Tag: newspaper

• Enhanced E-Books: Blowing Up the Book – WSJ

  Posted at 6:26 pm by Laura, on January 20, 2012

  Enhanced E-Books: Blowing Up the Book – The Wall Street Journal – Alexandra Alter

  The new novel “Chopsticks” tells the story of a troubled young piano prodigy—using family photos, letters, documents, instant messages and YouTube videos. It’s a love story, a mystery and a parable about creativity and madness.

  It’s also an experiment, one that could have far-reaching implications for the book industry, as publishers stretch the definition of what constitutes a book. “Chopsticks” straddles the digital divide that is transforming the publishing world—it’s both a novel and a digital app.

  My mind is screaming “no!” We already have videos and apps and ads and media bombardment everywhere else. I can see this becoming a useful tool to children, possibly, but not for adults in my opinion. Even with children, there’s still a need for touch – to feel the fuzzy sheep, to touch the rough sandpaper – when they’re reading (or being read to). That’s something an ebook cannot provide. But, to continue…

  “The consumer is not asking for this,” said Jane Friedman, CEO of Open Road Media, an e-book publisher that is experimenting with enhanced titles. “It takes it from being a reading experience to something else, and we are publishers.“

  Thank you, Friedman! Let’s be friends.

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

• Where have all the book illustrators gone? – The Independent

  Posted at 6:19 pm by Laura, on January 20, 2012

  Where have all the book illustrators gone? – The Independent – Melanie McDonagh

  Charles Dickens enjoyed close collaborative relationships with the illustrators of his novels, but now it’s rare to find a picture outside the world of children’s books. Is drawing a lost art, or could we be on the brink of a new golden age?

  McDonagh talks about trends in art culture and the desires of authors and publishers. It’s pretty interesting to see the trends in publishing and illustrating.

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

• Unexpected Inspirations Behind Beloved Children’s Books – Atlantic

  Posted at 6:12 pm by Laura, on January 20, 2012

  

  The Unexpected Inspirations Behind Beloved Children’s Books – The Atlantic – Tom Hawking

  The acid trips, war wounds, and survival stories that led to your treasured childhood fantasies…

  What was the story behind Harry Potter, Where the Wild Things Are, Watership Down, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Chronicles of Narnia? Take a look and find out about 10 of your favorite children’s books. Really neat and fun to read!

  Posted in books | 1 Comment | Tagged authors, books, genre: children, genre: classics, genre: fiction, newspaper

• TFiOS is #1 on the NYTimes Best Seller List!

  Posted at 7:29 pm by Laura, on January 18, 2012

  John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars is #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list!

  If you have not seen it, read it, heard of it, been living under a rock – check out my review of the book.

  Source: Twitter’s @realjohngreen, @PWKidsBookshelf, @PublishersWkly, @jodipicoult, @sarahdessen

  Posted in books, publishing, Update Post | 0 Comments | Tagged authors, books, news, newspaper, publishing

• Should J.K. Rowling Win the Nobel Prize? – Huffington Post

  Posted at 3:23 pm by Laura, on January 13, 2012

  Should JK Rowling Win the Nobel Prize? – Huffington Post -Jeff O’Neal

  

  In his will that established the prizes, Alfred Nobel wanted the Literature award to go to “to the person who shall have produced in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction.” This phrase is as ambiguous as it is telling; the “ideal direction” of literature is not stated, but the award clearly is intended for authors whose work strives toward some kind of literary ideal.

  …

  There are other ways of thinking about what literature’s goals should be, and the one that jumps to mind for me is reading itself. Reading is an end in itself and therefore writing that inspires people to read does indeed work in “an ideal direction.” And what living author has inspired more people to read and more love of reading than J.K. Rowling?

  I think yes. The Nobel Prize shouldn’t just be limited to “high art” literature. Many of the authors and poets who have won the award are generally unknown, or known but the work is difficult to read and enjoy. Rowling has changed the lives of millions, and I believe she should be recognized for it.

  But, feel free to read the article and discuss your opinion!

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

• Mad for ‘Downton?’ Publishers Have a Reading List! – NYTimes

  Posted at 11:38 am by Laura, on January 13, 2012

  If You’re Mad for ‘Downton,’ Publishers Have Reading List – New York Times – Julie Bosman

  I’m a huge fan of Downton Abbey, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have a reading list that relates to Highclere, Yorkshire, WWI, elite life, and servant life in the early 1900s. In case you’re interested, here’s a link to a great book list!

