Tag: news

• Talking With Your Fingers – NYT

  Posted at 8:33 pm by Laura, on April 24, 2012

  Talking With Your Fingers – The New York Times – John McHorter

  Keyboard technology, allowing us to produce and receive written communication with unprecedented speed, allows something hitherto unknown to humanity: written conversation. In this sense, they are not “writing” in the sense we are accustomed to. They are fingered speech.

  A sense that e-mail and texting are “poor writing” is analogous, then, to one that the Rolling Stones produce “bad music” because they don’t use violas. Note that one cannot speak capital letters or punctuation. If we accept e-mail and texting as a new way of talking, then their casualness with matters of case and commas is not only expected but unexceptionable.

  Interesting article. What do you think this means for the future of books?

   

  Posted in Link | 0 Comments | Tagged books, news, newspaper

• HMH Adds Tie-Ins to Hobbit List – PW

  Posted at 10:11 am by Laura, on April 20, 2012

  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Adds Tie-Ins to Hobbit List – Publishers Weekly – Karen Raugust

  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, longtime U.S. publisher of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, has secured the U.S. rights to release tie-in books for the films The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again. The rights come from Harper UK, the global master tie-in publisher for the films, licensed by Warner Bros. Consumer Products.

  Five titles will be released for Lord of the Rings fans, including a movie guide and a photo storybook. If you happen to be a LotR fan, you may already know this. Might as well join in the excitement!

  Posted in Link | 0 Comments | Tagged books, magazine, news

• London Book Fair 2012: The Great Debate: Will Publishers Perish? – PW

  Posted at 7:33 pm by Laura, on April 17, 2012

  London Book Fair 2012: The Great Debate: Will Publishers Perish? – Publishers Weekly – Andrew Albanese

  I certainly hope not!

  Will today’s existing conglomerates continue to dominate the future of publishing? Or, will technology enable a rising tide of upstarts and independents that will forever change the publishing landscape? That was the question at the heart of the London Book Fair’s Second Annual Great Debate, which put forth the following resolution: In the fight for survival, outsiders and startups are taking on today’s heavyweights and will ultimately deliver a knockout punch.

  […]

  While the two sides obviously have some genuine disagreement, it was quite obvious that the resolution was designed to be provocative, and the two sides were playing their parts. In fact, it was clear that both sides believed the future does not hold a knockout blow. Throughout a brief question and answer period, both sides spoke of the value of new technology and traditional publishing have to offer, and occasionally seemed to argue the other’s point.

  See what each of the sides say!

  Posted in Link, publishing | 0 Comments | Tagged news, publishing

• 2012 Pulitzer Prize Winners Announced – NYT

  Posted at 2:28 pm by Laura, on April 16, 2012

  2012 Pulitzer Prize Winners Announced – New York Times

  The 2012 Pulitzer Prizes, celebrating achievement in newspaper and online journalism, literature, nonfiction and musical composition, were announced Monday afternoon at Columbia University in New York. The prizes, given annually since 1917, are awarded in 21 categories.

  No fiction winner, but there is a nonfiction winner, poetry winner, and a biography winner. Even better: the poetry winner came from an independent press!

  Posted in books, Link, publishing | 0 Comments | Tagged awards, books, genre: nonfiction, genre: poetry, news, newspaper, publishing

• The Broad Strokes of the Hachette, HarperCollins and S&S Price-Fixing Settlement – PW

  Posted at 10:14 pm by Laura, on April 12, 2012

  The Broad Strokes of the Hachette, HarperCollins and S&S Price-Fixing Settlement – Publisher’s Weekly – Andrew Albanese & Rachel Deahl

  FINALLY. Need an understanding of what went down yesterday with the DOJ? Publisher’s Weekly wonderfully lays it out.

  Three publishers—Hachette, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster—have agreed to a proposed settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice to settle federal claims of price fixing regarding e-books. PW takes an initial look at the broad strokes of the deal, and what it means for the settling publishers.

  They have the terms, compliance, timing, and reaction. Definitely take a look at it.

  Posted in books, Link, publishing | 0 Comments | Tagged books, ebooks, magazine, news, newspaper, publishing

• Hachette Book Group Announces JKR Title & Release Date

  Posted at 10:19 am by Laura, on April 12, 2012

  Breaking News! Hachette Book Group announced JK Rowling’s new book, The Casual Vacancy,  will be in stores September 27!

