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 ]
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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The British novelist's first book sold more than 15 million copies and was adapted into a hit movie starring Robert Redford. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-08-16 00:16:31 UTC ]
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New retailer partnerships, live events and book clubs are all planned to capitalise on the platform’s vibrant community of literature loversSocial media app TikTok is making increased efforts to tap into the power of its books content, with new retailer partnerships, live events and... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-08-15 16:03:52 UTC ]
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Richard Charkin offers 'a heartfelt apology,' writing that he now finds literary agents 'trusted go-betweens and understanding partners.' The post Richard Charkin: Dear Literary Agent appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-08-10 17:00:17 UTC ]
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Fiction often deals with domestic matters, including family, and some of the finest short stories treat the important, though sometimes fraught, relationship between parents and their children. What makes a good parent? What if two parents disagree over what’s best for their children, or for the... Continue reading at Interesting Literature
[ Interesting Literature | 2022-08-08 14:00:43 UTC ]
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Her first short-story collection, "The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing," was translated into more than 30 languages and became a best-seller. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-08-05 16:41:12 UTC ]
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What are some of the best short stories about childhood, and the experiences of children? Although there are dozens of classic tales about those formative years, the following stories represent, for our money, some of the finest stories about children taking the rocky path of knowledge and... Continue reading at Interesting Literature
[ Interesting Literature | 2022-08-05 14:00:32 UTC ]
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One of the central questions I had when shaping my story collection, Proof of Me, was how to invite into it a unified feel, how to place each story to be in conversation—geographically, thematically, linearly—with what follows. I also sought for each story to stand on its own, offering a... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2022-08-05 11:00:00 UTC ]
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In 2008, after 13 years together, my literary agent and I parted ways. (To preserve her anonymity, let’s call her Michael Ovitz.) Between 1995 and 2002, Michael Ovitz sold two of my novels, including my debut, Hunger Point. By any measure, our partnership was a terrific success. Michael Ovitz... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-08-05 08:53:09 UTC ]
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Dhumketu (1892-1965), one of the towering figures of Gujarati literature, often described the short story form as an incomparable flower in the garden of literature, as delicate as the juhi, as exquisitely beautiful as a golden bird, as electrifying as a bolt of lightning. For him, the short... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-08-01 08:51:21 UTC ]
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