Author: Peter Kispert

Round-Down: Rounding Up the Submission Fee Debate
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Round-Down: Rounding Up the Submission Fee Debate

In recent years, most literary journals have begun to accept online submissions through popular managers like Submittable–many, too, have begun to only accept submissions in this way, eschewing the old-guard snail-mail submission method entirely. This new approach certainly has its upsides–in many cases the switch has resulted in faster response times, often more organized editorial…

Round-Down: New Lamb Novel to Launch Exclusively on App

Round-Down: New Lamb Novel to Launch Exclusively on App

There is no question that e-books have seen a surge of popularity in recent years, and that many titles have taken advantage of this form to reach more, and new, readers. The launch of a new app, Metabook, might represent the next step in the rise of digital bookselling. Metabook, which launched on March 18, is, according to its…

Round-Down: One Grand Bookstore Curates Celebrated Minds’ Favorite Titles

Round-Down: One Grand Bookstore Curates Celebrated Minds’ Favorite Titles

One Grand Books, founded by Out magazine editor-in-chief Aaron Hicklin, was built upon one simple, brilliant premise–the project asks celebrities, writers, and artists that age-old question: If you were stranded on a desert island, which ten books would you bring with you to read and reread? The bookstore, located in Narrowsburg, New York, is curates…

Round-Down: Barnes & Noble Looks Beyond Books to Survive

Round-Down: Barnes & Noble Looks Beyond Books to Survive

Barnes & Noble may soon be extending its reach. CEO Ron Biore recently told Alexandra Alter at the New York Times that the company is looking to offer more games, toys, and small gifts in the future, sparking concern that the retailer would slowly move away from its core offering: books. There’s no doubt book retailers have suffered…

Round-Down: Ticket Books Promote Literacy On the Subway

Round-Down: Ticket Books Promote Literacy On the Subway

Brazil’s L&PM Editores recently launched an exciting new venture, Ticket Books–an inventive new way to get books to people: re-releasing ten beloved print titles that double as subway tickets in São Paulo. Each of the books, which were chosen across genres–from Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to collected Peanuts…

Round-Down: New York Public Library Expands Under Bryant Park

Round-Down: New York Public Library Expands Under Bryant Park

The New York Public Library is undertaking a $23 million underground expansion at its Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street in Manhattan to house its vast research collection, much of which which was formerly slated to be relocated to New Jersey. The additional space will help to house approximately four million research items…

Round-Down: Amazon Opens Amazon Books in Seattle

Round-Down: Amazon Opens Amazon Books in Seattle

Amazon Books, Amazon’s first brick-and-mortar bookstore, opened last week in Seattle’s University Village. The store is similar in appearance to many book retailers, though Amazon Books interestingly (and necessarily) does not note hard prices on its items in-store–the store has a commitment to its Amazon prices, which frequently change. Because of this, those browsing the…

Round-Down: Amazon Sues for Fraudulent Product Reviews

Round-Down: Amazon Sues for Fraudulent Product Reviews

Amazon is suing over one thousand people who used Fiverr, the odd-jobs website for digital tasks, to offer paid fake product reviews at the site. The lawsuit alleges that “defendants are misleading Amazon’s customers and tarnishing Amazon’s brand for their own profit and the profit of a handful of dishonest sellers and manufacturers.” Some fake reviewers…

Round-Down: The Hogarth Series Will Reinvent Shakespeare’s Works As Novels

Round-Down: The Hogarth Series Will Reinvent Shakespeare’s Works As Novels

Jeanette Winterson’s novel The Gap of Time, released only one week ago, is the first book launched of a larger series, called The Hogarth Shakespeare. The series, from the revered Vintage Books, plans to do the very exciting and almost unthinkable: reimagine Shakespeare’s classic plays as novels penned by some of today’s finest modern writers….