The Prose Factory by DJ Taylor review – beware the suggestion that literary life isn’t what it used to be

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 ]

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June 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

Our June 2015 selection from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books. All titles are deemed worth of further consideration. The post June 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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May 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

Our May 2015 selection from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books. This selection includes guides to finance and fighting cancer. The post May 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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April 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

Our April 2015 selection of reviews from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books. The post April 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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March 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

Our March 2015 selection of reviews from BlueInk Review, a review of self-published books, includes a memoir from Romanian tennis pro Peter Marmureanu. The post March 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Life After Life for Atkinson backlist

Transworld is repackaging Kate Atkinson’s backlist to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the publication of Behind the Scenes at the Museum, as well as the release of her latest novel, A God in Ruins (May, £20). All of Atkinson’s backlist, including the Jackson Brodie series, will be repackaged... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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February 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

Our January 2015 selection of reviews from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books. The post February 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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January 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

Our monthly selection from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books, uncovers a superb memoir of a WWII concentration camp in Indonesia. The post January 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Atlantic Hires Former TNR Literary Editor Leon WieseltierThe Atlantic Hires Former TNR Literary Editor Leon Wieseltier

Leon Wieseltier has been hired by The Atlantic as a contributing editor and critic, the media company announced today. In his new position, he will write about “his customary wide range of subjects” for the magazine ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-01-06 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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November 2014 Top Self-published Book Reviews from BlueInk Review

The November 2014 selection of self-published book reviews from BlueInk Review includes paranormal fiction, young adult fiction, self-help and health. The post November 2014 Top Self-published Book Reviews from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Recent Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review

Our monthly selection of reviews from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books. The post Recent Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-11-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Foreword Literary Now Fuse Literary

Following an out-of-court settlement with Fore Word Magazine, Foreword Literary, the literary agency formed in March 2013, has changed its name to Fuse Literary. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Literary Agent Q&A: Melanie Rostock, K Literary Agency in Spain

Melanie Rostock with the K Literary and Film Agency in Barcelona offers best-practice advice for literary agents and tips on promising international markets. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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March’s Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review

This month's starred reviews of self-published books from BlueInk Review honor two works of fiction: a dystopian saga and a thriller set in Australia. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Week after week for Life After Life

Despite missing out on the overall prize in the Costa Book Awards, Kate Atkinson's Life After... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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February’s Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

February's notable reviews of self-published titles include stars for a 'startling' memoir about the Vietnam War and a 'fascinating' exploration of human rights. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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January’s Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

This month’s starred reviews of self-published books includes a pair of notable new novels, one about dysfunctional childhood in Western and another about a busy single mother. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-01-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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December’s Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

This month's starred reviews of self-published books includes a "stellar" historical novel and a "touching" memoir of life as a teacher of disadvantaged students. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Banning bad reviews undermines the very purpose of reviews

In an interview with Poynter back at the beginning of November, BuzzFeed book editor Isaac Fitzgerald said that the site will not include negative reviews. "Why waste breath talking smack about something? You see it in so many old media-type places, the scathing takedown rip. If you can’t say... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2013-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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November’s Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

This month's starred self-published books of note include a fictional tragedy in pre-colonial Nigeria and a memoir where beer pong meets sado-masochism. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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