Sarah Palin's Goin' Rogue!
Ok, ok… only in pre-orders, but still.
Going Rogue (HAHAHAHAHAAAAA), Palin’s memoir, was completed within four months… I’m sure she had a ghost writer, but I still can’t imagine the in-depth work copyeditors were saddled with. I hope someone gave them a raise. It’s now slated to release in November. That’s next month, people. Should I buy it? ….
This is via GalleyCat from Oct. 1, but today’s Amazon list still shows she’s at the top.
-Kristina
So my earlier post about Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol selling more in Kindle than print needs clarification. Yes, The Lost Symbol spent more time on Amazon’s print bestseller list but this was due to the print edition being available for preorders, something that was not offered with the Kindle version.
This is also the only reason that the book was selling more in Kindle than print. When Amazon made this conclusion they excluded the print’s preorders.
This just came in – The Lost Symbol made history.
Yesterday it sold over 1 million copies – the greatest one-day sale for an adult fiction title in book-publishing history. Doubleday actually went back to print for another 600,000 copies, even with a first print run of 5 million. There are now 5.6 million copies of The Lost Symbol in print.
Beat that Kindle!
For all those Dan Brown non-lovers (“haters” is such a strong word) I’m sorry but I had to post something about The Lost Symbol. I must admit that I’m not a fan myself and only made it partway through The da Vinci Code.
This book is the number one seller in the biggest bookstore in the world – Amazon – in both Kindle and print formats. Forget the fact that it has only received 3 1/2 stars from reviewers, anyone who loved The da Vinci Code (80 million copies sold) is going to have to read the sequel.
So – back to my main thought – there’s an article that looks into the question of The Lost Symbol possibly selling better on the Kindle than in print. According to Amazon’s rankings yesterday, the Kindle version was outselling the print version.
The sky is not falling yet – while this book may be the “first electronic book blockbuster” the Kindle is not outstripping print yet. There are not enough Kindles out there.
And while one set of Amazon’s rankings show favor to electronic, its other set gives glory to the print. The hardcover of The Lost Symbol has been in Amazon’s top 100 bestsellers for the past 150 days. The Kindle version – only in the top 100 for 2 days.
Main point – the electronic age is coming up fast – but we already knew that.
Here’s another new title of interest: Growing Up Bin Laden (St. Martin’s Press, available October 27, 2009). Written by Osama Bin Laden’s first wife (and cousin), Najwa Bin Laden, and his fourth-born son, Omar Bin Laden, as well as Jean Sasson, who is ”a New York Times bestselling author, lived in the Middle East for 12 years and has traveled extensively in the area for 30 years” (Amazon). Her website notes an update in progress (thank goodness).
It’s rare that I read non-fiction, but this might just be one I pick up. I’m so curious.
I’m as intrigued by this book as I am by the New York Times blog piece about Bin Laden’s book blurbs… no lie. He, apparently, recommended three books that Americans should read which “he says support his analysis of global politics and the systematic maltreatment of Muslims at the hands of America and her allies” (NYT). It’s unlikely that I’ll read any of them… I’m an admitted politics-hater. But can you imagine getting the call that your book had been (allegedly) endorsed by Osama Bin Laden? Yikes.
-Kristina
by Sarah Schmelling
UPDATE: Sarah Schmelling gives Dan Brown a Facebook page.
I’m not intending to write book reviews (and, in fact, this is not a review since I haven’t read it yet), but this title seemed important to point out. It’s a melding of social media and literary classics–a contemporary way to interact with these characters.
I’m guessing a lot of you saw the Hamlet news feed on Facebook. I think the one I saw for for the Odyssey. Anyway, I didn’t know this but the lady responsible for those humorous posts (Sarah Schmelling) has put together a book of Facebook feeds based on classic literature.
Ophelia Joined the Group Maidens Who Don’t Float (lol), which is a collection of various literary characters “writ[ing] inappropriate status updates, post[ing] passive-aggressive comments and send[ing] awkward friend requests–all while Shakespeare himself moderates” (From Schmelling’s site) sounds hilarious. I think I’ll order it today.
Check out this video trailer!
I especially like the jacket (above). If you can’t read the text:
“Edgar Allan Poe will not stop looking at you that way.”
“Ernest Hemingway took the Are You A Real Man? quiz.”
“Hester Prynn received a piece of flair.”
“Virginia Wolfe is afraid of Edward Albee.”
Thoughts? Is this a good way to pull people back to the classics, or just a sad look at how far we’ve slid away from actual literature?
-Kristina (via GalleyCat)
On Sept. 3, Fredrik Colting, author of 60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye brought his case for publication to the U.S. Court of Appeals.
Judge Calabresi ”expressed doubts about whether a lower-court judge heard enough evidence before blocking the U.S. publication” of Colting’s novel, since this case deals with the First Amendment (AP). Unrelated to any sort of ruling, Judge Calabresi shared his personal opinion of the book as “a rather dismal piece of work”.
Ouch. Talk about insult to injury for Colting.
-Kristina
Perhaps some of you read my recent comment about the expense of textbooks – well, here’s a doozy…
Yes, there is a book out there that costs over $8,000 – NEW! Of course, it’s for THOSE people that want build nuclear power plants. But I thought it was an interesting tidbit of information. Title: Selected Nuclear Materials and Engineering Systems. And it’s number 4 in the series. Apparently part 3 had a cliffhanger that just made you go out and buy this one – according to comments on Amazon.
But hey – you qualify for Amazon’s “Get $5 of MP3 music downloads when you buy $75 or more in textbooks” promo.
And – it’s available in Kindle form for $1,000 less. The charts and diagrams show up – but those really aren’t important for this subject.
THE WILD THINGS regular jacket
An excerpt from Dave Eggers’ THE WILD THINGS has been made available by The New Yorker. Click here to read it and leave your thoughts below!
Also, what are your thoughts on the special fur-covered jacket?
-Kristina
Granted comics aren’t books in the strict sense of the word, but there are some interesting happenings in the sector and they do lead to graphic novels. So I thought I’d share an interesting tidbit about a comic that crossed my path – The Unknown Soldier.
The Unknown Soldier is a comic unlike any other – and not just for the fact that it includes a fairly hefty reference guide. Written by Joshua Dysart, the comic delves deep into Uganda’s civil war – hence the need for the reference guide – and explores both philosophical war-time questions and how lives have been changed by the conflict.
It’s published by Vertigo (of DC Comics) and the collected edition is in bookstores. Go to the NY Times article to read a more in depth story about the comic and its writer.
Emily Lyman
kristinaradke