Writerswrite.com's Writer's Blog

Adam Mars-Jones Wins Hatchet Job of the Year Award

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 15:00:00 EST

Adam Mars-Jones has won the Hatchet Job of the Year award. His prize is a year's supply of potted shrimp. Mars-Jones won for his review of By Nightfall by author Michael Cunningham.

Mars-Jones criticized Cunningham for using an "armour-plating of literary references" in his novel. Mars-Jones also says the novel is "filled with thoughts about art, or (more ominously) Thoughts about Art."

The Hatchet Job of the Year is new British literary prize given by The Omnivore, a site that aggregates press reviews. The Omnivore says the prize "aims to raise the profile of professional critics and to promote honesty and wit in literary journalism."

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Charles Dickens' 200th Anniversary Celebrated in London

Tue, 7 Feb 2012 21:00:00 EST

Charles Dickens was born 200 years ago on February 7, 1812 in Landport, England. Dickens began his career as a journalist, but was best known for his novels about Victorian London, which included A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist and A Tale of Two CIties.

The Telegraph reports that a service for Charles Dickens was held at Westminster Abbey. Wreaths were laid at Dickens' grave in Poets' Corner. The Prince of Wales attended the ceremony. He called Dickens, "one of the greatest writers of the English language." Actor Ralph Fiennes, who will star in a film version of Great Expectations, read from Dickens' novel Bleak House. Take a look:

A joint celebration was held at St Mary's Church in Portsmouth, the city where Dickens was born. Google also honored British author Charles Dickens with a special Google Doodle today.

You can find out more about Charles Dickens on the Charles Dickens Page, the Charles Dickens Museum website and on Wikipedia.

Image: Google

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Books-A-Million Won't Stock Books Published by Amazon

Sun, 5 Feb 2012 22:00:00 EST

Books-A-Million will not be carrying any Amazon titles in its stores. Publishers Weekly reports that a BAM executive confirmed it won't carry any Amazon published titles. Amazon partnered with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to have its books published in print form through the publisher's New Harvest imprint, but the two leading U.S. bricks-and-mortar booksellers are refusing to carry the books.

Barnes & Noble announced last week that it won't stock any titles from Amazon Publishing. Barnes & Noble blamed Amazon's push for exclusivity with certain publishers, agents and authors. Barnes & Noble said these exclusives have prevented it from offering certain ebooks to its customers.

Books-A-Million operates over 200 stores in the U.S. and Barnes & Noble has over 700 stores. This makes at least 900 stores where Amazon's books (published through New Harvest) will not be available.

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Sh*t Agents and Editors Say

Sat, 4 Feb 2012 21:00:00 EST

We've been trying to ignore the barrage of "Sh*t ___ Say" videos that have swept the interwebs lately, but this one was just too on target to pass up. Foundry agent Brandi Bowles, Folio agent Michelle Brower and Da Capo editor Katie McHugh created the video to give us a peek into their world. Take a look:

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The End May Be Near for Dorchester Publishing

Sat, 4 Feb 2012 17:14:00 EST

Publishers Weekly reports that the end may be near for Dorchester Publishing. The fate of the publisher will be decided by the end of February.

PW says that all editorial staff has left the company, as has the senior vice president of sales and marketing, Tim DeYoung. The company is reorganizing and will announce the fate of its ebook and trade paperback lines by the end of the month. The company told PW that it is working to ensure author royalty payment obligations are satisfied.

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Winners of the 2012 Kingsley and Kate Tufts Poetry Awards Announced

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 21:00:00 EST

Claremont Graduate University (CGU) has announced the winners of the 2012 Kingsley and Kate Tufts Poetry Awards. The Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award carries a $100,000 cash prize and the Kate Tufts Discovery Award comes with a $10,000 prize. You can find out more about the annual awards here.

Timothy Donnelly of Brooklyn, New York, won the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award for his book The Cloud Corporation (Wave, Picador). The Cloud Corporation is Donnelly's second book. His first, Twenty-seven Props for a Production of Eine Lebenszeit (Grove), was published in 2003. This spring Donnelly is the Theodore H. Holmes '51 and Bernice Holmes Visiting Associate Professor at Princeton University's Program in Creative Writing and Lewis Center for the Arts.

