RIASS stuff:
Literary Blog Hop Giveaway: Tender is the Night by F Scott Fitzgerald'(open to all);'Giveaway: Arcadian Genesis by Greig Beck'(open to all)
Im still updating my list of single sitting classics/modern classics, so let me know if you have any suggestions (world literature recommendations especially are appreciated.) My goal is to have all of these read and reviewed within the next year.
If youd a bookish type whod like to be interviewed for RIASS drop me a line at readinasinglesitting AT gmail.com. You can check out our past interviews over here.
Other bookish stuff:
Agents: earning their money by collecting their money for you (and counting it)'By opting to receive your payments first and then pass them along, your agent will know when the money was sent to you, will check that the money sent was the right amount, will double check royalty payments, and will be able to keep on top of forms and other bits and pieces. Authors who opt to receive their money directly may be missing out on this service.
A whole bunch of top 100 reading lists condensed into one.
On writing addiction:'Writing has always been a pleasure for me'a way to channel a disorderly world into an orderly form. And yet, as with any palliative, writing has an addictive aspectIf you want to make writing a career, it must be a compulsion. It must be something that you cannot'not'do. As I have grown older, I have channeled my writing mania into new genres. From academic articles and books I have graduated to reviews, personal essays, stories, and novels. This reflects both a deepening of my ability to write and of my dependence on actually doing it'not unlike taking harder drugs that enhance your experience while also increasingly detaching yourself from it.
A comic book-style illustration of a Carl Sagan quote on reading.
Henry Rosenbloom from Scribe on the Penguin Random House merger'(contains analysis, not pictures of penguins in houses). Rosenbloom argues that this is the start of a wave of takeover activity, and that the big six will become the big four. There will be greater emphasis on blockbusters, and bookshops will probably have less marketing support. His thoughts on independent publishers in particular are worth quoting: It will make it even harder for them to acquire good books at reasonable prices, and will probably accelerate the trend towards global publishing. It may also make their dependence on large houses for sales and/or distribution facilities more fraught
The status of NYCs publishers in the wake of Sandy'Many of the major houses are still without power and internet, so things may be slower than usual. Hopefully everyone is safe and sound.
Sci-fi writers help scientists bridge the gap between fiction and reality'The Centre for Science and Imagination encourages collaboration between science fiction authors and scientists.
The Goodreads Choice Awards are open. Do your democratic duty as a book citizen!
The balance between authenticity and creativity'The author says that creatives need to be able to find balance in their choices. He recommends knowing your limits, being flexible, going easy on yourself and embracing selfishness.
How to fake confidence for creatives'Tips include rehearsing, testing your work in friendly waters, separating yourself from your work, and planning. And, of course, repeating all of this until you truly do start to develop confidence.
Cloud Atlas film adaptation slammed for using yellowface.'Its an artistically ambitious approach to filmmaking, says Guy Aoki, founding president of the Media Action Network for Asian-Americans. Unfortunately it reflects the same old racial pecking order that the entertainment industry has been practising for years.
Library employee finds gun inside donated book (I cant help but wonder if this was made by the guy who made the hollow book the husband used in his marriage proposal.)
Heres one for those of us doing NaNo: the blahblah meter tests your work for fluff words and excess.
Altered books: old books have been coloured in or crossed out so that only parts of their text remains, making for new readings and interpretations (and often poetry)
