Big Bad Book Blog Links 3-23-07
By Aaron HierholzerThe new strategic plan unveiled by Borders Group this morning will put the focus on its domestic superstore operations by dramatically downsizing both its international operations and the Waldenbooks specialty group.
There has been much talk these past weeks about the decline of the newspaper book coverage. The reason, as we’ve been noting for quite some time, is that the advertising dollars simply do not support the the same kind of coverage that motion picture dollars support.
Publisher Houghton-Mifflin plans to announce today that Stephen King is editor of the 2007 edition of The Best American Short Stories, out in October. King says he read more than 400 stories and chose 20 for the book and an honor roll of 100 others that will be listed.
The most important quality of a title is resonance: that is, “the ability to evoke or suggest images, memories, and emotions.” Resonance matters because resonance makes things stick.
You’re a publisher who is trying to snag the interest of bleary-eyed reviewers. What to do? Perhaps use a movie-like pitch or compare your book to one with a great track record. A sampling:
