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:
According to estimates from the Assocation of American Publishers, book sales dropped 1.8 percent in 2009 to $23.9 billion. Book sales dropped 2.6 percent in 2008. In brighter news, e-book sales increased 176.6 percent last year. (Publishers Weekly)
Tariq Ramadan, the Swiss scholar of Muslim studies whose visa was revoked by the Bush administration in 2004, finally arrived in the United States on Wednesday. (New York Times)
In honor of the tenth anniversary of the Griffin Poetry Prize, Canada's most prestigious award for poetry is significantly increasing its cash awards. "We want to make a statement to poets and to the international world that this prize and poetry are really important," the award's founder said. (CBC) Read more at G&A: The Contest Blog.
A roadie for the Rolling Stones is releasing a memoir and an iPhone app at the same time; Sam Cutler's publisher, ECW Press, claims it's the first time such a thing has been done in North America. (Yahoo)
Courtesy of the new San Francisco Panorama, here's a handy pronunciation guide to help you pronounce your favorite writer's name correctly at his or her next event. (Diesel)
The Kindle may be coming to a Target store near you, and the Nook will soon be available at Best Buy. (engadget)
Scrabble fans, fear not! After much consternation and confusion, the word game will not be allowing proper nouns. Phew. (Slate)
The American Library Association is facing another million dollar budget shortfall, resulting in at least one week-long furlough for ALA staffers. (Library Journal)
