If I have been responding to your emails from a year and a half ago, please do not be afraid. I am quite well-adjusted and not sociopathic. This is merely a matter of having a small time window to respond properly to your various messages, and nothing more.
Month / May 2007
Jason Kottke’s Hubris at Odds with Commonplace Technorati Glitch
Jason Kottke: “Maybe kottke.org has been intentionally excluded because I’ve been so hard on them in the past. Or maybe it’s just a glitch (or two) in their system. Or maybe it’s an indication of larger problems with their service. Either way, as the company is attempting to offer an authentic picture of the blogosphere, this doesn’t seem like the type of rigor and accuracy that should send reputable media sources like the BBC, Washington Post, NY Times, and the Wall Street Journal scurrying to their door looking for reliable data about blogs.”
Tony Blair Times End with Consolidation of Publishing Industry
BBC: “Tony Blair has announced he will stand down as prime minister on 27 June.”
Shakeup at Perseus
The Counterpoint news was just the tip of the iceberg. Publishers Weekly’s Jim Milliot reports: “As part of its integration of the Avalon Publishing Group, the Perseus Books Group has formed six publishing divisions, an action that will result in the elimination of at least 12 positions and the phasing out of the Carroll & Graf and Thunder’s Mouth imprints. As many as 33 other employees could lose their jobs if they are not willing to relocate or take on new roles. In addition, Perseus will sell its Counterpoint Press imprint to Charlie Winton (see related story). William Strachan, editor-in-chief of Thunder’s Mouth and Carroll & Graf, and C&G senior editor Don Weise are among the editors being let go.”
This is terrible news. I disagree with Perseus Books Group President David Steinberger’s pronouncement that these two imprints didn’t have interesting identities. Carroll & Graf published ambitious literary novels, such as Paul Anderson’s Hunger’s Brides. And Thunder’s Mouth was a dependable press for quirky collections of B-sides from the likes of Jonathan Ames and Rudy Rucker. The closing of these two imprints suggests that idiosyncratic distinctiveness along these lines isn’t part of the Perseus future. Sure, it’s possible that these sorts of titles might be part of other imprints. And okay, the books from these imprints may not have sold. Publishing is, after all, an industry.
But the question, and perhaps the dependable Milliott might investigate this for us, is whether Perseus gave Carroll & Graf and Thunder’s Mouth the kind of resources they devoted to their stronger-selling imprints.
[UPDATE: More from Jeremy Lassen, who calls this “sad, scary news for genre publishing,” including a link to this letter to Avalon employees. Sarah observes that this is bad news for mysteries too. More at Galleycat.]
[UPDATE 2: Levi Asher: “No distinct identity? Absolute bullshit. Thunder’s Mouth covered the counter-culture with both new publications and essential reprints, and in this capacity they represent no insignificant part of my book collection. It’s sad that the corporate parent is dissolving this great company, and it’s offensive that they’re pretending it’s no big deal. Apparently Thunder’s Mouth had no distinct profits, but that doesn’t mean they had no distinct identity. For readers like me, Thunder’s Mouth is — was — a trusted and beloved brand.”]
Roundup
- Black Garterbelt: the dawning of a new rake.
- 2 Blowhards discuss Chesterton’s “Orthodoxy.” Let me add G.K. Chesterton (along with Maugham) as one of the most needlessly dismissed writers of the 20th century I’d like to write about sometime. (And, incidentally, he had quite a lot to say about Dickens, which was one of the first critical books I ever read.) (First link via Books, Inq.)
- Bookninja observes that three out of the top four richest authors in the UK are women.
- Also cadged from Mr. Murray: An interview with Dennis Loy Johnson.
- Mr. Esposito interviews Matthew Sharpe.
- A field guide to reading DeLillo. (via Sarah)
- In an uncharacteristic abandonment of diaphanous snark, Gawker’s Emily Gould defends Meghan O’Rourke, causing Gawker commenters to pick up the catty slack. Personally, I think Meghan O’Rourke’s a fine critic. I could care less about whether or not she worked at the New Yorker or who she’s marrying. That such needless questions increasingly matter to people who comment on blogs is appalling. If you’re going to criticize O’Rourke, do so for her work. Not because she spells her first name with an H or because she was more successful than you.
- It looks like Charlie Winton has acquired Counterpoint Press from Perseus.
- Richard reassesses his reading of Richard Powers’ novels.
- I believe I mentioned this a few weeks ago, but a hearty litblogosphere welcome to LATBR editor David L. Ulin, who now has a blog. And, yes, there’s an RSS feed. (Thanks to Carolyn for the reminder.)