“Her first collection of short stories, No One Belongs Here More Than You, saw off competition from the Israeli writer Etgar Keret and New Zealand’s Charlotte Grimshaw to win the €35,000 (£23,000) prize, after entries from Alice Munro and David Malouf were left off the shortlist.”
Category: publishing
So Who Needs An Agent?
“The problem is that there are many more writers than the market can bear, and to most publishers writers are about as important as farmers are to Tesco – they know that there is an endless supply of produce. Of course most of the unsolicited writing that lands on agents’ desks is rubbish, but how can we be sure that the occasional gem will be discovered? The short answer is that we can’t and, sadly, neither agents nor publishers lose any sleep over it.”
Up The Amazon Without An Author
“To get even minimal recognition, Amazonian writers, whether from Brazil or neighboring nations, battle isolation and insularity. Until recently they were cut off from the main intellectual centers in their own countries, which in turn thought of the Amazon, on those rare occasions when it came to mind, in stereotypical terms.”
A New York Spanish Bookstore Closes
“In a city — and a country — that has seen dozens of bookstores close in the face of online competition and dwindling customer traffic, the demise of Lectorum comes as a particular blow to the Hispanic literary community in New York. For nearly a half-century Lectorum has dispensed a wide range of translations of popular American titles by authors like John Grisham and Nora Roberts, as well as a vibrant collection of books by Spanish and Latin American novelists, poets and playwrights.”
This Year’s Most-Banned Books
“In 2006, there were 546 reported challenges to remove books from library shelves, most (61%) made by parents and most (71%) involving schools. Topping the list was ‘And Tango Makes Three,’ a tale of two male penguins parenting an egg from a mixed-sex penguin.”
Critics Blast US Prisons Policy On Book Purge
“The federal Bureau of Prisons is under pressure from members of Congress and religious groups to reverse its decision to purge the shelves of prison chapel libraries of all religious books and materials that are not on the bureau’s lists of approved resources. Outrage over the bureau’s decision has come from both conservatives and liberals, who say it is inappropriate to limit inmates to a religious reading list determined by the government.”
Tough Promotion For Book On Japanese Royal
Japan’s main newspapers have all refused to carry advertisements for a biography of the country’s troubled crown princess that triggered official protests from Tokyo, the book’s publisher and author said on Friday.
Learning To Hate Literature In School
“It’s often suggested that the classics are bereft of any appeal to Youth Today, but perhaps the absence of breadth in some school reading lists does play a part – and it may be that students are simply too young to appreciate certain books.”
Harry Comes Through For Scholastic Profits
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came through for Scholastic in the first quarter ended August 31, helping to drive up revenue 75%, to $586.9 million. Hallows, along with the six previous Potter titles, contributed sales of $240 million in the period, propelling revenue in the children’s book publishing and distribution segment to $342.5 million from $112.6 million
Creating Book Buzz In The Internet Age
“The task of unveiling a big book– especially one with great news interest or enormous popular demand — has changed dramatically in recent years as players in an increasingly competitive news media seek to be the first to unveil content, and the Internet makes it more difficult to keep books under wraps. At the same time the delicate publicity dance has taken on a heightened importance as books, like movies, must now explode out of the gates or quickly recede.”