‘The Spotify for Books’ hasn’t worked yet. Here's why.
thebookseller.com – Monday June 18, 2018
No term garners more collective trepidation from the publishing industry than ‘the Spotify for Books’. From Oyster to Scribd, and Flooved to Entitle, countless outfits have professed to be on the brink of disrupting the world of books. So why have none achieved the runaway success of Spotify? Is the publishing industry fundamentally unsuitable to a model of unlimited consumption? Many would have you believe so. In reality, whilst the term has inevitably been overused, it has also been misused. This has paved the way for widespread confusion regarding business models and in many cases, unnecessary reticence from publishers.
We now live in a world increasingly skewed towards models of access over ownership. Blame the millennials if you must, but the reality is that we largely don’t actually need to own content that we consume either partially or fleetingly. And therein lies half of the explanation - the model just doesn’t work for books that are voraciously read cover-to-cover. In short, the Spotify model is less suitable for trade publishing. A bold statement, certainly, but one that has been shown to be true time and again.
Carnegie medal winner slams children’s book publishers for ‘accessible’ prose
theguardian.com – Monday June 18, 2018
Carnegie medal winner Geraldine McCaughrean has castigated the books industry for dumbing down language in children’s literature, warning that a new focus on “accessible” prose for younger readers will lead to “an underclass of citizens with a small but functional vocabulary: easy to manipulate and lacking in the means to reason their way out of subjugation”.
McCaughrean was named winner on Monday of this year’s CILIP Carnegie medal for her historical adventure novel Where the World Ends, 30 years after she first took the prize, the UK’s most esteemed children’s literature award. She used her winner’s speech to attack publishers’ fixation on accessible language, which she called “a euphemism for something desperate”.
New Lit Hub Project Aims To Make Critics Vital Again
publishersweekly.com – Sunday June 17, 2018
More than a decade ago, Morgan Entrekin, the publisher of Grove Atlantic, had a vision: to make a Huffington Post for the book world. Then Bookish came along, he said, and he thought, “Cool. They’re going to do that, and so I don’t need to.” But when Bookish failed, Entrekin revisited the idea, calling on longtime friend, veteran journalist, and magazine editor Terry McDonell to partner with him on the project.
That project, Literary Hub, which launched in 2015, has since become one of the premier literature-focused sites on the web.
Lionel Shriver and the rigging of the book market
usa.spectator.co.uk – Saturday June 16, 2018
Should the arts reflect the demographic make-up of their society, and be subject to quotas and affirmative action, in the name of diversity? Or should they be exempt from the imposition of quotas, as a meritocracy in which the only affirmative action is the one that recognises talent? This, I reckon, is the question at the heart of this week’s media case, The People (on Twitter) versus Lionel Shriver.
New Magazine Listing
firstwriter.com – Friday June 15, 2018
Publishes: Articles; Features; Fiction; Poetry; Reviews;
Areas include: Arts; Beauty and Fashion; Culture; Entertainment; Hobbies; How-to; Humour; Romance; Short Stories; Spiritual; Women's Interests;
Markets: Family;
Preferred styles: Positive
Provides a collaborative platform for art, encouragement and enjoying life. Our target audience is Women in all walks of life seeking to connect with others, share stories and laugh.
How To Write A Novel: Tips From Across The Literary Sphere
elle.com – Friday June 15, 2018
Who hasn't wistfully stared out of a train window, engrossed in a deep, perfectly soundtracked moment, and thought to themselves, "I think I've got a book in me"?
The trouble is, putting pen to paper is notoriously much harder than simply revelling in a cinematic moment during your daily commute.
Whether it's writer's block, a serious problem with procrastination, or not knowing what to do with your finished manuscript, ELLE invited some of publishing's most exciting names to discuss how to write the book in you, and then get it published.
Morality clauses: are publishers right to police writers?
theguardian.com – Wednesday June 13, 2018
Offensive opinions. Bullying. Sexual misconduct. As the literary world is rocked by scandal US publishers are asking authors to sign contracts with ‘morality clauses’. Are they really the answer?
When the American Libraries Association awards its Andrew Carnegie medals in New Orleans later this month, there will be no winner for excellence in non-fiction. Sherman Alexie, the poet and novelist who was due to receive it for a memoir, You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me, has declined the award following allegations of sexual harassment.
Last month, the novelist Junot Díaz withdrew from the Sydney writers’ festival and from chairing the Pulitzer prize board after being confronted by his own accusers. As the allegations swept through social media, another writer, Mary Karr, joined the fray, tweeting of her distress that her testimony to DT Max, the biographer of her one-time partner David Foster Wallace, about Foster Wallace’s abusive behaviour had been marginalised. “Deeply saddened by the allegations against #JunotDiaz & I support every woman brave enough to speak. The violence #DavidFosterWallace inflicted on me as a single mom was ignored by his biographer & @NewYorker as ‘alleged’ despite my having letters in his hand,” she wrote.
Halton swaps United for PEW
thebookseller.com – Wednesday June 13, 2018
Margaret Halton has left United Agents to join PEW Literary and will handle all foreign rights for the agency.
Halton joined PEW on Monday (11th June) and will work alongside Patrick Walsh and John Ash as an associate agent.
She has worked in publishing houses and literary agencies on both sides of the Atlantic and has been responsible for selling international rights in non-fiction titles such as Margaret Thatcher’s Memoirs and Naomi Klein’s Shock Doctrine, as well as novels by Toni Morrison, Zadie Smith and Nick Hornby.
Always Do a Test Run of That Fancy New Writing App
lifehacker.com – Saturday June 9, 2018
So you have a new writing app you’re dying to try, eh? Well, before you sit down to take on that big writing project, consider giving that app a solid test run so you can learn all the ins and outs first.
There’s this feeling that comes with a fancy new piece of writing software, or productivity software in general. It’s a feeling of potential, of power, like you’ve suddenly found the secret that’s going to help you to finish your novel, your screenplay, or that school paper that decides whether you pass or fail. Unfortunately, that feeling quickly fades when you realize you have no idea how to use it. If there’s one thing that will freeze your flow into self-manifested writer’s block, it’s an app’s learning curve.
Bill Clinton and James Patterson are co-authors – but who did the writing?
theguardian.com – Friday June 8, 2018
As the world’s bestselling author, James Patterson has his name on a lot of covers. Usually, the font size his hallmark enjoys overshadows that of a lesser known collaborator. Contrary to the popular adage, you can tell a lot by a book’s cover. The message on Patterson’s covers is clear: he is the selling point. But this is not the case with Patterson’s most recent title, The President Is Missing, where the name of his co-author, Bill Clinton, shares equal prominence.
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