  Happy reading!

  Posted in books, Link | 0 Comments | Tagged books, genre: fiction, genre: history, genre: nonfiction, history, newspaper

• Why Authors Tweet – NYTimes

  Posted at 11:44 am by Laura, on January 9, 2012

  Why Authors Tweet – New York Times – Anne Trubek

  W. B. Yeats remarked that the poet “is never the bundle of accident and incoherence that sits down to breakfast.” T. S. Eliot further argued that “the progress of an artist is . . . a continual extinction of personality”; forget about getting to know the figure behind the words: “Honest criticism and sensitive appreciation is directed not upon the poet but upon the poetry.” On his Facebook page, created by his publisher, Jeffrey Eugenides recently expressed similar sentiments. In “A Note From Jeffrey Eugenides to Readers,” he described his joy at meeting them, but concluded by saying he doesn’t know when or if he’ll post on the page again: “It’s better, I think, for readers not to communicate too directly with an author because the author is, strangely enough, beside the point.”

  But readers are not heeding Eugenides’s advice, nor are many writers. Why? For one thing, publishers are pushing authors to hobnob with readers on Twitter and Facebook in the hope they will sell more copies. But there’s another reason: Many authors have little use for the pretension of hermetic distance and never accepted a historically specific idea of what it means to be a writer.

  To tweet or not to tweet? Be sure to read the full the two pages!

  Posted in Link | 0 Comments | Tagged authors, news, newspaper, technology

• Traditional Books, Dressed to Kill… – The Observer

  Posted at 1:05 pm by Laura, on January 8, 2012

  Traditional books, dressed to kill… – The Observer – Robert McCrum

  From the outside, the book trade looks staid, static and conservative, but inside the publishing jungle there’s a life-and-death struggle between E and P. This competition has begun to sponsor a literary bonanza. If ever there was a golden age of reading, this is it.

  The flip-side of ebooks: they are encouraging more purchases of print books. What do you think? What is your opinion on E versus P?

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

• As Celebrities Choose Amazon… – The Independent

  Posted at 7:15 am by Laura, on January 5, 2012

  As celebrities choose Amazon, is this the end for publishers? – The Independent – Guy Adams

  The deal [between Amazon and James Franco], which was reported yesterday but has yet to be formally confirmed by either side, represents an ominous development for the industry, which in recent months has seen similar deals signed by the likes of New Age “guru” Deepak Chopra, self-help writer Timothy Ferriss, and the actor and director Penny Marshall.

  For years, the rise of Amazon, which heavily discounts books, has been eating into the once luxurious profit margins enjoyed by mainstream publishers. There are therefore growing fears that the online giant could soon send their industry the way of the high street bookstore.

  Personally, I scoff at big names like Amazon taking over, creating monopolies. One day they’ll collapse. But maybe I just haven’t had my tea this morning and am not thinking straight enough to feel worried.

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

• Brontë Landscape’s Battle for Survival – The Guardian

  Posted at 9:33 am by Laura, on January 2, 2012

  Although not publishing news, it is literary news.

  Brontë Landscape’s Battle for Survival as New Housing Threaten’s Tourist Trade – The Guardian – Vanessa Thorpe

  Of equal importance to many in Haworth this new year is the parallel struggle to deter developers from building further housing estates across the hills once crossed by the literary sisters and their potent cast of characters.

  “There is an assault on the Brontë landscape going on,” said Huxley. “It is not deliberate, but the reason so many people come here is to see the streets and the hills and moor that the sisters wrote about. Some of these views should be sacrosanct.”

  […]

  Now 20 January looms large in Haworth, which is when English Heritage will come back to see if the church has raised the required £65,000 in order for it to release a pot of £100,000 to repair the worst side of the roof. So far the parish has raised just under £30,000. By chance 20 January is also the last day for objections to be registered to the planned housing developments before Bradford council rules on Haworth’s future.

  I did not get a chance to visit Haworth while I was in England and I deeply regret it. If you love the three sisters, if you’re a fan of their work, if you visit authors’ homes like literary pilgrims, please give money to help repair Haworth and prevent housing developments from taking over the moors.

  There is a mention in the article about a manuscript written by Charlotte at 14. That particular article can be found here.

  Posted in Link | 1 Comment | Tagged genre: classics, history, news, newspaper

• 

• 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!

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