Topic: Publishing

Y.A. for Grownups

Sophie Blackall and the Missed Connections of the Mail

This month Random House Children's Books released The Mighty Lalouche, a picture book by Matthew Olshan illustrated by Sophie Blackall. It gets my vote for cutest picture book of the year so far.

By Ray Gustini

May 15, 2012

Pippa Middleton's Having Book Issues; Death of a Literary Hoaxer

Today in books and publishing: Alexandria, Va. is America's most well-read city, at least according to Amazon, Pippa Middleton's having trouble finishing her book, and Gabriel García Márquez is alive, despite what Twitter says.

Comments | 1,817 Views

By Ray Gustini

May 14, 2012

How Truthy Is David Sedaris?; Defending the NYPL's Renovations

Today in books and publishing: the truthiness of David Sedaris draws scrutiny post-Mike Daisey, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is headed for bankruptcy, and a defense of the coming New York Public Library Renovations. 

Comments | 3,777 Views

By Ray Gustini

May 11, 2012

Yao Ming's Exclusive Book; The Blurb Non-Conspiracy

Yao Ming's memoir is going to a very limited edition, John Updike's fixer-upper of a boyhood home will be turned into a museum, and the truth about book blurbs.

Comments | 475 Views

By Jen Doll

May 10, 2012

Y.A. for Grownups

The Race for the Next 'Hunger Games'

There is a triumvirate of success in the annals of Y.A. book history: Potter, Twilight, Hunger. What comes next?

Comments | 8,767 Views

By Ray Gustini

May 10, 2012

God Bless Caro, But Multivolume Bios Are Over; Amazon Has Harry Potter News

Today in books: Multivolume biographies aren't what they used to be, Amazon has some big Harry Potter news, and the 2012 election will result in a quickie Ann Coulter book.

Comments | 931 Views

By Ray Gustini

May 9, 2012

Hemingway on Deadline; 'Fifty Shades' Gets its First Banning

Ernest Hemingway's Toronto Star columns are now available online, John Irving's new book debuts to tepid notices, and Fifty Shades of Grey is not welcome in Brevard County libraries.

Comments | 1,435 Views

By Ray Gustini

May 8, 2012

The Case Against Robert Caro; Toni Morrison's Latest Masterpiece Arrives

Today in books: Not everyone adores Robert Caro's sprawling biography of Lyndon Johnson, Andrew Cuomo is writing a book that sounds very presidential, and a rave for Toni Morrison's new novel from Michiko Kakutani.

Comments | 889 Views

By Ray Gustini

May 7, 2012

Glenn Beck Reworks a Techno Thriller; SNL Discovers 'Fifty Shades'

Today in books and publishing: Glenn Beck is reworking a series of technothrillers to appeal to his fans, the founder of Perseus Books has died, and SNL gets around to making fun of Fifty Shades of Grey.

Comments | 1,704 Views

By Ray Gustini

May 3, 2012

Target Now a Kindle-Free Zone; How Much For a 'Fifty Shades' Parody?

Today in books and publishing: Target is kicking Amazon out of their stores, the Fifty Shades of Grey parody book boomlet is here, and Steve Coll also has a big, important piece of non-fiction out this week that isn't about Lyndon Johnson

Comments | 6,533 Views

By Ray Gustini

May 2, 2012

Bill Clinton, Book Critic; The Fox News Mole Shops Inevitable Book

Bill Clinton reviewed the new Robert Caro book for The New York Times, the Fox News mole is shopping a book that Fox-bashers will adore, and the giant hedge fund that sponsors the Man Booker Prize is having a bad run of luck.

Comments | 814 Views

By Ray Gustini

May 1, 2012

Give Amazon a Wide Berth; Even Interns Have Wall Street Memoirs

Today in books: Buzz Bissinger's plan to do something nice for a Friday Night Lights character was derailed by Apple and Amazon, a Duke alum vows to expose the "toxic culture" of Wall Street, and Books-A-Million may be going private.

Comments | 1,035 Views

By Ray Gustini

Apr 30, 2012

The Authorized Biographer's Dilemma; Uggie Gets a Book Deal

Today in publishing and literature: The release date of Joe Posnanski's authorized Joe Paterno biography gets moved up, a book based on a Tumblr that's actually worth buying, and Uggie the dog continues to extend his 15 minutes of canine fame.

