Ten Things to Consider Before Self-Publishing, Bad Breakups, and More

by
Evan Smith Rakoff
11.13.12

Every day Poets & Writers Magazine scans the headlines—from publishing reports to academic announcements to literary dispatches—for all the news that creative writers need to know. Here are today's stories:

Adam Davidson looks at the current state of publishing, "When you see a merger between two giants in a declining industry, it can look like the financial version of a couple having a baby to save a marriage." (New York Times)

Publishing Trends offers a visual guide comparing e-readers.

A study by the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey suggests back-lit tablet devices such as the iPad may be the best choice for readers with macular degeneration—the most prominent cause of vision impairment among older adults. (Atlantic)

James Camp has words for contemporary memoirists, "A breakup isn’t a promising literary setup. Like sex and dreams—two other regions notoriously impregnable to the writer of prose—breakups are both transcendently universal and tediously individualized." (Salon)

Citing Jennifer Egan, Nicholson Baker, and Jack Kerouac, among others, Jason Pontin explores how "authoring tools can suggest novel styles of writing." (MIT Technology Review)

GalleyCat lists ten free e-books that may alter your perceptions.

Meanwhile, Daily Writing Tips details ten "rewards and risks" to consider before self-publishing.

And rounding out the top ten lists, Well-Read Wife has ten great gift ideas for book lovers.