Madonna’s new children’s book launched over the weekend – a product of hype already makes it a best-seller. “The English Roses has already found its way into publishing history as the widest, simultaneous multi-language release, with a target of more than 100 countries in 30 languages. The US print run alone is 400,000. The massive hype of Madonna’s simple fable perplexed the publishing world yesterday as she hosted an elaborate Kensington tea-party launch without a single copy of the book.”
Category: publishing
Atwood’s Adolescent Alliteration
“If Margaret Atwood’s mighty novels give you morbid migraines, don’t miss her mesmerising manuscript for mini-readers, in which her mission is mainly mayhem and mischief. Also to massage the mood of her publisher Anna Porter by maybe making her millions. But after you read Atwood’s new book for rugrats Rude Ramsay And The Roaring Radishes, rolling in letters R, resist the relentless repetition of the same sound at the start of every word. You will resemble a robot and be repellent to your relatives and roommates. Ridiculous? Just try to refrain.”
Reason To Review
“It stands to reason that book reviewers enjoy reading. After all, as was noted in the first two installments of this series, they must choose (often with the help of assigning editors), from the immense heap of books that accumulates each year, the titles to read and write about—in fewer and fewer words, under deadline, and for not much pay. It wouldn’t be a stretch to call book reviewing a labor of love, except for the fact that it is so often a vilified profession. Reviewers are accused of having agendas and of cronyism, are called show-offs and career-killers. It’s a lot of heat to take for some free books, a few bucks, and a byline. So what’s the draw?”
How We Act As Reflected In Book Sales
Amazon sales rankings might be must-checks for mostg authors, but they also give researchers a fascinating window on how sales are affected by prices.
Remnick’s New Yorker: As Ever, Standing Apart
The New Yorker may be the most storied magazine in American history. More than two dozen books have been written about its history, and “over the years, no magazine has succeeded as consistently in maintaining a sense of originality. True, other publications can boast a higher circulation than the New Yorker’s 958,000. And many have greater reach on Main Street and Wall Street, not to mention at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. But how many have a mystique for publishing memorable writing?” Under new editor David Remnick, the magazine seems to be once again reinventing itself, with Remnick insisting that he didn’t sign on to be a “museum steward.” But with so much protective fervor surrounding New Yorker’s past, Remnick may have a difficult route to the future.
A Low-Key Kind Of Publishing House
Patricia Johnston runs the Afton Historical Society Press, a tiny publishing house in a little town outside St. Paul, Minnesota. You’ve probably never heard of the company. After all, Johnston puts out an average of four to six titles per year, and isn’t really all that interested in advertising, or making sales calls, or actually marketing her product much at all. Nonetheless, the business has flourished, with word of mouth being apparently enough to sell the consistently high-quality books that Afton puts out, and many see the company as a textbook example of how an independent publisher can survive in the world of increasingly corporate bookselling.
Barnes & Noble Closes Down Its E-book Business
BarnesandNoble.com was one of the biggest boosters of e-books. But the company has shut down its e-book division. “BN.com’s decision comes at a time when e-book sales are reported to be steadily growing, the number of retail outlets for e-books is increasing and a host of new reading devices are entering the market. It was BN.com, in collaboration with Microsoft, that led the push to sell e-books when it launched an e-book superstore in 2000.”
Goading Kakutani
A few years back , novelist Leslie Epstein tried to goad New York Times critic Michiko Kakutani into reviewing his book by buying tiny text ads in the Times (“YOO-HOO! MY CUTE KAKUTANI!-Leib Goldkorn is calling” read one). It didn’t work. Indeed, Kakutani got the paper to stop running them. So now Epstein has a new book out and this week he got word that Kakutani was reviewing it…
Me-Too-itis
Books seem to arrive in flocks these days. “Name any high-profile subject and you can pretty much bet that if one house is publishing a book on it, another house won’t be far behind. Much of the time, competing titles on the same topic appear within weeks of each other.”
From Blurber To Blurbee
Steve Almond lays down some rules for the art of the book blurb. “One of my least favorite experiences as a writer, is listening to other writers whine about being asked to give a blurb. (As with most of my indictments, I am guilty of this crime myself.) What annoys me about these complaints is not just the unacknowledged narcissism — Poor me! How to bear such popularity? — but the basic ingratitude.”