Booksquare

For those of you who still believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and wishing on stars, what we are about to say will come as a grave disappointment. Those who saw Dad and his pina colada trying to assemble a bike should be safe. Ready? Okay. You’re right, old news. Old, boring news. We […]

We rarely use this space to promote the lives and welfare of our friends*, but sometimes need triumphs time. Tina Ferraro is a particular friend of Booksquare and has, over the years, served as sounding board, whining board, sympathy board, understanding board, and friendly board, among others. She is also incredibly talented while remaining firmly […]

The Octagon library at Queen Mary, University of London, is undergoing a little “refurbishment”. Part of the process involves discarding old books. This, by the way, is a common library practice (we will refrain from repeating the mother/Ray Bradbury story, but you can pretend it’s been told. Again.). The Octagon’s mistake, and it was a […]

Something tells us we got the wrong takeaway message from the Washington Post’s article on new models for comic strip artists. We believe we were supposed to start thinking along the lines of new business models; alas, we noted that the key to success is moving out of California and heading for somewhere more affordable. […]

It’s Friday, we’re practically on vacation, and we’re thinking nothing says weekend better than a funny rejection story. Names have been changed to protect the innocent. Also to protect the not-so-innocent. And the guilty. Everyone else is fair game. Dear Julie, Thank you for your recent rejection and the return of my manuscript*, despite the […]

We were pleased to be barraged with news of bold action on the part of the House of Representatives. We are so pleased to learn of this decision that we will ignore any and all choice comments that naturally arise from reading this quote: “Congress has begun to hear that civil liberties and privacy issues […]

Today is a busy day in literature (and we thank Today in Literature for doing all the legwork that allows us to make such a pronouncement). Of course, it’s Bloomsday. You have our permission to take a long, leisurely lunch, complete with brimming glasses of ale and other fun beverages. It’s like Cinco de Mayo […]

The folks at Collected Miscellany are taking a pre-emptive strike against summer by holding a short story contest. It’s quick (like at July 4 deadline, but you get to email your entry) and easy (surely you have an 800-word story polished and ready to go). For a moment, we thought there’d be fame and fortune, […]

The Author’s Guild is asking members who were clients of Nancy Ellis (Bell), formerly of Litwest Group to contact them regarding the agent’s possible withholding of monies due. Ellis recently settled a suit with one her clients; since then, others have filed suit against her or alleged withholding. While we’re add it, now seems to […]

While we applaud innovation and all that nonsense, we also live in the real world. Thus we believe that traditional booksellers don’t need to worry overmuch about direct-to-consumers sales by publishers. The entire premise centers around ensuring the customer knows who publishes a specific book, in addition to title and author. That’s a lot of […]