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Archive for December, 2007

New Year’s Lit?

( General )

Speaking of New Year’s Eve and all, can anyone think of a good book that centers on New Year’s festivities? I’m sure there’s a major book out there and I’m just blanking on it, but off the top of my head, I can’t think of anything. Know of any books where New Year’s Eve features […]

New Year’s Eve Reflection

( General )

So before you get too far gone with your partying tonight, take a moment to reflect on your writing in 2007. What did you accomplish? What needs to be improved?
For me, 2007 was a pretty good year. I published a small piece in one of my favorite literary journals, Tin House. I also had some […]

And Still More on Book Sales Figures

( News )

So I missed this article back before the holiday, but CNN provided sales figures for rock star books that ties nicely into our earlier discussion of how wide ranging book sales can be. As I’ve mentioned before, book lovers so rarely get any true sales figures (that aren’t Potter-related) that it’s difficult to know how […]

Learn the Rules of the Game

( News )

So all the talk of how difficult it is to track book sales has really hit home over the last couple of days… It’s been a hectic, thrilling, exhausting few days.
Two years ago, I took a somewhat blind stab at trying to interview one of my favorite music writers. And now, I’m working with him. The […]

More on Book Sales Figures

( General )

Last week, I posted a link to an AP article that provided some sales figures for recent books. My point in originally linking to that article was to shed some light on the otherwise mysterious question of book sales figures.
A publishing insider posted a comment, kindly pointing out that the Associated Press figures were “WAY OFF.” I […]

Book Sales Figures

( General )

One of the things that troubles aspiring authors is understanding just what amount of books need to be sold to be considered a successful writer. Obviously, we understand that the publishers expectations and the amount of money spent come into play. But there are such massive disparities, even on the bestseller list that it can […]

The Farther Shore Reviewed

( General )

As you know, Matthew Eck’s The Farther Shore is the Winter 2007 Read This! selection. Over at the Litblog Co-Op site there is a post that collects a number of reviews of the book from around the web.

How to Write a Successful Stocking Stuffer Book

In The Telegraph, Sam Leith explains how to write a successful stocking-filler bookhow to write a successful stocking-filler book.

Eck Interviewed at Lit Kicks

( General )

I mentioned that many of my colleagues in the Litblog Co-Op were going to post features about Matthew Eck and The Farther Shore this week. Lit Kicks was one of the first to weigh in with a great interview with the author.
In the interview, Eck tells Lit Kicks about working in a war zone, about his […]

A 100k Rowling Book

( General and News )

Sotheby’s is going to auction a hand-written, hand-illustrated book by J.K. Rowling for charity. The estimate? $102,000.