Comments | 734 Views

By Ray Gustini

Apr 26, 2012

'Yertle the Turtle' Enters Canada's Culture War; A Walden Video Game

Today in books and publishing: Tom Hanks reads Stephen Colbert's children's book for adults, gamers are going to be getting a taste of Henry David Thoreau, and Yertle the Turtle is too politically charged for British Columbia.

Comments | 517 Views

By Ray Gustini

Apr 25, 2012

A New Dave Eggers Novel Sighting; Stephen King Power Rankings

Today in books and publishing: A possible sighting of the new Dave Eggers novel, to mark the release of his 63rd book, Vulture ranks the work of Stephen King,  and Christopher Hitchens came up empty at this year's Orwell prize.

Comments | 627 Views

By Ray Gustini

Apr 24, 2012

Charlie Kaufman Goes YA; The Righteous Anger of Jonathan Franzen

Today in books and publishing: Adaptation screenwriter Charlie Kaufman is adapting Lionsgate's next big YA series, Jonathan Franzen's new essay collection is here, and the "weirdos" of World Book Night had a good time giving away literature for nothing.

 

Comments | 862 Views

By Ray Gustini

Apr 23, 2012

Big Publishing's Big Stand; John Irving Disses Ernest Hemingway

Today in books and publishing: The e-book pricing courage of the publishing industry, William Shakespeare turns 448, and John Irving explains why he's not a Hemingway fan.

Comments | 906 Views

By Ray Gustini

Apr 20, 2012

Where Would Hemingway Stay?; Amazon's Faux Bestseller Problem

Today in books and publishing: Ernest Hemingway's estate leaps into the luxury hotel business, Amazon has a copycat bestseller problem, and a tour of Jane Friedman's sprawling, well-read Manhattan duplex.

Comments | 1,514 Views

By Jen Doll

Apr 19, 2012

Y.A. for Grownups

What Does 'Young Adult' Mean?

What exactly is "Y.A."? What does it mean? Why did it begin in the first place, and when was that? What has it become since? We conferred with librarians, agents, publishing world executives, and the experts of the Internet to put together a primer of sorts.

Comments | 15,979 Views

By Ray Gustini

Apr 19, 2012

'Friday Night Lights' Revisited; A 'Girls Say' Book

Today in books: Buzz Bissinger returns to Odessa, how to fix the Pulitzer voting process, and the 'S--- Girls Say' meme is declared book-deal worthy.

Comments | 1,435 Views

By Ray Gustini

Apr 18, 2012

Jonathan Safran Foer Has a New Book; 007 Now Works for Amazon

Today in books: Jonathan Safran Foer has a new book coming out next year, James Bond's license to kill now comes from Jeff Bezos, and a first edition of The Importance of Being Earnest can be yours for somewhere in the neighborhood of $190,000.

Comments | 890 Views

By Ray Gustini

Apr 13, 2012

Give Ralph Ellison a Break; Stephen King's Theatrical Excess

Today in books and publishing: Duel of the Andrew Cuomo biographies, a call to leave Ralph Ellison alone, and science explains why books smell like books.

Comments | 862 Views

By Ray Gustini

Apr 12, 2012

Salman Rushdie Is Joseph Anton; J.K. Rowling's Book Gets a Title

Today in books and publishing: J.K. Rowling's new book has a title and skeletal plot outline, Salman Rushdie rechristened himself for his memoir, and what books people wanted banned in 2011.

Comments | 1,413 Views

By Ray Gustini

Apr 11, 2012

The Lady Gaga Book Club; James Joyce's Literary Heir

Today in books: Lady Gaga's Book Club is a sleeping giant, Apple and Macmillan will not negotiate, and the James Joyce-Kool Keith quote game is hard, but fair.

Comments | 2,470 Views

By Adam Martin

Apr 11, 2012

DOJ Finally Sues Apple and Publishers for E-Book Price Fixing

Apple and a handful of publishers got hit with a price-fixing lawsuit on Wednesday, with the Department of Justice finally snipping the string on the sword of Damocles that's been dangling over the e-book industry for months.

