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 ]
Three literary agents affiliated with Red Sofa Literary, a boutique agency in St. Paul, Minn., resigned this past weekend after its principal tweeted that she was calling police to report looting on her block. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-31 04:00:00 UTC ]
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It’s the kind of timing a publisher dreams of. Less than one week out from its U.S. release, latest Irish literary phenom Naoise Dolan’s debut novel Exciting Times (Ecco, June 2) has been optioned for TV. Yes, following a hugely successful release in the UK and Ireland back in April, when it... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-05-28 18:10:32 UTC ]
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Today sees the launch of South Asian LitFest, a free, live online festival I've created to show celebrate and showcase authors both from the subcontinent and the diasporic South Asian writing community around the world. Why do we need it? Well, even as the publishing industry talks about... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-27 22:25:54 UTC ]
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The Amazon Literary Partnership has announced $1 million in grant funding to 66 organizations across the publishing industry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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I was in Paris when Covid-19 became a reality. It was the weekend of 21st February and I was there for a quick family reunion: my older brother was in the French capital on a work trip, my parents had taken a train from our hometown of Turin, Italy, and I had joined them from London on the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-26 17:57:13 UTC ]
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I was in Paris when Covid-19 became a reality. It was the weekend of 21st February and I was there for a quick family reunion: my older brother was in the French capital on a work trip, my parents had taken a train from our hometown of Turin, Italy, and I had joined them from London on the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-26 04:20:12 UTC ]
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If you think lit fic endings are all sorrow or question marks, think again. Here are some happy literary fiction books that will leave you hopeful. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-05-21 10:34:27 UTC ]
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Sophie Bradshaw, former non-fiction publisher at The History Press, has launched a new literary agency and editorial consultancy, drawing on her 17 years’ experience in the industry. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-21 08:11:42 UTC ]
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Taco Bell Quarterly is the literary magazine for Taco Bell-inspired literature. When I started it, I had heard the jokes about the looming cease and desist that Taco Bell would eventually banhammer down upon me. Rebellious and having no working knowledge of copyright laws, my motto was RIDE OR... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-05-19 08:49:11 UTC ]
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At the beginning of 2020, well before my debut novel was published, I was invited to an evening soiree in Glasgow’s Mitchell Library – a kind of preview event for authors performing at a well-known literary festival. I changed quickly in the toilet at the car salesroom I worked in and navigated... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-15 16:53:37 UTC ]
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Ryan Chapman hosts Nerd Jeopardy, the online literary game show. Tonight Ryan is joined by Kristen Arnett, author of Mostly Dead Things, and Katie Whittemore, translator of Sara Mesa’s Four by Four. This week’s indie bookstore spotlight is on Magers & Quinn. Sign up for next week, May 20,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-05-15 15:43:54 UTC ]
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Book events worldwide are on hold, but Afrolit Sans Frontieres uses social media to host frank discussions around writing, creativity, sex and violence. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-05-14 14:18:46 UTC ]
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Shelter in place orders throughout the country haven’t just brought the economy to a grinding halt, but frozen civic infrastructure as well. Sure, water still flows from our taps, police and firefighters are still on the job, but your local library l... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2020-05-11 15:00:59 UTC ]
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Offering a '360-degree view of the potential, Italy's agents are organizing during the 'critical situation' imposed by COVID-19. The post Coronavirus: Italy’s Literary Agents Form ADALI, Their First Association appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-05-11 03:29:40 UTC ]
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Offering what they call their ‘360-degree view of the potential as well as the shortcomings of the publishing industry,’ Italy’s literary agents are organizing during the ‘critical situation’ imposed by COVID-19. By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson ‘For a New Start After the... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-05-11 03:29:40 UTC ]
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A local virtual book club strengthens the local literary scene, cultivates a diverse community, and celebrates the power of stories and books. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-05-06 10:32:17 UTC ]
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Have a quick bite of these excellent small press short story collections and anthologies sampling a wide variety of genres, themes, and perspectives. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-05-05 10:34:09 UTC ]
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Roddy Doyle and Joseph O'Neill have been longlisted for the £30,000 Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-02 23:49:24 UTC ]
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Chancellor drops 20% levy on online news subscriptions and books as industry strugglesAmazon has confirmed it will cut the price of its Kindle ebooks from Friday, after the government announced it would bring forward plans to stop charging VAT on online publications because of the pandemic.The... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-04-30 18:11:42 UTC ]
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Outside of New Zealand and “world literature” classrooms, New Zealand literature is not widely known. Aside from a few big-name writers of the earlier 20th century (think Katherine Mansfield) and a handful of international literary award winners (such as Booker Prize winner Eleanor Catton), the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-29 08:49:21 UTC ]
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