  Posted in Link, publishing | 0 Comments | Tagged authors, books, news, publishing

• Publisher Romances the Web – WSJ

  Posted at 8:50 pm by Laura, on April 9, 2012

  Publisher Romances the Web – The Wall Street Journal – Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg

  In a move that further thins the line between book publishing and book retailing, Sourcebooks Inc., a leading independent publisher, is launching an online bookstore this week focused on its romance titles.

  Really great read! Downside, though, is that you need to be a subscriber of the WSJ in order to read the rest. You’ve been warned! In short, readers of romance novels will get to converse with the authors through live chat and other nifty things.

  Posted in Link, publishing | 0 Comments | Tagged genre: romance, news, newspaper, publishing, technology

• ttyl Series Tops List of Most Challenged Titles – PW

  Posted at 8:45 pm by Laura, on April 9, 2012

  ttyl Series Tops List of Most Challenged Titles – Publisher’s Weekly

  The ALA has released its list of the Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2011. The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom received 326 reports regarding attempts to remove or restrict materials from school curricula and library bookshelves.

  ttyl; ttfn; l8r, g8r (series), by Lauren Myracle topped the list for offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group content. Some other surprising (and not so surprising – Brave New World, anyone? Why are we still battling that?) books and series make the list.

  Posted in books, library, Link | 0 Comments | Tagged books, library, news

• Hunger Games and Harry Potter: fandoms worth discussing!

  Posted at 1:13 pm by Laura, on April 6, 2012

  I think it goes without saying that I’m a massive Harry Potter fan – very fervent in arguments and debates as well – and the same can be said for Hunger Games. Well, assuming you are interesting in one, if not both, I thought I’d share two different articles about the fandoms!

  1. A Radical Female Hero from Dystopia – New York Times – A.O. Scott & Manohla Dargis
     This article dissects and discusses Katniss Everdeen’s character, her strengths and flaws, and the universality she appears to have with boys and girls alike.
     “KATNISS EVERDEEN, the 16-year-old “Hunger Games” warrior who has torn through the box office, is one of the most radical female characters to appear in American movies. The film’s stunning success can partly be explained by the print sales of Suzanne Collins’s trilogy of young-adult novels, which jumped to more than 36.5 million in March from 16 million in November, suggesting that the anticipation for the film was feeding demand for the books. At the same time there’s more to Katniss fever than page-screen synergy. Manohla Dargis and A. O. Scott, the chief film critics of The New York Times, examine this complex, at times contradictory character. “
     It’s an incredibly fascinating read! Be sure to read both pages. There are many points various critics bring up that I think are important for both curious readers and avid fans.
  2. Theatrical Parody of Harry Potter Books to Open in New York – New York Times – Patrick Healy
     A summertime, two-man show with tons of costume changes will appear Off Broadway, titled “Potted Potter.” Think A Harry Potter Musical only…without the StarKids. Should be entertaining!
  Posted in Link, Update Post | 0 Comments | Tagged books, news, newspaper

• Google Ends eBook Agreement with Indies – PW

  Posted at 12:48 pm by Laura, on April 6, 2012

  Google Ends eBook Agreement with Indies – Publisher’s Weekly – Judith Rosen

  On Tuesday representatives of Google contacted the American Booksellers Association and Powell’s Books to announce that it will end its Google eBooks reseller program worldwide. In February, it had seemed as if independent booksellers were getting a reprieve when Google reinstated some affiliate stores that had low sales. But in yet another sign of industry consolidation, Google will start selling e-books solely through its recently launched Google Play beginning January 31, 2013.

  If you rely on Google ebooks, don’t worry. They will still be available on bookseller websites. This is still pretty sad news.

  Posted in books, Link, publishing | 0 Comments | Tagged ebooks, magazine, news, publishing

• 

• Hello, I’m Laura!

  I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to travel, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm always down for chips-and-queso nights. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!

• Search the Blog

  Search for:

• Currently Reading

  

• Book Review Rating Key

  ★★★ — It’s good
  ★★★★ — It’s great
  ★★★★★ — OMG LOVE!!!

• Recent Posts

  • MSWL for 2026
  • Favorite Reads of 2025
  • Deal Announcement: Nina Moreno, YA Romance
  • Deal Announcement: Sharon Choe, YA Fantasy
  • Deal Announcement: Hanna R. Neier, MG Historical/Contemporary