Category: AUDIENCE

How Romance Writers Are Thriving In The Gig Economy

“Although few have reached the flabbergasting success of “Fifty Shades” author E.L. James, a former fan fiction writer whose net worth now totals more than $58 million, I found that the median income for romance authors has tripled in the e-book era. And more and more are earning a six-figure income. This uptick occurred as other types of writing became less profitable. During the same period, a survey of 1,095 Authors Guild members found that their median income from writing fell by at least 30 percent.”

Listening To Classical Music Every Day Saved My Sanity, And It Can Save Yours

Freelance writer, BBC Radio 3 presenter, and mother of a toddler Clemency Burton-Hill: “It turned out that, when I converted my listening habits into a conscious daily ritual, I began to feel less anxious almost immediately. I curated myself monthly classical playlists with a specific piece for each day. Getting on the Tube and pressing play, instead of automatically being sucked into a social media scroll hole, seemed to be spiritually stabilising. I began to look disproportionately forward to it. And it occurred to me that, if I could benefit in such a meaningful way from this small but powerful act of soul maintenance, so might others.”

Why The Art-Selfie App Caught The Internet By Storm

“What’s great about the art selfie craze is that it efficiently harnesses other, less blatant, but still very zeitgeisty tributaries to the culture: irony in the face of high art; camera-conscious vanity; the obsession with statistical measurement (each match is given a percentage rating); online flirtation (if Google says you look like a Titian, you’re texting your love interest with the news, I guarantee it — and it’s safer than sexting); digital excavation (the Internet’s startling ability to unearth hidden treasures); and, of course, the naughty thrill — truly, a hallmark of our time — of signing over some crucial piece of your identity to a corporate behemoth, purely on trust, and for the most frivolous of reasons.”

What Happens When A Fiercely Bad Review Goes Viral

We can easily get addicted to harsh reviews. “The appeal of negativity to the reader, that mysterious quality which makes the pan and the broadside irresistible, should alone warn the cautious critic of indulging in bouts of vitriol too freely, or too frequently. Harsh criticism has an intoxicating effect on writer and reader alike: both ought to be wary of its influence. Like any drug, censure has its benefits, its attractions and its resounding pleasures. But it is also dangerous.”

If British School Kids Don’t Have Time To Go To The Art, The Art Will Go To Their Schools

And it’s not a new initiative, either (but the original was scotched by parents, who didn’t like abstract art). “Wakefield’s Hepworth Gallery has revived a pioneering scheme from the 1940s to introduce children to the best in contemporary art. It has commissioned several contemporary artists to produce prints of their work especially for local schools.”

Violin Shred Videos Make The Internet Wonder If Classical Musicians Can Take A Joke

First there were the parody videos of violinist Daniel Hope. Then there was his annoyance, and then there were the takedown letters from his lawyers. And now one of the parody video creators, “a Berlin-based concert programmer, dramaturge and journalist named Arno Lücker, was then told that a series he has long presented at the prestigious Berlin Konzerthaus, where Mr. Hope frequently plays and programs a series of his own, would not be renewed.”