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 debut novel intersperses the story of a tech reporter in Silicon Valley with Facebook posts, tweets, Google results and other fragments. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-03-27 13:00:00 UTC ]
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In the midst of researching news reports and washing your hands, here is a list of 15 funny short stories and books to brighten your mood. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-03-27 10:34:44 UTC ]
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These feel-good ebooks don't have long waits -- if any wait at all -- from your library. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-03-27 10:32:33 UTC ]
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W&N is publishing Irish author Cathy Sweeney's debut collection of short stories, described as a "look at the world from a lopsided perspective", following a "heated" auction. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-27 07:58:19 UTC ]
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Do writers need literary agents to get published and find success with their writing? Are there times when getting an agent doesn't make sense? We answer these questions here. The post Do Writers Need Literary Agents? by Robert Lee Brewer appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2020-03-24 21:29:37 UTC ]
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At the coronavirus outbreak reshapes our industry, The Bookseller is inviting staff members from across the book trade to share their experiences of working during the coronavirus outbreak. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-24 12:47:26 UTC ]
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Niki Chang is leaving The Good Literary Agency (TLGA) to join David Higham Associates (DHA) in April as a literary agent. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-24 09:01:20 UTC ]
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You can now download ten free ebooks on social and economic justice from Haymarket Books to read while social distancing. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-03-19 15:10:47 UTC ]
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A reader who fell out of love with short story collections ponders how best to make reading short stories part of the routine again. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-03-18 10:39:38 UTC ]
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Macmillan Publishers has announced they will return to the library ebook pricing model that was in place October 31, 2019. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-03-17 20:14:04 UTC ]
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In order to trace the roots of Maggie O’Farrell’s eagerly awaited new novel, one has to travel back 30 years or so, to a chilly Scottish classroom where an English teacher named Mr Henderson was preparing to teach “Hamlet”. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-17 10:49:06 UTC ]
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I had a fight with my mother the other day. In the past we had argued on many things but never politics, because we’d seldom talked about it. The video call, which started with her asking me about the outbreak in the US, ended up opening my eyes to the chasm between me and the […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-17 08:49:21 UTC ]
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We are at the beginning of a frightening and difficult time in America. Though we glimpse—in the overflowing hospitals of Milan, the shuttered plazas of Madrid—that which may come to pass, it is impossible to know just how hard hit the United States will be by the novel coronavirus. This nation... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-16 14:00:35 UTC ]
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The Uncensored Library — Reporters Without Borders built a library in Minecraft, in which you can read banned books. (via Gizmodo) Shmoocon 2020 Talk Recordings — everything from email addresses to Verilog by way of Zero Trust, social media, and choose-your-own-adventure ransomware. Differential... Continue reading at O'Reilly Radar
[ O'Reilly Radar | 2020-03-16 12:07:03 UTC ]
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With book tours, festivals, conferences, and other literary events being canceled around the world due to COVID-19 concerns, the tech-friendly west coast literary community has begun creating digital events to keep authors and readers connected during the coming weeks of social distancing and... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Linda Grant has won the 2020 Wingate Literary Prize for her "compelling love letter to London life", A Stranger City (Virago). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-16 01:49:46 UTC ]
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Ken Liu, the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of more acclaimed SFF short stories than you can shake a futuristic stick at, will soon be bringing his expansive imagination to the small screen. As Publishers Marketplace announced earlier today, AMC has acquired the rights to the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-13 14:30:21 UTC ]
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The Loft literary center in Minneapolis is not canceling its second annual Wordplay literary festival. Instead, it is partnering with other literary organizations to hold a two-month virtual celebration of books and authors. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Almost two years ago, I walked through a forest and found myself thinking of fairy tales. The forest is a magical place, so perhaps this is not surprising; what was surprising at the time was the creeping realization, as I walked among the trees, of how inaccessible the forest is for those who... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-12 08:48:53 UTC ]
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Toby Ferris traveled across Europe to see all of the Dutch Renaissance painter’s surviving work. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-03-11 18:07:05 UTC ]
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