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 ]
The Guest of Honor Spain program at Frankfurter Buchmesse 2022 will reflect the strong position of women in Spanish publishing. (Sponsored) The post Spain’s Women in Publishing: ‘A Major Role in Defining Literary Trends’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-12-16 12:32:30 UTC ]
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PEN America has announced their 2022 Literary Award longlists, with awards in 11 different categories. Here they are. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-12-15 17:59:20 UTC ]
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The best stories by the American writer Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) are written in spare, clear prose, using short sentences and plain dialogue. This is a trademark feature of Hemingway’s style in his short stories and novels. But what are Hemingway’s very best stories? He wrote dozens of short... Continue reading at Interesting Literature
[ Interesting Literature | 2021-12-15 15:00:48 UTC ]
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It’s safe to say that in general, 2021 was an improvement on 2020—but that doesn’t mean it was a big one. Among the many disappointments of this year was the fact that we lost far too many members of the literary community, from poets to novelists to editors to critics to publishers. To them, we […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-12-15 09:49:46 UTC ]
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Leeor Ohayon has won the £1,000 V S Pritchett Short Story Prize for his "tender, moving" tale "Gahnun on Shabbat". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-15 00:36:37 UTC ]
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In 2021, Fly on the Wall Press set out to celebrate the short story form. We published three short story collections and seven limited-edition short story pamphlets, marketed and sold both separately and as part of a political season subscription with cohesive and colourful cover art. We also... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-14 08:56:39 UTC ]
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The history of life is a tale of constant change, science writer Henry Gee explains. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-12-10 13:00:00 UTC ]
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More than 50 signatories, including Bonnier Books UK c.e.o. Perminder Mann and the Society of Authors, have urged literary festival organisers to keep festivals hybrid as part of a new campaign. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-10 07:38:14 UTC ]
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Alongside Richard Osman and JK Rowling, figures show huge successes for relative unknowns Ellery Adams and Brenda ChapmanThe UK’s library users are widely seen as a traditional bunch when it comes to choosing their next read, but while Richard Osman might have topped the list of the year’s... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-12-08 16:34:37 UTC ]
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This year, writers and publishers learned about the power of #BookTok—a literature-loving corner of TikTok where readers post videos inspired by the books they love. Viral trends involving certain books launched backlist titles to the top of the fiction charts; particularly, tearjerkers with... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-12-03 16:56:08 UTC ]
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Novelists and short-story writers have created some classic narratives about man’s best friend, the dog. But what are the very best stories and novels about dogs? Where should we begin in assessing the classic, canonical literature that features dogs? From Homer’s Odyssey onwards – where the... Continue reading at Interesting Literature
[ Interesting Literature | 2021-12-03 15:00:29 UTC ]
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Author and editor of the New York Times Book Review Pamela Paul and New York Times journalist Cecilia Kang join hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to consider how social media and search engines have changed everyday life. First, Paul provides a nostalgia tour of pre-internet life,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-12-02 09:50:49 UTC ]
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Literary magazines depend on volunteer readers to sort through the hundreds of submissions they get. Here's how you can become one! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-12-01 11:32:00 UTC ]
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Margaret Atwood is being celebrated for her contributions to Canadian literature with a special stamp, unveiled on Thursday. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2021-11-25 20:33:03 UTC ]
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On Sunday night, both the 2020 and 2021 winners of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize accepted their awards in an in-person ceremony—including Chanel Miller, who won the 2020 Prize for nonfiction for her memoir Know My Name. Dayton, Ohio is the hometown of Brock Turner, who was convicted of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-11-19 18:22:33 UTC ]
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Bad Form Review and Penguin Random House's Lit in Colour scheme have jointly won the Discover award at this year's FutureBook Awards ceremony. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-19 17:09:55 UTC ]
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One reader reflects on why a picture book with messages about love, perseverance, and imperfection has connected with so many readers in the last two years. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-11-18 11:37:00 UTC ]
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Inspired by another Rioter's bookish rituals, I'm trying my own. I wake up earlier than usual to enjoy a slow morning reading short stories. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-11-18 11:36:00 UTC ]
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When Riot Forge said it would soon provide more long-awaited details about League of Legends spin-off Ruined King, few fans would have expected Riot Games' publishing arm to suddenly thrust the game into the world. But hey, guess what? That's exactly what happened. Ruined King: A League of... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2021-11-16 17:18:23 UTC ]
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Wow. What an amazing week it has been in the world of audio publishing! First, Spotify bought Findaway, then just as we were all making sense of that news, Storytel acquired Audiobooks.com. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-16 13:36:52 UTC ]
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