Katherine Larson, a molecular biologist and field ecologist from Tucson, Arizona, won the Kate Tufts Discovery Award for her book of poetry, Radial Symmetry (Yale University Press). In addition to the Kate Tufts Discovery Award, Larson's work has been honored by a Ruth Lilly Fellowship and the Union League Civic and Arts Foundation Poetry Prize.

Wendy Martin, director of the Tufts Poetry Award program, said in a statement, "these poets carry forward a tradition marked by distinguished past winners including Robert Wrigley, Tom Sleigh, Matthea Harvey, Yusef Komunyakaa, and Chase Twichell. CGU is proud to be able to make these important awards."

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Barnes & Noble Won't Stock a Single Book Published by Amazon

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:44:00 EST

Barnes & Noble has decided it will not carry any books published by Amazon. Amazon recently partnered with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's New Harvest imprint to have New Harvest distribute print versions of its books. Amazon was probably hoping that having the print version of its books published by the Harcourt imprint would get them into bricks-and-mortars stores, but Barnes & Noble is not about to let that happen in its stores.

Here is the statement from Jaime Carey, Chief Merchandising Officer of Barnes & Noble.

"Barnes & Noble has made a decision not to stock Amazon published titles in our store showrooms. Our decision is based on Amazon's continued push for exclusivity with publishers, agents and the authors they represent. These exclusives have prohibited us from offering certain eBooks to our customers. Their actions have undermined the industry as a whole and have prevented millions of customers from having access to content. It's clear to us that Amazon has proven they would not be a good publishing partner to Barnes & Noble as they continue to pull content off the market for their own self interest. We don't get many requests for Amazon titles, but If customers wish to buy Amazon titles from us, we will make them available only online at bn.com"

Bloomberg Businessweek writer Brad Stone shared the statement from Barnes & Noble on his Google+ account. Stone recently wrote the article, Amazon's Hit Man, about Larry Kirshbaum, the former head of the Time Warner Book Group who now runs Amazon Publishing.

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Jonathan Franzen is Very Concerned About Technology, Ebooks

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST

The Telegraph reports that author Jonathan Franzen is very concerned about the future of printed books. The Telegraph says Franzen is worried that our desire for digital books is "damaging society."

Franzen fears that in fifty years no one will care about printed books. He says, "Someone worked really hard to make the language just right, just the way they wanted it. They were so sure of it that they printed it in ink, on paper. A screen always feels like we could delete that, change that, move it around. So for a literature-crazed person like me, it's just not permanent enough."

It is not just electronic books that are a problem for Franzen. The luddite also fears technology. Franzen says, "I think the combination of technology and capitalism has given us a world that really feels out of control. If you go to Europe, politicians don't matter."

Jonathan Franzen's novels, Freedom: A Novel and The Corrections, are both available as ebooks for the Kindle and Nook. Franzen thinks ebooks are a serious problem, but this isn't stopping him from profiting from them.

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Amazon and Houghton Mifflin Announce Distribution Deal

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:00:00 EST

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Amazon.com have announced a licensing agreement between Amazon Publishing's East Coast Group and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's New Harvest imprint. New Harvest will publish all of Amazon Publishing's adult titles in print and distribute them in North America outside of the Amazon.com platform. This distribution deal will enable Amazon.com to get its books in bricks-and-mortar bookstores. Amazon already has its own Kindle ebook platform to distribute the digital versions of its books.

Amazon Publishing's East Coast Group is headed by Larry Kirshbaum. It will publish narrative nonfiction, select literary fiction, business books and children's/young adult. Tim Ferriss, Penny Marshall, Deepak Chopra and James Franco are some of the major authors on the launch list for Amazon Publishing. Its first list will debut in Fall 2012.

Larry Kirshbaum says, "Our goal has been, and remains, to introduce authors to as many readers as possible. This new agreement with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt enables us to broaden our distribution and get our books into more readers' hands."

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Stephen Colbert Talks to Author Maurice Sendak

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST

Stephen Colbert sat down for a conversation with Maurice Sendak, author of Where the Wild Things Are. Sendak reaffirmed that he does not think he writes children's books. Sendak also said book signings are "dreadful." Sendak does not like being asked about writing a sequel to Where the Wild Things Are, so, of course, Colbert asked him about it. Colbert suggested Vin Diesel should be in the sequel. Colbert also edited a copy of Sendak's often banned book, In the Night Kitchen. Take a look:

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Andrew Miller Wins 2011 Costa Book of the Year

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:15:00 EST

Andrew Miller has won the 2011 Costa Book of the Year for his novel, Pure. The UK book award carries a $47,000 cash prize.

