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The San Francisco Chronicle had a nice roundup of all the coming events in Jackson, MS associated with Eudora Welty’s 100th birthday. Although it’s hardly news to most of the bookish set, I always like to see references to Richard Ford’s years on the same street as Welty. “The miracle of two Pulitzer winners growing [...]

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Yesterday, Publishers Weekly posted an article on the plan to move to digital catalogs at Harper Collins. The article stated that this new “digital alternative that will feature a handful of PR-like bells and whistles, as well as various search capabilities.” On first glance, I’m thrilled about this move. I must admit that my mailbox [...]

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Who knew collegiate a cappella was such a big deal? Mickey Rapkin, senior editor at GQ a veteran of the a cappella circuit at Cornell, knew. Besides his own life experiences, Rapkin noticed several a cappella references sprinkled throughout recent popular culture. Popular television shows such as The Office and 30 Rock joked about the [...]

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As the economic news continues to sour, and the publishing and writing industries continue to struggle, I’ve tried to focus on small bits of kindness, positive notes, and suprises this week. Ed provided an inexpensive recipe for a hearty corn chowder for writers looking to stretch their food dollars during this difficult time. On first [...]

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Neil Strauss’ new book, Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life hits bookstore shelves today. And he’s kicking off a book tour with a 7pm appearance tonight at the Tribeca Barnes & Noble in New York City. In the next couple of weeks, he’s hitting DC, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco before heading to [...]

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The New York Times has a brief article on a new HarperCollins imprint. Led by Carrie Kania, It Books will focus on “pop culture, sports, style and content derived from the Internet.” Also in the article is the first public reference (that I’m aware of) to Igniter Books, a new subimprint led by Neil Strauss [...]

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Publishers Marketplace reported news yesterday of a new Raymond Carver biography being sold: “Michael Hemmingson’s RAYMOND CARVER: A Critical Biography, an interpretative approach to Raymond Carver’s life, placing the writer’s biography within the context of American history, politics, economics, and the literary landscape of the time, examining the content of the short stories in relation [...]

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Aspiring authors are frequently advised to read their target markets, try to discern editorial tastes, and learn from published writers. As useful as those tips can be, it is also infuriating when you read an article that defies belief. I was in doctor’s office recently and picked up the February 2009 issue of Conde Nast [...]

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. The film version of Bret Easton Ellis’ Informers is scheduled for release next month and the movie trailer is beginning to make the rounds on the Internet. You can see view the trailer and sign up for email alerts at this website. Although I’ve heard the film dropped the vampire subplot from Ellis’ book, [...]

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This weekend, I spent some time catching up with the Fifty-Two Stories website produced by HarperPerennial. Complaining about the lack of outlets for short stories has, unfortunately, become a favorite pasttime for literary folks lately. More and more of the major magazines are cutting back on their fiction slots and the tough economic times have [...]

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