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Friday news round-up

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Friday, Mar 7, 2008

What a scandalous week we’ve had: lies, fakery, back-pedalling. Publishers are pulling books left, right, and centre, hoping against hope that we forget the name Margaret B. Jones just as we forgot Kavya Viswanathan a few years back. Industry commentators have had a field day, and will likely continue to as the flames die down. Hard to believe, but there’s been some other newsworthy stuff going on in Book World this week, not least of which was World Book Day, which the Welsh seemed to celebrate harder than anyone else. Freya North revealed revealed she’s so enamored of Gordon Bennett, her daughter thinks he’s the Prime Minister of England. While, the former Prime Minister of England is outed as a CIA agent in a new book (albeit fiction—or is it?).


Here are some other news that caught my deceit-weary eyes:


Eminem is writing his autobiography
Do you think Dutton Books, publishers of Eminem’s upcoming “raw and uncensored” tome, will do their fact-checking? Not that I would doubt Eminem’s integrity as a memoirist. But, you know, in light of recent events… The book, according to the rap star’s publicist will “[offer] a window on the star’s private thoughts on everything from his music and the trials of fame to his love for his daughter, Hailie,”


Frank Portman visits Sacramento State
The author of King Dork talks to Sac State students about writing, teenhood, and old girlfriends. He also describes his rise from punk rocker to literary star: “Portman said it wasn’t even his idea to write a book. One of his fans became a literary agent and presented the idea to Portman. He began with a 20-page demo of what eventually became King Dork. To his surprise, his fan sold the King Dork idea to Random House and gave him the green light to finish on the rest of the novel.”


James Patterson admits he’s less a writer, more a brand
But we all knew that. His honesty in this article, however, is refreshing. The truth of it, though, is frustrating and depressing. I really need to get over my Patterson-hate, right? After all, he has my number: “There are thousand of people don’t like what I do, millions of people do ... fortunately, there are million who do.” This article informs me, though, for the first time, that those co-authored James Patterson books are actually outlines he’s written and given to some else to flesh out. Apparently, these outlines are so strongly detailed that anyone could turn them into novels. I find this weird, as Patterson’s novels are already really choppy outlines for potentially larger works.


Peter Carey says writers are “magicians”
Carey’s quotes at the Adelaide Writers Festival are made slightly more interesting with all the inventing going on over on the bio shelves. The author of His Illegal Self talked to festival goers about his experiences at a hippy commune that informed his newest work. But the ability to invent situations not experienced is what makes a talented writer. “Maybe writers of fiction should insist they are magicians,” he said.

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