Cody Simpson... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Porter Anderson's curation publishing buzz takes in the IndieReCon virtual conference, questions B&N's future, and looks atbuying your way to the top of the bestseller list. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The BBC's flagship arts and culture programme, "The Review Show", is being cut from... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Writers have condemned the decision by a Scottish council to close seven of its 15 libraries and... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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"Horrible Histories" author Terry Deary told a newspaper that public libraries are a drain on government resources that deprive authors of royalty checks. Best-selling childrens' book author Terry Deary has become the first major writer to speak up against the concept of public libraries. In... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The writer of US comedy Beavis and Butt-head is among 18 authors shortlisted for this year's Waterstones children's book prize. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Orion Children's Books has acquired a new title from one of 2012's "Great British... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Over the past eight years, more than 300 Florida middle and high school students graduated from aspiring writer to published author, thanks to the Océ Future Authors Project. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Scotland's East Neuk Festival of chamber music (3rd to 7th July) will feature an expanded... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Concerns are mounting among publishers, booksellers and authors about the long-term impact of the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HC imprint Avon has acquired the rights to two thrillers from blogger Luca Veste. Avon editor... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In the face of stagnant growth in traditional advertising, digital publishers are looking to sponsored content as an alternative route, something Buzzfeed has been doing well, and The Atlantic has been doing less well recently. It's an approach ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Laura Hazard Owen sums up the problem with book discovery like this: “It doesn’t really work." She offers several solutions gleaned from Digital Book World 2013. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-01-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Non-executive chairman of Blackwell's, Trevor Goul-Wheeker, has joined sports publishing firm... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ten-year-old Black Lawrence Press, an imprint of Dzanc Books, had its editorial approach to publishing contemporary literature and creative nonfiction affirmed last month when the National Endowment of the Arts chose three of its authors to receive 2013 Literature Fellowships. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-01-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Over the past few years, the media arm of Thomson Reuters has been trying to polish its 160-year-old brand to a more contemporary sheen by recruiting A-list journalists and pundits and expanding into areas like blogging, Internet TV and magazines. I ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Internet service provider Free restored the ads after meetings with French online publishing and advertising groups, which had complained about a loss of revenue. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2013-01-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hilary Mantel's Man Booker Prize-winning Bring Up the Bodies (Fourth Estate) has secured a... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Booksellers’ post-Christmas sales are well underway, with retailers offering discounts of... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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