Danielle Steel’s new book is promoted as a “bestseller” on its cover even before it’s published. How do they know? “Such is Steel’s reputation and following – she has produced 49 best-selling novels in the last 25 years, for total sales of 430 million books – that ‘Journey’ is guaranteed to be a success.” – National Post (Canada)
Category: words
PHILOSOPHY OF SELF-PUBLISHING
Self-publishing in the field of philosophy is tempting. “One problem is perceived to be that the system makes it virtually impossible for non-academics to get published, no matter what the quality of their work is.” But to the establishment, self-publishing is the kiss of death – no one of standing will take a self-published work seriously. – The Philosopher’s Magazine
NOBEL HANDICAP
Korean writers wonder about the chances of a Korean winning the Nobel Prize for literature. Although the possibility of receiving a Nobel Prize for Literature seems to be growing stronger we still have a long way to go. First of all, we have to translate our literature into Western languages, so the judges and the readers from the Western culture can read it.” – Korea Times
NOT LONG ON LONGFELLOW
Drop Longfellow into a literary conversation nowadays and you will get some odd looks. The exchanges that follow will include words and phrases like “mawkish,” “shallow,” “trite,” “mechanical,” “unadventurous,” “tame,” “jingles,” “slave to conventional modes and diction,” “the innocence of America’s literary youth,” and so on. For all that, Longfellow has been a continuous presence in our language since Voices of the Night was published in 1839, and his lines are still familiar today, though many who know them could not tell you who wrote them. – New Criterion
WRITE-INS
At a London charity auction, some of Britain’s bestselling authors auctioned off the names of characters in their next books to the highest bidders. One catch: the writers wouldn’t guarantee any character would be a “good guy.” – BBC
THE GRINCH WHO STOLE CREDIT
Did Clement Clarke Moore steal credit for writing “The Night Before Christmas?” “Many clues – including the original names for two of the reindeer, Dunder and Blixem – support the idea that a Revolutionary War major named Henry Livingston Jr. penned the poem, as his descendants have contended for about a century and a half.” – Philadelphia Inquirer
COPING WITH INFO OVERLOAD
How does one cope with the overwhelming flood of information available today? Who has time to read it all? “Who has time for old books? To be au courant now means that the only information really worth having is news that isn’t available yet.” – Feed
WHO’S THE AUTHOR?
Canada’s Governor General Awards officials have asked the publisher of this year’s winner for more information about authorship of the book. – National Post (Canada)
PERILS OF PUBLISHING, CANADIAN EDITION
As Canada’s superstore bookseller struggles to keep alive, one thing is obvious: “This country is simply too sparsely populated over too great a geographic diversity to allow for the kind of volume turnover that a chain of 77 big-box stores and more than 200 smaller outlets requires to keep its bottom line from turning red.” So does Canada need more competition or less? – The Globe & Mail (Canada)
I WROTE IT. NO YOU DIDN’T.
Nega Mezlekia, who won the Governor General’s Award for non-fiction last month, is battling the novelist he hired to edit his book. Anne Stone claims she wrote much of the book, but Mezlakia denies it and sent letters to her accusing her of being ”dull, colourless, humorless, vulgar, and a complete failure. ‘You may have Penguin’s lawyers off your backs [sic], but rest assured my campaign has just began [sic]. I have set side $50,000 of my hard earned money to ruin you’.” – National Post (Canada)
- WHAT IT MEANS TO AUTHOR: The complicated relationships an author has with those who help bring a book to print can make the lines of authorship blurry. The Mezlekia/Stone dispute comes down to his stories and her help in getting them out. – National Post (Canada)