Conversationsbad outcome / bodice rippers / breakup / character death / HEA / reader expectations / reader response26 Comments
There was recently a hullabaloo about Devil in Disguise, Lisa Kleypas’ historical romance, around the time of its release in July. Here’s what one Goodreads reviewer said in her review: Fourteen years ago, I drove like a madwoman an hour away to my nearest B&N with a cranky teething baby ... more >
Conversationsbook marketing / false advertising / publishing trends / reader expectations18 Comments
Janine: In our recent joint review of Helen Hoang’s The Heart Principle, Jayne and I expressed our dismay over the way the book is marketed, and over missold books more generally: Jayne: I also feel that in my opinion, this is more a women’s fiction book albeit one with strong ... more >
Publishing Newsauthorial persona / book-covers / cover-art / holiday cards / octopus / reader expectations / Satire / social mediaComments Off on Monday News: “Literary necrophilia,” octopi, history of book covers, and bad holiday cards
Book Lovers: Literary Necrophilia in the 21st Century – A very interesting piece from Joanna Walsh on the continually evolving relationship between author and text. The necrophilia in the title relates in part to the conceptual “death of the author,” and the reader’s attempt to mark their relationship to the ... more >
Letters of Opiniongenre critique / genre definition / reader expectations / Romance52 Comments
Last week I linked to an essay by Remittance Girl for the DA news, in which she argued extensively against the Clean Reader application, which replaces so-called “dirty” words with “clean” versions. Remittance Girl’s post covers a great deal of terrain, from the moral rights of authors to her frustration with what she ... more >
Publishing NewsApril Fools Day / authors' moral rights / Clean Reader / copyright / crowdfunding / diversity / dragons / Fair Use / genre / infringement / parody / reader expectations / Romance18 Comments
Play Reimagining ‘Three’s Company’ Wins Case – This is sort of a good news/bad news situation. The good news is that the play “3C,” which parodies the television series “Three’s Company,” has prevailed in federal court as transformative and therefore not infringing on DLT Entertainment’s copyright over the television show. ... more >
Letters of Opinionreader expectations / sequel84 Comments
For long time fantasy and romance readers, one of the favorite books people bring up is Sunshine by Robin McKinley. Set in Minneapolis, the titular character is kidnapped and brought to an abandoned mansion to serve as torture for Constantine, a master vampire who has been caught and chained by ... more >