Bookish links 2 Nov: reaching peak ebook, developing characters, editor "gut feelings" and more! | Read in a Single Sitting

RIASS stuff:

Other bookish stuff:

Like to read books on your iPad, but hate having to charge its battery? For the tiny price of''1300 this rocking chair can do it for you! Hows that for some savings on your power bill?

'Why ebooks are inspiring a new age of print:'Ebooks are encouraging a fetishisation of print, and are spurring readers and publishers to think about why they read and what it is about print books that inspires them so. New, beautiful editions are being printed, and print books are being augmented with additions that ebooks just cant quite do yet.

Have we already reached peak ebook?'Apparently theres been a decline in ebook growth, which may be due to several reasons, including: the demise of in-app purchasing, the growth of multimedia tablets over specialist ereaders, and a wider base of ereaders. These figures might also have something to do with the fact that they exclude self-published material.

On guessing and misunderstandings in plot'It is very difficult to suspend disbelief and follow a plot that hangs on a misunderstanding. Especially if the reader knows that the character has made a mistakeThe misunderstanding bit is way too weak to pin an entire plot on. This is extremely prevalent in romantic comedy style novels, so if you're writing one, make sure you're not relying on this trick too heavily. Weak plot also comes from character guesses that aren't backed up by concrete evidence via action or something that happens in the physical realm of the story.

Momentum books has a podcast!'Comes with bonus reading material, too, like a university lecture. Only free!

On developing characters'Your main character doesnt need to evolve into into an entirely new being by the end of the story. In fact, its better if she doesnt. Changes that happen to the character throughout need to grow naturally from who they are at the start their core qualities and the particular pressures that the story and the plot events put on them. The last thing you want is to have the character do a complete u-turn and become someone unrecognisable. Thats not satisfying either.

Hardcover childrens and YA books are raking in the moolahsales are up 30%.

Working from home bolsters happiness and productivity'Just so long as you turn off the internet, as most writers will tell you.

An interview with editor Heather Alexander'A lot of times, there is an instant gut reaction when reading submissions. But once I know I like something or don't, I focus in on the concrete reasons why. Has this story been told before? Who is the audience? Is the character active or passive? Is the plot unfolding naturally? Can I clearly picture this world? A great voice can trump everything else, and I'm always looking for solid characters that I connect with right away.

On Jonah Lehrer and pleasing the public'An interesting look at how Lehrers journalistic misdemeanours appeared to be in the name of serving storyand pleasing the audience. Lehrer was the first of the Millennials to follow his elders into the dubious promised land of the convention hall, where the book, blog, TED talk, and article are merely delivery systems for a core commodity, the Insight.'The Insight is less of an idea than a conceit, a bit of alchemy that transforms minor studies into news, data into magic.The purpose is not to substantiate but to enchant. (Given its subject matter Im a bit nervous about quoting from this article. Please dont sue me.)

Desk where Bram Stoker wrote Dracula expected to fetch over '50,000 at auction

Sally Rippin talks about illustrating'The Race for the Chinese Zodiac'I was interested to hear Sallys thoughts on working with a designer: Usually in Australia the designer just comes in at the last minute to add the text and place the images. I realised after listening to (designer David Mackintosh) speak that a designer can do so much more than just lay out text. He and (author Lauren Child) work together right from the beginning with her roughs and lay the book out together. I think this is a wonderful idea as both the designer and the illustrator have very different ideas and skills they can bring to the finished book.

A fun little post on the job of the commissioning editor'(aka speed-dater) The commissioning editor dates quickly and widely, which is good because seeminglyeveryone'wants a piece of herBecause the commissioning editor dates a'lot, she knows what's out there in the market. She knows what sells well, what's been done before and where there are any little gaps in the market that could be filledWhen the commissioning editor falls in love with a manuscript, she falls'hard.

In Melbourne? Hardie Grant are hosting a Christmas sale on November 28.