Author Barnes backed for Booker amid literary spat

2011-10-17T08:00:20Z

LONDON (Reuters) - English author and four-time nominee Julian Barnes, who once dismissed the Man Booker Prize for fiction as "posh bingo," is favored to win it on Tuesday with his novel "The Sense of an Ending."

Poets lead running for Nobel Literature prize

2011-10-04T18:30:20Z

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Two poets, one Swedish and the other Syrian, are leading the betting to win the 2011 Nobel Literature prize, a bookmaker said on Tuesday, though past prizes have often defied the predictions.

British betting firm Ladbrokes have the 81-year-old Syria...

Nobel Literature winner to be announced October 6

2011-10-03T02:00:16Z

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - This year's Nobel Prize for Literature will be announced on Thursday, the Swedish Academy, which hands out the 10 million Swedish crown ($1.46 million...

Jon Katz new book explores life after pets die

2011-09-25T11:00:16Z

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Best-selling author and animal advocate Jon Katz has been writing about dogs for over a decade. Many of his own, past a present, have taken center stage fiction and nonfiction books such as "The Dogs of Bedlam Farms," "A Dog Year," "Izzy and Lenore" and "Rose in a Storm."

Book Talk: Haunting image of lighthouse inspires thriller

2011-09-22T06:00:16Z

TOKYO (Reuters) - Michael Koryta was working on a completely different book when he became haunted by the image of a lighthouse built in the woods, despite the fact that he didn't have a story for it.

But the image persisted, eventually leading Koryta through numerous drafts to the book that became "The Ridge," a supernatural thriller th...

John Wiley eyes greater share of e-book sales: CEO

2011-09-09T14:00:28Z

(Reuters) - Publisher John Wiley & Sons Inc said it is planning a major digital push to grab a bigger slice of the lucrative e-book market, which is witnessing an explosive growth, fueled by the popularity of tablets and e-readers.

"Some of the larger publishing houses have 25-30 percent of sales from e-books. We hope to achieve those levels,"

Writers take time to absorb September 11 impact

2011-09-06T23:00:12Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Norman Mailer once advised another author to wait 10 years before writing about the attacks of September 11 because "it will take that long for you to make sense of it."

The estimate by the prominent New York novelist and journalist, who died in 2007, ma...

Book Talk: Werewolf doesn't distract author from core themes

2011-09-01T02:30:06Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - British author Glen Duncan has published seven critically acclaimed novels, often exploring touchy topics such as violence and perversity as well as love and morality.

He has employed the fantastic -- in his earlier book "I, Lucifer" the devil is transformed into a human for a month -- to explore these themes, but perhaps never more so than with his latest w...

New Condoleezza Rice memoir to address Iraq, Afghanistan

2011-08-25T11:00:11Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Condoleezza Rice will release a follow-up memoir on November 1 that promises to address her top political roles and give new details about the contentious debates in the lead up to the wars in Afghanistan and Ira...

"Mystic River" author says his characters lure actors

2011-07-28T06:30:23Z

GIJON, Spain (Reuters) - "Mystic River" author Dennis Lehane attributes the success of his books on the silver screen to his characters, which he says attract the attention of good actors.

Clint Eastwood

Book Talk: Secrets behind the thin blue line

2011-07-28T03:30:11Z

TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - Georgia FBI agent Faith Mitchell stops at her mother's house to pick up her infant daughter after work -- but her daughter is locked in a shed, there's blood on the fro...

Book Talk: Baldacci turns to family drama in new book

2011-07-21T03:30:09Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Best-selling author David Baldacci is known for penning page-turners such as "The Simple Truth," "Split Second" and "The Sixth Man," in which he guides readers through mysteries at the highest levels of power.

His latest novel, "One Summer," is a family drama, a genre Baldacci explored in shor...

Edinburgh book festival focuses on revolution

2011-06-16T08:00:30Z

EDINBURGH (Reuters Life!) - The Edinburgh International Book Festival will bring together 800 authors from 40 countries as the world's largest literary gathering turns the spotlight in August on revolution and the world in a state of change.

"In this, the year that the new Europe comes of age (and) ...

Syrian poet Adonis wins Germany's Goethe prize

2011-05-25T18:30:09Z

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian poet Adonis, who has championed democracy and secular thought in the Middle East, was awarded Germany's prestigious Goethe Prize Wednesday.

