APOOO Book Notes, October 26th, 2008 (A)
By APOOO • Oct 26th, 2008 • Category: Book Notes •
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Top Novelist feels pressure to dumb down–Wow and I though that only African American authors were encouraged to write novels with thinly veiled storylines warped by gratuitous sex, violence, drugs, prostitutes and street life…oh wait…it’s still just a black thang. Margaret Drabble’s publishers haven’t asked her to dumb down…yet…and there in lies the rub…many African American authors have been strongly encouraged to do so…or else risk losing their contract. Then again with the downturn of the economy…the US finally saying we’re in a recession…with inflation on the horizon…some are saying…
Baby It’s Going to Be Cold Outside in Book Publishing–Fewer books, bigger deals, no room for debuts? I mentioned earlier this month that it appeared that fewer books were coming down the pipeline. Most folks attributed it to the time of year…yes fewer books generally come out during the fall/early winter…but I believe that a conscious decision has been made to publish less books..at least for mid-list and debut authors. This articles bears out my thoughts.
Between Here and the Best Sellers List–Has anyone heard of Between Here and April by Deborah Kogan? This book received a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly (PW) and the publisher is taking a page out of indie bookstores strategyhandbook by handselling this novel. So far they’ve produced 20K books and gone back to press three times. I guess the handselling is working…I wonder what would happen if publishers did this for all new releases.
In case you haven’t heard, The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga won the Man Booker Prize.
The White Tiger, a tale of two Indias, tells the story of Balram, the son of a rickshaw puller in the heartlands, one of the “faceless” poor left behind by the country’s recent economic boom.
It charts his journey from working in a teashop to entrepreneurial success.
CRS (Cant’ Remember Sheyt) Scientists say the Internet Beats Books for Improving the Mature Mind…hmmm considering how much time I spend online I should be a rocket scientist by now…lol.
Most Worth Talking About Books–50 books made the list…how many have you read? Hmmm if folks are talking about these books how come I haven’t heard of any of these…who are the folks who are taking about these titles…lol.
Kindle Anyone…If you’re looking for an electronic book readers…and the amazon Kindle has been on your wish list for sometime…guess what…Oprah is now touting it as one of her favorite gadgets and as such amazon is offering it at $50 less or $309. The offer is valid for about another week or through November 1st. CLICK HERE for more details. In other news, amazon reported that third quarter growth was lower than anticipated and the Kindle will remain unchanged for 2008. 
Has anyone noticed the plethora of celebrity memoirs/non-fiction titles currently in the market…a few that come to mind include:
The Legs are the Last to Go by Diahann Carroll
Deconstructing Sammy by Matt Birkbeck, CLICK HERE to read Angelia’s review.
Keep the Faith by Faith Evans, CLICK HERE to read Sharel’s review.
Let’s Talk About Pep by Sandy Denton
Letter to My Daughter by Maya Angelou
Here’s the Story by Maureen McCormick–sounds like this one is no-holds barred…McCormick tells all.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Do you enjoy reading books about the lives of celebrities?
Have you read any new celebrity releases which were not named about? If so, please list your titles in the comment section.
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APOOO is a book club and an online author and reader community dedicated to advancing African American literature. Our mission is to expose readers of all ages to a good book in any genre; to support African American authors, books, literary events and bookclubs; to provide marketing resources, tools and tips to authors; and, to promote literacy within the African American community.
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Never heard of any of the 50 most worth talking about. I really don’t care too much about reading tell alls, or biographies about any celebrity. I have read a few but I could do without knowing the details behind it all. My reason for this is sometimes the glimmer I had in my eyes for them will go out do to something not so pleasant.
Jennifer C.´s last blog post..An Unusual Affair
Nope I cant think of one I’ve read