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Back when I was a children’s book editor and regularly read the slush pile, the words that held the least meaning in a manuscript cover letter were “My grandchildren/children love this story!” Did that make me want to invest thousands of dollars in publishing that author’s book? Not so much. But that doesn’t mean that [...]

In the New York Times (“Can’t. Stop. Writing.“), Geoff Nicholson shares his thoughts on prolificicity . . . proliferation . . . er, being prolific. I’m not sure I follow the logic, but the notion that the more you write the less likely you are to be read is undoubtedly cause for writerly despair. (Psst! Geoff! You [...]

Usually I don’t pick on self-published authors–they already have enough of an uphill battle without me piling it on. But, of the many many many press releases I receive on a daily basis, this one just made me . . . well, I’ll say “smile.” Under the subject heading “AUTHOR RETIREMENT CLEARANCE SALE!!!” I received this [...]

“It always cracks me up when publishers do this,” e-mails Kaite Stover. Me, too. And with budgets shrinking, I’m guessing we’ll see more stock-photo races.

It’s been a busy week here at Booklist Online. First, the fantastic March 1 issue of Booklist, Spotlight on Graphic Novels, went live. Then, we had a wildly successful webinar. (I’m biased, of course, but I’m told others felt it went well, too.) And now . . . REaD ALERT! Coming next week: the third [...]

Joseph O’Neill’s post-9/11 novel Netherland won the PEN/Faulkner Award and $15,000. The other four finalist (Ms. Hemple Chronicles, A Person of Interest, Lush Life, and Serena) will receive $5,000 each. Check out the New York Times article here.

The inaugural winner of the Warwick (pronounced “Warrick”, in the Shakespearean Tradition) prize was announced last night. Naomi Klein accepted the biennial prize for The Shock Doctrine and praised the college for their non-corporate funding. She was no doubt pleased they could afford the $72,000 cash prize. Warwick Prize hopefuls submit work based on a [...]

It may seem a little ironic given that my son has a feeding tube, but one of our favorite bedtime books is Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Something about all that gluttony is just plain entertaining, whether you are a big eater or not so much. Penguin is celebrating the 40th anniversary of this [...]

 . . . a woman who needs no introduction: Laura Tillotson, Booklist‘s Books for Youth Editorial Director and the editor of Book Links. Remember when I said that more and more Booklisters would be blogging here? Well, it’s happening, it really is. Look for Laura’s first post soon!

The NYPL announced five finalists for the Young Lions Fiction Award honoring young (35 years of age and under) writers. And the nominees are: The Unpossessed City by Jon Fasman Atmospheric Disturbances by Rivka Galchen One More Year by Sana Krasikov The Lost Books of the Odyssey by Zachary Mason The End by Salvatore Scibona The winner will [...]