Finally

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Some authors simply don’t end well. Neal Stephenson, for example. The man will write forever to avoid ending a book. Also, he seems to have a lot of extra paper or maybe stock in a paper factory. His books tend to rip-roar (in a very broad sense of the term) along before doing everything they can to avoid coming to “The End”. This problem affects more authors than you’d think, which is rough because how you end a book is so very important. The deepest rooted of last lines is the childhood one: “And they all lived happily ever after.” […]

Books/Mags/Blogs, Tools and Craft

Considering Pseudonyms

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The always-helpful HelenKay Dimon tells us that JK Rowling is looking to the future — and that future has a name change. There will be life beyond Harry Potter. Being taken seriously as a post-Harry writer will be difficult for Rowling. Sure, we’ve heard that lightening strikes twice, but her future work will always be viewed through the lens of what is arguably the greatest literary success ever. Thus, “There are other things I’d like to write. But I’ll need to find a good pseudonym.” While we understand her logic, we feel obliged to tell Rowling the awful truth: the

The Business of Publishing

Focusing On Libraries The New-Fangled Way

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You know us — we get excited way too easily, and today we’re excited about innovations in publishing. Hmm, that doesn’t sound right. How about this: today, we’re excited about the fact that a major publisher is using technology for good not evil. Or just that a major publisher is using technology. We shouldn’t ascribe intent when we cannot be bothered to do the necessary research to determine if what we’re saying is true or not. The fine folks at Holtzbrinck — home of St. Martin’s Press, Farrar, Strauss & Giroux, Picador, Tor, Minotaur, and probably a whole list of

Publishers and Editors

More Fun In The New World

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We’ve long been a fan of Bud Parr of Chekov’s Mistress, so are very excited to see he’s launched a new venture — MetaxuCafe. Using a mix of cool technology (finally a Litblog featuring a folksonomy!) and cool content, Metaxu will, well, we’ll let Bud say it: MetaxuCafé is devoted to highlighting the best content from the community of bloggers who write about books. We serve both the writers and readers and intend to drive traffic to member’s sites and create context around and give permanence to their original writing. This is definitely a site to check and check again.

Books/Mags/Blogs

In Which Octavia Butler Says A Lot In Short Amount of Time

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We have a will of iron, yet cannot resist the Bat Segundo podcasts. Worse, we cannot resist the descriptions of the shows. This week, the show does not feature Mr. Segundo, but manages to get Octavia Butler to go on the record about a wide range of topics: Subjects Discussed: Anne Rice, the advantages of writing vampire novels, research, the ambiguities of “persistently repulsive” material, Fledgling as ripping vampire yarn and multilayered quest story, setting vampire rules, naming character names, the influence of the state of Washington upon atmosphere, Butler’s editorial relationship with Seven Stories, Warner vs. Seven Stories, on

Square Pegs

On Secret Truths

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Writing is not an inherently interesting profession. It’s very boring to watch. Writers do not dress well, and they frequently mumble. Periodically, a writer goes into rehab or opens an antique store; it’s not exactly cinematic. It’s not like freeing the virtuous farmers from the yoke of oppression by wearing a mask and engaging in swordplay. It’s the life of the mind. It’s paint drying. Jon Carroll

Quote of the Week

Bad Sex, The Finalists

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For personal reasons, we do not encourage the use of puns. Except for really good ones. We like those. See headline below. Plus, it’s Awards Season, and we do like to keep tabs on our favorite honors. Like the Literary Review Bad Sex in Fiction award. It should go without saying that someday we hope to be honored with a little plaque or trophy for our contribution to the oeuvre. Oh sure, we’re going to have to work hard — this is not a prize awarded to rank amateurs. But, excruciating as his entry is, Updike is up against some

Books/Mags/Blogs

Death of the Novel, Rebuttal 1,019

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Though we suspect we could find one or two people who disagree with Kevin Smokler’s assertion that flagellation is not cool, we have to agree that his sentiment is well-taken. And not only because he agrees with us (always a bonus, but not required). Those who fear the death of the novel are likely those who feel a bit too comfortable in their caves. These are the authors who might want to look outside their comfort zones: Miles Davis was perhaps the greatest musician of the 20th century. Not once did he complain that jazz was in peril, nor did

The Future of Publishing

The Bear Stories

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The little sister had no choice — after being tucked into her bed, she was force-read books every night. At some point, she learned to form sentences (oh, we rue the day!) and became, well, there’s no delicate way to say this, demanding. One might say spoiled, but it’s so cute when they barely reach your knees*. At some point, came the dreaded year of the Berenstain Bears. Every night, one, two, three, sometimes four Bears were read to her. The same Bears over and over. By over and over, we mean over and over and over and over again.

Square Pegs

Blame Canada

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We get the idea of a high-concept thriller. Mostly. For example, there is potential in a plotline like this one: But “third-party strategy,” as it’s known in the advertising world, has recently had its perils for PhRMA, the major lobbying group that represents drug manufacturers. The plan was to commission a fictional thriller to hype the dangers of buying prescription drugs from Canadian pharmacies. C’mon people — it’s Canada, which has to be, like, the least threatening country in the known universe. People like Canada and Canadians. If you’re going to scare people, don’t use Canada (or its pharmacies) as

Books/Mags/Blogs
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