Booked

Yeah, but can I buy it in a gas station?

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tonniges) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:21:00 +0000

After much waiting, Random House recently annouced that Dan Brown's follow-up to The Da Vinci Code, titled The Lost Symbol, will be published September 15th. They're planning to print up 5 million copies of the thing, so availability shouldn't be an issue.

Still writing.

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tonniges) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:09:00 +0000

The rumors of Gabriel Garcia Marquez' retirement from writing were apparently greatly exaggerated. "I'll know when the pastries that I have in the oven are ready for the eating," he He told Colombian newspaper El Tiempo, "I don't do anything but write."

Are you a budding children's author?

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tonniges) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 18:12:00 +0000

If you’re an unpublished author of children’s books, consider entering the Cheerios “Spoonful of Stories” contest. For the third year in a row, the cereal maker will award one author $5,000 as well as the opportunity to distribute their book inside specially marked boxes of cereal. You’ll also get the eyes of editors at Simon and Schuster.

Who knows were it could lead. Shellie Braeuner, the winner of the first contest, will see her book, “The Great Dog Wash” published by Simon and Schuster this summer. Entries will be accepted until July 15th. For full details go to www.spoonfulofstoriescontest.com.

Pay to Play

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tonniges) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 12:29:00 +0000

Beginning April 27, historian Ben Wilson will offer his new book, "What Price Liberty?" as a pay-what-you-like e-book for six weeks. During that time, visitors can download the book and pay as much or as little as they like. If that sounds familiar, it's because Radiohead did the same thing for the release of their In Rainbows album. In their case, only 38% of fans paid anything at all. Faber, the book's publisher, admits its a bit of a gamble, though Wilson's upbeat. "The ideas are always judged in the same way, whether someone's paid £14.99 or a penny," he told The Guardian. "Any way you can get those ideas out there, the better."

Academic Author a Certified Bad Ass

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tonniges) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 23:06:00 +0000

It all started with an Amazon.com post. Michael Cuhaci bought "A Student's Guide to Maxwell's Equation," an elucidation of complex mathematic concepts from web retailer Amazon.com, but when he got the book it was riddled with errors. So he posted an Amazon review. Turns out author Dan Fleisch was keeping tabs on his book, and he posted a follow-up, stating he was the author and that he'd make sure Cuhaci got a proper version of the book.

Problem was it was Christmas Eve.

Long story short, Fleisch paid close to $500 to fly to Canada, where Cuhaci lives, to hand-deliver a copy of the book. On Christmas Day. Top that, Jackie Collins!

Looking to get published?

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tonniges) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:02:00 +0000

Amazon.com and Penguin are accepting submissions for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award competition at www.amazon.com/abna through midnight EST on Feb. 8, 2009. This is the second year for the contest.

On March 16th, 500 quarterfinals will be announced. That number will be whittled down to 100 semifinalists, who will be announced April 15th. The winner, who will receive a $25,000 advance, will also receive a publishing contract with Penguin.

Last year's winner was Bill Loehfelm, whose book Fresh Kills came out last summer and sold a respectable 5,000 copies in hardcover. That might not sound like a barnburner to you, but it was enough to secure a contract for a second novel, and the reviews of his debut were favorable.

Meet Kat Von D at Borders

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tonniges) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 11:45:00 +0000

Kat Von D, tattooist and star of the show LA Ink, will be at the Midtown Borders at 72nd and Dodge Tuesday, February 10th at 1pm to sign copies of her new book High Voltage Tattoo.

Novelist Gets 3 Years for Self-Published Book

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tonniges) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:05:00 +0000

The New York Times is reporting that Australian writer Harry Nicolaides was sentenced to three years in prison Monday for insulting the Thai monarchy in his self-published novel. The book in question, “Verisimilitude,” was published in 2005 and sold less than a dozen copies.

Library Reaches its Goal For Books for Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tonniges) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 12:01:00 +0000

The Omaha Public Library announced that it has reached its goal of raising $200,000 for children's books. More than $100,000 was raised from contributions to match an anonymous donation of $100,000.

“We want to thank the many people in the community who helped us meet the challenge. Community support has been wonderful, from children contributing pennies in wishing wells at each Library to people donating online,” said Omaha Public Library Executive Director Rivkah Sass. "We are thrilled to introduce a new generation to Ferdinand, Frog and Toad, and Max and his wild things, by providing them with shiny new copies to read over and over again."

