About Janet
posts by Robin Reader:
Book Reading 2016 – As Sunita noted on Friday, the new Pew US reading survey results have been released, and one of the most interesting things about them may be their consistency over the past five years. Almost three-quarters of USians have read a book within the last twelve months. And ... more >
Penguin pinged $30,000 for publishing the recipe book of fake cancer survivor Belle Gibson – Penguin Australia published a cookbook written by a woman who faked a cancer diagnosis, apparently asking her for fact-checking details, but ultimately publishing the book without getting them. The publisher cooperated with the investigation by ... more >
Recent conversation with a good friend about Faith Hunter’s Jane Yellowrock series led to this question: What do you think Jane values above everything else? My answer: independence. My friend’s: freedom. Not precisely the same, but certainly related, and the obvious connections elicited a brief but thought-provoking exchange about how Jane is consistently resisting ... more >
The idea for this essay started with a question: what is it about Twilight and its derivations, especially Fifty Shades of Grey and Transcendence, that allow these variations to represent “fresh” and “new” in the retelling? I’m not interested in whether these books are good or bad, nor am I ... more >
So it’s back-to-school time. I remember those days with gratitude that I’m no longer scheduled for regular papers and exams, but also a wistful pining for all the amazing things that remain to be discovered and learned. And all the books to be read, discussed, debated, thought about, compared, dissected, and ... more >
Do you know that it’s only been five years and change since Harlequin announced that it was going to start offering self-publishing services? By comparison, digital-first publishing seems downright ancient. I don’t know if you remember how that Harlequin announcement blew up the internet, or how contentious the discussion ... more >