(Image courtesy of Penguin Random House)
All the political talk about the place of immigrants in America under the present political climate got me on an immigrant-saga kick in my readings. I was happy to discover two excellent debut novels: Celeste Ng’s “Everything I Never Told You” and Jade Chang’s “Wangs vs. the World.” (more…)
Posted by cindyfazzi on June 7, 2017
https://cindyfazzi.wordpress.com/2017/06/07/two-chinese-american-novels-redefine-the-american-dream/
Photo via VisualHunt.
Finishing a book depends a great deal on a reader’s age, according to a study by Jellybooks. In most cases, completion rates were higher for readers under 35 and those older than 45. Readers between those two groups had the lowest completion rate. (more…)
Posted by cindyfazzi on May 31, 2017
https://cindyfazzi.wordpress.com/2017/05/31/study-reading-completion-rate-correlates-with-readers-age/
Courtesy of Simon & Schuster
I’ve been meaning to read Joseph Heller’s “Catch-22” and Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse-Five” for their popularity and critical acclaim. I finally read both recently—at the same time. To be honest, they are not my favorite books, but they taught me three important lessons in writing. (more…)
Posted by cindyfazzi on May 17, 2017
https://cindyfazzi.wordpress.com/2017/05/17/3-writing-lessons-from-catch-22-and-slaughterhouse-five/
Photo credit: Skley via Visual hunt / CC BY-ND
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would increase the autonomy and authority of the Copyright Office. Why is it important? If you’re a professional writer, here are three reasons why it matters. (more…)
Posted by cindyfazzi on May 10, 2017
https://cindyfazzi.wordpress.com/2017/05/10/3-reasons-why-the-copyright-offices-independence-matters-to-authors/
As Americans, the First Amendment guarantees our freedom to read, and yet to this day, some books are banned. The American Library Association’s (ALA) top ten most challenged books in 2016 covered a wide range of genres: fiction, memoir, picture books, and graphic novels. (more…)
Posted by cindyfazzi on April 26, 2017
https://cindyfazzi.wordpress.com/2017/04/26/top-10-most-challenged-books-in-2016-cover-wide-range-of-genres/
Jellybooks founder Andrew Rhomberg identified eight common reasons why people buy books. Instant gratification is at the top of the list. Compare these book-buying motivations with yours. (more…)
Posted by cindyfazzi on April 19, 2017
https://cindyfazzi.wordpress.com/2017/04/19/why-do-we-buy-books-let-me-count-8-reasons/
Small presses can focus on niche markets, an advantage they have over big publishers. If your novel has a strong sense of place, check out these six publishers that specialize in regional titles. They welcome both agented and unagented submissions. (more…)
Posted by cindyfazzi on April 5, 2017
https://cindyfazzi.wordpress.com/2017/04/05/6-small-presses-focus-on-regional-fiction-and-nonfiction/
Unit sales of print books increased slightly (3.3 percent) last year, the third year in a row of growth, according to Publishers Weekly. Print-book sales rose by 2.8 percent in 2015 and 2.4 percent in 2014. (more…)
Posted by cindyfazzi on March 29, 2017
https://cindyfazzi.wordpress.com/2017/03/29/sales-of-print-books-rose-in-2016/
Authors who use multiple points of view risk losing their readers’ interest or confusing them with every shift. Only a few pull off such a perilous approach. In “Citizen Washington,” William Martin blows away the competition among “daredevil” authors. He uses not just three points of view (“The Girl on the Train” and “The Help”) or five (“The Poisonwood Bible”) but 16! (more…)
Posted by cindyfazzi on March 22, 2017
https://cindyfazzi.wordpress.com/2017/03/22/in-praise-of-the-perilous-multiple-povs-william-martins-citizen-washington/
The Campanile at UC Berkeley (Photo by Cindy Fazzi). The university’s Pacific Film Archive is one of the many recipients of NEA grants in California.
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for Humanities (NEH), which provide much needed resources to low-income communities in all 50 states, face the danger of complete elimination. The Authors Guild is working with a host of literary and arts organizations to prevent the defunding of the two agencies. Support the guild’s initiative by signing a petition now. You don’t have to be a member to lend your name. (more…)
Posted by cindyfazzi on March 12, 2017
https://cindyfazzi.wordpress.com/2017/03/12/the-easiest-way-you-can-help-save-the-future-of-arts-literature/
Cindy Fazzi 