The Guardian view on modern writers: the myth of the reclusive author | Editorial

These days, most writers cannot afford to live secluded from their public. But when a very private author like Thomas Harris announces a new novel, there’s always special excitementAuthors – at least as far as their relationship with the public goes – fall into several distinct categories. There are those who wish they had a public at all, who long for an invitation to speak at a book festival, and whose publishers try in vain to tempt journalists to interview them and podcast producers to book them. This category embraces a larger proportion of authors than most people would like to imagine; the average income earned by writers from writing (as opposed to teaching, or other day jobs) is £12,500, according to a recent study.Then there are those who have a sufficient standing to attract the attention of festivals, book clubs and other public events, and a publisher who can be persuaded to fork out travel expenses for them to attend. These events are almost invariably poorly paid, and at their worst – when audience members and sales are few – can be dispiriting. On the other hand, good literary festivals pride themselves on being welcoming and warmly social places, where authors can enjoy swapping solitary hours of writing for intelligent interaction with readers and conversation with colleagues. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2018-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #day jobs #recent study #travel expenses #audience members

Other news stories related to: "The Guardian view on modern writers: the myth of the reclusive author | Editorial"


Writer's writer William Zinsser dies

Author and writing coach William Zinsser, who penned the best-selling book On Writing Well, dies in New York, aged 92. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2015-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #best-selling book


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 ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #capitol hill


Authors Teaching Authors and the Idea of “Slow PR”

When Maria Mutch needed advice on how to handle PR of her debut memoir, she found guidance and solace through Grub Street Writer's Launch Lab in Boston. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-08-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #debut memoir


Amazon-Dissenting Authors Form 'Authors United'

As HBG's dispute with the e-tailer continues, authors are starting to prepare for the long haul by forming their own organization. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #long haul #authors united


Authors Guild Issues Call to MacAdam Cage Authors

The Authors Guild is offering legal assistance to any MacAdam Cage author who wishes to mount a legal challenge to the agreement giving control of their ebook rights to MP Publishing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mp publishing #ebook rights #legal challenge #authors guild


Ether for Authors: Are Publishers on a Tightrope with Author Solutions?

In Ether for Authors, Porter Anderson looks at the ties many publishing companies have with Author Solutions, at Amazon debates, and at drinking on the job. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishing companies #porter anderson #author solutions


L.A. author Percival Everett wins National Book Award for retelling of 'Huck Finn'

USC professor Percival Everett wins the National Book Award for Fiction for 'James,' a retelling of 'Huckleberry Finn' from the character Jim's point of view. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-11-21 21:14:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #national book award #huckleberry finn #huck finn


Percival Everett, Author of ‘James,’ Wins National Book Award for Fiction

Jason De León received the nonfiction award for “Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-11-21 03:36:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #national book award #nonfiction award #percival everett


A Memoir of a Beloved Trans Activist, Author, and Artist

"This is the kind of book that's hard to imagine until you're reading it: it doesn't seem possible, and then it is." Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-11-19 13:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #memoir


Guardian Australia wins Walkley innovation award for Gaza interactive

Story showcasing text messages between Palestinian friends at start of Israel-Gaza war claims gong at 69th annual awardsGuardian Australia has claimed an award for innovation at the 69th annual Walkley awards for excellence in journalism.At the awards evening in Sydney on Tuesday, a team of... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-11-19 11:16:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital media


Agents, Authors Question HarperCollins AI Deal

HarperCollins has become the first Big Five publisher to strike an AI licensing deal, which authors and agents appear to be approaching with caution, skepticism, and a measure of hope. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-11-19 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #harpercollins


HarperCollins is selling their authors’ work to AI tech.

On Friday, author Daniel Kibblesmith posted a series of screenshots on Bluesky in order to share a concerning email he received from the agency who’d repped him on his children’s book Santa’s Husband: the book’s publisher, HarperCollins, was offering $2,500 (non-negotiable) for the right to use... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-11-18 13:36:53 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #children’s book


Ayad Akhtar Wants Writers to Reckon with AI

McNeal, the new play by Ayad Akhtar, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Disgraced, focuses on an egocentric, self-destructive white male novelist, played by Robert Downey, Jr. The fictional Jacob McNeal—think Mailer or Roth at their worst—wins the Nobel Prize early in the play, but he’s guarding a... Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2024-11-14 13:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pulitzer prize


U.K. Author Cynthia Murphy Lands Three-Book Deal with Delacorte

Following a successful slate of U.K. releases and U.S imports, author Cynthia Murphy will pen new YA thrillers under a three-book deal with Delacorte Press. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-11-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #three-book deal #delacorte press


Editorial: Election results show leaders must tackle city affordability

President-elect Donald Trump didn’t win New York City last week — he collected about 30% of the votes — but he made inroads in every borough and delivered the best presidential performance for a Republican in New York City since 1992. Polls show the economy and inflation were top of mind for... Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2024-11-08 19:06:41 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #somos #puerto rico #short order


Dorothy Allison, author and force of nature, has died.

Dorothy Allison, the lesbian feminist activist, beacon, poet, parent, and award-winning author of novels like Bastard Out of Carolina and Cavedweller, has died at 75. Allison wrote about a queer, poor South with dynamism and ferocious love. Her books tangoed frankly with historically taboo... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-11-08 16:28:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #award-winning author #sexual abuse


Christian Writer's Top Award Takes Fantasy to New Reality

On November 14, Christian Spec fiction author Sharon Hinck will be inducted into The Christy Award Hall of Fame, a milestone for both the author and the increasingly popular genre. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-11-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:


A Humanist's View on Faith in Technology: PW Talks to Chaplain Greg Eptsein

Is technology a religion, a godlike system promising salvation and threatening of damnation? Yes, says Greg Epstein, the Humanist chaplain at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, in his new book 'Tech Agnostic: How Technology Became the World's Most Powerful Religion, and Why It... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-11-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:


IVP Titles View Christianity Through Multicultural Lenses to Offer a Comprehensive Understanding

A one-volume commentary and a two-volume set on African American Christianity highlight the mission and vision of InterVarsity Press. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-11-04 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #intervarsity press #two-volume set


A Few ‘Braiding Sweetgrass’ Fans Get Early Access to Its Author’s Next Book

For Robin Wall Kimmerer’s lecture in Norman, Okla., on November 1, the first day of Native American Heritage Month, Scribner arranged an exclusive shipment of her forthcoming book 'The Serviceberry,' which publishes on November 19. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-11-04 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #forthcoming book #early access #braiding sweetgrass