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 ]
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Donaldson reigns supreme as backlist surge sees new authors make top 50

Once again the children’s writer Julia Donaldson tops the year-end ranking of writers through Nielsen, but a rise in sales of backlist titles saw a number of authors with large oeuvres make an appearance. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-16 10:02:13 UTC ]
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A Personal Catalogue of the World’s Most Storied Bookstores

Two decades ago, I wrote my very first novel while working at The Community Bookstore, an independent bookstore in Brooklyn, New York. That job enabled me to complete my book, not just because of the flexible hours, but because the other staffers were all aspiring writers, and many of our... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-01-12 09:50:45 UTC ]
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Jabari Asim on Decolonized Souls, Black Love, and Writing the Past

When I reviewed Jabari Asim’s first short story collection, A Taste of Honey (2010),  I knew him to be a prominent essayist and cultural critic, author of What Obama Means and The N Word, former Washington Post deputy books editor and editor in chief of the iconic The Crisis, the journal of the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-01-12 09:49:19 UTC ]
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December Religion Bestsellers: Fox News Hosts Takeover; Mitch Albom Tops in Fiction

Two books by Fox News personalities—one by Rachel Campos-Duffy and Sean Duffy and another by Shannon Bream—cracked the top five on our Religion Nonfiction Bestsellers list for December. Mitch Albom tops in Religion FIction with his latest novel, ‘The Stranger in the Lifeboat.’ Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-01-12 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Pinch of Nom tops the chart as 2022 has record-breaking start

Kay Featherstone and Kate Allinson's Pinch of Nom: Comfort Food (Bluebird) has notched up a second consecutive week and a fourth week in total atop the UK Official Top 50, selling 54,410 copies through Nielsen BookScan's Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-11 22:26:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #kay featherstone #kate allinson #consecutive week #fourth week #nielsen bookscan #nielsen


Jami Attenberg on Building a Writing Life

At the Guardian, Jami Attenberg, author of the recent memoir I Came All This Way to Meet You, reflects on how a key moment of rejection allowed her to carve out her own path as a writer. “I’m old enough to realise that there is one more important part to carving out your creative life: … The... Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2022-01-10 21:30:10 UTC ]
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Will Young writes mental health guide for Ebury Spotlight

Will Young has written an accessible A-Z guide on mental health, Be Yourself and Happier, for Ebury Spotlight.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-10 07:27:21 UTC ]
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Books in the Media: The Last Emperor of Mexico by Shawcross tops reviews

The most reviewed non-fiction book of the week was The Last Emperor of Mexico by Edward Shawcross (Faber) featuring in the Times, Sunday Times, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal and Daily Mail.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-09 19:34:48 UTC ]
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Pinch of Nom: Comfort Food boomerangs back to the top

Kay Featherstone and Kate Allinson's Pinch of Nom: Comfort Food (Bluebird) has returned to the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, selling 41,132 copies. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-05 14:39:23 UTC ]
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Bookstat: Mackie packs a punch at the top

Bella Mackie’s How to Kill Your Family (The Borough Press) thundered into the Bookstat chart’s number one for the week ending 1st January, pipping J B Turner’s No Way Back (Thomas & Mercer) to the post.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-05 08:28:54 UTC ]
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Join the #FReadom Letter Writing Campaign to Combat Censorship!

The #FReadom campaign is asking you to write your school board with provided templates to support school libraries and access to information. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-01-04 11:39:00 UTC ]
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Howard named Children’s Writing Fellow for Northern Ireland

Award-winning author and illustrator Paul Howard, whose recent work includes Joe Wicks' debut picture book The Burpee Bears (HarperCollins Children's Books), has been appointed the new Children’s Writing Fellow for Northern Ireland. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-31 03:43:57 UTC ]
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Pinch of Nom narrowly beats Richard Osman to top Christmas book chart

The food bloggers’ fourth book Comfort Food outsold Osman’s second cosy crime novel by just over 1,000 copiesThe fourth Pinch of Nom cookbook, a collection of slimming comfort food recipes, has narrowly pipped Richard Osman to the top of the book charts this Christmas.Sales figures from... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-12-21 15:49:29 UTC ]
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Books in the Media: Dolphin Junction by Mick Herron sails into the top spot

Dolphin Junction by Mick Herron (John Murray) was the most reviewed fiction book this week as it was mentioned in the Guardian, New York Times, Telegraph and Times. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-20 12:03:32 UTC ]
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HarperCollins scoops debut from ex-BBC politics editor Burley

HarperCollins has scooped Why is This Lying Bastard Lying to Me?, an insider account and debut by former BBC political programming editor Rob Burley. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-17 14:50:05 UTC ]
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Akala, Wheatle and McNicoll among books for New Writing North schools project

Books by Akala, Alex Wheatle and Elle McNicoll are among 20 titles featuring in New Writing North's new project, focused on celebrating diverse literature in schools. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-11 02:47:53 UTC ]
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The Top 10 Library Stories of 2021

PW looks back at the library stories that captivated the publishing world this year—and what they portend for 2022. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-12-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Out-Spoken Press lands debut essay collection from Lock

Independent Publisher Out-Spoken Press has acquired Fran Lock's "arresting" debut essay collection. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-08 15:58:14 UTC ]
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PW's Top 10 Religion Stories of 2021

From the launch of IVP Kids imprint to Beth Moore’s departure from LifeWay, here are PW’s most-read religion stories of 2021. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-12-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
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