February 2012
11 posts
Book Stalker: “The Anti-Foodie Foodies: Has Food... →
Oh man—I am reading this book and loving it, and very sad to have missed the Housing Works event! Highly recommended for people who wish Michael Pollan and Barbara Ehrenreich had a baby like 30 years ago who then grew up to be a food journalist.
bookstalker:
So my notes from this meta-ish “anti-foodie foodie” event at Housing Works Tuesday night are a bit nonsensical (“fetishization of...
“Now those of you who’ve been reading this blog for a bit know I’m no...”
– From Don Linn’s post on the IPG-Amazon debacle.
Look, I fully agree that publishers and consumers need to step up and say no to these sorts of practices. But I believe that the ‘just change the game’ argument falls a bit flat, considering the obvious discrepancy between a...
“Now, come to find that my book has been pulled in a dispute between Amazon and...”
– From Jim Hanas’ post: “Chickens, Roosting.
Go read all of Jim Hanas’ take on Amazon’s latest move, this time delisting IPG distributed ebooks. If you’re unfamiliar with the situation, please read the Publishers Lunch piece. Still have questions? Please email me or...
WatchJob: done for money, 9-5
Career: advancement and promotion
Calling: intrinsically fulfilling
This TED talk on the importance of sabbaticals has my number.
And Now, a Downton/30 Rock Parallel
IT’S SO TRUE.
lazybookreviews:
(spoilers)
Dr. Clarkson = Dr. Spaceman
“Oh, I know I said you’ll never walk or have sex again, but I just made that up. What you WILL have is a nasty bruise on your spine!”
“Humans need more animal blood; it keeps the spine straight.”
January 2012
7 posts
7x20x21 at DBW lineup
If you are still on the fence about attending tonight’s Digital Book World opening ceremonies, allow me to present you with two compelling points. First, the bartenders pour some seriously stiff drinks. And second, 7x20x21 will return with a delightful new slate of speakers:
Gilt Groupe founders Alexis Maybank and Alexandra Wilkis Wilson
Tumblr’s literary community organizer...
McNally Jackson Bookmongers: McNally J's... →
We are petitioning the head of McNally’s Espresso Book Machine to do a talk at Digital Book World, because THIS. IS. AWESOME. (PS: Erin, I hope you can do it. Please, please, please.)
mcnallyjackson:
Here are McNally J’s bestselling books of 2011. It’s a list! 31 books long. Arbitrarily. I had to go get my laundry.
Just Kids, Patti Smith (Now also the bestselling book in McNJ’s history.)...
This has made me the happiest girl in 2012.
...
Make 2012 the Year You Resolve to Read More Books.
I don’t have any reading resolutions yet in 2012, but I have been inspired by Matt’s list below to make a list of my favorite books that I *read* this year, rather than just those that came out this year.
How Should a Person Be
We Need to Talk About Kevin
State of Wonder
The Family Fang
My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me
Ten Thousand Saints
Zoo City
A Supposedly...
“I’m just glad they included Shelia Heti’s How Should a Person Be,...”
– - The Great 2012 Book Preview (via millionsmillions)
Always the best year-in-books preview. Check it out.
(via thefeeling)
A solid base for your probably-already-towering TBR pile.
(via kratlee)
December 2011
9 posts
5 Books You Can't Download
Such a bummer.
scribnerbooks:
Because they’re not available as an e-book, and won’t be, for the foreseeable future.
[via]
Surprisingly, I am less sure than this guy on...
I just emailed this post to every single person who works at my company.
towirr:
[The price indie bookstores charge for books] is not a markup. We charge what the publishers ask for the books. We simply can’t strongarm the publishers into giving us better discounts like B&N or discount every title deeply enough that we lose money on all of them in an effort to cut out our competitors, an...
“And how did it become a Kindle Single?
Amazon had sent me an e-mail when they...”
– From NY Mag’s Vulture blog interview with Sloan Crosley about her upcoming Kindle Single. For those not in the know, Kindle Singles are sort of an arm of Amazon publishing. There’s an acquiring editor, and an advance, and the titles are exclusive to Amazon’s digital platform. Not...
“Technology is ruining the holidays. A download is a dud gift (dudload?).
...”
– From today’s Shelf Awareness. I’m hard pressed to think of an ebook advocate who talks so much smack about print books. Wish the reverse were true. Can’t we all just agree that reading is the most important thing?
WatchBlack Friday, sponsored by Four Loko.
November 2011
9 posts
Rethinking the Familiar Book Tour →
rachelfershleiser:
bennettmadison:
Okay, I’m definitely all for trying to figure out a way to fix the problem of how boring and excruciating “Readings” are, but I’m not totally sure that replacing them with extended Q+A’s— as this WSJ seems to be partially suggesting— is the answer!
Every single person I know dreads “the Q+A portion” which at best just ends up being a bunch of boiler plate...
“All the news that is fit to print about indie bookstores can generally be...”
– HOW CAN YOU EXPECT ME TO READ YOUR ARTICLE ABOUT “SAVING” THE INDIE BOOKSTORE IF YOUR FIRST SENTENCE IS SO PATENTLY WRONG?
All indie bookstores are not created equal. Articles that assume they are drive me up a tree.
"My vision of democracy depends on the belief that... →
ruthcurry:
My seemingly-endless quest to perfect the e-format of No More Nice Girls is not without its annoyances, but I love discovering and re-discovering gems like these.
BUY IT HERE
Please can there be more lady-ebook-making-badasses in the world???
One Week // One Band: Portishead's The Rip:... →
My buddy RJ is writing about Portishead all week. It’s pretty badass (as is his book about the band).
oneweekoneband:
These songs don’t fade to an easy conclusion. They collapse; they fall off a cliff; they implode. In so doing they abruptly cast your attention back over what you have just heard. What the hell was that?
October 2011
18 posts
“Moore added that he had heard that Lady Gaga—whose forthcoming book from...”
– I really, really want this to be true, Hachette!
3 Book Marketing Lessons That Surprised Me (or,...
muttinmall:
3 Book Marketing Lessons That Surprised Me (or, Unknown Unknowns in Publishing)
2. Remove the About the Author section from (some of) your Amazon pages.
Carolyn found that she had a far better clicks-to-sales ratio in her SEM (mainly through Google AdWords) when she removed the About the Author section from her Amazon page. Her explanation is that an Amazon product page...
People who fight about who gets to blog the joke...
Now begins the Ami-is-stalking-Rachel-and-Nick-to-have-dinner-with-her portion of our friendship. You’ve been warned.
Ladies, this is excellent advice, but true only for dudes. As satisfying as thermals might be, you’re just gonna have to find yourself some cable-knit tights or plan to weather the long months alone, in the mom jeans you bought specially to accommodate the extra size that longjohns add to your body.
rulesfornewyork:
Buy thermals longjohns. The winter will come out of nowhere to slap you...
“My response to it is, well, yes, of course. Duh.”
– God, I love Jami Attenberg’s thoughts on The Atlantic’s “All the Single Ladies” article.