J. K. Rowling’s Hardboiled Hoax – The Daily Beast

It must have been fun while it lasted, but now J.K. Rowling is back to square one. In a new statement on her website, she comes clean as the perpetrator of one of the best literary hoaxes in recent memory: in April, in collusion with her English editor, she published a detective story titled The Cuckoo’s Calling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. The novel was enthusiastically endorsed by such high-profile crime writers as Val McDermid, even though they had no idea who the real author was. It also got excellent reviews. Then last weekend the Sunday Times broke the story of her authorship, and Rowling quickly fessed up.  J. K. Rowling’s Hardboiled Hoax – The Daily Beast.

Zimmerman trial juror drops plan to write a book | Reuters

(Reuters) – One of the six jurors in the George Zimmerman trial has abandoned her plans to write a book explaining why she found him not guilty of murder in the shooting of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, her literary agent said on Monday.

The jury’s decision triggered protests across the United States by activists who said Martin was targeted because he was black.

Unidentified juror B37 had signed with Martin Literary Management, an agency based in Mercer Island, Washington, the firm’s president, Sharlene Martin, said in a statement on Monday.

The juror had planned to write the book with her husband, who is an attorney, explaining how the jury had “no option” but to find Zimmerman not guilty, but she subsequently decided not to proceed with publication, Martin added later.  Zimmerman trial juror drops plan to write a book | Reuters.

Self-Edit Your Writing

Here are some thoughts on self-editing your own work from Jason Pegler of mental-health publisher Chipmunka Publishing.

The Basic Principles of Self-Editing

1. Follow a plan for your story. Make sure you understand where each piece you write fits into the narrative and conveys the part of the story it’s intended for.

2. Have a beginning, middle, and end to the story. There are hundreds of online guides than can help you define each one.

3. Keep the story simple. At least to begin with, until you develop as a writer. This will make it far easier to make changes as the work develops. Definitely keep the grammar simple.

4. Be consistent. Try to write in a style you are comfortable with and be sure to follow that style when editing.

5. Ask the following questions at each stage of the book:

a. What does this part of the book convey?
b. Is that the message I want to convey?
c. Is there a better way of getting the message across?

6. Trim out the fat. Look for unnecessary information, wordiness, bulkiness, or unrealistic dialogue. Find it and either find a better way of conveying the information or cut it out.

7. Read out loud. It’s the most simple of skills, but you will quickly hone in on awkward passages, inconsistencies, and unrealistic dialogue. Where possible replace with more natural conversational prose, which makes for easier reading.

8. Walk away from the work before editing. This will allow you to gain a fresh perspective on the best ways to improve the text.

9. Make lots of passes on the text. Keep editing and re-editing. It’s unlikely that the writer will ever edit together his own work perfectly; but the more often you edit, the better your grip of the material will become.

10. Use a peer group of readers. This will give you an external opinion on the content and allow you to hone it accordingly. Remember their criticism is only opinion; so don’t take it as gospel.  But if you hear the same point raised a number of times, then you may have found an issue that needs mending.

11. Find a trusted editor. This ideally is someone who can help you pull together the book and who understands what you are trying to achieve and has the knowledge and skills to make your work better.

Literary Culture Clash

Every year the MacArthur Foundation gives a small number of $500,000 fellowships to “talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits.” In recent years, this so called “genius grant” has been awarded to, among others, Junot Díaz, Aleksandar Hemon, Edwidge Danticat, and Colson Whitehead. The thing these writers have in common, besides their talent, is that they are represented by the same literary agent: Nicole Aragi.

via Literary Culture Clash, Jonathan Lee interviews Nicole Aragi – Guernica / A Magazine of Art & Politics.

Sam Taylor-Johnson To Direct ‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’ – Deadline.com

EXCLUSIVE: Sam Taylor-Johnson, whose directorial debut was 2009′s Nowhere Boy about the early life of John Lennon, has been secured to direct Fifty Shades Of Grey, the sizzling novel adaptation from Universal Pictures and Focus Features. Fellow Brit Kelly Marcel has written the script for the movie, based on EL James’ bestseller that follows the relationship between 27-year-old billionaire Christian Grey and college student Anastasia Steele. Dana Brunetti and Michael De Luca are producing alongside James. “Sam’s unique ability to gracefully showcase complex relationships dealing with love, emotion and sexual chemistry make her the ideal director to bring Christian and Anastasia’s relationship to life,” said De Luca. “EL James’ characters and vivid storytelling require a director who is willing to take risks and push the envelope where needed, and Sam is a natural fit.”

FBI Foiled and Followed Author

Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes’ Marxist leanings and criticism of the Vietnam War led the U.S. State Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to purposefully delay — and deny — the author’s visa applications during the 1960s, newly released documents reveal. The FBI’s file for Fuentes, one of the 20th Century’s most influential Latin American authors, chronicles more than two decades of monitoring that included keeping tabs on him through sources who worked at New York University and Columbia University.

Paula Deen fired from Food Network after admitting to using racial slur – NY Daily News

Paula Deen fired from Food Network after admitting to using racial slur – NY Daily News.  Celebrity chef Paula Deen, 66, was canned by the cable channel on Friday after releasing a groveling video apology on YouTube for using the N-word and cracking racist jokes at her Savannah, Ga., restaurant.  She gave a video statement to address her racism scandal.   “I want to apologize to everybody for the wrong I have done. I want to learn and grow from this,” she said in the 45-second video posted on YouTube. “Inappropriate, hurtful language is totally, totally unacceptable.”

Stephen King’s Paperback-Only Crime Novel: Back to the Future? | The Authors Guild

Anyone who has been around publishing long enough to remember the events of 2000 may feel a bit nostalgic reading the stories about Stephen King’s decision to publish his next book, Joyland, in print only. He’s jolted the industry before.

via Stephen King’s Paperback-Only Crime Novel: Back to the Future? | The Authors Guild.

E.L. Doctorow and Mark di Suvero Strike Gold at American Academy of Arts and Letters – NYTimes.com

E.L. Doctorow and Mark di Suvero Strike Gold at American Academy of Arts and Letters

By JENNIFER SCHUESSLER

The novelist E.L. Doctorow and the sculptor Mark di Suvero have been awarded gold medals for the arts by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The awards were announced on Wednesday at the academy’s headquarters in Upper Manhattan, as part of a ceremony inducting three new regular members and one honorary member, Bob Dylan, to the 250-person group.

via E.L. Doctorow and Mark di Suvero Strike Gold at American Academy of Arts and Letters – NYTimes.com.