"The selection committee considered Adonis the most import...

Spanish film-maker tackles invisible legacy in book

2011-05-05T04:30:18Z

MADRID (Reuters) - Having children spurred Spanish award-winning director and script-writer Julia Montejo to turn her hand to literature and she has just published her second novel with a third one on the way.

"I've been far more productive since I've had two kids, maybe because I'm scared of all the talk that, oh, now you're a mother ...

Argentine writer Ernesto Sabato dies at age 99

2011-04-30T07:30:12Z

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentine writer Ernesto Sabato, whose novel "The Tunnel" is hailed as an existentialist classic and who presided over a probe into the crimes committed by the nation's military rulers, died on Saturday at age 99.

"Humankind cannot live without heroes, ...

Book Talk: Life on base when the soldiers are gone

2011-04-28T03:30:07Z

TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - A Serbian war bride waits for her husband to return from Iraq. A widow tries to find out what happened to her husband in his final hours from the soldier whose life he saved. A wife watches from afar as her husband appears to have an affair.

Ebook seller Kobo closes C$50 million investment round

2011-04-19T12:30:28Z

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian e-reading service provider Kobo Inc said on Tuesday it closed a C$50 million ($53 million) investment round aimed at speeding up expansion and new product development.

Kobo, was spun off from Canadian retailer Indigo Books & Music in late 2009, said existing investors contributed C$13 million of the f...

Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton pens children's book

2011-03-29T12:00:11Z

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Colorful, outspoken Hollywood blogger Perez Hilton has authored a children's book titled "The Boy With Pink Hair" that is meant to celebrate individuality, his publisher said on Tuesday.

The story tells of a child born with a shock of pink hair that some of hi...

James Frey takes on God, publishing with new book

2011-03-14T16:30:09Z

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Author James Frey, whose "A Million Little Pieces" hit bestseller lists and courted controversy, again stirred the publishing world on Monday with the announcement of a new religious novel and plans to sell it via an art gallery.

"The Final Testament of the Holy B...

Anjelica Huston memoir to address father and Jack Nicholson

2011-03-01T11:30:21Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Actress Anjelica Huston is writing a memoir that will detail her problematic relationship with her prolific filmmaker father, John Huston, as well as her former relationship with actor Jac...

Book by Japan man accused of killing Briton sells well

2011-02-22T22:00:08Z

TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - A book by a Japanese man accused of killing a British English teacher in a 2007 crime that riveted Japan and how he evaded capture by police for years is selling well less than a month after publication.

Tatsuya Ichiha...

Letters to Obama from Americans becoming a book

2011-02-15T12:30:34Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama may have inadvertently stolen an author's thunder on Tuesday when he told the country that someone is working on a book about the 10 letters from regular Americans that he reads every night.

Obama has been receiving a folder full of the letters every day of his presidency, chose...

Booker Prize "bridesmaid" Bainbridge honored

2011-02-07T16:30:21Z

LONDON (Reuters) - British novelist Beryl Bainbridge, shortlisted five times for the coveted Booker Prize for fiction but never a winner, will finally be honored with a special "Best of Beryl" award, organizers said on Tuesday.

Bainbridge, who died last...

"Glee" star Jane Lynch tells fans to "relax" in memoir

2011-02-01T17:30:17Z

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Jane Lynch, who has enjoyed breakout success as the scheming cheerleader coach Sue Sylvester on hit television comedy "Glee," will write a memoir of her life with this message to her many fans: "relax."

Nobel winner Walcott scoops TS Eliot poetry prize

2011-01-24T12:00:14Z

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - St. Lucia poet Derek Walcott, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1992, scooped the

Bob Dylan rolling out six more books: report

2011-01-19T14:31:35Z

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Bob Dylan is reported to have signed a six-book deal that includes two follow-ups to his 2004 best-selling memoir "Chronicles: Volume One".

Publishing industry website Crain's New York NEW DELHI (Reuters Life!) - Once the backdrop of romantic Bollywood movies in the 1960s and 1970s, Kashmir's idyllic image has darkened since a separatist rebellion broke out two...

Conan Doyle estate approves new Holmes story

2011-01-18T09:30:50Z

LONDON (Reuters) - Sherlock Holmes is to be brought back to life in the first new novel about the great Baker Street detective to be officially approved.

