Book Reviews
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New ‘Bookish’ Site Ignorish Indie Authors
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Guest Author •
Feb 06, 2013
According to the site, “The Bookish team reads non-stop, continuously enhancing recommendations with its analysis and intelligence.” That may well be true, but what the Bookish team apparently doesn’t do—at least for now—is read indie authors. Read On
Why Bad Reviews are Good for Authors
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Guest Author •
Dec 12, 2012
Yes, irresponsible and unaccountable negativity is toxic to art, but cultivating and rewarding disingenuous praise is equally so. Authors’ and publishers’ lack of stomach for negative criticism only gives anonymous trolls and snarky saboteurs an exclusive hold on powerful weapons of dissent. Read On
Are Self-Pubbed Authors Killing the Publishing Industry?
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Melissa Foster •
Oct 24, 2012
Self-published authors have created a devaluing of the written word, and, some of them are scrambling to see how low they can go to get noticed. Read On
CreateSpace: Unwelcome at Bookstores?
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Guest Author •
Oct 10, 2012
Just last week Penny Marshall (or her book, anyway), was unceremoniously yanked from the shelves of Barnes & Noble, where they had surreptitiously shown up despite the retailer’s promise to ban them. But the latest act of book discrimination isn’t quite as clear cut, and until recently, Amazon’s print-on-demand service (POD)—CreateSpace, tended to stay on bookseller’s shelves and somewhat above the fray. Read On
The Death of Literary Fiction?
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David Gaughran •
Sep 18, 2012
There seems to be a consensus in publishing that literary fiction is in trouble, that it’s something in need of nourishment and protection, and that the digital era is going to condemn it to oblivion. Read On
50 Years of the Playboy Interview
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Amy Edelman •
Sep 05, 2012
Scores of men (including my father) claimed they only read Playboy for the interviews. Not that I ever believed him. Read On
Reason #11 to Self Pub:
You Can Do it Faster Than a Navy SEAL Using a Pen Name
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IR Staff •
Sep 04, 2012
One of the main reasons self-publishing can be so appealing is that you don’t have to wait around for a bunch of people, say, at Dutton, to get your book out in front of the public. Read On
Stop the GR Bullies:
Retaliation & Backlash
Books, Columns, Homepage Sub, Latest, Terri Giuliano Long •
Terri Giuliano Long •
Jul 25, 2012
He [the critic] makes the work of art live for the spectator; he makes the spectator live for the work of art. Out of the process comes understanding, appreciation, intelligent enjoyment — and that is precisely what the artist tried to produce. – H.L. Mencken, Criticism of Criticism of Criticism Read On
Penguin’s New Business Model: Exploiting Writers
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David Gaughran •
Jul 20, 2012
The performance of Author Solutions is so poor that the press release announcing the purchase by Penguin can’t even tout their own customers’ success, and instead lists self-publishing stars such as “Lisa Genova, John Locke, Darcie Chan, Amanda Hocking, Bronnie Ware and E.L. James” – none of whom used Author Solutions to publish their work. Read On
Where Do Books Come From? The Many Ways to Birth a Book
Columns, Homepage Sub, Latest, Terri Giuliano Long •
Terri Giuliano Long •
Jul 18, 2012
Gone are the days when books either came from a traditional publishing house or a vanity press. These days there are lots more options. Read On
