The truth about book prizes, why Amazon is like an old-fashioned library and how much famous writers really earned from their journalism …Periodically, signs go up saying that Grub Street is closed to through traffic. Observers speculate that the street is being redeveloped as gentrification forces the former inhabitants to move out, or else that the closure may be due to the expansion of the neighbouring university’s English department. Older heads are shaken in what had been the local pub but is now a coffee’n’crafts shop: there used to be more life in the place, they mourn, when bohemian writers could dash off a review against the clock to pay for their round. Even if Grub Street is eventually reopened, it will never be the same again, and anyway it will probably have been renamed “Creatives Crescent”.Such cliches and exaggerations are characteristic of this genre of lament. Like most keening for the good old days, these threnodies are not pieces of dispassionate historical analysis: they are attempts to compensate for so much that is disagreeable about one’s own time by inventing a more or less idealised version of the past. Still, it is worth wondering why “Grub Street” should be the form taken by paradise lost in this case. After all, the street originally so named in London (it was real before it was metaphorical) came to be the home of that kind of “grub” defined by the OED as “a person of mean abilities; a dull industrious drudge; a literary hack”. Even allowing... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2016-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
The Internet can often feel like a cesspool of bad intentions, casual cruelty, and hopeless ignorance. Which is why a social networking site like CaringBridge, which allows sick people and their families to give their communities updates on their illnesses, gives us hope for humanity. The site... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Is something rotten in the world of academic publishing? Yes, if you read a blockbuster piece in the latest issue of Science magazine showing how many open–access journals have little or no quality control, and apparently put hard cash (in the shape of author contributor fees) before... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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Depending on whom you talk to, the foreign rights markets are rebounding, or are still in decline. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Society of Chief Librarians (SCL) has invited library services to compete for a part in the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The new Kindle Paperwhite is like the old one, but with a better backlight and upgraded software. Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2013-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amid the splendour of La Mamounia in Marrakesh, one of the world's most historic and beautiful hotels, Rachid O received the fourth annual Prix Littéraire de la Mamounia with Analphabètes (published in France by Editions Gallimard). Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hearst is likely to call its forthcoming Dr. Mehmet Oz magazine "The Good Life," according to two people familiar with the matter. The title will likely also include the celebrity physician's name, though it's unclear precisely how that will be presented.A Hearst spokeswoman declined to... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2013-09-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The tech community seems especially impressed by a feature called Mayday, which calls up an Amazon tech support employee via video chat to help with tablet issues. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-09-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It's 1969 and James Bond wakes up in The Dorchester in London. It’s his 45th birthday.... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-09-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Word-of-mouth has long been a driver of small business success (and failure), and these days it takes the form of online customer reviews. But the relative anonymity provided by the Web has added a new wrinkle: review fraud. In fact, fake reviews have been a real problem on Yelp. Last fall the... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2013-09-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It may be astonishing that a print publication devoted to book reviews still exists, but it does — and Kirkus Reviews wants to give you a free literary trip to NYC. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-09-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Teddy Getty Gaston discusses her time with J. Paul Getty in a conversation at the Getty Villa. Her memoir is 'Alone Together.'The crimson-haired woman makes sure to offer snacks to each person entering the room. She's seated at the end, next to a carved marble fireplace that doesn't entirely... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Now when you buy a print book from Amazon, you might be able to get a cheap ebook version of the same title. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-09-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For the past four years, Tools of Change has been a popular kickoff to the Frankfurt Book Fair. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-08-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kobo has hired former Waterstones digital content acquisitions manager Diego Marano to head up... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PEN America announced the winners of the 2013 PEN Literary Awards, a list that includes both notables and newcomers. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Writer J.F. Powers ('Morte D'Urban') inspired a small but loyal following. This collection of letters sheds light on a peripatetic family life. Back in 2000, when John Updike assembled "The Best American Short Stories of the Century," he included "Death of a Favorite," by J.F. Powers.... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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REMODELING magazine announced its launch of “Home for Life 2013,” a virtual tour showing how to remodel a home to be cost-efficient, safe and comfortable for life after retirement. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2013-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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