Anthony Horowitz, author of stories about teenage spy Alex Rider, has been ...

Book Talk: Tale of part-angel teen a gift for author

2011-01-12T02:30:13Z

TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - Cynthia Hand was busy with life, working and raising a child, and hadn't had any desire to write for quite some time when she began to hear a voice in her head, speaking lines.

It turned out to be Clara, the heroine of her debut novel, "Unearthly," which Hand said "felt like a gift" the entire time she was writing...

Bush memoir speeds past 2 million sales level

2010-12-22T16:30:21Z

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Crown Publishing Group on Wednesday said the memoir of former president George W. Bush, "

Book Talk: Life and times of Marilyn Monroe's dog

2010-12-22T03:00:13Z

TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - Maf, short for "Mafia Honey," is an opinionated, well-read, feisty Maltese terrier. Originally a present from Frank Sinatra, he belongs to Marilyn Monroe.

He is also the narrator of Booker nominee ...

WikiLeaks's Assange to publish memoirs: report

2010-12-21T09:00:33Z

LONDON (Reuters) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has sold his memoirs to two publishing houses and is expected to have a manuscript ready in March, Britain's Reuters) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has sold his memoirs to two publishing houses and is expected to have a manuscript ready in March, Britain's NEW DELHI (Reuters Life!) - Finance and fiction seem like an unlikely mix, but a number of Indian and Pakistani novelists are finding their stints as finance professionals may have helped ward off writer's block.

While there is no direct link between mastering the markets and writing novels, a career in finance does seem to have had its merit...

Prestigious "Arabic Booker" plagued by criticisms

2010-12-15T04:00:46Z

DUBAI (Reuters) - The most prestigious literary prize in the Arab world unveiled its nominees this month, riling critics who say it is a politically charged shortlist crafted to appeal to Western audiences.

Two Moroccans, two Egyptians, a...

George W. Bush memoir sells more than one million copies

2010-11-24T10:31:06Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - More than 1.1 million copies of former President George W. Bush's memoir, "Decision Points," have been sold since its release earlier this month, his publisher said on Wednesday.

More than 135,000 e-boo...

Google, Hachette ink accord on book scanning

2010-11-17T08:31:16Z

PARIS (Reuters) - Google has signed an accord with France's biggest book publisher Hachette Livre on the scanning and sale of out-of-print books, which grants the publisher wide control over pricing ...

Mohammad cartoonist wants his old identity back

2010-11-15T15:00:44Z

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - A Danish cartoonist at the center of a crisis in 2006 that set off riots in the Muslim world dislikes the profile the incident gave him and would prefer to return to his old identity as an ordinary artist.

Kurt Westergaard's cartoon depicting...

Prize-winning Canadian novel already a rare book

2010-11-12T13:00:25Z

TORONTO (Reuters) - Book lovers seeking a copy of the winner of Canada's premier literary award are out of luck, unless they're ready to settle for an electronic version.

"The Sentimentalists," a surprise winner of the C$50,000 CLEVELAND (Reuters) - Former President Jimmy Carter is in "good spirits" a day after being rushed to a hospital in Ohio with an upset stomach but will remain under observation a second night, the hospital said on Wednesday.

"Former President Jimmy Carter is con...

E-books may spur more kids to read-study

2010-09-29T10:45:12Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The amount of time children spend reading books for enjoyment decreases as they use cell phones and other mobile technology, but e-books might just bring them back to literature, according to a report released on Wednesday.

The study, which was conducted by educational and media company Scholastic and Harrison Group, a marketing and research consulting firm, also found p...

Sharp sets December e-reader launch, clashes with Sony

2010-09-27T02:30:09Z

TOKYO (Reuters) - Sharp Corp said on Monday it would launch an e-book service and tablet-style computer in Japan in December, taking on Apple Inc's LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Video and color graphics are key to why many people think Apple Inc's iPad and other tablets will usher in the era of electronic textbooks.

Analysts say that unlike

Author Shteyngart sees fall of digital-gripped U.S.

2010-09-15T07:45:11Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Russian-American author Gary Shteyngart's new book is a vision of a fast-declining America, obsessed by youthfulness, gripped by omniscient smartphones and swayed by monopolies and the Bank of China.

