Seeing stars: writers should not fear online reviews

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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January’s Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

This month’s starred reviews of self-published books includes a pair of notable new novels, one about dysfunctional childhood in Western and another about a busy single mother. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-01-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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December’s Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

This month's starred reviews of self-published books includes a "stellar" historical novel and a "touching" memoir of life as a teacher of disadvantaged students. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Banning bad reviews undermines the very purpose of reviews

In an interview with Poynter back at the beginning of November, BuzzFeed book editor Isaac Fitzgerald said that the site will not include negative reviews. "Why waste breath talking smack about something? You see it in so many old media-type places, the scathing takedown rip. If you can’t say... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2013-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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NFL Stars Cam Newton And J.J. Watt Star In Gatorade "Freaks" Digital Comics

Calling J.J. Watt a "freak" to his face is probably not a good idea, but Gatorade decided to chance it.Football and comic books go together like chocolate and, er, pumpkin bread--they're not a bad combination, but we don't see them put together very often. The on-field heroics of stars like... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2013-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Star Wars: How to build your own Death Star

Blueprints for the Death Star battle station that featured in the Star Wars films have been published by maintenance book publishers Haynes.     Continue reading at The Sydney Morning Herald

[ The Sydney Morning Herald | 2013-11-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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November’s Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

This month's starred self-published books of note include a fictional tragedy in pre-colonial Nigeria and a memoir where beer pong meets sado-masochism. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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October’s Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

This month's recipients of starred reviews from BlueInk include a novel about a schizophrenic New Yorker who believes he is Beethoven and a timely look at profiteering in American medicine. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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September’s Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

This month's “starred” reviews of self-published books include a collection of spiritualist lectures, an examination of the Andean Q’ero faith and a pair of compelling novels. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-09-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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August’s Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

Among this month's starred reviews: a novel in which the discovery of a sexy 19th-century manuscript leads to erotic adventures, and a comprehensive guide for psychotherapists. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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July’s Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

This month's starred reviews from BlueInk Review of self-published books includes several "stay-up-all-night-until-your-eyes-bleed" thrillers, as well as a memoir from the ringmaster of The Big Apple Circus. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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June’s Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review

Self-published books receiving starred reviews from BlueInk this month include a novel about a wisecracking cat that investigates the death of its owner and a memoir of escaping Romania under Soviet rule. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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May’s Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review

This month's starred self-published titles include a novel about lesbian nuns in pre-WWII Germany and a memoir from the daughter of 1960s cult leaders, among others. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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London: Tom Crewe Wins the Sunday Times’ Young Writer Award

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Writers and Artists Across the Country

Two authors discuss their experience doing school visits through the nationwide literacy nonprofit. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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At London Book Fair: Writers’ Prize Names Its Winners

At London Book Fair, the top honor from the Writers' Prize, formerly the Rathbones, goes to Liz Berry for 'The Home Child.' The post At London Book Fair: Writers’ Prize Names Its Winners appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

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Book Review: ‘Great Expectations,’ by Vinson Cunningham

Vinson Cunningham’s impressive debut novel finds a watchful campaign aide measuring his ambitions on the trail of a magnetic presidential candidate. Continue reading at The New York Times

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I didn’t get the credit for my bestselling book: the secret life of the celebrity ghost writer

There’s nothing quite like finding six new releases on display in a bookstore – all of which you’ve written, and none of which has your name on itA few years back, a long-held dream of mine came true: a book I wrote became a runaway hit.You’ve probably read the book. You’ve definitely seen the... Continue reading at The Guardian

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Three Questions You Need to Answer as a Children’s Book Writer

One of my duties every single day as an author, journalist, and constituent, is to read. I study the written word the way a football coach studies football games. I don’t read for pleasure just like a football coach doesn’t attend games to zone out. As much as I’d like to avoid it, I have […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

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