Columns

Does Borders Demise Signal the Death of Bookstores?

November 23rd, 2011

Way back in 2003, Borders Books and Music was at the top of its game, with more than 1,200 active locations in the United States alone (the chain also had stores in Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore). By January of 2010, the bookselling giant had shrunk to about half its size, boasting a measly 511 stores worldwide. On February 16th, 2011, Borders applied for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and by September 18th, the last 399 outlets closed for good.

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How To Market Yourself Through Social Networks (for Books!)

November 23rd, 2011

The internet is really good at bringing together communities of like-minded people. Like furries. And dendrophiliacs. And even book-lovers! In fact, there are sites out there dedicated specifically to hooking people up with new reading material through the power of social networking. And if you’re an author with a book to sell, it’s imperative that you utilize these sites.

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Can The Kindle Add Fuel To The Fire Of The Public Library System?

November 22nd, 2011

Amazon and the Kindle have done a number on the publishing industry. As the New York Times pointed out in October, Amazon now has a hand in every single aspect of the business, making insiders nervous that they could, in fact, entirely change the way people come in contact with and consume books.

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Ask The Lit Coach: "Should A New-To-Publishing Writer Seek The Safer Submission Route, Or Routes That Pay More?" and More

November 21st, 2011

Always a pleasure to receive your questions, dear writers. This week we explore what one fresh MFA student should consider while starting out on her professional writer's journey and what another writer needs to consider before soliciting his anthology to the publishing world. As always, the solutions are never cut and dry. Who ever said the writer's life was easy? 

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Book Brawl: Battle Royale vs. The Hunger Games

November 21st, 2011

Every month I’ll pit two books, somehow related, against one another in a brutal, literary fight to the death. Two books enter. One book leaves. This month the brawling books are Koushun Takami’s Battle Royale (1999) and Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games (2008). They are fighting it out due to their shared subject matter of kids killing kids in a government-sponsored bloodbath. So who shall prevail in our own me-sponsored bloodbath? Read on to find out!

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Vampires: No Longer “The Ultimate Zipless Fuck?”

November 18th, 2011

Original header image via Cottonbro Studio As Twihards throng the multiplexes for the release of Breaking Dawn Part 1, it’s time to reassess Stephen King’s 1981 hypothesis (in Danse Macabre) that the oral penetration promised by vampires constitutes “the ultimate zipless fuck”.

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Neglected Books: "An American Tragedy" and "1982, Janine"

November 17th, 2011

Original photo via Free Images For the November installment of my Neglected Books column, I thought I'd focus on two books that have no business being together. The first is not unknown, but it's largely unread nowadays. The other is unknown and unread. Here we go.

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UPDATE: What The Hell Ever Happened To... Nick Walker?

November 16th, 2011

UPDATE: Trafalgar distributor IPG has responded to my inquiry. The news is doubleplusungood:   Unfortunately, due to the recent developments you mentioned, we are unable to supply forthcoming titles from Beautiful Books.

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The Author's To-Don't List

November 15th, 2011

From established to aspiring author—typically in an interview format, you never see the advice go much further than: read, write, and learn as much about the craft as you can.  It’s rather standard, often recycled, and although I agree with it, I’d have to say most of my more memorable lessons came through trial and error.  Specifically, these are things you shouldn’t do as per the trial and error of others.  Not simple blunders, mind you, but large lapses in judgment that pay lasting damages.

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Indie Bookstore Spotlight: The Mysterious Bookshop, New York City

November 14th, 2011

Independent and used bookstores offer things the big chains can't: Precise recommendations, spectacular coffee, rare treasures, and a real sense of community. The LitReactor team is scouring the planet to find the very best bookstores in existence, and will highlight them through 'Indie Bookstore Spotlight'. These are the stores that don't necessarily outsell the big stores--but they almost always outlast them. ADDRESS: 58 Warren Street, New York, NY

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