A cash-strapped

Get your Blair book signed -- and obey the rules

2010-09-01T08:30:06Z

DUBLIN (Reuters Life!) - Former British prime minister Tony Blair will sign copies of his memoir in Dublin on Saturday but customers can forget about getting a personal dedication or even a photograph from the author.

In security arrangements worthy of royalty, cus...

James Patterson tops list of highest earning authors

2010-10-22T16:06:30Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The book publishing industry may be experiencing lean times and lower sales, but a new survey shows fat incomes for many of the world's top authors in the past year.

Bestselling thriller fiction author James Patterson topped the list of high-paid writers released on Friday by ...

Book Talk: Mixed marriage and a real-life love story

2010-08-20T08:45:22Z

NEW DELHI (Reuters Life!) - Snooping around as a teenager, Tishani Doshi came across a bunch of love letters written by her Welsh mother to her Indian father and thought it would make a good novel.

"The Pleasure Seekers," just launched in India, was several years in the...

Book Talk: Tower of London provides setting for Julia Stuart

2010-08-18T05:00:15Z

SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) - When writer Julia Stuart read about Beefeaters still living in the Tower of London, she became fascinated about life behind closed doors at the palace and fortress which dates back to the 11th century.

Her second novel, "The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise" is the story of Be...

U.S. neighborhood bookstores thrive in digital age

2010-10-22T16:06:11Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. independent bookstores are discovering how to flourish despite the growth of electronic books with some even looking to form an alliance with a formidable competitor -- Google.

The Reuters) - Lonely Planet, publisher of the popular travel guides, launched interactive e-books for the iPad on Monday for popular European destinations.

E-books for Italy, Spain, France,

2010-10-22T16:03:40Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Cats dressed as babies, snakes wrapped around their owners' necks, and "pet-a-like" snaps of dogs and their owners are getting their cringe-worthy day in the publishing sun.

A new book, based on the pet version of the hit comic blog "Awkward Family Photos", will be published in 2011, Three Rivers Press said on Wednesday.

"Awkward Family Pet Photos" will include "the most outrageous submissi...

Sharp says to enter e-reader market

2010-10-22T12:28:12Z

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Sharp Corp said on Tuesday it would enter the electronic reader and book markets, hoping to grab a slice of the hot but increasingly crowded sector popularized by Apple Inc and Spain (Reuters Life!) - One of Europe's biggest book festivals awarded prizes Friday to writers from across the Spanish-speaking world who back in their home countries often cannot read each other.

Javier Sinay, who won the Rodolfo Walsh prize for non-fiction at the Se...

Nobel laureate Gordimer immortalized in gold

2010-07-15T13:00:20Z

PRETORIA (Reuters Life!) - Nobel literature laureate and anti-apartheid activist Nadine Gordimer has had her face immortalized in gold, an honor previously bestowed on outstanding statesmen like Nelson Mandela and Spain (Reuters Life!) - Best-selling British writer Sophie Hannah has no qualms about being labeled a crime novelist, but rejects charges the genre is inferior to mainstream literature.

In addition to being a full-time writer, Hannah has also been elected a fellow of Lucy Spain (Reuters Life!) - Ian Watson, the doyen of British science fiction writing, has made what he terms "transgressive" interpretations of history in his most recent book of short stories, "The Beloved of my Beloved."

Born in 1943, Watson began writing while working as a teacher in Reuters Life!) - When advertising executive John Verdon retired 15 years ago at the age of 53, he was looking forward to trying something new so first turned his hand to making furniture then three years ago started to write a novel.

Little did Verdon realize that his debut book, a thriller called "Think of a Number," would receive rave reviews and be tran...

Writer Beryl Bainbridge dies aged 75

2010-07-02T05:30:12Z

LONDON (Reuters) - British Novelist Dame Beryl Bainbridge died at the age of 75 on Friday after battling cancer, her literary agent said.

Liverpool-born Bainbridge, nominated for the Man Booker prize on five occasions and two-time winner of the Reuters Life!) - American writer Sloane Crosley set out for a career in fiction so surprised herself when she found herself writing humorous essays.

Crosley's debut essay collection, "I Was Told There'd Be Cake," became a New York Times best-seller and she was a final...