Pure is Miller's sixth novel. Set in pre-revolutionary Paris in 1785, Pure tells the story of Jean-Baptiste Baratte, an ambitious young engineer, who is assigned the task of emptying the overflowing Parisian cemetery Les Innocents, and demolishing its church.

The judges describe Pure as a "structurally and stylistically flawless historical novel, this book is a gripping story, beautifully written and emotionally satisfying."

Reuters reports that there was bitter dissent among the judges and a "fierce debate." Some of the judges in the eight-member panel felt the prize should have gone to Now All Roads Lead to France by Matthew Holli.

Costa also announced that it will expand its awards in 2012 to include a short story award. Details about the new competition will be announced later this year.

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84th Academy Award Screenplay Nominations Announced

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST

The nominees for the 84th Academy Awards were announced this morning by actress Jennifer Lawrence and Academy President Tom Sherak at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Here are the list of nominees for adapted screenplay and original screenplay.

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

The Descendants, screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon and Jim Rash
Hugo, screenplay by John Logan
The Ides of March, screenplay by George Clooney and Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
Moneyball, screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, story by Stan Chervin
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, screenplay by Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan

Writing (Original Screenplay)

The Artist, written by Michel Hazanavicius
Bridesmaids, written by Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig
Margin Call, written by J.C. Chandor
Midnight in Paris, written by Woody Allen
A Separation, written by Asghar Farhadi

The Artist, Bridesmaids and Midnight in Paris are also nominated for Best Original Screenplay for the 2012 BAFTAs. Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris won the Screenplay Golden Globe Award.

You can see a complete list of the Oscar nominees here.

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Winners of 2012 Newbery Medal and Caldecott Medal Announced

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:35:00 EST

Jack Gantos is the winner of the 2012 Newbery Medal for his novel, Dead End in Norvelt. The book was published by Farrar Straus Giroux. The annual Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery.

Newbery Medal Committee Chair Viki Ash says, "Who knew obituaries and old lady death could be this funny and this tender?"

The 2012 Newbery honor books are Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai (HarperCollins Children's Books) and Breaking Stalin's Nose (Henry Holt and Company, LLC).

A Ball for Daisy (Schwartz & Wade Books) by Chris Raschka won the Randolph Caldecott award for best illustration. Caldecott Medal Committee Chair Steven L. Herb says, "Chris Raschka's deceptively simple paintings of watercolor, gouache and ink explore universal themes of love and loss that permit thousands of possible variants. A Ball for Daisy holds as many unique stories as there will be young readers and re-readers."

The 2012 Caldecott honor books are Blackout, written and illustrated by John Rocco (Hyperion Books) and Grandpa Green, written and illustrated by Lane Smith (Roaring Brook Press).

Photos: Farrar, Straus and Giroux/Schwartz & Wade Books

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Apple Launches Digital Textbooks, iBooks Author Tool

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 16:30:00 EST

Apple announced new electronic textbook features and partnerships with major electronic publishers at a recent press conference. Apple partnered with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw-Hill and Pearson to offer digital textbooks (called iBooks textbooks) with interactive animations and high quality diagrams and photographs. The textbooks also have highlighting and note-taking features and digital study cards.

Apple says most of the digital textbooks will cost $14.99 or less. You can view some of the digital textbooks here.

Apple also debuted a new iTunes U app, which lets teachers create and manage courses, including electures, assignments, books, quizzes, and syllabuses.

Apple also launched iBooks Author, a free app from the Mac App Store, that enables anyone to create a book for the iPad. There has been some criticism of Apple for using a proprietary file format for its iBooks author files, but Amazon does this with the Kindle as well.

Photos: Apple, Inc.

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2012 BAFTA Screenplay Nominees

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST

Here are the screenplay nominations for the 2012 Orange British Academy Film Awards. The winners will be announced on February 12.

Original Screenplay

The Artist by Michel Hazanavicius
Bridesmaids by Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig
The Guard by John Michael McDonagh
The Iron Lady by Abi Morgan
Midnight in Paris by Woody Allen

Adapted Screenplay

The Descendants - Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, adapted from the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings
The Help - Tate Taylor, adapted from the novel by Kathryn Stockett
The Ides of March - George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon, adapted from the play "Farragut North" by Beau Willimon
Moneyball - Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, adapted from the book, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan, adapted from the novel by John le Carre

Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris won the Golden Globe Award in the screenplay category. Oscar nominations will be revealed on January 24.