Children's books are tremendously popular, and are many of the materials in the children's collections were initially purchased in the mid-1990s. After years of being read by countless numbers of children, the pages of well-loved stories are tattered and visibly worse for the wear. All funds raised through the Books for Kids Challenge will be used to buy materials for the children's collections at each of the 11 (soon to be 12) Library locations.

Nebraska Books On Goodreads.com

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tonniges) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 11:55:00 +0000

Local author Stew Magnuson has started a "Books About Nebraska" Group on the literary site http://www.goodreads.com/, a sort of Facebook/MySpace for book lovers. "I hope it will become a place where readers can talk about the state's rich literary heritage," Magnuson said. "Participants can join discussion groups, post book reading events and suggest books by Nebraska authors, or about Nebraska." To find/join the group, just do a simple search for "Nebraska" under "groups" and you'll see it. You need to be a member of Good Reads (it's free) to view the entries or contribute.

You Think Your Job Sucks?

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tonniges) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 12:07:00 +0000

Try working for Amazon.com over in Britain where it's downright Dickensian. You're penalized for taking a sick day, made to work a compulsory 10 1/2 hour overnight shift at the end of your work week (resulting in a 7 day work week for some employees), and have to ask for permission to go to the bathroom. A Sunday Times employee went undercover and discovered these and other abysmal working conditions.

Even more amazingly, the company's unapologetic about the whole thing. When confronted with the evidence they simply nodded and trotted out the old "our number one focus is our customers and everyone at Amazon works hard on their behalf" crap. Merry Christmas everybody!

I don't visit your job and tell you how to flip the burgers...

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tonniges) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 22:41:00 +0000

That's the gist of Timothy Egan's Op-Ed column in the New York Times regarding the literary debuts of Sarah Palin and Joe the Plumber. This one's a don't-miss.

Start clickin'!

"Low to Mid Six Figures"

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tonniges) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 22:37:00 +0000

That's what fourth-grader Alex Greven reportedly got from Fox Studios for the film rights to How to Talk to Girls, a handwritten, 46 page book he wrote and sold for $3 apiece at his school book fair.

A Christmas Story Story

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tonniges) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 23:13:00 +0000

Before you know it TBS will be running "A Christmas Story" nonstop. This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the Christmas classic, which was based on the writings of Jean Shepherd. If you'd like to learn more about Shepherd, check out Excelsior, You Fathead! The Art and Enigma of Jean Shepherd, released in 2005.

Marketing Smart Guy Seth Godin on the Future of Publishing

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tonniges) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 21:32:00 +0000

This one's a little dated (Nov 5) but Seth Godin, the go-to guy for marketing types everywhere, has some interesting insights on the nature of free content (i.e. the Internet) and its implications for publishers. Worth a read.

Publishing Industry Officially Hurting for Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tonniges) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:58:00 +0000

Even though his 15 minutes of fame were up about an hour and a half ago, "Joe the Plumber" managed to score a book deal. Samuel Wurzelbacher, aka "Joe," told Fox News he "wouldn't cash in" and put out a book of fluff. The book, called "Joe the Plumber -- Fighting for the American Dream" is supposed to be released December 1. That's right - December 1. Not much time to slap something together that's fluff-free, now is it?

Barnes and Noble Prepares for the Worst

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tonniges) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:58:00 +0000

In a memo to employees that was obtained by the Wall Street Journal, Barnes & Noble CEO Len Riggio cut to the chase, telling employees the company is "bracing for a terrible holiday season" and that they expect the trend of doom to extend well into 2009. Maybe even longer.

"Never in all of the years I've been in business have I seen a worse outlook for the economy," he wrote. "And never in all my years as a bookseller have I seen a retail climate as poor as the one we are in. Nothing even close."

If you can't sell 'em, give 'em away

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tonniges) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:40:00 +0000

The New York Times reports that Will Schwalbe, ex-editor in chief of Hyperion books, will soon be launching cookstr.com, a cooking web site that hopes to turn online recipe searches into sales of the cookbooks from which they came.