Comments | 982 Views

By Ray Gustini

Apr 10, 2012

Richard Russo's E-Book Workaround; Spring of the Yankee Book

Today in books: Richard Russo is putting his money where his dislike of e-books is, another filmmaker lands a deal to write a filmable series of YA books, and 2012 has been a good year for fans of baseball books.

Comments | 625 Views

By Ray Gustini

Apr 9, 2012

Herman Wouk Returns; David Foster Wallace Called Don DeLillo 'D2'

Today in books and publishing: 96-year-old Pulitzer Prize winner Herman Wouk gets a book deal, deconstructing Amazon's charitable ways, and a non-heartbreaking letter from David Foster Wallace to Don DeLillo.

Comments | 1,724 Views

By Ray Gustini

Apr 6, 2012

David Foster Wallace Misused A Word Once; Walden Pond on Your iPad

Today in books and publishing: Amazon is selling Spanish language e-books, David Foster Wallace once misused a word, and you can now read Dickens with all the original ads.

Comments | 1,094 Views

By Ray Gustini

Apr 5, 2012

J.K. Rowling Is A Rich Lady; Decoding Shakespeare's Scrawl

Today in books and publishing: A possible settlement between some of the Big Six publishers and the Department of Justice, Pottermore sold an estimated $1.5 million in e-books in its first three days, and a depressing look at an Amazon fulfillment center.

Comments | 896 Views

By Ray Gustini

Apr 4, 2012

The Real 'Game of Thrones'; Ziggy Stardust Gets A Biography

Today in books and publishing: The real-life history behind Game of Thrones, David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust phase is getting the celebrity biography treatment, and Canada's libraries balk at Random House's e-book price hike. 

Comments | 2,759 Views

By Eric Randall

Apr 3, 2012

The Inevitable '50 Shades of Grey' Parody; A Defense of Fan Fiction

Today in books and publishing: 50 Shades of Grey gets a parody spin-off, fan fiction gets a defense, and Jodi Picoult says the darndest things.

Comments | 7,070 Views

By Eric Randall

Apr 2, 2012

Carrie Brownstein's Book Deal; John Grisham's Regrets

Today in books: Carrie Brownstein gets a book deal, the last edition of Encylopaedia Britannica is flying off shelves, John Grisham has a humble brag, and precocious kids discover self-publishing.

Comments | 2,223 Views

By Ray Gustini

Mar 30, 2012

The Case Against Reading Children's Books; Frank Langella Tells All

Today in books and literature: Penguin was the runner-up in the Greg Smith memoir sweepstakes, the case against adults reading books for kids, and Frank Langella has written a gossipy memoir.

Comments | 1,640 Views

By Ray Gustini

Mar 29, 2012

Charlie Kaufman Is Writing a Novel; The Life Behind 'Goodnight Moon'

Today in books: Charlie Kaufman is writing something clever for Grand Central Publishing, Hemingway's softer side, and a new scene from The Pale King makes us miss David Foster Wallace.

Comments | 2,769 Views

By Ray Gustini

Mar 28, 2012

Zadie Smith Can't Lose; HBO Options Another Novel

Today in books and publishing: Zadie Smith's run of good news continues, HBO gobbles up another book for a potential series, Jewel writes and sings, and Stephen King's Dark Tower series continues.

Comments | 1,956 Views

By Jen Doll

Mar 27, 2012

When Bad Moms Get Book Deals

The Internet has seized upon the mortifying story told by Dara-Lynn Weiss, who put her 7-year-daughter Bea on what people are calling the "Tiger Mother" diet, and then wrote about it in Vogue magazine.

Comments | 1,485 Views

By Ray Gustini

Mar 27, 2012

Harry Potter, Now Magically Paper-Free; Creepy Vogue Article to Become Creepy Book

Today in books: Like magic, the Harry Potter e-books have arrived, E.L. James made a lot of money selling the film rights to Fifty Shades of Grey, and Ian McEwan has a late addition to the November publishing slate.

Comments | 2,470 Views

By Ray Gustini

Mar 26, 2012

Grappling Over Ghostwriters; Greg Smith Wants a Book Deal

Today in books: Former Goldman Sachs executive Greg Smith is shopping a book proposal, more fallout about the role of the ghostwriter, and Chuck Palahniuk was in a scary car accident.

