Breaking news on authors, publishers, and book-related topics

The next chapter for e-books

Sep 06 2007: According to the New York Times (in an article titled "Envisaging the Next Chapter for Electronic Books"), two new offerings this fall are set to test whether consumers really want to replace a technology that has reliably served humankind for hundreds of years: the ...

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Hugo Award winners announced

Sep 04 2007: The winners of this year's Hugo Awards were announced at the 65th World Science Fiction Convention, in Yokohama, Japan, on September 1st 2007. Winners include:

• Best Novel: Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge (Tor).
• Best Novella: A Billion Eves by Robert Reed (Asimov's, Oct....

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Anne Lamott Stirs Passions in Omaha

Sep 01 2007: Fans of Anne Lamott in Omaha have rallied to secure an appearance by the author in the wake of an abrupt cancellation by local Jesuit institution Creighton University. The school had invited Lamott long ago for a paid appearance on September 19 as part of their annual ...

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Settlement reached in "Running with Scissors" suit

Aug 31 2007: The family of Northampton psychiatrist Rodolph H. Turcotte has settled a defamation suit against Augusten Burroughs, author of the best-selling memoir Running With Scissors, and the book's publisher. In the suit filed two years ago in Middlesex Superior Court, members ...

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Random House donates $1m to nonprofit First Books

Aug 28 2007: According to the Washington Post, Random House Inc is donating $1 million to First Book, a Washington-based nonprofit organization that has given millions of books to needy children since its founding in 1992.

"As publishing professionals who spend our days ...

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Rowling not writing thriller

Aug 24 2007: The blogosphere has been abuzz with the news that J.K. Rowling has been spotted in cafes around Edinburgh working on a crime novel - but they are wrong. The rumor started when Ian Rankin, fellow Scotsman and author of a detective series set in Edinburgh, jokingly told ...

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Writing tops poll of ideal jobs

Aug 23 2007: According to a YouGov poll reported in the Guardian, more Britons dream about becoming an author than any other job! 10% of Britons aspire to be an author, followed by sports personality, pilot, astronaut and event organizer. More women than men yearn to write, while ...

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One in four read no books last year

Aug 22 2007: According to a poll conducted by Ipsos for the Associated Press, one in four adults read no books at all in the past year. Of those who did read, women and older people were most avid, and religious works and popular fiction were the top choices (sample size 1003, ...

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