Indie press Two Dollar Radio announced today that they’re launching Two Dollar Radio Moving Pictures, a micro-budget film division. They’ll open with three new projects (announcement video here) funded by a newly-opened IndieGoGo campaign. Donors will not only be contributing to a worthwhile venture from one of America’s best small publishers, but they’ll also be in line to receive a heap of sweet perks from the likes of Grace Krilanovich, Karolina Waclawiak, Joshua Mohr, and Scott McClanahan. Bonus: publisher (and Millions contributor) Eric Obenauf spoke with Paul Martone for the Late Night Library podcast.
Two Dollar Radio Moving Pictures
There’s No Escaping Your Textbooks Now
A new service available to Australian students might cut down on the line lengths at university bookstores. Then again, it might also usher in an age of self-aware, Skynet-esque airborne Terminators. Presenting: drones specializing in textbook delivery.
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Facebook’s Hype
The Facebook IPO was this week's biggest story. The social media giant, which boasts 800 million members, is seeking a $75-$100 billion market valuation. But hold your horses, investors. A lot of that optimism could be empty hype. After all, look at the site's requested valuation as a percentage of its 2011 revenue, and compare it to other tech giants like Google and Microsoft. Also, contrary to Mark Zuckerberg's claim, most of the world does not, in fact, "have access to the internet or mobile phones."
Day Jobs
This week in book-related infographics, round 2: Lapham's Quarterly takes a look at the day jobs of famous authors, among them T.S. Eliot, who was responsible for processing reports on German debt, and Charlotte Bronte, who had laundry fees deducted from her pay. Pair with our own Emily St. John Mandel's essay on "Working the Double Shift" and "all the strangely varied occupations that a person accumulates when the primary objective is not to establish a career, per se, but just to pay the rent while they’re working on a novel."
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Thursday Links
Google has added a Worldcat search to Google Books, allowing readers to look for books in their local libraries as well as on online bookstore sites. (via)From the Department of Clever Book Promotions: Random House is using a text-based (or interactive fiction) game to promote the release of The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters by Gordon Dahlquist.Steven Johnson's forthcoming book The Ghost Map, "a thrilling historical account of the worst cholera outbreak in Victorian London," sounds pretty terrific. To whet the appetite, he provides a brief list of the "best" plague books to the Wall Street Journal. (via).Just in time for Banned Books Week, check out some very cool banned books jewelry.
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Station Eleven Up for Bailey’s and PEN/Faulkner
Congrats are in order for our own Emily St. John Mandel! As of this morning, Station Eleven has made both the Bailey's Prize longlist and the shortlist for the PEN/Faulkner prize. For more on the book, you should go read our interview with Emily.
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Will It Have a British Accent?
Thanks to the success of the recent Muppets movie, the BBC is developing a "teatime chat show to be fronted by a new puppet."
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