Spurred By Success, Publishers Look For The Next 'Hunger Games'
The film version of the young adult book sensation The Hunger Games opens March 23rd. The hype around the movie has sent the sales of the already best-selling trilogy to new heights. And publishers are...
View ArticleJodi Picoult Turns Tough Topics Into Bestsellers
When you think about blockbuster best-sellers, genres like mystery, crime and romance typically come to mind. Ethical or moral fiction? Not so much. But that's how Jodi Picoult, who has 33 million...
View ArticleWho Gets Saved?: Examining 'The Lifeboat'
Transcript LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST: Now, a piece of fiction inspired by the Titanic's fateful voyage. In the weeks leading up to the anniversary of the famous shipwreck, a cluster of books have been...
View ArticleEgypt's Election Commission Disqualifies 10 Presidential Candidates
The Egyptian elections were thrown an unexpected curve when 10 presidential candidates were disqualified from the ballot. They include hopefuls from the Muslim Brotherhood and the old guard.
View ArticleCrisis Between Sudan, South Sudan Intensifies
The crisis between Sudan and South Sudan is heating up, with the north branding its recently-independent southern neighbor "the enemy." This follows two weeks of bitter fighting in the disputed,...
View ArticleSyrian Ceasefire Increasingly Under Threat
Transcript STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.LYNN NEARY, HOST: And I'm Lynn Neary. Renee Montagne is on assignment.In Syria, a ceasefire that's part of an...
View ArticleNBA Playoff Preview
There is one more week left in the lockout-shortened, action-packed NBA regular season. Chicago, Miami and Oklahoma City head toward the finals with strong records — as do the Los Angeles Lakers and...
View ArticleThe St. Cuthbert Gospel: Looking Pretty Good At 1300
How much would you pay for a very rare book?The British Library in London has just paid about $14 million to purchase Europe's oldest intact book, known as the St. Cuthbert Gospel. It's a copy of the...
View ArticleGoogle, Oracle Locked In High-Stakes Patent Battle
Two billionaires took the stand this week — both named Larry. Google's Larry Page and Oracle's Larry Ellison have very different styles and personalities. And that came across in court.
View Article'Age Of Desire': How Wharton Lost Her 'Innocence'
Jennie Fields was well into her new novel about Edith Wharton — and her love affair with a young journalist — when she heard that a new cache of Wharton letters had been discovered. They were written...
View ArticleSame Streets, Different Lives In 'NW' London
Writer Zadie Smith burst onto the literary scene with her first novel White Teeth more than a decade ago. Set in the Northwest London neighborhood where she grew up, White Teeth captured the diverse,...
View ArticlePut Down Your E-Reader: This Book's Better In Print
Most people who read a lot have gotten used to reading on a screen, whether it's a laptop, a tablet or an e-reader. Some say they prefer it to the experience of reading a heavy, awkward print version...
View Article'Testament Of Mary' Gives Fiery Voice To The Virgin
The Virgin Mary is one of the most familiar icons of Christianity. For centuries, artists have depicted her on everything from backyard statues of a rosy-cheeked innocent to paintings of magnificent...
View Article'Round House' Wins National Book Award For Fiction
The National Book Awards announced Wednesday night honored both longtime writers and new authors, from Louise Erdrich who won for her novel The Round House to Katherine Boo, who was honored for her...
View ArticleOprah's Second Pick: A First Time Novelist
Earlier this year, Oprah Winfrey announced an updated version of her popular book club, this time called Book Club 2.0. Her first pick, Cheryl Strayed's memoir Wild, experienced best-seller list...
View ArticleOprah's Book Club Turns Over A New Page
Oprah Winfrey became a publishing powerhouse when she started her book club in 1996. Her picks went to the top of best-seller lists — and stayed there for weeks.
View ArticleSelf-Publishing: No Longer Just A Vanity Project
They used to call it the "vanity press," and the phrase itself spoke volumes. Self-published authors were considered not good enough to get a real publishing contract. They had to pay to see their book...
View Article'Fifty Shades' Is The One That Got Away. At Least From Me
Sometimes "the one that got away" is a book that was easy to overlook. A little gem of a first novel, or a memoir by an unknown writer that unexpectedly captured everyone's imagination.But sometimes,...
View ArticleA Colorful Anniversary: The Caldecott Medal Turns 75
Some children's book illustrators might not have gotten a lot of sleep over the weekend. That's because they might have been wondering if this could be the year they win one of the grand prizes of...
View ArticleE-Readers Track How We Read, But Is The Data Useful To Authors?
Reading always seemed to be the most private of acts: just you and your imagination immersed in another world. But now, if you happen to be curled up with an e-reader, you're not alone.Data is being...
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