Frank Herbert on his Boeing, Stephen King on his Wang, and Philip Roth worrying that writing would become too easy … Matthew Kirschenbaum’s account of literature in the digital ageIn a photograph taken in his high-tech home office at 29 Merrick Square, London, in 1968, thriller writer Len Deighton is hard at work on his next novel, Bomber. An electric typewriter is perched atop a desk, a huge telex machine extrudes paper coils on to the florid carpet, and a video camera on a tripod is pointed at the author’s face. In the foreground is another, bulkier, typewriter connected by a fat cable to a cabinet or console. The author of Billion Dollar Brain had lately taken delivery of a magnetic tape selectric typewriter (MT/ST) (marketed in Britain as the IBM 72 IV). It was first posited at IBM’s main offices in Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1957; the finished product weighed 200lb and cost $10,000. And with it Deighton was about to compose the first novel ever written on a word processor.In fact, as Matthew Kirschenbaum points out in his unexpectedly engaging history of word processing, it was Deighton’s sedulous assistant Ellenor Handley who did most of the typing (until 1968 she’d had to redraft each novel dozens of times). As she typed, her keystrokes were saved to tape, and corrections could be made before a final printout. It was a vexing process in which writing happened both on paper and in the typist’s harried imagination; IBM’s literature commanded the user to “visualise... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2016-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Online literary magazine Electric Lit’s recent Bodega Project is an appreciative counter to the new tech firm called Bodega. Launched by two ex-Google staffers, Bodega (the start-up) received some harsh criticism this week for threatening the beloved corner stores. The company aims to install... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The New York Times writer is stepping down from her role, leaving behind a remarkable career characterized by razor-sharp reviews and intra-literary rowsMichiko Kakutani, the New York Times’ revered chief book critic, announced she was stepping down from her post on Thursday after 38 years,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Welsh economy secretary Ken Skates has accused arts trade bodies of "seeking to undermine the process" of a government review into literature in the country with their complaints. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ram Devineni and illustrator Dan Goldman tell the story of Priya, an Indian superhero who empowers women. Ram Devineni and illustrator Dan Goldman tell the story of Priya, an Indian superhero who empowers women.Pokémon Go has made 2016 an exciting year for augmented reality... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2016-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital Trends, which was reportedly in talks to sell to Condé Nast for $120 million, has mostly flown under the radar. But the 10-year-old tech review site has become profitable by honing its Google skills while other publishers chase Facebook and video numbers. “We’ve identified the cycles a... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2016-09-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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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... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Newspaper publishes online article saying ECB had ‘confounded expectations’ by deciding to hold interest rates, causing euro to temporarily plummetThe Financial Times is to review its digital publishing practices after publishing an inaccurate article about the European Central Bank’s decision... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In France, literary agency L’Autre Agence hopes to change the country's negative attitude toward literary agents with hard work and a list of great authors. The post L’Autre Agence Fights to Change the Image of Literary Agents in France appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The late April news was impressive and divisive: Google would spend €150 million on a new Digital News Initiative (DNI) partnership with European news publishers (“Google to launch $150 million partnership with publishers&rdquo ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Police perjury, political manipulation and judicial failings … Thomas Grant’s pungent, amusing study details the heroic achievements of a supreme criminal barristerThe doyen of the English criminal bar, Jeremy Hutchinson, turned 100 on 28 March. Still a spry and self-sufficient figure, his... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The founders of the UK's Literary Platform reflect on the changes they've seen in digital publishing over the 5 years since launching their consultancy. The post London’s Literary Platform on A Half-Decade of Digital Change appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An annual study of the gender balance in reviewers and authors in major literary magazines has found that both are skewed heavily towards men. American organisation VIDA (Women in Literary Arts), looked at publications including the Times Literary Supplement and the London Review of Books in... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The VéroK Agency represents children’s book publishers across Europe and the English-language markets and is seeing changes in who buys what where. The post The VéroK Literary Agency on Kids Book Biz Changes appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Literary Review has launched a digital archive of all of its issues over the last 35 years for app and print subscribers. The digital archive ha been launched in conjunction with the announcement that all print subscribers to the magazine will also gain free access to the digital edition of the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Martin Levin recounts how the inaugural Moscow Book Fair opened its doors to American and Western publishers, fostering better US/Soviet relations through the years. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-08-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A new study reports that after a book wins an award its social media ratings tend to dip. The Guardian explains why. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Should book publishing be all about profit? The success of OUP, despite its elitism, suggests notOUP is one of Britain's truly great institutions, up there, or nearly, with the NHS and the BBC. As in these other cases, its modern history has been largely dominated by the struggle to preserve its... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Edward Thorp was banned from casinos in Vegas for counting cards. He even published a book on his system for winning at the blackjack table using the mathematical theory of probability. While working at MIT, he built what many consider the first wearable device for -- you guessed it -- beating... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The rapid pace of change with publishing technology, and consumer technology for that matter, has opened up a host of new opportunities for publishers. “Prevailing wisdom” has been turned on its head. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2013-08-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Literary agent April Eberhardt describes her two-tiered offer to author-clients: one contract is a traditional deal, the other is a publishing consultancy. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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