The Guardian view on fiction vending machines: attention seekers | Editorial

If they succeed in distracting commuters from their smartphones, short story dispensers will be a welcome addition to the landscapeCan fiction miniatures dispensed through slots lure commuters away from their smartphone apps and social media feeds into the imaginary worlds created by authors including Virginia Woolf and Anthony Horowitz? We are about to find out. The French company Short Édition, which already has short-story vending machines in France, Hong Kong and the US, arrives in the UK this week, unveiling its first three terminals in London. Henceforth, travellers through Canary Wharf will have the option of forsaking news, email, Football Manager 2019 and every other temptation their handheld device can offer in favour of a story on a scroll of paper, printed on demand for free.It’s a modern twist on the idea of a free bookstall or swap scheme, already familiar to rail travellers across the UK. The cost is borne by businesses, which are encouraged to install the machines as a way of improving customer experiences and preventing people from getting cross or bored. The novelty lies in the dispenser, but also the brevity and portability of the reads on offer, which range from one minute to half an hour, and can also be viewed online. (Mr Horowitz has been commissioned to pen a 60-second whodunnit for the launch.) They demand far less time and energy than a book – in many cases, less effort to read even than a chapter – and will take up next to no space in a bag.... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2019-04-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #modern twist

Other Publishing stories related to: 'The Guardian view on fiction vending machines: attention seekers | Editorial'


Which science fiction classic should be the next HBO box set?

HBO's award-winning adaptations are novelistic in ambition, but TV executives hoping to follow Game of Thrones should look to the starsIt's almost commonplace to suggest that the HBO box set is now television's answer to the novel – witness the wily self-publishers who have started publishing... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


How publishing fiction online launched the career of this young writer | Beth Reeks

Indie publishing via online writing communities and ebooks can provide valuable feedback, and even set you on the path to mainstream successNews that a quarter of the top 100 Kindle books on Amazon.com are from indie publishers doesn't surprise me. I started out writing online. Fed up with the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #twitter account #revolution afoot


Simon & Schuster Fires Up “Hot Bed” Tumblr for New Adult Fiction

Simon & Schuster has launched a new social media community, The Hot Bed, to promote the "New Adult" genre complete with a "chili chart" to gauge hotness. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #adult fiction #simon schuster


How Science Fiction Bestows Freedom on North Korean Writers

Science fiction has a long tradition in North Korea and SF authors enjoy greater freedom to explore edgy subjects, such as crime and violence, than their counterparts. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-12-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #science fiction #long tradition #north korea


Ryan wins Guardian First Book Award

Donal Ryan’s The Spinning Heart (Doubleday Ireland) has tonight (28th November) been named... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book award #donal ryan


Ebooks need more attention from their publishers

The industry is supposedly embracing a digital future, but too scant attention is too often paid to the basics of organising ebooksThe bright hopes of digital publishing are gathered in London for the latest FutureBook conference and the future looks, well, familiar. As the new boss of... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #charlie redmayne


First views of new Foyles Charing Cross Road

Foyles has revealed the first glimpses of its new Charing Cross Road flagship store. Number 107... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Tech firms furious after denied full view of government reply to FISA court

Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, Facebook and LinkedIn are objecting to the U.S. government's decision to provide them only a redacted version of its response to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to a request by the companies that they be allowed to publish information on users' data requests... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2013-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #redacted version #publish information #greater transparency #edward snowden #phone data


Attention, 'Harry Potter' fans: Butterbeer reportedly available at Starbucks

A recipe for butterbeer, a beverage beloved by 'Harry Potter' characters,' is making the rounds and fans say you can order one at Starbucks locations. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #harry potter


Readers Slam Guns & Ammo for Editorial Advocating Gun Regulation

Guns & Ammo magazine is facing stiff backlash from its readers after publishing an editorial in its December issue supporting gun regulation.The magazine's Facebook page has been inundated in the last 24 hours with people claiming they've either canceled their subscriptions or pledging to... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2013-11-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #december issue #contributing editor


VIDEO: The Pike wins non-fiction book award

Author Lucy Hughes-Hallett has won the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction for The Pike, her biography of philandering Italian poet and politician Gabriele D'Annunzio. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2013-11-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


These Are Some of the Most Amazing Views of Earth You'll Ever See

I have looked at a lot of different views of Earth from space -- taken by astronauts, satellites and other spacecraft -- so I was not expecting to be all that impressed by the images collected into a new book called Earth from Space. But I was very wrong.     Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2013-11-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #space --


Understanding Time Inc.'s New Editorial Order

Storied magazine publisher Time Inc. surprised its editors on Thursday by assigning them to report to division presidents instead of an editorial executive, leading some to wonder whether business interests would now trump those of edit.Time Inc. CEO Joe Ripp said the restructuring will make the... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2013-11-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #media business #business interests #sports illustrated #traditions enormously #move forward #print industry


Editorial: How Far Are We Prepared to Go?

Ed Nawotka reflects on the pace of innovation in media, and whether book publishers should continue on their path to create more apps and digital products. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book publishers #digital products


Editorial: When Passion Equals Profit

From the Frankfurt Book Fair, Ed Nawotka wonders, why have so many startups in publishing never made it beyond beta? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


See Your Favorite Literary Classics Made Over As Pulp Fiction

You can't necessarily judge a book by its cover, but you can tell a lot about the content from it. For instance, when a certain font is paired with an illustrated character portrait featuring a dangling cigarette and/or a dangerous dame, clearly you are holding a pulpy detective novel from the... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2013-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #robinson crusoe #abiding love #great literature


Does Reading Literary Fiction Makes You a Better Person?

A new study finds that reading literary fiction “leads people to perform better on tests that measure empathy, social perception and emotional intelligence." Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #study finds #social perception #emotional intelligence


Snowden book to Guardian Faber

Guardian Faber has signed a book on Edward Snowden by Guardian foreign correspondent Luke Harding... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #guardian faber #edward snowden


Conde Nast Traveler Said to Cut Half of Editorial Staff

Conde Nast Traveler, the glossy travel magazine from Conde Nast, has eliminated about 14 editorial positions, more than half its staff, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.The job cuts include five editors, the entire photo desk and the the graphics department, according... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2013-09-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #conde nast #direct knowledge #job cuts #discuss details


Orion signs Kate Williams fiction

Orion has signed a trilogy of novels from historian Kate Williams. Jon Wood, deputy group... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #jon wood