Comments | 1,556 Views

By Ray Gustini

Mar 21, 2012

Tom Wolfe's New Book Gets a Cover; Joan Didion on the Mend

Today in books and publishing: Consumer Reports endorses The Nook, Joan Didion suffered another scary bone injury, and Tom Wolfe's new book will have a very bright cover.

Comments | 2,927 Views

By Ray Gustini

Mar 16, 2012

A New Publisher for James Bond ; The Age of 'Perpetual Publishing'

Today in books: Vintage has acquired rights to the James Bond books, The Hunger Games sends Scholastic stock soaring, and Dante is under siege in Italy.

Comments | 446 Views

By Ray Gustini

Mar 15, 2012

Life as a Cookbook Ghostwriter; A Defense of Publishing Collusion

Today in books: Amazon shows the Los Angeles Review of Books its generous side with a $25,000 grant, an argument against investigating publishers for collusion, and the grubby life of a celebrity chef's ghostwriter.

Comments | 690 Views

By Ray Gustini

Mar 14, 2012

Salman Rushdie Returns to India; A History of Encyclopedia Britannica

Today in publishing and literature: Salman Rushdie is returning to India for a speech later this week, Mario Puzo's estate countersues Paramount over an upcoming sequel to The Godfather, and a history of Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Comments | 492 Views

By Ray Gustini

Mar 13, 2012

Jeff Bridges Abides a Book Deal; In Defense of Not Finishing Novels

Today in books: The Academy Award-winning actor is going to be offering his own contribution to The Big Lebowski literary canon, a bull market for Katy Perry's memoir, and why you shouldn't feel guilty about putting a novel down unfinished.

Comments | 1,059 Views

By Ray Gustini

Mar 12, 2012

In Defense of Jonathan Franzen; Kindle Singles Sales Top 2 Million

Amazon's revenues from downloads are estimated at $1.12 million, defending Jonathan Franzen's tough talk on Twitter and e-books, and a Courtney Love tell-all is being shopped

Comments | 1,931 Views

By Ray Gustini

Mar 9, 2012

A Secret Service Tell-All; the National Book Critics Circle Awards Winners

Today in books and publishing: Publishers are unsure what they can afford to give up to avoid going to court over alleged price collusion, the Clinton White House does not come off well in a former Secret Service agent's new memoir, and the National Book Critics Circle Awards are announced.

Comments | 1,552 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Mar 8, 2012

Apple's Antitrust Problem May Get Real

The Justice Department's warning to Apple about the company's apparent collusion with publishers on e-book pricing couldn't have been better timed.

Comments | 4,048 Views

By Ray Gustini

Mar 7, 2012

Jonathan Franzen Hates Your Tweets; Another Bieber Gets a Book Deal

Today in publishing and literature: Freedom author deems Twitter 'the ultimate irresponsible medium,' new short fiction from Margaret Atwood confirms life in the not-too-distant-future is still bleak, and one of the mystery genre's great forgotten masters could be getting new life on the big screen.

Comments | 525 Views

By Ray Gustini

Mar 6, 2012

France to Digitize 'Indispensable' Books; Collecting David Foster Wallace's Essays

Today in publishing and literature: France's great big book digitalization project gets the go-ahead, details about the posthumous collection of David Foster Wallace essays, and Jodi Picoult is writing a tearjerker for kids.

Comments | 2,759 Views

By Ray Gustini

Mar 1, 2012

Comedy Central to Publish Funny Books; Happy World Book Day

Today in publishing and literature: Comedy Central's new publishing imprint, bestselling self-published e-book writer Kerry Wilkinson scores a three book deal, and Thursday is World Book Day.

Comments | 397 Views

By Jen Doll

Mar 1, 2012

Which New Magazine for the Ultra Wealthy Is Right for You?

Despite what you might hear about the economy, publishing, and the trying lives of the wealthy, it's boom times out there in the arena of glossy print magazines for the rich!

Comments | 4,656 Views

By Ray Gustini

Feb 29, 2012

A History of Book Trailers; Cee Lo Green Is Writing a Memoir

Today in books and publishing: Cee Lo Green promises his memoir will help you "discover crazy," Jackie Collins is rewriting an old stand-by and republishing it as an e-book, and familiarity helps make book trailers watchable

Comments | 446 Views

  • The Atlantic Wire on Twitter
  • The Atlantic Wire RSS Feed
  • The Atlantic Wire iPhone App