But one that needs to be clicked.
http://www.booksinc.net/bestseller_price_wars
Filed under: books, news of the world | Tags: lolz, mobylives, newt gingrich is an idiot, orhan pamuk, turkey and the armenian genocide
A post from yesterday about Unabridged fave Orhan Pamuk. You may recall back in 2005 the Turkish government charing Pamuk for one crime or another for acknowledging the Armenian genocide as historical fact.
Well now Turkey is just like America! Yay? No. Bad. The Turkish supreme court ruled citizens can sue Mr. Pamuk for money and what not. This from MOBYLIVES: “Turkey’s Supreme Court has ruled that a group of six citizens offended by Pamuk’s comments can nonetheless sue him for compensation.”
Meanwhile in America … Newt Gingrich and his lawyers sent a Twitter user a cease and desist letter because they don’t like him clogging up his Titterz. He needs his lolz, people!
Filed under: news of the world | Tags: grey gardens, new york magazine, nymagazine
“The Secret of Grey Gardens” – the article that exposed a nation to Lily Pond Lane. New York Magazine has reposted the piece that was originally published in 1972.
The writing still stands the test of time and is still quite fascinating.
Know nothing of Grey Gardens? Click and find out more.
Filed under: books, news of the world | Tags: IMPAC, IMPAC dublin literary award, junot diaz, nobel, shortlist
Oh, wait, a European (ish) literary prize that recognizes American authors? Oh. I’m confused. Nobel was just telling us we don’t matter… huh.
IMPAC just released their 2009 shortlist.
From IMPAC’s site:
“The shortlist of the 2009 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award was formally announced by The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Eibhlin Byrne on April 2nd, 2009 at 10.00am in The Mansion House
The shortlist was selected from a total of 146 novels nominated by 157 public library systems in 117 cities worldwide. The Award is worth €100,000 and is the world’s most valuable literary prize for a single work of fiction published in English.”
Take that Sweden. Your pop-music may be charming and addictive, but your literary criticism is wanting. Can we vote in this thing? Please place one vote in the Junot Diaz box, plzkthnxbai.
Filed under: books, bookstore news, news of the world | Tags: books, coffeehouse books, allan kornblum, publishing, realignment
We are seeing a realignment – where will it take us?
This is a great series of interviews that chronicles the current lives of independent publishers. The Coffee House Press interview is a very lucid, open-eyed account to what’s going on within the publishing world. Allan Kornblum makes no bones about where his business might be heading or what he will have to deal with, but also realizing he doesn’t really know where things are going to fall. A great response from Kornblum:
I believe Yogi Berra once said, “If people don’t want to come to the ballpark, you just can’t stop them.” If booksellers don’t order books, we small press publishers can’t stop them. The demise of legendary stores like Cody’s on the West Coast and Robin’s in Philly is heartbreaking. But I still have that damned stupid optimism gene. And that leads me to believe that when the recession is over, new idealists will open new stores, and one in ten will find a way to make it work. And I do believe that booksellers know they need a variety of books to satisfy their customers, not a half dozen best sellers. In any event, we had a pretty good 2008–and I believe in the books we’re publishing, and I believe in the relationships we have, and Consortium’s sales reps have with good booksellers. We’ll see what happens next.
While you’re at it read the other four parts in the series.
This little news items was posted early this afternoon about a billboard that’s sort of across the street from the bookstore, but very across the street from Nettelhorst.
[UPDATE 1:30pm] Someone got something done because it has just been removed. WGN filmed as a worker stripped the ad’s panels away to reveal the previous advertisement for The Tale of Despereaux movie.
Filed under: bookstore news, news of the world | Tags: gawker, harpers, defamer, harpers magazine, kathy griffin
Before you do anything, ANYTHING, read the article on the current state of the publishing industry from Harper’s Magazine. It’s a great run-down of the challenges that publishers face. The kicker, and I am paraphrasing an eleven page article: They did it to themselves! Harharhar! Actually: not funny. It reads like a hit piece on the Frankfurt Book Fair that’s held every year to find the next new thing. Or an attack on the money/media establishment.
“CEOs pressured editors to buy big bestsellers, which developed into the form of mutual assured destruction that is the book auction, a sales device that leads to insupportable advances and thus to virtually inevitable disappointments.”
I would link you to the article, but Harper’s still embraces a pay for content approach to their online world. Well, pay for a subscription. Though I am not on the dole, I would say it is worth it. Or just come in and buy the new issue.
And speaking of unsupportable advances … Defamer reported yesterday that Kathy Griffin herself might be taking home a cool $2 Million for a book. One. Singular.It also mentions the other two high-profile book deals that have gone down this year already.
Oh what a glorious realignment it will be.
Ok, you can go back to eating donuts and pancakes.
Filed under: books, news of the world | Tags: conan, dick cavett, harper's monthly, harpers, john cheever, john updike, letterman, nytimes
I think the internet ran away from me for a couple of days. I just found it.<3
Ok, I plead ignorance, but did you know that Dick Cavett blogs for the NYTimes? I had no idea. At anyrate, Cavett’s newest post is on John Updike and John Cheever meeting on Cavett’s show in 1981. Quite remarkable that two titans of American letters came together on a late night talk show. They were both, apparently, repeat guests. Would that even come close to happening nowadays? Could you imagine Richard Ford or Don Delilo appearing on Conan or Letterman? Why can’t writers be late-night celebrities anymore?
(Okay, I know part of this answer, but small aside: there is an amazing article in the new issue of Harper’s Monthly about the book business and about author-celebrity and about money, etc. etc. Here’s the link, and I’ll break it out in a post latter.)
Cavett points out that Cheever and Updike were jealous of each others gifts. They both understood the self-awareness of the art they had created:
“These two great writers sitting there demonstrate the real thing. They praise each other, but in a way that transcends the usual embarrassing, chat-show, face-to-face, fulsome public flattery. (Both would strike out about a half-pound of my intensifying adjectives from that sentence.) They elevate praise to an art form.”
Cavett shows some videos and cuts to commercial … and then he finishes the post by asking everyone if he should keep talking about those two. Leave a comment with a polite and firm, “Yes, Mr. Cavett.”
Also: don’t forget the expansive Cheever biography that comes out this March. It is splendid. I’ll post a review when the book is published.
–
Filed under: books, news of the world | Tags: abraham lincoln, birthday, charles darwin, darwin, darwin and lincoln books, evolution, february 12 1809, janet browne, lincoln, origin of species
You know, they don’t look a day over 150! Ha! OMG! How many times have you heard that joke today? I am betting like, at least, three times.
What a DAY on February 12, 1809. Sun extra bright? Sky extra blue? Something else extra something?
There are so many fantastic books on both Lincoln and Darwin that I could not possibly list them all here. We have a whole unit dedicated to them both right now.
The two Darwin essentials are of course The Origin of Species and Janet Browne’s wonderful two-volume biography.This is a could start for Lincoln essentials.
So, Darwin, Lincoln, we raise a glass to you and your life-altering contribution to the collective existence of humanity.
