Turning literature into a numbers game makes some sense for the book trade, but none for readersWe may be halfway through January already, but the spirit of new year is still in full swing over in San Francisco, where the 2014 Goodreads Reading Challenge goes from strength to strength to strength. More than 240,000 of Goodreads' 25 million members have already committed to reading more than 14m books this year, pledging to get through them at an average of more than a book a week. And many fans of books will say hurrah for that. I reckon I'm pretty much in favour of books and literature, too, but the Goodreads Reading Challenge just sets my teeth on edge.It starts right there in the name. Since when was reading any kind of challenge? Isn't it supposed to be fun? Maybe not for children still learning to differentiate their Perfect Peters from their Horrid Henrys, or for the one in six UK adults who still struggle with literacy, but Goodreads is a site for people who are already "readers" . I don't think they have schoolchildren in mind when they suggest you should "raise your reading ambitions" and it certainly doesn't look like a scheme designed to help adult learners "make it to the final chapter". All this talk of pledging, of targets, of tracking your progress, is just another step in the marketisation of the reading experience, another stage in the commodification of literary culture.We know that literacy correlates with better social outcomes, that literary fiction... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2014-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
Long-held assumptions held by the trade about writers of colour must be challenged and a concerted effort made to reach new and diverse audiences, the industry heard tuning into a webinar launching the Rethinking ‘Diversity’ in Publishing report. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-23 18:37:47 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#rethinking diversity
#diverse audiences
Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile’s editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. We keep our daily episodes short and sweet, with audiobook clips to give you a sample of our featured listens. On today’s episode, host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss Barbara’s narration of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-06-23 08:20:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#audiobook
#featured listens
#audiobook clips
#audiobook listening
#editors recommend
Anti-racist reading lists are trending, but becoming anti-racist requires action. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-06-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
A veteran coauthor warns colleagues to watch for signs of high-maintenance experts. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-06-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
The Room Where It Happened, due out later this month if attempts to block publication fail, has received stinging early notices but is already Amazon’s No 1John Bolton’s damning indictment of the Trump presidency is topping bestseller charts in the US a week before its release, despite withering... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-06-18 11:54:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#bestseller charts
#top spots
#robin diangelo
#ijeoma oluo
#mary trump
#dangerous man
#family created
#last-ditch attempt
#trump presidency
In tribute to the memory of George Floyd, who died at the hands of the Minneapolis police, and in support of the worldwide outcry over his death, we present this list—compiled by the comics editors at Publishers Weekly —of graphic titles about African American life and history. The titles here... Continue reading at The Millions
[ The Millions | 2020-06-16 16:00:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#graphic novel
#publishers weekly
#comics editors
#worldwide outcry
#minneapolis police
#george floyd
#graphic titles
Short stories by contemporary Italian writers are hard to come across and almost none of them make it across the Atlantic. Booksellers and publishers seem to stay away from them because—what’s new?—they sell less, as they apparently lack “the immersive factor.” However, readers in the twentieth... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-06-16 08:48:49 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#short stories
#twentieth century
The story rages along, bright and scalding, illuminating three intertwined lives in contemporary India. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-06-15 05:29:42 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#bestseller list
#contemporary india
#megha majumdar
Bad Form, the quarterly literary review magazine, is launching a new prize for young black, Asian, Arab and other non-white fiction writers based in the UK, with support from across the publishing industry. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-14 17:30:53 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#bad form
#trade support
#prize launches
Stephen Rebello’s “Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!” is a more than just a gossipy look at the making of the film everyone loves to hate. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-06-12 12:12:21 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
Dr. Ibram X. Kendi pointed out on Twitter last night that books about racism (including two of his own, How to Be an Antiracist and Stamped from the Beginning) are making up a significant portion of the New York Times bestseller lists. “The resistance is from the loudness of demonstrations to... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-06-11 14:11:24 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#times bestseller
#significant portion
The works of fiction highlighted here confront slavery, Jim Crow segregation, racial bias in the workplace, wrongful conviction and imprisonment, and police brutality. The post An Anti-Racist Fiction Reading List appeared first on The Millions. Continue reading at The Millions
[ The Millions | 2020-06-11 10:00:25 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#police brutality
#wrongful conviction
#racial bias
In tribute to the memory of George Floyd, who died at the hands of the Minneapolis police, and in support of the worldwide outcry over his death, PW’s comics editors have compiled a list of graphic titles about African American life and history. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-06-11 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#graphic novel
#graphic titles
#comics editors
#worldwide outcry
#minneapolis police
#george floyd
UK printing firms say the impact of Covid-19 on their business has not been as large as first feared but they have warned of further challenges as publishers gear up for a big autumn. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-08 17:51:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
As much as 30 percent of typical annual reading gains may not be carried into schoolwork in the autumn, says an NWEA report, as the COVID-19 pandemic affects US education. The post Coronavirus Impact: Scholastic Adjusts Its Summer Reading Program appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-06-08 12:33:09 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#scholastic
#coronavirus impact
We're talking to library staff about how libraries are working to plan for summer reading programs despite the limitations caused by a global pandemic. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-06-08 10:33:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#libraries
#global pandemic
#library staff
These recent poetry collections offer poignant narratives and snapshots of racial injustice in America. The post An Anti-Racist Poetry Reading List appeared first on The Millions. Continue reading at The Millions
[ The Millions | 2020-06-08 10:00:04 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#racial injustice
Many years ago, I heard a teacher of mine, the late John Gardener, once say that there are only two plots in all of literature: you go on a journey or a stranger comes to town. Or, as Stanley Elkin put it even more succinctly (in reference to science fiction), you go there or they […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-06-08 08:47:33 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#science fiction
Here at BookLife, we’ve compiled our own list of titles from self-published authors that address systemic racism and police brutality; explore African American history; or that otherwise reflect the diverse lived experiences of black individuals in America. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-06-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#black individuals
#police brutality
#self-published authors
#ve compiled
The books highlighted here employ a variety of forms to unequivocally confront the injustices of slavery, Jim Crow segregation, racial bias in the workplace, wrongful conviction and imprisonment, police brutality, and the anger felt by people living under racist oppression. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-06-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#people living
#police brutality
#wrongful conviction
#racial bias
#books highlighted