Sour Grapes by Dan Rhodes review – a vengeful satire on the publishing world

The comic novelist takes aim at the industry’s elitism, but his story of a farcical literary festival is dated – and overly focused on Will SelfFunny ha-ha is tricky. For every reader who cackles with laughter at an author writing “this person was making plans to micturate upon one’s pommes frites”, there’s one who will wince. Some will feel the universe joyfully lighten as they read: “There’s a personage at the parsonage.” Or: “I believe it was Roland Barthes who said I love it when a plan comes together.” I can’t pronounce this unfunny, since funny is so largely in the hi-de-hi of the beholder. I cannot, however, report that any laughter issued from my own personal hilarity hole.Dan Rhodes’s half-dozen comic novels have their fans, and he is upfront in Sour Grapes that a falling-out with his publisher (what he calls his “ongoing scrap with the biz”) prompted a satire on the industry. Some of the barbs here, about publishing’s exploitation of young workers and the inertial classism, hit home. But the actual story, concerning a literary festival in a picturesque English village, feels like something out of the 1950s. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2021-11-12 09:00:32 UTC ]
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BIEF’s Nicolas Roche on French Publishing in the World: ‘Meetings All Year Long’

About six months into his new role as managing director of the Bureau international de l'édition française, or BIEF, Nicolas Roche is leading the French publishing industry's outreach program to open new markets and develop new readership for France's literature. The post BIEF’s Nicolas Roche on... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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British publishing can still lead the world after Brexit | Letters

Representatives of the Publishers Association call on the government to make sure the UK retains its place as ‘the world’s publisher’UK publishing is world leading and a cornerstone of Britain’s cultural and economic influence. The books and journals our authors write have helped shape thoughts... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bologna’s Top Five 2018 Children’s Publishing Companies from Six World Regions

In the run-up to this spring's Bologna Children's Book Fair, a total 30 children's publishing companies are nominated for Best Children's Publisher of the Year, an awards program turning six years old this year. The post Bologna’s Top Five 2018 Children’s Publishing Companies from Six World... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Self-Censorship in Publishing Today: World Industry Leaders on a Subtle, Growing Challenge

From the director of Frankfurter Buchmesse to the founder of a Thai publishing house and a Norwegian publisher who was shot in Oslo: sharp cautionary remarks about self-censorship and its dangers. The post Self-Censorship in Publishing Today: World Industry Leaders on a Subtle, Growing Challenge... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Ebooks are stupid', says head of one of world's biggest publishers

The chief executive of Hachette Livre, Arnaud Nourry, says the industry has had ‘one or two successes among a hundred failures’ and that ebooks have ‘no creativity’The head of one of the world’s largest book publishers has described the ebook as “a stupid product” that is unlikely to see further... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Trade asked for evidence so UK can retain 'world-leading' publishing sector

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[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The International Publishers Association in India: Issues in a Hot-Button World

Three days of presentations, debate, and discussion will bring together in New Delhi representatives of 60 countries amid geo-political and publishing challenges. The International Publishers Association's president is calling for 'trustworthy information.' The post The International Publishers... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mexican Publisher Grano de Sal Looking for World Spanish Rights, Translations, and Controversy

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Rundown: Publishing in a post-Facebook world

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[ Digiday | 2018-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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One year in, Facebook Journalism Project gets mixed reviews from publishers

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[ Digiday | 2018-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New BookMap Initiative: Trying To Chart the World Publishing Industry

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-10-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ahead of Frankfurt: Michael Healy on Deepening World Copyright Hotspots for Publishers

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ahead of Frankfurt: Michael Healy on World Copyright Issues Publishers Need to Watch

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kalmbach Publishing Names Dan Hickey CEO | People On the Move

GQ poaches a politics reporter from Politico, Town and Style names an editor-in-chief, and more... The post Kalmbach Publishing Names Dan Hickey CEO | People On the Move appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2017-09-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The World's 50 Largest Publishers, 2017

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dan Brown Speaks at Frankfurt Book Fair: ‘Origin’ Is Published in Germany by Bastei Lübbe

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The LA Review of Books and USC undertake a summer publishing workshop

A five-week summer program created by the L.A. Review of Books is currently underway at USC to help people break into the publishing industry. But that industry, despite having some local stars, is centered 3,000 miles away. “We do want to make people job ready," said LARB publisher and editor... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book reviews roundup: Jacobson’s savage satire; McInerney’s miracles; memories of Sacks

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[ The Guardian | 2017-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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IPA and WIPO join forces on annual world publishing statistics

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[ The Bookseller | 2017-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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IPA’s Kolman: role for publishers in ‘post-truth’ world

Publishers should stand as “beacons of trustworthiness” in an age of fake news and alternative facts, International Publishers Association president Michiel Kolman has said. Continue reading at The Bookseller

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