“The problem with festivals isn’t just money. Most events are frankly dull. The fault lies not just with the authors but with the festival organisers who rarely think of how the event is going to work.”
Category: publishing
The Country Where One In Every Ten People Is Writing A Book
“This island nation of just over 300,000 people has more writers, more books published and more books read, per head, than anywhere else in the world.”
So You Think Libraries Have Always Been What Libraries Are Now?
“The explosion of demands made on libraries is dizzying yet some elements remain constant: acquire good stuff, keep it safe, make it findable, and give readers a pleasant environment in which to consult it. Sounds simple.”
A Nobel Not Just For Munro, But Also For Her Favorite Form
“This is a win for short stories themselves – small, personal-scale short stories at that, not the kind of political literature the world at large tends to think of as important.”
Oops! This Is Not The Way WH Smith Wanted Its Self-Publishing Wing To Go
The retailer “shut down its website on Sunday after it was revealed that a search for the term ‘daddy’ brought up hardcore pornographic ebooks featuring bondage and humiliation alongside stories for children.”
Chill Out, Queen Elizabeth: We’re Reading More Than Ever
“This year, in all media, from iPhones, tablets and Nooks, to enhanced hardbacks and collectors’ editions, the consumption of the written word has soared to an all-time high. Ebook sales underpin the income of publishers.”
People Of The Internet: Jonathan Franzen Doesn’t Actually Hate You, Or The Thing Itself
Franzen’s new book “does not really constitute a dismissal of Internet writing. In fact, its eccentric, Weblike structure–there are footnotes to footnotes of footnotes–provides a model for intellectually serious blogging.”
Bret Easton Ellis Was Also Surprised (And Infuriated) That Alice Munro Won
“‘Alice Munro is so completely overrated,’ tweeted Ellis, 49. ‘Alice Munro was always an overrated writer and now that she’s won the Nobel she always will be. The Nobel is a joke and has been for ages.'”
Alice Munro Was Surprised (She Says) To Win The Nobel
“I’m particularly glad that winning this award will please so many Canadians. I’m happy, too, that this will bring more attention to Canadian writing.”
Publishing Revolution: Huge Increase In Self-Published Books
“Romance and literary fiction have helped drive the number of US books self-published in hard copy up to 234,931, an increase of 59% compared to 2011.”