Image: British Academy of Film and Television Arts

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Salman Rushdie Cancels Appearance at Jaipur Literary Festival Due to Assassination Threat

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 15:00:00 EST

Salman Rushdie canceled his trip to India due to an assassination threat. Indian author Amitava Kumar is just one of many authors who are very angry about the ban on Rushdie's book, The Satantic Verses, and the fact that Rushdie cannot travel safely to India. Authors have been reading from Rushdie's work in protest. William Darlymple, the organizer of the Jaipur Literary Festival, says that Rushdie should be a national hero, not an author whose work is banned because it is critical of Islam. It has been 24 years since a fatwa was issued by the Ayatollah Khomeini ordering the death of Rushdie. CNN's Sara Sidner reports:

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Grand Central Publishing to Launch Digital Romance Imprint in February

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:14:00 EST

Grand Central Publishing, part of Hachette Book Group USA, will be launching a digital romance imprint in February called Forever Yours. The name comes from Grand Central's romance imprint, Forever, which debuted in January 2003. The Forever Yours imprint will include digital versions of titles from Forever's backlist.

Publishers Weekly reports that Forever Yours will accept submissions from writers with and without agents. Manuscripts can range from 10,000 to 50,000 words for novellas and up to 100,000 words for novels. Grand Central publisher Jamie Raab told PW that authors will get "competitive pricing, cover design, advertising, publicity, and promotion" as well as "dedicated editorial and sales support" for each title.

USA Today reports that Forever Yours will begin with two novellas that will cost 99 cents on Amazon.com. They novellas are Ember by Kristen Callihan and Once Upon a Wicked Night by Jennifer Haymore.

Photo: Hachette Book Group

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Major Websites Black Out to Protest SOPA and PIPA Internet Censorship Bills

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:14:00 EST

Many major websites have gone dark today to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) which are currently pending in both houses of Congress. These bills would give major censorship powers to entertainment and media companies. The bill could result in large portions of the Internet being censored. The bills could bring an end to the open Internet and end the free flow of information. The bills are also completely unnecessary. The entertainment and media firms lobbying for these censorship bills already have plenty of tools to protect their copyright.

Wikipedia is one of the websites going dark. Wikipedia has a good FAQ explaining the bill and why it is such a threat to online information. Wikipedia says the bill puts the free encyclopedia built by its contributors over the past ten years at risk.

For over a decade, we have spent millions of hours building the largest encyclopedia in human history. Right now, the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that could fatally damage the free and open Internet. For 24 hours, to raise awareness, we are blacking out Wikipedia.

Google blacked out its logo today to protest the bills. Google says the bills will censor the Internet.

These bills would grant new powers to law enforcement to filter the Internet and block access to tools to get around those filters. We know from experience that these powers are on the wish list of oppressive regimes throughout the world. SOPA and PIPA also eliminate due process. They provide incentives for American companies to shut down, block access to and stop servicing U.S. and foreign websites that copyright and trademark owners allege are illegal without any due process or ability of a wrongfully targeted website to seek restitution.

Other sites protesting SOPA and PIPA today include Craigslist, Boing Boing, Reddit, Wikipedia and I Can Has Cheezburger.

Deadline reports the blackout is already having an impact, with influential Congressman and Senators dropping off the list of likely supporters. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) and Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) are just two major supporters that have backed off after seeing the avalanche of anger on the Internet against the bills.

Image: Google

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John Burnside Wins T.S. Eliot Prize for Poetry

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:22:00 EST

John Burnside won the T.S. Eliot Prize for Poetry for his collection, Black Cat Bone (Jonathan Cape). The annual award is administered by the Poetry Book Society. Burnside will receive a cash prize of 15,000 pounds (about $23,000).

Gillian Clarke, Chair of the judges, said in a statement, "Amongst an unprecedentedly strong and unusually well-received shortlist, John Burnside's Black Cat Bone is a haunting book of great beauty, powered by love, childhood memory, human longing and loneliness. In an exceptional year, it is an outstanding book, one which the judges felt grew with every reading."

