Square Pegs

Of all the entertainment industries, book publishing is the most traditional. What could be less high-tech than a book*? Since the dawn of the printing press, the industry’s interest in technology has been largely focused on the making and distributing of books. As computers entered the workforce — ostensibly as time- and labor-saving tools (ha!) — staff at publishing houses took sides: techie and non-techie. Those roles have been bleeding into each other with increasing frequency. Today, we can laugh at the notion of that the birthing, care, and feeding of a publisher’s website was ever the domain of IT. […]

It’s been a year, hasn’t it? We’ve had some really good times and some shake-us-to-our-core times. Even if you aren’t personally impacted by the current economic downturn, you can’t help but feel its reach. Some of us more than others. Yet, this is the season of giving (and, yes, tax deductions). Every year, we here at Booksquare make a pitch for our favorite causes, hoping some of you, like us, will find a little something extra to give this now and in the future. If you have a favorite cause that relates to literacy, reading, or education, let us know

[BS: Today, we host podbook pioneer and published author, Seth Harwood. Seth, who boldly went where few authors had gone before, podcasting his novels as they were being written (and bravely handling real-time feedback!), is now trying a new adventure: online education. See how he’s approaching this new challenge.] Having taught on-the-ground creative writing and English classes for seven years now, I used to be one of the first to pipe up and defend the face-to-face experience as invaluable for literature and creative writing. That’s right, even though I do most all of my writer’s promotion online and have gotten

It is a strange thing, publishing. On one hand, you have to make money. On the other, you have to satisfy a fickle group known as “readers”. Not surprisingly, these two goals are not always harmonious. Then there are the authors, caught in the middle. That’s got to be a rough position. There is a trend, in genre fiction, toward series, connected novels, and trilogies that stretch into four, five, or more books. Readers love the familiarity of continuing characters, watching them evolve and develop throughout the course of multiple books. Of course, there are series that go on far

[BS: We are delighted to host Joshua Henkin, the author of the terrific and duly lauded Matrimony, now available in paperback. As he begins his second round of publicity for his second novel, Joshua reflects on lessons learned. And book clubs. PS — Joshua just learned this, but he’s graciously giving away two signed copies of his novel. Just comment below, with email address (for contacting you if you win only) and the BS kitten will randomly choose the lucky recipients.] Hello, everyone, and thank you, Kassia, for lending me your bully pulpit. I’m here to offer a novelist’s perspective

BS is moving into its shiny new headquarters today (as long as the Internet gods shine upon us!), so all thoughts are focused on frantic last-minute packing. Only the cat has completed her move-related tasks, though, in all honesty, she didn’t bring as many clothes. Frantic minds need distractions, and we have a fun one today. It comes as news that a “genteel world of historical biography” exists, much less that it’s being destroyed by “glamorous young female writers trying to make a quick killing in the bestseller lists”. Who knew?

This past week, I encountered a string of things that made me smile, reminding me that the Internet is a really cool place for people who love to read. What’s exciting is that these are fun items that aren’t flashy, twirly, or even sparkly. They’re just plain fun. So here’s my current shortlist of things that excite me:

Sometimes I think that everyone’s worried about the future of books, but nobody’s doing anything about it*. More precisely, I think the people who hand-wring the most are the same people who forget why people read in the first place. These are the folks who place books on ivory pedestals and disdain anyone who reads the “wrong” thing. It’s time we make books seem like chocolate rather than broccoli. Reading, by some, is treated like a solemn communion, a sacred ritual, something done — done right, anyway — by the few who cherish delicate jewels of books. They read with

It is inevitable, in a conference setting, that one will disagree with the information being presented. Sometimes it’s a different point of view, sometimes it’s that the presenter is working off old, inaccurate information. Sometimes, even, it’s a simple case of someone trying to make a point, and getting the message across in a sloppy, messy sort of way. Conference presentations don’t always reflect basic critical analysis. As part of the extravaganza that was Book Expo America 2008, I overheard a few great myths — some of which had been uttered in my presence at least once before. I think