Harper Lee never wanted Go Set a Watchman brought out, Sylvia Plath’s diary was burned by Ted Hughes – the controversial world of literary legacies When a writer is born into a family, the Polish poet Czesław Miłosz said, that family is finished. Yes, but when a writer dies that family’s troubles have only just begun. Wills may be contradictory and instructions to literary executors confused. Works left behind on computers or in desk drawers may be of uncertain status: were they intended for publication or not? And if the writer is famous enough, there’ll be biographers to deal with: can they be trusted to paint a kindly portrait? In their lifetime, authors have a measure of control. Once they’re gone, it’s left to others to guard their reputations.The vigilance can be fierce, with the appointed custodians (whether spouses, children, lawyers, agents, editors or friends) not so much keepers of the flame as dragons guarding a cave. Posterity is rarely kind to them: however they act, they will be accused of acting badly. If they deny the author’s wishes, as those acting for the French philosopher Michel Foucault have recently done by consenting to the publication of a book he hadn’t finished and didn’t want to come out, they will be called treacherous. And if they are overly loyal, destroying work the author disowned but that deserves to be saved, they will be called philistine or just plain stupid. Either way, they can’t shirk the role allotted them. They have an estate to... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2018-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
Lisa Jewell puts a great deal of thought into the monikers she chooses for the people who populate her books. Here are her rules of thumb. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-09-07 09:02:29 UTC ]
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The eminent art book publisher and longtime president of the publishing house he founder with his father, Harry N. Abrams, died on August 28 at his home in North Salem, N.Y. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
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After several critics complained of being quoted out of context on the covers of Jordan Peterson’s new book, the industry body has spoken out against the practiceThe Society of Authors (SoA) has spoken out against publishers misrepresenting negative reviews on book covers and the UK publisher... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-09-01 06:02:22 UTC ]
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Sarah Young, author of ‘Jesus Calling—’one of the most successful devotionals of all time—is experiencing a health crisis, as confirmed by her publisher, Thomas Nelson. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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He was promoting a new trade journal, Tape Recording, when he lent a video recorder to Andy Warhol, who used it to make a classic work with Edie Sedgwick. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-08-30 19:10:43 UTC ]
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Earlier this year, Adelaide Books owner Stevan Nikolic promised the Authors Guild he would act to fix numerous complaints lodged against his company. That promise has mostly gone unfulfilled. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
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In her new book, author Janet Kellogg Ray addresses her concerns about what she sees as a revival of the battle lines being drawn between science and faith in a similar fashion to what led to the Scopes Monkey trial in 1925. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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In his long career in book sales and marketing, Clepper worked at Macmillan, Harper & Row, Houghton Mifflin, and Oxford University Press. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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H.G. "Buzz" Bissinger said whoever decided to use the software to pull his book from the Mason City school district is a "complete idiot." Continue reading at The Huffington Post
[ The Huffington Post | 2023-08-18 15:13:40 UTC ]
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Stephanie Heit’s new book, Psych Murders, is a hybrid memoir poem that documents her experience of shock treatment. She traces her queer mad bodymind through breathlessness, damage, refusal, and memory loss as it shifts in and out of locked psychiatric wards and extreme bipolar states. Stephanie... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-08-18 09:25:04 UTC ]
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Michelle Tea always wanted to become a publisher. And after a decade of helming imprints at established presses, she’s finally in the driver’s seat of her own nonprofit press, Dopamine Books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Carduff, who was named books editor at the 'Wall Street Journal' in 2017, was also a contributing editor for the Library of America Series and the publishing consultant to John Updike's literary trust. He died on August 14. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Jacqueline Wilson is latest writer to wade into debate over changing dated and offensive languageThe publishing industry has been mired in debate in recent years about editing older books to remove content that could be deemed offensive.Even the prime minister became involved in February after... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-08-14 13:30:39 UTC ]
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He won the National Book Award for poetry in 2009, having first been nominated 40 years earlier. He taught at Brown University for four decades. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-08-12 19:10:36 UTC ]
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An open letter signed by more than 50 authors including Zadie Smith, Ali Smith and Katherine Rundell calls for investment firm Baillie Gifford to be dropped as main sponsor for 2024Authors including Zadie Smith, Ali Smith and Katherine Rundell have called on the Edinburgh International book... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-08-11 12:45:25 UTC ]
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Jane Friedman claims she had to fight against Amazon’s refusal to remove the misattributed titles because she had not trademarked her nameFive books for sale on Amazon were removed after author Jane Friedman complained that the titles were falsely listed as being written by her. The books, which... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-08-09 14:28:36 UTC ]
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The Apple TV+ film Tetris was copied from a book written years ago, according to a lawsuit filed against the tech giant and the Tetris Company. Dan Ackerman, the editor-in-chief of Gizmodo, has accused the plaintiffs of ripping off his book The Tetris Effect, which tells the history of the game... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-08-09 06:17:44 UTC ]
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A Canadian author says a production company belonging to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has bought the screen rights for her romantic novel. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2023-08-08 18:39:04 UTC ]
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Book publisher Simon & Schuster's sale to investment firm KKR is novel in many ways, but also part of a long-term trend. History tells us to expect the unexpected. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-08-08 17:35:35 UTC ]
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In this post-Fleabag world, publishing has become obsessed with the inner turmoils of messy millennials – but isn’t it time they pulled themselves together? Meet the novelists subverting the clichesYou’ve probably come across this woman: she is unfulfilled in her career, has been abandoned by at... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-08-08 15:19:43 UTC ]
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