Plenty of cooks have already rely on www.foodtv.com, www.epicurious.com, www.allrecipes.com and others for last-minute menu additions or changes. Since that content is free, they're able to print out a Bobby Flay steak recipe and head outside to fire up the grill without Mr. Flay ever selling another cookbook in the process. Presumably, the 100-plus cookbook authors who agreed to work with Cookstr will offer exclusive content in the hope that it will translate into sales.

It's one thing to offer a sample chapter of a book online -- if you like what you read you'll probably end up buying the book to see how everything turns out. But recipes are pretty much self-contained. You don't need to buy a whole book to make a Boston cream pie or macaroni and cheese. It'll be interesting to see how Cookstr plays out.

Use Your Allusions

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tonniges) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 13:16:00 +0000

The LA Times reported that Islam Samhan, a 27-year-old poet, was arrested and charged with "harming Islam by incorporating Koranic imagery into his love poems" this week. According to The National, the daily paper of Abu Dhabi, Samhan's "Slim Shadows" poem earned him the title of an enemy of religion. In the poem, Samhan compares his loneliness to that of the prophet Youssef in the Koran.

The Jordanian clerics didn't take kindly to the allusion, and a banning of the book soon commenced, along with the requisite death threats.

Sadly, Samhan isn't the only writer in danger. The PEN American Center has a list of writers in peril around the world if you want to learn more.

Looking for something to do today?

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tonniges) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 12:13:00 +0000

If you weren't able to make it to the Nebraska Book Festival in Lincoln this weekend, you still have a chance to meet Loren Ghiglione, who will be at the Bookworm in Countryside Village at 87th and Pacific Sunday, Oct. 19th at 1 p.m. to sign copies of his latest book, Tragedy of a Trailblazer: CBS's Don Hollenbeck — An Honest Reporter in the Age of McCarthyism, which is profiled in today's New York Times Sunday Book Review.

Booker Prize Winner Announced

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tonniges) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:32:00 +0000

Aravind Adiga's debut novel about class struggles in India, The White Tiger Wind, won the coveted Man Booker Prize on Tuesday. The 33 year old former Time correspondent is the second youngest writer to ever win the award.

The most eagerly sought literary award in Britain, the Booker prize can also result in a hefty cash windfall for the author as well since sales typically go through the roof for winning books. Even those who make the shortlist can benefit from the exposure. For more information, go to http://www.themanbookerprize.com/.

Look it up yourself, eh!

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tonniges) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:09:00 +0000

Apparently the entire staff of the Canadian Oxford Dictionary were laid off due to declining sales as more and more people turn to the Internet for information.

Not worth bombing over

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tonniges) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:59:00 +0000

The UK publisher Gibson Square announced last month that they would be publishing Sherry Jones' controversial "Jewel of Medina," a fictional account of one of Muhammad's wives that has been characterized as inflammatory and potentially offensive toward Muslims. Either someone got an advance copy or they're already pissed because on Saturday, September 27th, Gibson Square's headquarters (which also doubles as publisher Martin Rynja's home) caught fire when someone pushed a small bomb through the house's mail slot.

But here's the irony: it might not even be that great of a book! Publishers Weekly recently ran a review of the book confirming early reports that Jones' novel is rather sophomoric and flowery. Admitting it's "not bad for a first novel," PW closes by saying "the subject matter here is more spectacular than the writing, which tends toward the maudlin and purple. It’s a page turner, but not outstanding."

Don't like it? Ban it!

noreply@blogger.com (Kyle Tonniges) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 11:55:00 +0000

September 27th through October 4th is Banned Books Week. Loathed by Sarah Palin, would-be book-burners and those against lernin in any form, the American Library Association promotes the event every year to remind readers and book-haters alike that we should not take our democratic freedom for granted.

If you think this is just some cute non-event, think again. According to the ALA, more than 400 books were “challenged,” meaning someone complained and asked that a book be removed from library shelves due to content, in 2007. Among the alleged offenders were “And Tango Makes Three,” a children’s book about a penguin raised by two male penguins, “The Golden Compass” (they should have challenged the awful and interminable movie version instead), Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” and the ever-reliable “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain. You can learn more and see the full list of titles at www.bannedbooksweek.org.

ACLU Nebraska will hold readings of banned works on September 28 at 2pm at Soul Desires Bookstore at 1026 Jackson Street in the Old Market and on October 2 at 7:30pm at Lee Booksellers in Lincoln at 56th and Highway 2. Both events are free and open to the public.