Category: publishing

Olsson’s Books and Records is a well-known name to lovers of words and music in Washington, D.C. – an independent chain with nine locations at its peak. “But the loss of music sales to big-box retailers and the Internet severely cut into its business, and the company had downsized over the past six years.” This week, Olsson’s shut the doors of its remaining stores for good.

“Christian book publisher Zondervan says their next edition of the Bible will be handwritten – by more than 31,000 Americans.”

Half a dozen unsung heroes were honored this week in London: the translators who make the literature of other tongues accessible to English-speakers. “Translation is an extraordinarily isolating practice,” said one of the winners. “I call it a vocation because it’s so badly paid… I’ve probably only met half a dozen translators in my life. We work in small darkened rooms.”

“During the summer, children were excited about reading because, freed from school requirements, they decided what to read. Being able to choose their favorite author, genre or topic seemed to empower them to read more. Now with school back in session, finding a book again involves navigating through a labyrinth of point values and reading levels. How did it come to this? “

“Martin Rynja, the British publisher whose house was attacked over the weekend, is going ahead with plans to publish ‘The Jewel of Medina,’ a novel about the early life of A’isha, a wife of the Prophet Muhammad.”

“Whenever a novel starts with the character of a writer sitting in a Hampstead kitchen, struggling to finish a novel, I throw the book straight in the bin… Kafka once advised writers to sit in a room and wait for the world to reveal itself to them. Right now, I’d rather get out and explore.”

“As the U.S. government worked on a plan to prevent a financial disaster, readers are seeking out books about economic crises – past, present and future.” Authors and publishers are taking advantage of the crisis by getting their books in front of cameras and on front pages whenever possible.

“Charlotte Kohler, who as a longtime editor of The Virginia Quarterly Review was a quiet influence on the course of 20th-century American writing, died at her home in Charlottesville, Va., on Sept. 15. She was 99.”

“The title is explained inside: ‘[This book] is quick, easy, straightforward, and good for you. Just like beans on toast.’ It is a good job the book is so compelling, or the author would look like a blinking idiot.”

“Since its inception, e-lit has been struggling to free itself from its generic limitations and now seems to be on the verge of doing so. At long last. Although interesting, its early manifestations were hardly groundbreaking… Besides, if you really want to add sound and pictures to words, why not make a film?”