- 2013 May 21
Waterstones Management Restructure
Waterstones has begun a company-wide consultation with around 560 management-level staff as it prepares for a restructure set to put more emphasis on traditional shop floor bookselling.
'And the Mountains Echoed' Review
From NY Times.
Dan Brown on 'Hurtful' Reviews
"Bilge", "noxious malarkey" and "entertaining twaddle" are just some of the choice phrases that have been picked to describe Dan Brown's Inferno in the press.
'As I Lay Dying' First Reviews
Does Franco's adaptation of Faulkner work?
Beware of Book Blurbs
'The Washington Post' did not review Martin Amis's latest novel favorably, but the book blurb suggests otherwise.
- 2013 May 20
Stephen King Says No E-Book
For Joyland.
11 Buzzy Books for Hollywood
These are the summer books on Hollywood's radar.
Achebe Nobel Rumors 'Obscene'
Says Wole Soyinka.
50 Authors Annotate Their First Editions
For charity.
Sarah McNally's Unique Business Approach
Entrepreneur bucks book-selling downturn, opens second business in New York City.
- 2013 May 17
Amazon Called Before Parliament
Internet retailer Amazon.com Inc. will be called back to the British parliament to clarify how its activities in the UK justify its low corporate income tax bill.
How Do You Write About Life...
When it's lived on computers?
Publisher Threatens to Sue Blogger
For $1 billion.
End of Genre Wars?
How long before Stephen King is regarded as literary alongside writers such as John Le Carré?
Kids Summer Indie Next List Preview
Check out this summer's hot books.
Kids Summer Indie Next List Preview
Check out this summer's hot books.
- 2013 May 16
J.K. Rowling's Spreadsheet
For Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
John Green's Commencement Speech
"Do not worry too much about your lawn."
Amazon's Tax Questions
Guardian investigation shows key role of British-based staff in pushing tax rulebook to its limits.
Steve Jobs's E-book Email
“Throw in with Apple and see if we can all make a go of this to create a real mainstream e-books market at $12.99 and $14.99.”
Radioshack Wants Shelf Space
In college bookstores.
- 2013 May 15
Library's Future Not an Open Book
How libraries are recasting themselves.
Meet the Man Booker Int'l Finalists
Including Marie N'Diaye and Marilynne Robinson.
NJ Bookstore Wins Hosseini Competition
Words Bookstore is the winner of a nationwide window display competition to win a visit by Khaled Hosseini, who will visit the bookstore this fall for a special event to promote his new book, And the Mountains Echoed.
Why Bookstores Don't Reflect Lit Health
“Bookstores can no longer live on every corner, because corners are expensive,” said Mitchell Kaplan. “It’s also that people are getting their books from different places.”
Jacobson Wins Comic Fiction Prize
It's the author's 2nd Wodehouse Prize victory.
- 2013 May 14
A 'Mighty' Story
An article about about Matthew Olshan's and Sophie Blackall's The Mighty Lalouche.
Did Luhrmann Get It Right?
A high school English teacher analyzes Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of The Great Gatsby.
A Super Sweet Musical
A behind-the-scenes look at the London stage production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
German Amazon Workers Set to Strike?
German labour union Verdi called on workers at Amazon.com to stage a strike in the country on Tuesday to put pressure on the global internet retailer to improve pay and benefits.
An Interview with Judy Blume
Judy Blume talks about Tiger Eyes.
'As I Lay Dying' Trailer
Franco adapts Faulkner.
Restyling the Classics
Don't judge a new cover by the old book.
Going Straight to Softcover
"I've always thought that 'straight to paperback' was roughly the equivalent of "straight to video" in the movie business."
Reburying F. Scott Fitzgerald
Salon: "Nearly 40 years ago, I watched his remains be laid to rest -- a poignant coda to his years of celebrity."
No More Free Books
The New York Department of Education suspends free-book program due to unpredictable funding.
Segel's 'Nightmares'
Jason Segel is eagerly anticipating the release of his middle-grade book, Nightmares!
