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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The Italian ebook self-publishing platform Narcissus has launched in Arabic, but finds authors in the Arab world face a steep digital learning curve. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW will introduce BookLife, a new website for self-publishers, at this year’s BookExpo America. Simultaneously, we are integrating reviews of self-published books into our regular review coverage. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For the past few years, newspaper publishers have prowled their buildings, asking why, and getting some amazing answers. Institutional knowledge is wonderful, but institutional resistance is intolerable. We must invoke a brilliant strategy to conquer ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-11-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Like mapmakers, we tend to put where we reside at the center of the world. It's natural: for most publishers it's the trade closer to home that's the lifeblood of your business. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-11-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Emerging markets incorporate international digital publishing models, while at the same time putting their own stamp on them, writes Octavio Kulesz. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-09-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a ceremony at the 2013 Beijing International Book Fair, Guinness World Records (GWR) and China’s Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing (FLTRP) signed an agreement for the publication of the 2014 Chinese-language edition of the Guinness World Records annual book. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-08-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Despite concerns about consolidation among publishing houses, sales of the top 10 companies accounted for 55% of revenue of the 50 publishers that are on the list for both 2012 and 2011, down from 57% in 2011. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Some see Amazon's Kindle Worlds fan fiction publishing platform as a great marketing move, while others are wary of Amazon's ownership of ideas. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon's taken a number of steps to bring different types of content to the Kindle Store, and it's now venturing into an area that has a long history with the internet: fan fiction. The company's today announced Kindle Worlds, a new publishing platform that promises to pay writers royalties for... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-05-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Among the best, new self-published titles of March and April is The Beach at Herculaneum by Susan G. Muth, only the second title to win a BlueInk Best Book Award. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A new bi-monthly magazine, World News Publishing Focus, has just been launched by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) to provide members and other readers with a professional international publication focused on the ind ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This months reviews of top self-published books features a witty novel about a coupon-clipping mother and her stoic daughter, and a memoir of life on the island of Malta, among several other appealing reads. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dan Brown's new thriller "Inferno," starrring his tweedy hero Robert Langdon from "The Da Vinci Code," will be published May 14 in hardcover and as an ebook by Doubleday. Dan Brown's new thriller "Inferno," starrring his tweedy hero Robert Langdon from "The Da Vinci Code," will be published May... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This month's starred BlueInk reviews offers a look at some of the best literature the self-publishing community has to offer. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-01-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Newspaper publishing vendors and professionals convene in Frankfurt for education, networking, and business opportunities Publishers, journalists, production vendors, and techies from every corner of the digital market met in Frankfurt, Germany, ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers Weekly faces controversy after naming 'Fifty Shades of Grey' author E L James 'Publishing Person of the Year' for 2012. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Plympton—a startup publisher of serialized digital fiction—was created as 'a nimble alternative to the major publishers and online markets,' as the founders explain. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This month's starred reviews of self-published books includes a SF mystery set in dystopia where people live in domed cities and a memoir of Mexican immigration to the US. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-11-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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More Info Hands-on with Kobo's Glo and Mini e-readers (video) Kobo Glo review: another illuminated e-reader lights up the market Amazon Kindle Paperwhite review While tablet and smartphone manufacturers battled it out over screen sizes, e-reader makers seem to have settled on an... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pearson, the owner of Penguin, and Bertelsmann, Random House's parent company, are currently in discussions to merge the two companies. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#random house
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