Short ebooks: don't let one bad experience ruin a literary phenomenon

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 ]

Other news stories related to: "Short ebooks: don't let one bad experience ruin a literary phenomenon"


Let Me Ruin Your Childhood: The Inequality of School Book Fairs

It's easy to be nostalgic about Scholastic Book Fairs, but for poor kids and underfunded communities, school book fairs look very different. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-03-12 11:31:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #scholastic


Hogan wins Galley Beggar Press Short Story Prize

Edward Hogan has won the 2020/21 Galley Beggar Press Short Story Prize for his submission "Single Sit".  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-03-09 05:38:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Fitzcarraldo lands Onwuemezi's 'mesmerising' short story collection

Fitzcarraldo Editions is set to publish Dark Neighbourhood, the debut short story collection by Vanessa Onwuemezi. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-03-09 04:44:44 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #fitzcarraldo editions


Make Time For 15 of the Best Erotic Short Stories and Novellas

Short, fun erotic short stories that will leave you wanting more! Check out the best erotic short stories that you need to pick ASAP. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-03-05 11:35:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #short stories


Octavia Butler's legacy celebrated at Barbican feminist literary festival

The legacy of science fiction author Octavia Butler is to be explored at the Barbican's New Suns feminist literary festival this month. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-03-04 07:24:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #science fiction #literary festival #octavia butler


How Reading Ebooks Changes Our Perception (And Reviews)

Take a deep dive into research around reading ebooks and print books, and how these experiences compare to each other and other media. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-03-02 11:33:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #ebooks #print books #deep dive #reading ebooks


Your Ultimate Guide on Where to Buy Ebooks

Confused about where to buy ebooks without breaking the bank? Here's your ultimate guide to finding discounts and sales for your next read. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-03-01 11:35:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #ebooks #buy ebooks #ultimate guide


Astra Publishing House is launching an international literary magazine.

Astra Publishing House has announced they are launching a new literary magazine, Astra Quarterly, which will start publishing online this fall and in print by the end of 2021. Astra Quarterly will have a strong international focus; it will have an international network of editors, and be... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-02-26 16:54:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #international network #astra quarterly #literary magazine


Kirsty Capes | 'It’s important to have stories about the care experience that are positive'

Half way through my interview with Kirsty Capes, she mentions the fact that most people can’t name books about children in care. I rack my brains before feebly coming out with: “Tracy Beaker ?”, which makes Capes, whose new adult novel Careless is about a teenage girl in foster care, laugh.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-26 07:46:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #teenage girl #tracy beaker #kirsty capes


10 of the Best Short Stories by Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens (1812-70) is best-known for his fifteen novels and for shorter books like A Christmas Carol. However, Dickens’s was a restless talent, and during his publishing career that spanned more than thirty-five years, he also wrote countless articles, essays, and short stories. Although... Continue reading at Interesting Literature

[ Interesting Literature | 2021-02-25 15:00:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #short stories #publishing career #christmas carol #charles dickens


Tinder Press acquires 'breathtaking literary page turner' from Owen

Tinder Press, Headline's literary imprint, has acquired Small Angels by Lauren Owen, author of The Quick (Vintage, 2014). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-25 00:05:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #literary imprint #tinder press


Strong adds Europe to International Literary Properties role

Hilary Strong has been named as c.e.o. of the Europe division of literary rights organisation International Literary Properties, adding to her existing role as UK c.e.o. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-23 17:31:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #existing role


Hillary Clinton is . . . coming for Stacey Abrams’s literary crown?

As the age-old advice goes, “Write what you know.” For Hillary Clinton, apparently this means pivoting from writing dense memoirs about “hard choices” and nonfiction books about women’s empowerment to . . . political fan fiction thinly disguised as a legal thriller? Simon & Schuster has... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-02-23 16:42:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #simon schuster #legal thriller #nonfiction books #hard choices #stacey abrams #hillary clinton


Lawrence Ferlinghetti, literary citadel of San Francisco, dies at 101

The acclaimed poet was longtime proprietor of City Lights, the San Francisco bookstore and avant-garde publishing house that catapulted the Beat Generation to fame. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-02-23 06:26:33 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #bookstore #beat generation #city lights #acclaimed poet #lawrence ferlinghetti


Did everyone else know about Ryan Gosling’s enormous literary tattoo?

I don’t know what’s wrong with me or what year I think it is, but it’s just now come to my attention that Ryan Gosling has a big ol’ tattoo on his arm commemorating the most disturbing and perverse children’s book of all time. That’s right, I am talking about The Giving Tree. (Okay, Love […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-02-22 17:49:35 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #children’s book #ryan gosling


Own a Complete Set of the Paperback Experiment That Paved the Way for Penguin

In the early 1930s, a bookshop window would have displayed the pretty, pictorial dust jackets of the latest bestsellers, say Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon and Pearl S. Buck’s The Good Earth. A compact wooden bookshelf stuffed with colorful paperbacks might also have commanded space and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-02-22 09:49:47 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #bookshop #latest bestsellers #early 1930s #complete set


Aspen Words’ $35,000 Literary Prize Names Its 2021 Finalists

The shortlist for this year's Aspen Words Literary Prize features three novels and two short story collections. The post Aspen Words’ $35,000 Literary Prize Names Its 2021 Finalists appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-02-17 16:38:14 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #literary prize #aspen words


‘Sybille Bedford’ is a gossipy appreciation of an oft-overlooked literary great

Selina Hastings’s new biography delves into the life, loves and books of a brilliant, charismatic writer. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-02-17 07:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


HarperFiction plucks King's Bad Fruit in five-way auction

HarperFiction has snapped up debut author and Faber Academy graduate Ella King's "beautiful, shocking" Bad Fruit in a five-way auction. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-16 18:31:35 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


PEN America Announces Its 2021 Literary Award Finalists

A total of more than US$380,000 goes to the winners of to be selected from this year's finalist lists, which include 20 debut works. The post PEN America Announces Its 2021 Literary Award Finalists appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-02-11 01:54:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #literary award