The casting call for the new Harry Potter TV series was just announced, by Warner Bros. The series aims to deliver a more detailed and faithful adaptation of the books compared to the original films, spanning multiple seasons in order to dive deeper into the source material. This new show introduces a fresh cast and casting agencies are specifically seeking talent for lead … [Read more...] about Casting For New Harry Potter TV Show Focuses on Diversity
authors
The Third Door: A New Path in Publishing
For decades, writers have faced limited choices: go the traditional route with a publishing house or self-publish. Both paths come with their pros and cons. Traditional publishers offer prestige, marketing, and distribution power but often take control over an author’s creative work, and only pay a fraction of the royalties. Self-publishing offers full creative control and … [Read more...] about The Third Door: A New Path in Publishing
The Process and Challenges of Diversity in Children’s Books
In recent years, children’s books have made a lot of progress in becoming more varied. The number of books featuring diverse authors, illustrators, and characters has grown- giving children a chance to see themselves reflected in the stories they read. In 2018, a report from the Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) revealed that 50% of children's books featured white … [Read more...] about The Process and Challenges of Diversity in Children’s Books
Francine Pascal: The Legacy and Debate of a Literary Icon
Francine Pascal, the beloved author behind the “Sweet Valley High” series, passed away on July 28, 2024, at the age of 92 from lymphoma. Known for her sharp insight into the teenage mind, Pascal created a literary world that was both entertaining and educational. Born Francine Paula Rubin on May 13, 1932, in Manhattan, Pascal studied journalism at New York University. … [Read more...] about Francine Pascal: The Legacy and Debate of a Literary Icon
Alice Munro’s Fall from Grace: Art vs. Personal Life
In July 2024, the literary world was thrown for a loop with revelations about Alice Munro's personal life. Andrea Skinner, Munro’s youngest daughter, opened up in The Toronto Star about being sexually abused as a child by her stepfather, Gerald Fremlin, Munro's second husband. The real shocker came when it was revealed that Munro knew about the abuse and chose to keep quiet … [Read more...] about Alice Munro’s Fall from Grace: Art vs. Personal Life
Will AI writers eventually render authors of today defunct?
Content is the lifeblood of the internet, toppling over traditional forms of media and revolutionizing the fields of modern marketing and PR. Everything you read on the web has been written carefully by a trained copywriting professional. It takes a whole team of writers and editors to curate content that matches the tone, style, format, and level of depth that agrees with the … [Read more...] about Will AI writers eventually render authors of today defunct?
Authors to Dept of Justice: Stop the Penguin Random House Buy of Simon & Schuster
Once upon a time, the publishing world involved a vast, gatekeeping entity called the Big Six. Shortly after a devastating anti-trust lawsuit involving five of those publishers, Penguin and Random House merged to become the current largest trade publisher in the US. But a new deal to buy Simon & Schuster--amounting to what the Washington Post has called "the Big Bad Wolf … [Read more...] about Authors to Dept of Justice: Stop the Penguin Random House Buy of Simon & Schuster
Authors can now easily gift Kindle Books with Buy For Others
Amazon has just unveiled a new system today for authors called Buy For Others. It gives authors the ability to buy their own ebooks and gift them for social media giveaways, give newsletter subscribers a review copy or even give them away at events. The feature keeps everything in-house: Authors who purchase their own ebook through the feature will earn back royalties just … [Read more...] about Authors can now easily gift Kindle Books with Buy For Others
Please Pay My Bills So I Can Write
Female authors are dominating the romance and erotica genres when it comes to overall e-book sales. The Top 5 bestselling authors on iBooks are all women and in any given week they also account for 64% of the Top 100. Meanwhile at Amazon, 56% of the top 100 bestsellers are women and there have been times when the Publishers Weekly top 25 has been dominated by women. How is it … [Read more...] about Please Pay My Bills So I Can Write
Indie Author Violently Attacks Reviewer with a Bottle
Richard Brittain wrote a book called the World Rose and admitted that a women that he had stalked became the central character. A young 18 old girl left a scathing review of the self-published. Richard took exception to the review and stalked her Facebook page, discovered where she worked and traveled all the way to Scotland where he violently hit her over the head with a full … [Read more...] about Indie Author Violently Attacks Reviewer with a Bottle
Modern Literature is not Dead, its Undead
Many people have decried that modern literature is dead, but Lincoln Michel thinks its undead. The Etsy artist has developed a set of cards that are patterned after famous authors such as J. K. Growling, George R. R. Martian and Cormac McCabre . Each set comes with six randomly selected cards. There are currently 18 different card designs , with new ones added weekly. … [Read more...] about Modern Literature is not Dead, its Undead
Literary Agents Turn to Twitter to Solicit New Manuscripts
Literary agents are very particular about what type of manuscripts they look at. This is based on the strengths of the publishing company and what they think could sell in today's climate. Traditionally authors connect up with agents at writing festivals or big events such as Book Expo America. Recently, a few agents from Curtis Brown and Conville & Walsh did something … [Read more...] about Literary Agents Turn to Twitter to Solicit New Manuscripts
Authors Unions Petition Justice Department to Investigate Amazon
Amazon is celebrating their 20th anniversary, but not everyone is participating in the festivities. Three of the largest collective bodies that represent authors have filed reports to the US Justice Department that stated “Amazon has used its dominance in ways that we believe harm the interests of America’s readers, impoverish the book industry as a whole, damage the careers of … [Read more...] about Authors Unions Petition Justice Department to Investigate Amazon
Being an Author is Sexy but Self-Publishing is Not
The writing profession as a whole, has a captivating allure. Looking at old pictures of Jack Kerouac at his type writer defined a generation. These days the people kids look up to are bloggers who became celebrities and YouTube personalities getting major publishing contracts. Now more than ever, everyone wants to write the next Hunger Games or Harry Potter or 50 Shades of … [Read more...] about Being an Author is Sexy but Self-Publishing is Not