Moomin in App World
Classic children's book characters have made their way into apps.
Children's Books in Translation
The state of children's books in translation.
- 2013 May 13
Cengage CEO Seeks Restructuring
Cengage Learning said it’s seeking to negotiate with creditors on a restructuring plan and may need to file bankruptcy as part of its turnaround efforts.
Goodnight, Sweet Print
Salon: "Are words on paper gone forever?"
'Gatsby' Finishes 2nd
Behind 'Iron Man 3.'
Small College Bookstores Pinched
"The Huston-Tillotson bookstore will temporarily close its doors and clear its shelves in a few weeks while the university searches for a new vendor to run it."
Dan Brown and Tourism
Florence hopes for a tourism miracle.
Kingsolver on Motherhood
"Motherhood is so sentimentalized in our culture."
- 2013 May 10
Apple Wins iBooks Trademark
A U.S. district court judge on Wednesday handed down a summary pro-Apple judgement in a case involving the "iBooks" trademark, denying plaintiff Black Tower Press its request for injunctive relief and corresponding damages.
50 Shades Director?
Joe Wright takes the lead?
Amazon Developing 3D Smartphone
Rumors that the retail giant is building a smartphone first surfaced more than a year ago. A new report suggests a smartphone with a 3D screen may be on deck.
Spreading Literature in Africa
Using cellphones.
E-Book Piracy Debate Revisited
Inside Tor's announcement that they've "seen no discernible increase in piracy on any of our titles.”
- 2013 May 09
Amazon Workers Sue Over Checkpoints
"Whenever he clocked out after his 12-hour shift at an Amazon warehouse, Jesse Busk had one more critical task to perform before he could hop into his car and head home to sleep: Pass through the sprawling warehouse security checkpoint."
Best Indie Bookstores
Hilary Davidson tours North America and picks her favorites.
How to Shop at a Bookstore
A 20-step guide for authors.
5 Great Books About Libraries
Josh Hanagarne, author of PW Pick The World's Strongest Librarian, picks his five favorite books about libraries.
Grammar Rules
Everyone should follow.
- 2013 May 08
'Ender's Game' Teaser
Releasing November 1.
Bookstores' Pricing Hell
Over Dan Brown's "Inferno."
The Book Nook Closes
A business that has been a staple in this region for 45 years is closing the book on its service to the community at the end of this month.
Candace Bushnell's Novel Leaked
Opening 50 pages of Sex and the City author's new novel made available online, along with her agonized emails to publisher.
Crime Novel Soundtracks
"In an average book of mine I'll probably name check Warren Zevon, Band of Horses, Wintersleep, Tom Waits, Midlake, Gillian Welch and plenty of others."
- 2013 May 07
Cake Wrecks for Teachers
A round-up of funny cakes for Teacher Appreciation Week.
How About These YA Sub-Genres?
A tongue-in-cheek look at potential YA sub-genres.
Why Gatsby Took So Long to be a Classic
"In 1940, before dying of a massive heart attack in a Hollywood apartment at the age of 44, Fitzgerald earned a grand total of $13.13 in royalties."
Pushkin Launches New Children's Imprint
Pushkin Children's Books will specialize in translated works.
'Great Gatsby' Reviews
Here are the first reviews.
Ellison Recalls Assaulting Publisher
"This is the story Harlan Ellison tells of that day in 1982: He had just assaulted his publisher."
3 YA Sub-Genres That Should Exist
"Look, the two books that made me cry last year were Wonder by R.J. Palacio (technically middle grade, whatever) and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (technically overwritten, double whatever)."
Puskin's Children's Translation Imprint
Pushkin Children's Books will bring to UK readers such international hits as Oksa Pollock, the "French Harry Potter."
Make No Mistake
Stephan Pastis visits his elementary school while promoting Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made.
The Real Story of Peter Rabbit
A candid publishing history of Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
New Wave
An interview with Rick Yancey about The Fifth Wave.