Poets Alice Oswald and John Kinsella withdrew their names from consideration for the T.S. Eliot Prize this year. They objected to the prize being sponsored by Aurum Funds, an investment bank.

Photo: Jonathan Cape

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Woody Allen Wins Best Screenplay at 2012 Golden Globes

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:25:00 EST

Woody Allen won Best Screenplay at the 2012 Golden Globe Awards for Midnight in Paris. Allen both wrote and directed the wonderful film. The lead character Gil (Owen Wilson) meets many famous artists, publishers and writers from the 1920s as he travels back in time in Paris. F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, Gertrude Stein and Salvador Doli are some of the famous people Gil encounters.

Here is a video clip from the announcement of Woody Allen as the winner last night by Clive Owen and Nicole Kidman. It is very short because Woody Allen was not present. He does not usually attend award shows. He did make a post-911 appearance at the Oscars in 2002 to introduce a short clip highlighting films made in New York. Take a look:

You can see a complete list of the Golden Globe winners here.

Photo: Sony Picture Classics

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Apostrophe Protection Society Condemns Waterstone's For Dropping Apostrophe

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 22:14:00 EST

The UK's Waterstone's bookstore is dropping the apostrophe from its name. The company says removing the apostrophe makes the name more versatile for the digital world.

James Daunt, managing director of Waterstones, said in a statement, "Waterstones without an apostrophe is, in a digital world of URLs and email addresses, a more versatile and practical spelling. It also reflects an altogether truer picture of our business today which, while created by one, is now built on the continued contribution of thousands of individual booksellers."

The BBC reports that the move has been condemned by the Apostrophe Protection Society. John Richards, the chairman of the Apostrophe Protection Society, told the Telegraph, "It's just plain wrong. It's grammatically incorrect. If Sainsbury's and McDonald's can get it right, then why can't Waterstones. You would really hope that a bookshop is the last place to be so slapdash with English."

Waterstones also has a new logo, which is a capital W in a Baskerville serif font. Waterstones was acquired by Russian banker Alexander Mamut last May.

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Seven Novels Shortlisted for 2011 Man Asian Literary Prize

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:50:00 EST

Seven novels have been shortlisted for the 2011 Man Asian Literary Prize. This is the largest shortlist for the annual prize. The shortlist usually only contains five books. The winner of the 2011 Man Asian Literary Prize will be announced at a gala event in Hong Kong on March 15, 2012. Here is the shortlist:

The Wandering Falcon by Jamil Ahmad (Pakistan)
Rebirth by Jahnavi Barua (India)
The Sly Company of People Who Care by Rahul Bhattacharya (India)
River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh (India)
Please Look After Mom by Kyung-Sook Shin (South Korea)
Dream of Ding Village by Yan Lianke (China)
The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto (Japan)

Chair Judge, Razia Iqbal says, "The judges were greatly impressed by the imaginative power of the stories now being written about rapidly changing life in worlds as diverse as the arid borderlands of Pakistan, the crowded cityscape of modern Seoul, and the opium factories of nineteenth century Canton. This power and diversity made it imperative for us to expand the 2011 Man Asian Literary Prize shortlist beyond the usual five books."

The longlist was announced last October at the 2011 Singapore Writers Festival by judge Vikas Swarup. Swarup wrote the novel, Q&A, which was adapted by Simon Beaufoy into the Oscar winning film, Slumdog Millionaire.

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Writers Write is Now on Google+

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:15:00 EST

Writers Write now has a Google+ page on Google+. Google+ is a new social network from Google. You add follow us on Google+ by clicking on the Google+ button below and adding us to one of your circles.

You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter.

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HarperCollins Launches Comprehensive Backlist Program in Nine Independent Bookstores

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:04:00 EST

HarperCollins announced the launch of its new Comprehensive Backlist Program today. The program uses the Espresso Book Machine (EBM) which is in place nine independent bookstores so far. The program allows bookstores to sell an author's entire backlist at one time. Some of the books stocked will be physical. Other books will be available in-store using the Digital-to-Print at Retail (DPR) by using the Espresso Book Machine. The print on demand machine works at the touch of a button. It can created a paperback book with a color cover in minutes.

