Look Out for the Book Vortex!
Let’s take a breath and remember that even though this business is cruel, it’s one that continues to thrive. The odds are stacked against writers, editors and publishers. There are too many of us. Too many books and magazines, too much publishing technology, too many snakes in the grass. But this has always been the case. Literature moves at breakneck speeds. And for good reason. Once it grows idle it grows irrelevant. So take heart, dear reader. Write what you know, as they say, and publish what must be published. Through the wringer we go. Take Faulkner. His first book didn’t earn enough to fill his whiskey glass. Take heed too of the western winds, as Apple jumps into the tech-publishing fray. We have updates from China and Africa; there’s welcome news for one UC Riverside poet, and Haaretz discusses what it takes to make it as a writer. Ho hum. It’s hard. But hey, it’s Friday. Grab a drink and share your stories. This weekend, there’s no doubting your brilliance. – Kevin Murphy
– Martin Jacques has written movingly and angrily about the death of his Indian-Malaysian wife in a Hong Kong hospital, claiming that the tragedy arose from a deep Chinese prejudice against anyone with a dark skin. — China in the Guardian
Faulkner. Just Chilaxing.
William Faulkner’s first novel, Soldier’s Pay barely sold when it was released in 1926. Neither did Saul Bellow’s in 1944, Kurt Vonnegut’s in 1952, Cormac McCarthy’s in 1965, or David Foster Wallace’s in 1987. All of these books garnered tepid reviews and bare-minimum sales. Ever since Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1828 debut sold so poorly that the author burned the remaining copies out of embarrassment, flopped first novels have been an American tradition. — Faulkner, Struggling Authors in the Atlantic
– The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) will be holding an international colloquium on Dr Imam today at the Kaduna State University and Dr Muazu Bbabngida Aliyu, the governor of Niger State is expected to chair the occasion. — African Literature in All Africa
– There are three main ways to succeed in the realm of “les belles-lettres” – or, in plain English, the world of literature: You can either be recognized by the critical authorities of the time, write a book that sells like hotcakes or, if all else fails, win a prestigious prize. — Literary Success in Haaretz
Feed the Machine!
– Christopher Buckley, professor of creative writing at UC Riverside, has won the 2009 Tampa Review Prize for Poetry. The award includes a $2,000 cash prize and publication of his winning manuscript, “Rolling the Bones.” — Christopher Buckley in the UC Riverside Newsroom
– Looking long-term, as readers migrate to digital books, there is a real possibility the basic form of the book will change. It is a process already under way, since the Internet has changed the way people access information, content, and entertainment. — Publishing in Fast Company
Video: Will the Kindle Make Books Obsolete?
