Some book and ebook news from around the web:
- Via TeleRead: Fantasy author Clare Bell is publishing a story on Twitter. This could be the harbinger of a disconcerting American foray into cell phone novel-like writing, which is very popular in Japan. And it could be evidence for Lev Grossman’s argument that the future of publishing is crap.
- At his publishing blog, Joe Wikert has an interesting piece about the future of digital reference books, essentially about the possibility of sentient ebooks.
- At Nathan Bransford’s blog, a piece about the optimistic future of books, and the democratizating effect of digital publishing.
- In the Guardian last week, a piece on people lying about the books they’ve read. Plus, Charlie Brooker on why we shouldn’t bother.
- An unpublished Mark Twain “novelette” was published eight years ago, and the New York Times reported that scholars “say that there is a lot of other unpublished Twain material just waiting to be sifted through.” Apparently, they sifted through some of it, because the L.A. Times reported last week that a collection of previously unpublished Twain stories and essays will be published under the title “Who Is Mark Twain?” First to be published will be “The Undertaker’s Tale,” which will be out soon in the spring issue of The Strand Magazine. The Guardian also has a few words about it.
- Also unpublished: two new Robert Bolano novels that the Guardian just this morning reported have been found among his effects.
- Sunday kicked off “Read an E-Book Week.” You can find out a lot more at TeleRead. Also starting this week is the “Tournament of Books” at The Morning News.
- The Ultimate Survival Bug-out Bag on eBay. Nothing to do with books, but if you’ve got an extra $900 left after getting the best ereader for you, there’s worse ways to spend it than buying everything you’ll need for the first two weeks after the apocalypse in one handy carrying case.