The program launched in these bookstores today: Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, MA; McNally Jackson, New York, NY; Northshire Bookstore, Manchester Center, VT; Politics and Prose, Washington, DC; Schuler Books & Music, Grand Rapids, MI; Tattered Cover Book Store, Denver, CO; Third Place Books, Seattle, WA; University Book Store, Seattle, WA; and Village Books, Bellingham, WA. Each store printed a first-run, print-on-demand copy of Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett to celebrate the launch. The goal is to get the machines -- and the full HarperCollins backlist available in all independent bookstores.

Josh Marwell, President of Sales for HarperCollins, had this to say about the program: "Physical bookstores, as the recent robust holiday sales have shown, remain a critical channel for customers to discover and buy print books, and we want all HarperCollins titles to be available there, whether carried regularly on shelves or now via print-on-demand machines. The program is a win for authors, who will have more books available in stores, and for booksellers, who will be able to immediately sell many more titles to customers without the limits of physical space and inventory dollars."

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2011 Story Prize Finalists Announced

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:00:00 EST

The Story Prize has announced the finalists for the 2011 prize. The annual prize awards short story collections. The finalists wre chosen from 92 books that 60 different publishers or imprints submitted in 2011. Here is a list of the finalists:

The Angel Esmeralda by Don DeLillo (Scribner)
We Others by Steven Millhauser (Alfred A. Knopf)
Binoular Vision by Edith Pearlman (Lookout Books)

Edith Pearlman's collection, Binoular Vision, was also a National Book Award finalist.

The winners will be announced at The Story Prize's annual event at the New School's Tishman Auditorium in New York City at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 21. Three finalists will read passages from their books at the event. The finalists will also each be interviewed by Story Prize Director Larry Dark. Then the winner will be announced. The prize for the winner is $20,000 and an engraved silver bowl. The runners-up each get $5,000.

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Hatchet Job of the Year Shortlist Announced

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:24:00 EST

A new British literary prize, the Hatchet Job of the Year, will be presented to the author of "the angriest, funniest, most trenchant book review of the past twelve months." The winner will get a year's supply of potted shrimp from The Fish Society. The award was launched by The Omnivore, a site that aggregates press reviews.

Here is the shortlist:

Mary Beard on Rome by Robert Hughes (The Guardian)
Geoff Dyer on The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes (The New York Times)
Camilla Long on Kisses of His Mouth by Monique Roffey (The Sunday Times)
Lachlan Mackinnon on Clavics by Geoffrey Hill (The Independent)
Adam Mars-Jones on By Nightfall by Michael Cunningham (The Observer)
Leo Robson on Martin Amis: The Biography by Richard Bradford (New Statesman)
Jenni Russell on Honey Money: The Power of Erotic Capital by Catherine Hakim (The Sunday Times)
David Sexton on The Bees by Carol Ann Duffy (London Evening Standard)

The winner will be announced on February 7.

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American Dialect Society Names Occupy the 2011 Word of the Year

Sun, 8 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST

The American Dialect Society voted "occupy" as the word of the year for 2011. The is the 22nd annual word of the year selected by the American Dialect Society. The same word was put on a list of banished words and phrases by Lake Superior State University.

Ben Zimmer, chair of the New Words Committee of the American Dialect Society, says, "It's a very old word, but over the course of just a few months it took on another life and moved in new and unexpected directions, thanks to a national and global movement. The movement itself was powered by the word."

Here is a list of some of the other winning words at the society's annual words of the year vote:

Most Useful: humblebrag - expression of false humility, especially by celebrities on Twitter
Most Creative: Mellencamp - a woman who has aged out of being a "cougar"
Most Unnecessary: bi-winning - term used by Charlie Sheen to describe himself pridefully, dismissing accusations of being bipolar
Most Outrageous: assholocracy - rule by obnoxious multi-millionaires
Most Euphemistic: job creator - a member of the top one-percent of moneymakers
Most Likely to Success: cloud - online space for the large-scale processing and storage of data
Least Likely to Succeed: brony - adult male fan of the My Little Pony cartoon franchise

You can read some of the runner up words here in the American Dialect Society's press release.

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A Tour of Charles Dickens' Childhood Home

Sat, 7 Jan 2012 18:44:00 EST

This year is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens. His actual birthday was on February 7th. There are many international events and programs being organized to celebrate the life and work of the author which will take place all year. You can find out more about the celebration at Dickens 2012.