Memoirs of kidnap victim Kampusch out in September

2010-06-22T03:30:20Z

VIENNA (Reuters Life!) - Austrian kidnap victim Natascha Kampusch will tell the story of her eight years imprisoned in an underground cell in memoirs to be published in September, a newspaper reported Tuesday.

The 220-page book, called "3096 Days" will be published in German on September 8 according to Austrian daily Oesterreich and a listing on the on...

British dandy, author Horsley dies: report

2010-06-18T09:45:53Z

LONDON (Reuters) - Eccentric British dandy and author Sebastian Horsley, best known for having himself nailed to a cross in the Philippines in the name of art, has died of a suspected drug overdose, British media reported.

The 47-year-old was found dead at his Reuters Life!) - Eccentric British dandy and author Sebastian Horsley, best known for having himself nailed to a cross in the Philippines in the name of art, has died of a suspected drug overdose, British media reported.

The 47-year-old was found dead at his

Edinburgh book festival welcomes 750 authors worldwide

2010-06-18T03:30:07Z

EDINBURGH (Reuters Life!) - Under new management, the Edinburgh International Book Festival will play host to at least 750 authors from 50 countries in August as it takes a philosophical look at where the world is headed.

Nick Barley took over as director of the world's biggest annual book festival from nine-year veteran Reuters Life!) - American author Ann Brashares travels through time for her latest novel but is also set to head into the future to revisit the girls from her popular "Traveling Pants" series with a book about their later lives.

Brashares, a book editor turned writer, made her name as the writer of the acclaimed series "Reuters Life!) - Author Lynn Cullen began writing her latest novel about a despised Spanish king but her discovery of a mysterious portrait changed everything.

Cullen was early in her research about Felipe II of Spain (1527-1598) when she stumbled across a painting of a woman in a fur wrap. The portrait, painted ...

Hay Festival founder is sure books' future secure

2010-05-31T04:15:11Z

HAY-ON-WYE, Wales (Reuters Life!) - For all the talk of a bleak future for books, the founder of one of Britain's largest literary festivals held each year in a small town in Wales is confident the written word is secure.

Peter Reuters) - British author Sebastian Faulks does not shy away from big themes in his latest novel "A Week In December," which had its U.S. release earlier this month on the Doubleday imprint.

The book, which won warm reviews in

Power to the people: In praise of batteries

2010-10-25T11:30:25Z

...

Fate of ex-spies fascinates writer Keith Thomson

2010-04-16T06:58:51Z

SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) - Writer Keith Thomson was fascinated by the real story of an elderly man with Alzheimer's who shocked his family when he spoke fluently in other languages, giving away his past as a secret agent.

Thomson, a former screenwriter who turned his hand to fiction in 2005 with his first novel "Pirates of Pensacola", used this story as the basis of his...

"Star Trek" veteran's actor son missing in Canada

2010-04-16T07:00:53Z

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The actor son of "Star Trek" veteran Walter Koenig has disappeared while visiting friends in Canada, and family pleaded on Sunday for information on his whereabouts to be given to the

2010-04-16T08:19:19Z

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Since June, when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences opened the best picture race to 10 nominees, Oscar has been waiting for a knight in shining box office armor -- preferably a "Dark Knight": a co...

Edgar Allen Poe book from 1827 sells for $662,500

2010-04-16T08:40:00Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - An 1827 first edition copy of poems by Edgar Allan Poe sold for $662,500 on Friday setting a record for a 19th century book of poetry, said a spokeswoman for Christie's auction house.

"Tamerlane and Other Poems," Poe's first book as an author, was s...

New EU president wins fans in Japan -- as a poet

2010-06-12T07:54:08Z

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Herman Van Rompuy, the European Union's new president, may not be very well known around the world but he's already winning fans in Japan -- as a poet rather than a politician.

Author Dodd puts hard time into rollicking rhyme

2010-04-16T10:18:40Z

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - New Zealand's Lynley Dodd fills her books with juicy words and rhymes that effortlessly roll off the tongue, but the celebrated children's author admits writing them is anything but easy.

Dodd has won multiple awards and her picture books have sold over four million copies worldwide. She h...

Wikileaks Berkeley

2010-12-14T22:31:11Z

Beverly Dove holds a sign as she speaks during a city council meeting in Berkeley, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2010. The council in this famously liberal city is considering a resolution Tuesday night bestowing hero status on Pfc. Bradley Manning, the soldier at the center of the

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