INDUSTRY

April is National Poetry Month

April 5, 2010

We’re sure, being the literary wunderkinds that you are, you already knew that April is National Poetry Month, the month when “publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools and poets around the country band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture.” That’s from the official website of National Poetry Month, www.poets.org, presented by the Academy of American Poets.

While poetry’s “vital place” may sometimes be questionable in these times but you wordsmiths and lovers of lyrical artistry know the value poetry has for your own work…don’t you? (Hint: if not, it’s time you found out.)

National Poetry Month(2009 poster)

Now go write some haiku or something.

And a tiny url for your sharing pleasure: http://tinyurl.com/6pb6s95

Declan Burke on Indie Publishing

March 14, 2010

On authors, editors, and the state of the Publishing Union, author Declan Burke (Crime Always Pays and The Big O) says it better than most in a recent guest column in Irish Publishing News:

…like-minded writers should get together and set up a co-op, akin to the United Artists studio of early Hollywood lore. In theory, it can be done: e-publishing and print-on-demand are just two elements of contemporary technology that allow writers to circumvent the publishing circus and go straight to readers.

He also quotes author Henry Porter from a related post on the Guardian Book Blog:

What worries me is the loss of income for writers in what is a pretty healthy market, the loss of good editors from publishing houses and the disdain for writers by retailers – people who depend on them. If they are not careful the core talent of the book trade may well combine in new types of ventures – collectives and transparent relationships where writers and editors go into business together on a 50:50 basis and are enabled by web platforms, ebooks and print on demand… disintermediation of a more radical sort.

Hey, that’s a great idea.

“So You Say You Want A Revolution?” in Irish Publishing News (with links to the original post on his blog)
“As I start to write my latest book, I fear for the future of publishing: Retailing pressure and the emergence of the ebook are threatening the future of authors and their work” by Henry Porter at The Guardian Blog (observer.guardian.co.uk)

And a tiny url for your sharing pleasure: http://tinyurl.com/79u7ocy

Read an eBook Week

March 8, 2010

What will you read for Read an eBook Week?
The future is upon us. Jump aboard.

Yes, yes. The smell of books, reading in the bathtub, writing in the margins, a bookshelf full of books, etc. etc. People will still have that choice and there are some books that simply can’t be replicated digitally. But when faced with a better option, consumers shift extremely quickly.

From Don’t Believe the E-book Skeptics by Nathan Bransford

Pop over to the “Read an eBook Week” Official Site for goodies such as:

And a tiny url for your sharing pleasure: http://tinyurl.com/75f2s3u

Anvil Wins at Independent Spirit Awards

March 6, 2010

Last night, Anvil! The Story of Anvil won Best Documentary at the 25th Independent Spirit Awards here in downtown Los Angeles. If you haven’t seen it, do. You will witness — and be a part of — lives profoundly changing right before your eyes.

Anvil is Robb Reiner, Steve 'Lips' Kudlow,
and Glenn 'G5" Gyorffy

Congratulations Sacha Gervasi, Jeff Renfroe, Andrew Dickler, Chris Soos, and Rebecca Yeldham. And much respect to you Lips, Robb, and G5 for just being you. I’m honoured to have witnessed and shared this journey with all of you.

This, people, is how you change the world: vision, honesty, and killer filmmaking.

Anvil! The Story of Anvil.

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The 25th Independent Spirit Awards
Anvil! The Story of Anvil – Official Film Site (signed DVDs and posters available)
anvilmetal.com – Official Site of Anvil

And a tiny url for your sharing pleasure: http://tinyurl.com/cxv7323