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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IndieReader’s Top 10 Five-star Reviews of Self-Published Books

A selection of the top ten books that have received five star reviews on IndieReader, a service which reviews self-published books. The post IndieReader’s Top 10 Five-star Reviews of Self-Published Books appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Changing World of Licensed Publishing

Film and television properties continue to generate buzz on the show floor at Licensing Expo, held last month in Las Vegas. But a popular entertainment property, on its own, is often no longer enough to drive licensed publishing success. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The World's 57 Largest Book Publishers, 2015

The growing complexity of international book publishing is reflected in this year’s ranking of the world’s largest publishers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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We Review a Self-Published E-Book About a Lady Clone War

'Star Wars' and 'Lord of the Rings' had a baby, it died badly, and this book is its reanimated remains. The post We Review a Self-Published E-Book About a Lady Clone War appeared first on WIRED. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2015-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Key Ideas For Publishers Working In a World of Large Tech Companies

As long as technology companies such as Facebook and Twitter exist, publishers will have to navigate relationships with them.   This theme pervaded a panel Monday at the 67th World News Media Congress in which industry thought leaders discussed ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Self-Published E-Book Review: Frolic in Conservative Utopia

Some books come to us when they're needed most. The post Self-Published E-Book Review: Frolic in Conservative Utopia appeared first on WIRED. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2015-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With Facebook's Instant Articles, Publishers Contemplate a Social-First World

Reports from the last few weeks hinted it was coming, but the debut of Facebook's Instant Articles sent a shiver down plenty of publisher's spines this morning anyway. And why wouldn't they react in that fashion? One of their chief traffic drivers could suddenly siphon away audiences and ad... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2015-05-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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On Developing Publishing in the Arab World and the UAE

Sheikha Bodour, founder of the Emirates Publishers Association (EPA), discusses initiatives aimed at professionalizing publishing in the Arab world. The post On Developing Publishing in the Arab World and the UAE appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-05-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How Facebook Just Became The World's Largest Publisher

With Instant Articles, Facebook has created a rich, multimedia platform to host publishers' stories, and ensure that you never leave.As social networking has taken over the web, and users no longer visit publishers' homepages to find news, Facebook has become a primary funnel for readers,... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2015-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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We Review a Self-Published E-Book About a Russian Werewolf

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[ Wired | 2015-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Arab World Slow to Adopt Digital Publishing

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Introducing Our Reviews of Absurd Self-Published E-Books

When “Kindle Cover Disasters” debuted on Tumblr earlier this year, the Internet ROFLMFAO’d at the truly heinous designs: cheap clipart, effects reminiscent of early Print Shop, clashing pastels, Photoshopping by palsied hands, and fonts so troubling you find yourself celebrating the relative... Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2015-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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William Shatner explores new worlds of self-publishing and Kickstarter

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[ The Guardian | 2014-11-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New Faces in Frankfurt: Publisher Snapshots from Around the World

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How Dan Roth became the most powerful editor in business publishing

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[ Digiday | 2014-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Martin Amis's novel 'A Zone of Interest' gets rave reviews, but is dropped by French and German publishers

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[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Liberio review: Turn your Google Docs into a published ebook

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[ PC World | 2014-08-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW Launches GalleyTracker, A Review Copy Submission Platform for Traditional Publishers

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The World's 56 Largest Book Publishers, 2014

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Introducing Your Publishing World Cup “Dream Team”

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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