Publishingland
An Expansive Read
The seventeen prose poems that comprise the collection in You Left Your Heart are located in a world made familiar and strange, and are various in their geography
The Sniff Test
It’s no great secret…or it should be no great secret…that the reason book covers exist is to coax potential buyers into picking a book up for closer inspection – the first step to a purchase.
True. Once upon a time a book’s cover was there to protect the leaves within. Bound in durable leather with an embossed gold title, covers were practical things designed and built to last.
A Sloppy Business
It’s a sloppy business! If you’re a bookish type of person you will have heard that two novels got dumped from this year’s Ockhams – New Zealand’s premier publishing prize – a week or so ago. This happened because they…gasp…had covers made with the aid of…gasp…ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE!
Parochial Daze
When I worked for the local rag, we got a new General Manager who decided that the newspaper needed a new slogan.
General Managers tend to be people who have a high opinion of themselves. They don’t lack self confidence.
“Simply Parochial – that would be a great tagline for us,” came his suggestion during the initial brainstorming session. The journalists in the room rolled their eyes (behind their eyelids) and remained silent. I could sense the hatred oozing from their bitter hearts.
Mini Review
Time for Christmas has arrived: love it. Both the contents – the story is beautifully told – and the whole concept: the decision whether to burn or freeze! That’s great. I always carry a book when we go on a long multi-week walk – just something to read to pass the time, not something I’m likely to care about – and then I rip out the pages as I finish them: they come in handy for all sorts of things! But this book is most definitely a keeper.
Fiona Farrell