Merriam-Webster is revising its most authoritative tome for the digital age. But in an era of twerking and trolling, what should a dictionary look like? (And do we even need one?)
via Merriam-Webster Dictionary: What should an online dictionary look like?.
Atticus Lish’s “Preparation for the Next Life” got the kind of reception that first-time novelists only dream about. The gritty debut novel, set in the violent, dangerous margins of New York City, was one of 2014’s genuine literary sensations, earning ecstatic reviews and landing on many top-10 lists. Writing in The Wall Street Journal, critic Sam Sacks called the novel, “a tour de force of urban naturalism” and “a love story that’s as bold and urgent as any you’ll read this year.”
via How ‘Preparation for the Next Life’ Became a Big Hit for Tyrant – WSJ.
Tyndale House, a major Christian publisher, has announced that it will stop selling “The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven,” by Alex Malarkey and his father, Kevin Malarkey. The best-selling book, first published in 2010, purports to describe what Alex experienced while he lay in a coma after a car accident when he was 6 years old. The coma lasted two months, and his injuries left him paralyzed, but the subsequent spiritual memoir – with its assuring description of “miracles, angels, and life beyond This World” – became part of a popular genre of “heavenly tourism.” Earlier this week, Alex recanted his testimony about the afterlife.
via ‘Boy Who Came Back From Heaven’ actually didn’t; books recalled – The Washington Post.
Before getting into the pleasures and puzzles of Inherent Vice, Paul Thomas Anderson’s adaptation of Thomas Pynhchon’s ’70s-set PI novel, a brief tale of Hollywood’s past. During the production of 1946’s The Big Sleep, director Howard Hawks and his screenwriters found themselves with an unanswered question about the murder plot that drove the Bogart-Bacall film: Who’d killed the chauffeur? Legend has it that author Raymond Chandler was asked that very question by the production staff … and later realized that even he, the author of the tale, had no exact idea of who’d done the deed.
via Review: Inherent Vice.
Directed by Will Gluck — whose Easy A displayed smarts and charm, and whose Friends with Benefits at least, uh, displayed charm — Annie is less a re-make created by artists than a re-model done by a committee. Inspired by the ’82 film version of the ’77 stage musical, this Annie is brisk but broken down into beats, a collection of parts whose sum is far less than its makers and marketers and multitude of screenwriters would like.
via Review: 'Annie'.
Ok, some of you already know, but I had my serials in it for 60 days and lost approx 75% of my income. Thats counting borrows and bonuses. My sales dropped like a stone. The number of borrows was higher than sales. They didnt compliment each other, as expected.
Collective Digital Studio will develop a five-part animated web series inspired by James Patterson’s forthcoming book, House of Robots. The story follows a fifth grader named Sammy and his robot named E (which stands for “Error”).
via New James Patterson Children’s Book Inspires Animated Web Series – GalleyCat.
Attention, indie ebook authors. Mark Coker at Smashwords wants you to know that there’s never been a better time to be you. He writes, “Thanks to an ever-growing global market for your ebooks, your books are a couple clicks away from over one billion potential readers on smartphones, tablets and e-readers. In the world of eBooks, the playing field is tilted to the indie author’s advantage.”
Then, the wake-up call. Coker goes on to report that “the gravy train of exponential sales growth is over,” with indie (self-published) authors seeing “significant” sales decline at Amazon, especially since the July launch of Kindle Unlimited. He had predicted the slowdown and attributes it to the glut of high-quality low-cost eBooks, the increasing rate of eBook supply outpacing demand, and the slowing, much-discussed transition from print to eBooks.
via Hey Indie eBook Authors, Here’s How to Succeed – GalleyCat.
HarperCollins Publishers has signed on as the exclusive book content partner for JetBlue’s new inflight wi-fi program, Fly-Fi, which provides content to airline passengers. Beginning November 26, the publisher will provide excerpts from a selection of bestselling titles, and each e-sample will include buy buttons to a variety of retailers.
Excerpted titles include Flesh and Blood by Patricia Cornwell, Yes Please by Amy Poehler, Endgame: The Calling by James Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton, and Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses by James Dean.
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EW YORK (AP) — Chris Colfer is planning many return trips to the Land of Stories. Publisher Little, Brown and Co. said recently the actor best known for Glee has a multi-book deal. Colfer has two more Land of Stories installments planned, the fourth and fifth of his best-selling middle-grade series, coming in July 2015 and July 2016. Both are currently untitled.