This week (in August) in publishing:
The Man Booker longlist has been announced, and congratulations to the nominees for one of the most prestigious prizes in literature. And since I know you are dying to place some cold hard cash on who you think is going to win, you can do so at the William Hill betting site. Yes, I’m serious (I heart England). Blog aficionado Ian McEwan (ha! I wish. He doesn’t really read this blog) is currently the favorite at 3-1 for ON CHESIL BEACH. (thanks to the Millions for the tip).
The New York Times assesses the canon of assigned summer reading for students entering college, aka the first of many books college students everywhere will fake reading.
And finally… uh… did I mention it’s August in publishing? Yeah, I think I did that. Hmm… let’s see…. did I mention you can bet on the Booker prize? Totally insane, right? Oh, shoot, already talked about that.
Wait, what are you still doing here? Shouldn’t you be at the beach by now? Shoo! Go!
Have a great weekend!
Dwight's Writing Manifesto says
Wow!
I always assumed that prize was awarded to Chippendale’s talent scouts.
*pppprumpt-pumt* Thanks, I’ll be here all week. Tip your waitstaff. Try the veal.
original bran fan says
So, when does publishing heat up again in the fall? After Labor day? Mid-September? Halloween?
I also hear that there is another slow period in December. True?
Niteowl says
You know, it’s one of the most prestigious literary awards, yet they don’t include America.
Take THAT you upstart colonials!
original bran fan says
Another question. What do agents do in August when publishing slows down? Look for new material? Take a vacation themselves? Get caught up on reading partials/fulls? All of the above?
Church Lady says
I haven’t read Atonement yet. Is “Chisel Beach” better? I have so much catching up to do.
Annalee says
Off topic, except that it has to do with stuff going on in publishing:
Did you hear about this?
I hope to dog all the other bookstore chains recognize that these are trained professional morons, and that they shouldn’t try this at home.
Richelle Mead says
Beach? Hmphf. You NYC–and, ahem, SF–publishing people might be able to lounge around in August, but for us authors, the work is never done. (That snapping sound you hear is the muse cracking her whip).
Nathan Bransford says
OBF-
Yes, there are slow periods in publishing in summer and in December, but it doesn’t really mean work isn’t get done. It’s just that more people than usual do go on vacation in the summer, and since on the editorial side it takes a committee to do most everything, it can slow down the process.
I haven’t actually found that my own workload has decreased though, because I’m still doing submissions and I tend to get more queries in the summer.
Anonymous says
The fact that McEwan’s the current favourite with the bookies is a good indicator that he won’t win and probably won’t even make the shortlist. In fact, the fact that he made the longlist has led to a huge amount of kerfuffle in the UK literary press on the following areas: (a) McEwan shouldn’t have been nominated because his book is a novella and not a novel and therefore should not be eligible for consideration (discuss), (b) McEwan shouldn’t have been nominated because of the Big Plagiarism Allegations on Atonement, and (c) McEwan shouldn’t have been nominated because he’s been doing the same thing for the last decade and it’s getting boring, besides why should he get nominated when writers like Faulkes haven’t been (discuss). It’s really very entertaining to watch.
Zen of Writing says
Yes, the Times assesses the summer reading list, but not for free. $4.95 to read the article — come on guys, get over yourselves. I wonder what the subscriber numbers are for “Times Select.”