Posts by author
Ian MacAllen
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Notable NYC: 7/12–7/18
Saturday 7/12: Emma Straub, Eric Smith, and others cross the river for the Chilltown Literary Festival in Jersey City. Downtown Jersey City, 11 a.m., free. Monday 7/14: Emma Straub, Tiphanie Yanique, Courtney Maum, Boris Fishman, and Aaron Burch join the Franklin…
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Amazon Attempts to Drive Wedge Between Authors and Hachette
The standoff between Amazon and Hachette has harmed authors more than either corporation. The corporations are surviving on massive war chests and alternate revenue streams. Authors, however, are far more adversely affected by reduced book pre-sales and the sale of…
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Writers Are Poor
A British study has confirmed that professional writers aren’t making very much money, and worse, that earnings for writers have fallen 29% since 2005. A survey of 2,500 British authors found median annual income at just £11,000 ($18,800) and only…
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J.K. Rowling Inks World Cup Potter Story
The Quidditch World Cup Final is the pretense for Harry Potter’s latest adventure, a 1,500-word story available to subscribers of Pottermore, Rowling’s fan club website. “Dumbledore’s Army Reunites,” is written like a gossip column from the Daily Prophet, the wizarding…
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In Defense of Publishers
The rise of digital self publishing has rekindled old arguments about the value of publishers. Authors often criticize publishers as merely providing packaging for their hard work. At BookRiot, Susie Rodarme explains the value of a good publisher: Publishers know books. They…
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A Little Brontë
Before the Brontë sisters wrote their masterpieces, they and their brother created tiny little books. The creative children invented fantasy worlds, wrote stories, and then set about putting together the petite, one inch by two inch books. Twenty of the…
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NYPL Hosts Panel on Amazon
The continuing battle between Amazon and Hachette was the focus of a panel discussion hosted by the New York Public Library last week featuring novelist James Patterson, publisher Morgan Entrekin, literary agent Tina Bennett, and several political theorists. Jason Diamond has…
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Banned Books Week to Highlight Graphic Novels
This year’s annual Banned Books Week—a celebration of books that have been banned—will target graphic novels, those picture-filled narratives better known as comic books. And that’s exactly why Banned Books Week is taking a special interest in comics this year,…
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Notable NYC: 7/5–7/11
Monday 7/7: Chuck Klosterman reads from I Wear the Black Hat, essays that twist the idea of villainy. BookCourt, 7 p.m., free. Alena Graedon and David Burry Gerrard read from their novels. Graedon’s The Word Exchange (April 2014) explores a future…
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All the Poor Young Literary Women
Earlier this year, Emily Gould wrote about the perils of selling her first book, an essay collection, and the importance of getting out of debt before finishing her novel. That novel, Friendship, launches next week. Gould spoke with Melissa Duclos over at…
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An Author By Any Other Name
Authors sometimes choose pseudonyms for marketing purposes or in order to rebrand themselves after some catastrophic career decision. Sometimes, they just want anonymity. In the case of Sarah Hall (the journalist), because another Sarah Hall (the Man Booker-shortlisted author) had…
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Cover Art Marginalizes Female Authors
The disparity in the number of male and female bylines might very well have something to do with the artwork featured on their books. Cover art informs readers of a book’s contents, and publishers certainly try to manipulate readers, as…