RIASS stuff
Interview: JI Baker on whodunnits, cultural myths and Marilyn Monroe
Book Review: Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles'Rating: 
Giveaway: Pearl Verses the World by Sally Murphy'(open to all)
Other bookish stuff:
Are jars on covers replacing girls in floaty dresses?'Tip for designers putting things in said jars: perhaps avoid spiders. Although if anyone needs some stock cover art I do have a horrible, horrible, horrible photo of me in Indonesia holding a spider as big as my hand. Urgh.
Author Leslie Wilson on'The Bremen Town Musicians:'Wilsons work is very much rooted in the German tradition and thus folklore. She talks about the influence of the Brothers Grimm in her work, about how myths and fairy tales can be used to mitigate the horrible things that all too often happen to good people, her familys war-time experiences, and the forest setting of her family home. The forest went on and on, it seemed enormous. I'knew'the witches and wolves and robbers were in there; you only had to go far enough. And so it became part of my psyche and so I had to write about it.
A list of books set on islands'Darn, someone beat me to a list!
Interview with Ambelin Kwaymullina, author of The'Tribe'The line that caught my eye was on one of the differences between writing a picture book and a full-length novel. With a novel, says Kwaymullina, you cant sit and examine each and every word to ensure that its perfect (well, not if you dont want to go over your deadline). Still, says Kwaymullina, working as a picture book author taught her the importance of economy of words.
Literary agent Kate McKean on things authors can learn from watching movies. Some great tips here regarding sticking to your intended point of view, keeping the stakes high, creating suspense even where the ending is inevitable, and making sure your audience likes your characters.
As I Lay Frying matches doughnuts to literary quotes
Jim Hines on how dwarves are portrayed in fantasy' Authors don't have the greatest track record when it comes to writing the other. We create magical negroes and noble savages and countless other stereotypes and cliches. But I'm hard-pressed to think of another example where almost universally, even in the twenty-first century, we write about a group of people with the explicit assumption that they aren't even human.
As e-books grow and stores disappear, print backlist plunges''With literally millions of titles available online, the chances that someone will find your book are decreased immeasur'ably,' says Penguins David Shanks. 'There is just too much to choose from. How many screens do you browse before you get tired and just pick something that you have seen.' To be honest, I think that ebooks are the perfect medium for backlist titles.
Justine Larbalestier on bad reviews'Basically, bad reviews are going to happen, but really, they have very little influence over your book sales. Whats more worrying is not to receive'any reviews, which means that your book isnt getting out there in the first place.
First we had iDreamBooks, and now we have The BookScore. Both sites are vying to be Rotten Tomatoes for books. I still think this is a tougher task than the one faced by Rotten Tomatoes. There are way more books released to the mainstream than there are films, and coverage can be mixed.
Cover Cake: social media analytics customised for publishing
Lisa Walker, author of'Liar Bird on writing her first novel'Learning how to write a novel has taken her roughly as long as it takes to qualify as a brain surgeon, she says, and it took her a long time to realise that there might be something to that write what you know advice.
Advertising Age redesigns print publication'The publication is redirecting its emphasis from breaking news to analysis. Which, yeah, makes sense for most publications, really. The value of journalism isnt in 'breaking the news that I can get from my Twitter feed. Its in the thoughtful and considered analysis that cant be found elsewhere.
CS Lewis: Your book bill ought to be your biggest extravagance.'Its kind of my only extravagance. Unless rent and groceries count.
How many of the worlds most difficult books have you read?'I have read exactly none of these. But I am always game for a challenge.
Kristin Cashore on green squares, yellow triangles, and balancing authorial intention with reader expectation.'Cashore points out that people are going to confuse their own expectations with your intentions as a writer, so its essential to know what your own goals as an author are. However, there are going to be those who dont mind that you go off in a different direction, or that their own disappointment as a reader doesnt mean that you as a writer are a failure.
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