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You know how it goes — you’re waiting for something to process, so you say, quite logically, “I think I’m going to check out the Anne Tyler interview at Failbetter.” Possibly you decide to do this in a public place. Be warned: those snort-like chuckles? They can be heard by the people around you. Naturally, […]

We are, quite understandably, enthusiastic about the idea of publishing giants using new technology to reach readers. Simon & Schuster, or rather Simon & Schuster Spotlight Entertainment (makes one wonder, no?), has officially entered the cell phone promotion market. The new program will send text messages, excerpts, cover art, and whatever else fits on a […]

We don’t normally cover awards and such, what with so many being, well, awarded that it’s hard to keep up. But the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction was awarded to Geraldine Brooks for her book March, and the very notion of this book highlights a favorite topic of ours: art building upon art. March tells the […]

The library-that-yanked-the-manga story has been circulating for a few days now, showing no signs of dying. This is, sadly, a fairly typical story in our culture. Paul Gravett’s Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics was pulled due to, ahem, sexual content. Needless to say, a mother of a 16-year boy started the ball rolling. This […]

As we have been slowly (make that really slowly) working on another project, we have become enthralled by the notion of multiple books by the same title. It has has taken all of our inconsiderable will power to avoid the temptation to delve deeply into the “same title, different book” canon*. Let us just say […]

One wonders, however briefly, if publishers have a monster board that not only details the upcoming year’s production schedule by title, but also by subject matter. And then one wonders if those same publishers have their competition, title/subject, matter on the same monster board. Movie studios do it, so one would hope publishing houses do […]

Unless you count reunions, there is nothing worse than high school. It’s as if an ancient sadist stroked his (or her) bearded chin and said, “How, I wonder, can I destroy their psyches for life?” Another moment passes and the answer comes, “High school! Of course. I am both diabolical and brilliant. Also, I had […]

Publisher’s Lunch alerts us to a new approach to galley distribution. Simon & Schuster will be experimenting with new, more communicative galleys for Stephen King’s new book. The purpose, of course, is to cut down on selling those “Not For Sale” copies. To quote from Lunch:

This just in: the publishing business is inefficient! Hmm, okay, so that’s not really news. But the fact that they’re trying to do something about it is. Business Week explores the idea of multi-channel delivery — you know, releasing in multiple formats simultaneously. The article starts off with amusing anecdotes — customers walking out of […]

Jill — who helpfully stepped up to the plate yesterday with a rousing post on author branding and STDs — noted that we allowed a bit of wiggle room on the Dan Brown issue when we last mentioned the court case (also, anytime we can use the word penultimate in a post, we’re happy). Thus […]