The first-person essays boom: top editors on why confessional writing matters

A Slate piece on first-person writing has prompted debate in the digital media community. We asked editors at BuzzFeed, Jezebel and other leading sites to weigh in on the importance of such pieces – and why there is a gender divideOn Monday, Laura Bennett’s Slate piece on the boom of first-person essay writing sparked a fierce online debate between editors and writers: how can one best work between the vulnerability of a writer and the traffic goal of an editor? What’s the line between publishing someone’s personal experience and exploitation?In response to Bennett’s piece, we asked senior editors at several publications known for publishing first-person stories about what they value in them, how they look after their writers, and why it is that so many confessional stories seem to be written by women, and not men.This route to publication and a book/movie deal simply is not open for non-white womenAnd now Pollitt’s up at bat. Her three previous essay collections gathered brilliant commentary on welfare, abortion, surrogate motherhood, Iraq, gay marriage and health care, mostly from the pages of The Nation. But with “Learning to Drive,” she gets personal, and shameless. She has decided to wave her dirty laundry (among which she found unidentified striped panties) and confesses to “Webstalking” her longtime, live-in, womanizing former boyfriend. (Take that, you rat!) It’s hard to tell if she’s coming into her own, trying to sell more books or has lost it entirely. Or... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-09-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #gay marriage #health care #dirty laundry #ve heard

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Meet the Editor: Kathy Belden

Growing up in a small factory town in upstate New York, Kathy Belden had little interest in books until she moved to a new high school during her senior year and found herself in Mrs. Jerry’s English class. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Zoella keeps top spot in Christmas-fuelled charts

YouTube star Zoe Sugg, aka Zoella, shrugged off a mild ghostwriting controversy to retain the top spot of the UK Official Top 50 for the second straight week, with her Young Adult novel Girl Online (Penguin) becoming 2014's fastest selling book. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Four Questions for...Dutch Editor Diana Gvozden

We spoke with Diana Gvozden, acquiring editor for the new publishing venture Hollands Diep, about building a new imprint, and her acquisitions strategy. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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“México20″ List Spotlights Top Young Mexican Authors

The México20 list highlights 20 Mexican authors under 40 to be promoted in 2015 when Mexico is Guest of Honor at the London Book Fair. The post “México20″ List Spotlights Top Young Mexican Authors appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Zoella admits Girl Online ghost-writing

Her debut novel, Girl Online, was written with the "help" of her publisher, Penguin, admits Zoella. Continue reading at BBC World

[ BBC World | 2014-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New Republic Editors Resign en Masse Following Management Shake-Up

At least 28 editors at the New Republic resigned today following a management shake-up at the century-old political magazine.The departures by staff editors and contributing editors were reported in a tweet by Ryan Lizza, a contributing editor, who also stepped down.The editors stepped down en... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2014-12-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Geordie Shore's Pattison to write two novels

"Geordie Shore" star Vicky Pattison, who released her autobiography earlier this year, is to write two novels. Manpreet Grewal, commissioning editor, acquired world rights to the books for Little, Brown Book Group imprint Sphere from David Riding at MBA. Pattison’s novels will focus on a... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Top 10 Library Stories of 2014

PW takes a look back at some of the library stories that captivated the publishing world in 2014, and what they portend for 2015 Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Taking a cue from nightclubs, 24-hour bookstores boom in Taiwan: Could they work in the US?

Western booksellers might want to take a page from a Taiwan-based chain's nightclub-like approach to book retailing. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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5 Tips for Writing a Memoir

Will Boast: "If fiction is the art of invention, memoir is the art of selection and arrangement." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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December 2014 Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review

Our monthly selection of reviews from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books, includes several nonfiction titles in history, science and more. The post December 2014 Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nobel Winner Tops in France

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Portfolio Penguin adds editor Zoe Bohm

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[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Caravéo launches writing competition at Skylark

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[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Exhibitors Find a Buzzing Shanghai Fair and a Booming Children's Market

A bigger venue and a much expanded professional program awaited exhibitors and visitors to this year's China Shanghai International Children's Book Fair, which recently completed its second run from November 20–22. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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News Sites Top List of Slowest-Loading Web Pages

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[ AdWeek | 2014-11-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Young People's Literature at the 2014 National Book Awards: A Photo Essay

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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November 2014 Top Self-published Book Reviews from BlueInk Review

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dan Brown on the Writing Life as a Global Megaseller

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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AAP, Authors Guild Discuss Author-Editor Process

The AAP and Authors Guild co-hosted a panel last week on Capitol Hill about authorial-editorial collaboration, in advance of Congress’s review of the U.S. Copyright Act. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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