As part of that celebration, the home where Dickens was born has undergone a refurbishment and is now open to visitors. In this video, The Telegraph takes a tour around the house where he was born with Lucinda Dickens Hawksley, his great-great-great granddaughter. Take a look:

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2012 Writers Guild Award Nominees Announced

Sat, 7 Jan 2012 15:00:00 EST

The Writers Guild of America has announced the 2012 Writers Guild Award nominees. The nominees for Original Screenplay and Adapted Screenplay are listed below. You can see the complete list of nominees in all categories, including television and documentary, here on wga.org.

Original Screenplay Nominees

50/50, written by Will Reiser (Summit Entertainment)
Bridesmaids, written by Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig (Universal Pictures)
Midnight in Paris, written by Woody Allen (Sony Pictures Classics)
Win Win, screenplay by Tom McCarthy, story by Tom McCarthy and Joe Tiboni (Fox Searchlight)
Young Adult, written by Diablo Cody (Paramount Pictures)

Adapted Screenplay Nominees

The Descendants, screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemming (Fox Searchlight)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, screenplay by Steven Zaillian, based on the novel by Stieg Larsson, originally published by Norstedts (Columbia Pictures)
The Help, screenplay by Tate Taylor, based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett (DreamWorks Pictures)
Hugo, screenplay by John Logan, based on the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (Paramount Pictures)
Moneyball, screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, story by Stan Chervin, based on the book by Michael Lewis (Columbia Pictures)

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John Grisham Discusses the New TV Series, The Firm

Fri, 6 Jan 2012 18:40:00 EST

Bestselling author John Grisham sat down with The Today Show's Matt Lauer to talk about the new tv series, The Firm, which is based on the bestselling 1991 novel. It was Grisham's first hit. The tv show stars the same character, lawyer Mitch McDeere, and picks up his story 10 years later. Mitch has left the witness protection program, but can't seem to escape his former life. You can watch a trailer for the show here.

Grisham says he read a spec script for the new tv show, which he liked a lot. He said he was really disappointed with the TV version of The Client, but loves this new show. He said he does give input on the show and reads all the scripts. The show debuts with a two hour premiere this Sunday night on NBC. Take a look:

Photo: Peter Kramer/NBC

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Barnes & Noble Considering Sale or Spin-off of Nook Business

Thu, 5 Jan 2012 12:25:00 EST

Barnes & Noble Inc. has announced it is considering selling or spinning off its Nook business. This is shocking because the Nook enables the book retailer to compete with Amazon.com and Apple in the booming electronic book business. Barnes & Noble becomes just an ordinary book retailer with no technology counterpart without the Nook.

William Lynch, chief executive of Barnes & Noble, said in a statement, "We see substantial value in what we've built with our Nook business in only two years, and we believe it's the right time to investigate our options to unlock that value."

Barnes & Noble also announced that it sold less Nook devices than expected over the holidays and reduced its full-year sales forecast for its Nook business. Barnes & Noble is unable to afford the increasing costs needed to compete with Amazon.com and Apple in ebooks and expand internationally. The company's only option appears to be to separate the Nook business and take on new partners. The Wall Street Journal reports that Barnes & Noble is talking to strategic partners, but no names were given.

Reuters reports that Barnes & Noble's stock plunged over 20% on the news.

Barnes & Noble also announced yesterday that it plans to sell Sterling Publishing.

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Barnes & Noble Plans to Sell Sterling Publishing

Wed, 4 Jan 2012 15:44:00 EST

The Wall Street Journal reports that Barnes & Noble will soon put its Sterling Publishing business up for sale. The book retailer wants to focus its energy and resources on the Nook as it battles for digital book marketshare with Amazon.com.

Barnes & Noble acquired Sterling Publishing in 1993 for $115 million. Sterling publishes nonfiction titles, including current events, diet, health, parenting, popular culture, reference, history, art and music. The New York Times says Sterling has a backlist of 4,500 titles.

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James Franco Inks Deal for Debut Novel With Amazon Publishing

Wed, 4 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST

The New York Observer reports that James Franco is publishing his first novel. Franco eschewed traditional publishers such as Scribner, who published a book of his short stories Palo Alto: Stories, and decided to go with Amazon Publishing.

Franco's novel is called Actors Anonymous. It was acquired by Ed Park, Amazon's fiction editor. The book is a reportedly a fictionalized version of Franco's experiences as an actor. If he dishes the dirt it could be a hit.

