In a sprawling, two-page article Daily Beast critic Mark Wortman laments the recent glut in extremely long books. In this epically long blog post titled “Are books becoming too long to read?”, Wortman points to a series of culpably grandiose books that include the likes…
Another child has written a book about going to heaven and coming back after surviving a near-death experience. This brings to two the number of child authors garnering media attention over their supposed visits to the pearly gates. One more and we might just have…
To many in the publishing industry, the Apple “App” seemed like salvation after the woes of free online content and the disintegration of old business models. For some, the dream may be over. One early App-adopter, Jason Pontin, editor-in-chief of the MIT Technology Review, outlines why he…
This Saturday marks the tenth anniversary of Free Comic Book Day, an annual event since 2002 that delivers exactly what it promises. Retailers across the country will be offering specially printed copies of certain comic books, often with discounts on back-issues and other items; and…
So little media, so much rejection. Prospective authors and hopeful manuscript submitters, take note. Prepare your sensitive souls for rejection from harsh editors by first sending yourself a few rejection letters. The Rejection Generator Project by The Stoneslide Collective wants to help you do that. “The Rejection…
Among all the seedy details contained in the Department of Justice’s suit against Apple and five of the six largest U.S. trade publishers, one thing stands out: at a time when many feared the rise of Amazon as a mega e-bookseller, the big publishers were…
The Supreme Court yesterday agreed to hear a case that may revise the law’s understanding of the First Sale doctrine, with significant consequences for publishers. The court will hear an appeal from California entrepreneur Supap Kirtsaeng, who was reselling textbooks on eBay purchased overseas to U.S.-based…
The aftermath of last week’s capitulation by three of the five major publishers has had at least one solid effect: Barnes & Noble took a 17% hit on its stock. The Department of Justice always gets its man. And this clearly demonstrates that justice has…
What to do when the guest of honor does not always behave so honorably? The London Book Fair faces this question and others just like it by welcoming China as this year’s high-profile guest of honor. Criticism of the LBF has been steady for more than…
A spat of economic proportions is brewing in the academic publishing world. Tim Gowers, Fields Medal winner and mathematician at Cambridge posted an article last week claiming that expensive paywalls used by academic publishers like Elsevier prevent important research from reaching more people and therefore minimize…
