Penelope Lively's recent short ebook for Penguin drew criticism for its brevity – but readers should not be put off the genre as a whole"Overpriced", "ridiculous", I feel cheated". Amazon reviewers haven't been wholly positive about a digital short Penelope Lively has written for Penguin Specials. On the evidence of the story itself, it's not Lively's fault. Abroad is about a pair of art students who travel to 1950s Spain in search of picturesque peasants and are disappointed when they don't live up to expectations. It's funny and evocative of a time when rural Europe was still exotic.It also peters out after just 4,000 words, so I sympathise with anyone who felt ripped off by its £1.99 price tag. These days you can buy two whole novels for that. The sad fact is, publishers don't make any money if an ebook costs less than £1.99. Amazon does, because singles are the literary equivalent of a gateway drug.This was brought home to me on finishing Susan Hill's latest effort, Printer's Devil Court (99p), a haunting tale about pre-second world war medical students who experiment with resurrection. More substantial than Lively's, it's a great, old-fashioned ghost story, whose chilling impact was somewhat undermined by turning the final page to find Amazon ordering me to rate, review, tweet, Facebook and buy more books by Susan Hill. Was the ebook I'd enjoyed little more than a trailer?Singles are a clever marketing tool. But it would be a shame if readers short-changed by one... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2013-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
Peter Orner's 'Still No Word From You' melds memoir and criticism and, in the process, brings reading to life as a multi-sensory, communal experience. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-10-28 15:00:54 UTC ]
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Literary agents and rights directors describe the 2022 Frankfurt Book Fair with phrases like 'splendid,' 'beautiful,' and 'exhilarating'. The post So How Did It Go? Literary Rights Pros on Frankfurt 2022 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-10-25 16:36:14 UTC ]
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On May 13, I finally got to read my wayward science fiction story “It Is the Voice That Unnerves Me” in The Dread Machine. I had been submitting the story since the spring of 2019, and had thought many times about consigning it to the “retired” list. I knew every word, sentence and section break... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2022-10-20 11:05:00 UTC ]
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What's going on with Kindle? See what changes are coming to return policies, file formats, and ebook lending at Amazon. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-10-19 10:40:00 UTC ]
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The 28th issue of Kayak—a literary magazine edited and published by George Hitchcock out of Santa Cruz, California—appeared in 1972. The issue includes mostly poetry, as well as a few book reviews, a work of verse fiction, collages, illustrations lifted from old books and manuals, and an acerbic... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-10-19 08:57:28 UTC ]
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As the 74th Frankfurter Buchmesse opens Wednesday, many discussions and presentations will get right into industry numbers and data. The post Frankfurt Shorts: FEP, WIPO, and PP Forum by the Numbers appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-10-18 03:35:34 UTC ]
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There's no better time to read horror short stories than October. With Halloween fast approaching, dive into these 20 spooky tales. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-10-17 10:31:00 UTC ]
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Sotheby’s describes 17th-century Cervantes editions as a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity for collectorsOne day in the early 1930s, a young Bolivian diplomat named Jorge Ortiz Linares walked into the illustrious Maggs Bros bookshop in London to ask if they might have a particularly fine edition... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-10-06 13:44:15 UTC ]
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Amazon's change reportedly will prevent a self-service return of a Kindle ebook for a full refund if a consumer has read more than 10 percent of the text. The post In London and New York, Authors’ Trade Groups Hail Amazon’s Change on Self-Service Ebook Returns appeared first on Publishing... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-09-22 19:04:47 UTC ]
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In the first half of 2022, consumers bought more ebooks per capita and paid more for them, offsetting a smaller buyers' base. The post Germany’s Ebook Market January to June: ‘Slight Growth’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-09-21 22:30:20 UTC ]
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Friendship is such a universal and central theme to all of our lives, that picking just a small number of the best short stories about such a broad theme is always going to be a challenge. However, the following stories are by some of the finest masters of the short […] Continue reading at Interesting Literature
[ Interesting Literature | 2022-09-21 14:00:43 UTC ]
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Andrew Kirtzman explains how America's Mayor became a nonsense-peddling Trump loyalist. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-09-16 10:00:50 UTC ]
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Dragonfly Books in Decorah, Iowa, has established a literary foundation to support author visits to the Oneota River Valley area in northeastern Iowa, as well as to support the literary endeavors of regional writers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The Whiting Foundation's 2023 Literary Magazine Awards will feature a new grant schedule, eligibility requirements, and total number of prizes. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Poet, associate professor at Reed College, and two-time Lambda Literary Award honoree Samiya Bashir has been selected as Lambda Literary's next leader. She spoke with 'PW' about her hopes for the organization. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Jonathan Escoffery’s first book, the superbly crafted, kinetic linked story collection If I Survive You, arrives with four starred pre-publication reviews and an early rave from The New Yorker’s Katy Waldman, with more to come. He’s a rare debut author with a lengthy track record. His stories... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-09-06 08:57:51 UTC ]
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The uniquely enduring literary agent who worked for years to find a publisher for Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road” and over the following decades arranged deals for everyone from true crime writer Joe McGinniss to the creators of the Berenstain Bears has died Continue reading at ABC News
[ ABC News | 2022-09-04 21:08:59 UTC ]
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What are the best short stories which are set in school, or which focus on school and one’s schooldays? There are plenty of stories which are ‘set in schools’ in the sense of being set reading for schoolchildren, but it’s harder to find some canonical and classic short stories which […] Continue reading at Interesting Literature
[ Interesting Literature | 2022-08-29 14:00:36 UTC ]
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I think every aspiring writer should work in a used bookstore. For a little while, at least. If nothing else, the ego death is electric. * I am lucky. A fellowship after my MFA has left me with all kinds of time to write and live out this romantic dream job. Ensconced in an Ann […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-08-24 08:53:03 UTC ]
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A survey released by the Association of American Literary Agents has found that 87% of respondents oppose the acquisition of Simon & Schuster by Penguin Random House, citing, among their chief concerns, that the deal would result in “less competition” for titles and “lower advances.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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