Readers Respond
On April Fools’ Day—no joke!—we published an article called “The Case for Very Short Novels” by Cynan Jones, which appeared on publishersweekly.com. In it, Jones wrote, “I’ve never met a reader who doesn’t like short novels.” Some of our readers who responded to the piece said they want a more immersive experience than Jones advocates, though they don’t want words for words’ sake. Ultimately, the priority is good writing.
“I much prefer the luxury of completely immersing myself in the world of a book for hours or even days on end.”—Linda Fletcher
“A story is done when it’s done—no need to pad a story to become something it’s not, and no apologies to not cut something down that is executed with excellence.”—Denise Greene
“Nuanced writing in muscular prose honors the reader’s time.”—Karen Kerschen
From the Newsletters
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Philip Ball gives 11 eye-opening examples of the “sheer splendor” of physical patterns in nature, with photos taken from his book, Patterns in Nature (Univ. of Chicago).
Whether or not you went to the Bologna Book Fair, you owe it to yourself to check out our roundup of photos from the show.
Smashwords founder Mark Coker on how self-published authors can sell more e-books by giving some away.
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Blogs
When your friends don’t like your favorite books.
Podcasts
PW senior writer Andrew Albanese on the aftermath of the most recent ruling in the GSU e-reserves case, plus a live report from the Public Library Association conference in Denver.
The More to Come crew recaps New York’s MOCCA Indie Comics festival and comments on the love/hate responses to the Batman v. Superman movie.
Harriet Reuter Hapgood discusses The Square Root of Summer (Roaring Brook), about a grieving British teen who runs afoul of spacetime itself, shunting into moments from her past.
Benedict Jacka discusses the magic and moral complexity in Burned (Ace), the seventh book in his Alex Verus urban fantasy series. Craig Teicher, PW’s director of digital operations, recaps the Association of Writers and Writing Programs conference.
Events
PW is hitting the road. If you are, too, be sure to come see us. Here’s where we’ll be:
London Book Fair
April 8–10
Booth 6C75
If you’re not going to London, you can still read each day’s PW London Show Daily for free with PW’s app or online.
Texas Library Association Annual Conference
April 19–22
Booth 1025
PW Star Watch 2016 Is Open for Nominations
We’re looking for the next generation of publishing-industry leaders. Do you work with someone who is going to make a big impact on the business? Nominate that person for PW Star Watch, or you can nominate yourself. A panel of judges including members of PW, the Frankfurt Book Fair, and noted industry leaders will pick 50 up-and-coming stars and select five top honorees and a Superstar who will get an all-expense-paid trip to the 2016 Frankfurt Book Fair. Find out more.
The most-read review last week on publishersweekly.com was Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay (NAL).
