At McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, an objective look at seven M.F.A. program rejections compared to other historic rejections.
An Objective Look at Seven M.F.A. Rejections
Tuesday New Release Day: Millhauser; Gray; Percy; Flournoy; Obioma; Freeman; Thirlwell; Palaia; Jackman; Wong; Sendker
New this week: Voices in the Night by Steven Millhauser; Gutshot by Amelia Gray; The Dead Lands by Benjamin Percy; The Turner House by Angela Flournoy; The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma; The Fair Fight by Anna Freeman; Lurid and Cute by Adam Thirlwell; The Given World by Marian Palaia; The Winter Family by Clifford Jackman; Diamond Head by Cecily Wong; and Whispering Shadows by Jan-Philipp Sendker. For more on these and other new titles, check out our Great 2015 Book Preview.
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“The Most Awesome Book Cover”
"Creating a unique package for a book is really about making potential readers see the book as a singular thing in a sea of sameness. Something that has a soul." Jason Booher talks with Slate Book Review about the process of designing book covers in general and the cover of Forensic Songs, dubbed "the most awesome book cover of the summer," in particular.
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Like TED for books
The annual Edinburgh World Writers' Conference wrapped up earlier this week, but, thanks to the wonders of the internet, you can relive the magic: Transcripts and videos of notable speeches are available on the conference's website, including the concluding talk on the future of the novel by China Mieville.
‘Best American’ on the Cheap
Pretty good deal on Amazon today: All the e-book versions of the "Best American" books are $1.99.
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Well That Took Long Enough
“The broad expansion of digital journalism has led to a growing overlap in the work and roles of newspapers, digital-only news sites, and magazines.” The Pulitzer Prize Board announced yesterday that both print and online magazines will be eligible for the 2017 journalism prizes. This doesn't make up for 2012, but it's an improvement.
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Early Starts
Sick of feeling inadequate compared to your literary peers? Well, you might want to stop reading, then: turns out Adam Thirlwell published his first book when he was three. (The readers of Granta learn this not from Thirlwell, who seems a bit abashed, but instead from Year in Reading alumnus Jeffrey Eugenides.)