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Library Sends Police Officer to Collect Overdue Books From 5-Year-Old Girl

Tue, 3 Jan 2012 13:00:00 EST

CBS Boston reports that a police officer in Charlton was sent to notify Shannon Benoit, a 5-year-old girl, that her library books were overdue. The officer informed Shannon's mother that Shannon had two books checked out that were several months. Not surprisingly, Shannon burst into tears after the officer's visit. She says she was scared and thought she was going to be arrested. Charlton Police Sergeant Dan Dowd says he didn't want to make the visit, but he was ordered to do so by the Chief of Police. Take a look:

This story may remind some of Stephen King's short story, "The Library Policeman." Thankfully, the police officer in this story was very polite and human.

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Maurice Sendak Tells People Asking About Wild Things Sequel to Go to Hell

Sun, 1 Jan 2012 21:00:00 EST

Author Maurice Sendak did an interview with TateShots, an interview series from Tate, a UK family of art galleries. Sendak is best known for his book, Where the Wild Things Are. But don't ever ask him why he hasn't written a sequel.

Sendak says, "People said why didn't you do Wild Things 2? Wild Things 1 was such a success? Go to hell. Go to hell. I'm not a whore. I don't do those things."

"Go to hell" is an expression Sendak has used before. In a 2009 interview, Sendak told parents who think Wild Things is too scary to "go to hell." Sendak doesn't even think Where the WIld Things Are is a children's book. He says he has never written a children's book.

Sendak says, "I do not believe that I have ever written a children's book. I don't know how to write a children's book. How do you write about it? How do you set out to write a children's book. It's a lie."

Sendak also says he doesn't believe in awards or clubs. Take a look:

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The 2012 List of Banished Words and Phrases

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:00:00 EST

Lake Superior State University has released its 37th annual List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness. The university takes suggestions all year for obnoxious words and phrases that should be banned from decent discourse.

Tongue firmly in cheek, an LSSU representative issued this statement: "Worn-out words and phrases are the new normal this year, but with some shared sacrifice, we can clean up the language and win the future. With the addition of this year's nominations, the list of words and phrases banished over the years has become ginormous."

The list was created by former LSSU Public Relations Director Bill Rabe and his friends in 1975 while at a New Year's Eve party. They released the list the next day and it was a big hit. Now LSSU received thousands of nominations for words and phrases taken from marketing, media, education, politics, technology and more.

This year's list bans the phrase "baby bump," "man cave" and "the new normal." It also bans Trickeration which we have never heard, although we are not opposed to its banishment. Here is the amazing 2012 list of banned words and phrases:

Amazing
Baby Bump
Shared Sacrifice
Occupy
Blowback
Man Cave
The New Normal
Pet Parent
Win The Future
Trickeration
Ginormous
Thank You In Advance

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George R.R. Martin Posts Advance Chapter of Book 6 of A Song of Fire and Ice

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 14:00:00 EST

Dance With Dragons, the fifth book in the bestselling fantasy series "A Song of Ice and Fire" by George R.R. Martin, was just released. But Martin is already giving fans a taste of what's to come in book six, Winds of Winter. Martin has posted a chapter from book six on his website. It contains spoilers if you're not caught up with the series. You can read the excerpt, which is called "Theon," here.

Martin's popularity has soared with the popularity of HBO's television version of the series which is called Game of Thrones. Here's a sneak peek of Season Two:

Tease - Cold Winds Are Rising

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Judge Rules in Favor of Marvel in Ghost Rider Rights Battle

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 21:00:00 EST

Gary Friedrich was a freelancer for Marvel when he created a new origin story for the fiery Ghost Rider character. Friedrich turned Ghost Rider into the ghastly flaming skull motorcycle riding anti-hero we all know and love today. Before Friedrich's upgrade the Ghost Rider character was a ghostly white western hero who rode a white horse (see here).

Friedrich claimed in a lawsuit filed in 2007 that he owns the rights to the Ghost Rider character. Marvel's Ghost Rider movie, starring Nicolas Cage, also came out in 2007. A sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, will be released on February 17, 2012.

The Hollywood Reporter says in its report on the lawsuit that Friedrich signed a contract in 1978 that granted to Marvel, "forever all rights of any kind and nature in and to the Work."

Reuters reports that Manhattan federal court judge Katherine Forrest ruled that Friedrich gave up any rights to Ghost Rider to Marvel when he endorsed his checks. Reuters also says Friedrich's lawyer plans to file an appeal.

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