Wilson Critiques Fan Mail
Jacqueline Wilson states that the fan letters she receives from children overseas are better written than the letters from British children.
Lost In Translation
Author David Almond is concerned that great children's books are overlooked because they aren't translated into English.
- 2013 May 06
Why I Hate 'The Great Gatsby'
Kathryn Schulz at Vulture is not a fan of the iconic novel.
The 'Bards of Gridlock'
NYC cab drivers produce a series of poems about their jobs
'Sun' Writer Wins Canadian Lit Prize
Shelley Fralic, at the Vancouver Sun, took home the Bill Duthie Booksellers’ Choice Award.
Haprer Lee's Suing Her Agent
The author has filed a claim stating that her agent's son-in-law tricked her into signing over the copyright to To Kill a Mockingbird.
Amazon's Got An Android Store in China
Amazon has launched and Android app store in China beating, among others, Google to the punch.
- 2013 May 03
10 Weird Things Said in Bookstores
"Excuse me, do you have any signed copies of Shakespeare plays?"
ABA 2013 Election Results
Steve Bercu of BookPeople in Austin, Texas, has been elected to a two-year term as ABA president, and Betsy Burton of The King’s English Bookshop in Salt Lake City, Utah, will serve a two-year term as vice president/secretary.
Kafka, Poe & Other Great Procrastinators
"In his letters, Kafka complained that his day job was holding him back, but as Louis Begley argues in his excellent biographical essay on Kafka, this was really just an excuse."
Level Playing Field for Self-Pubs
Guardian: At last, a major literary award is opening its doors to indie writers. But does the news fill you with horror or excitement?
- 2013 May 02
What It's Like To Interview at Amazon
The company hires "hundreds" of M.B.A.s each year, she says, as well as hundreds of recent college graduates and others with technical backgrounds.
Gillian Flynn
On "Gone Girl" and misogyny.
New George R R Martin
Coming for Christmas.
Chris Beckett Wins Clarke Award
Chris Beckett beat Kim Stanley Robinson and Ken MacLeod to win the UK's top science fiction prize for his novel about an incestuous colony stranded on an alien planet.
Vintage Books in Hopkington Closes
After 25 years, Vintage Books, one of the region's few antiquarian bookstores, will close its doors around September.
- 2013 May 01
E-books Rise 134%
The Publishers Association (The PA) Statistics Yearbook 2012 shows that total consumer e-book sales have continued to rise in 2012, by 134%, reaching £216 million.
E-Books and Democracy
"The information revolution raises profound questions about the future of books, reading and libraries."
1,400 Stolen Rare Books Returned
A collection of about 1,400 rare books, including an early edition of Shakespeare’s “Henry IV, Part 2” and an illustrated account of the first expeditions to America, has been returned to Lambeth Palace in London after it was stolen almost 40 years ago.
Roth Receives 'Literary Service' Award
Roth received the PEN/Allen Foundation Literary Service Award Tuesday night.
Day Jobs of Poets
A handy graphic.
- 2013 Apr 30
Celebrities By 'Faction'
An article groups celebrities into Divergent factions.
NYTBR's Retirement Plan
Guardian: The Book Review was once American literary culture's holy of holies, but neither books nor criticism count for much any more.
Poets' Second Jobs
From dissections to depositions.
Soderbergh Writing Novella
On Twitter.
A Second Grade Book Reviewer
The New York Times publishes a second grader's review of The Highway Rat by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.
HC's Cuomo Book
HarperCollins is backing away from plans to publish a biography of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo by one of New York’s best-known political journalists, and instead has agreed to publish a memoir by the governor.
Half Price Books Closes in Irving
"There was a spike in sales after the two Barnes & Noble stores closed, but not enough to make a big difference," Thomas said. "The demographics aren’t there for book sellers,"
'Graceling' Trilogy Heads to Film
Reliance Entertainment is developing Kristin Cashore's 'Graceling' trilogy.
