Here’s a neat list posted by the folks at Publisher’s Weekly; it charts the current most popular books in the Czech Republic, Greece, Italy and Sweden.
It’s pretty interesting to see how many titles are from this side of the pond. But also how many titles from over there that we all have read over here. I guess nothing is as universal as a good story.
Nut what’s with the Czech Republic’s non-fiction selections? Not even a cookbook could make the list?
The Alabama Book Festival is April 21st!
I can’t tell you how much fun we had at last year’s inaugural event! And it wasn’t due to all the free books and swag we picked up. There were some great authors speaking last year. So far the list seems much longer this year.
I see that Southern-super-brain-historian Wayne Flynt will be speaking. So that’s one I’ll have to see and (even better) Amos Kennedy has already committed to hauling his letterpress equipment back down there (like he did last year). His table was right next to the UofA Book Arts people. It’s fun to watch cool people do cool things.
Mark your calendars!
This upcoming Friday, Irma Boom will accept the award for “The Most Beautiful Book in the World” at the Lepzig Book Fair. It’s for Sheila Hicks: Weaving as Metaphor, that Boom designed last year.
Here is a fantastic article that ran this weekend about Boom and her work. I want to call Boom up and find out exactly, word for word, what she says to convince publishers to go these “unorthodox” routes. Because I fail miserably every time I try.
Maybe forwarding that article to every publisher I have ever worked for would be a goo dfirst step… What publisher wouldn’t want to be known for having “The Most Beautiful Book in the World”?
Lulu.com has announced this year’s shortlist. Fifteen books total. Six fiction, six nonfiction and three comics titles. I didn’t know that web-comic sites were eligible. I’m going to have to pick up a copy of a Lulu book someday to see if they really are just as good as books vetted by publishing pros. Though the panel of judges this year seem to know a lot about content and power blogging.
I guess I’ve just been brainwashed, but I really do like knowing that someone has edited and thoughtfully published the book I’m considering buying and not just formatted a bunch of ramblings. But then I haven’t read one, so I could be way off base. We’ll just have to see who wins this year.
