Malta Tourism Authority to American thriller writers: set your books in Malta!
Can a small European country increase its touristic appeal by encouraging three American thriller writers to use it as a setting for their books? As The Awl’s Alex Balk likes… Read more »
What’s happening to school librarians in Kansas?
Twenty-five percent of school librarians in Kansas have been cut in the last decade. In many cases, they’ve been replaced by media clerks, who do not have a degree in… Read more »
Are book domino world records a form of book abuse?
Dominos! They mean many things. A cliched metaphor. Drunk-munchied pizza. That one Van Morrison song. That one Jessie J song. That one mid-period movie from the Mickey Rourkeissance. The actual game… Read more »
The strange case of the “Interpreter of Maladies” movie and the missing $2 million
Acclaimed author Jhumpa Lahiri’s debut book, Interpreter Of Maladies, was an absolute barnstormer. A collection of short stories that often focused on the tension between Indian and American culture, it won both… Read more »
With new Booker rules, is the prize formerly known as the Folio Prize redundant?
The Folio Prize will no longer be the Folio Prize. Like the Orange Prize-turned-Bailey’s Prize, it will have to find a new sponsor and rebrand. After two years funding this… Read more »
The Wake is the Book of the Year
Paul Kingsnorth’s The Wake was the surprise winner of the Book of the Year award at the Bookseller Industry Awards on Monday night. The Wake was originally published through the crowd-funding publishing… Read more »
Things you need to know about John Whittingdale, Britain’s new Secretary of State for Culture
Friday was a dark day for Britain. Yesterday, David Cameron revealed the extent of his bad new government by naming his new cabinet. John Whittingdale replaced Sajid Javid (who never… Read more »
Four opportunities for writers to win some real estate (and maybe a new career)
A writing career isn’t always a lucrative proposition, but I’ve noticed that there’s suddenly a number of opportunities for writers to win a place to live. Now that I have… Read more »
Gaby Wood, new literary director of the Man Booker, compares judging to fantasy football
The Man Booker Prize took a double-whammy a few weeks ago when both longtime director Ion Trewin and his colleague Martyn Goff passed away. The prize is what the Booker is… Read more »
British Green Party rethinks their suggestion of reducing copyright terms after getting the side-eye from the likes of Philip Pullman
As we reported on April 24, the British Green Party isn’t so popular with writers right now. The party’s desire to limit copyright to 14 years from publication has dismayed writers such… Read more »