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Saturday, October 20th, 2007
Rowling Outs Dumbledore
Saturday, October 20th, 2007 12:58 pm'Dumbledore is gay'
I can hear the squeaks of fanfic writers Proved Right from here ...
... and can't help wondering whether Rowling's work (or her sales figures) would have been blighted if she'd made this revelation earlier.
In other surprising literary news, the Booker Prize Foundation is making all the shortlisted novels available online. Apparently "the downloads will not impact on sales, it is thought. If readers like a novel tasted on the internet, they may just be inspired to buy the actual book."
It must be nice to have such faith in human nature.
- what if the reader doesn't like the novel? (Normally, they'd have had to shell out to find out. Even though Waterstones, Tescos etc are offering Booker-shortlisted novels at a discount, the cost is not trivial.)
- how many people read a novel twice? (I reread a lot, but apparently this is Abnormal.)
- personal experience indicates that I would not pay money to have a hard copy of a book I already had in e-text. (Unless it was The System of the World, which I acquired as a non-free e-book and then bought in hardcover as well.)
And, because triplets of news are good, a third literary story: First edition of The Importance of Being Earnest found by Oxfam in ... a handbag.
A friend's mother stashes her good jewellery in the pockets of clothes hanging in her wardrobe, so's to minimise potential burglary-losses. A couple of years ago we were at the opera when, hunting for a handkerchief, she discovered £20,000-worth of diamond necklace in the depths of her pocket ... Can't help wondering if, somewhere in Cheshire, someone is bemoaning their habit of hiding valuables in a really safe place.
I can hear the squeaks of fanfic writers Proved Right from here ...
... and can't help wondering whether Rowling's work (or her sales figures) would have been blighted if she'd made this revelation earlier.
In other surprising literary news, the Booker Prize Foundation is making all the shortlisted novels available online. Apparently "the downloads will not impact on sales, it is thought. If readers like a novel tasted on the internet, they may just be inspired to buy the actual book."
It must be nice to have such faith in human nature.
- what if the reader doesn't like the novel? (Normally, they'd have had to shell out to find out. Even though Waterstones, Tescos etc are offering Booker-shortlisted novels at a discount, the cost is not trivial.)
- how many people read a novel twice? (I reread a lot, but apparently this is Abnormal.)
- personal experience indicates that I would not pay money to have a hard copy of a book I already had in e-text. (Unless it was The System of the World, which I acquired as a non-free e-book and then bought in hardcover as well.)
And, because triplets of news are good, a third literary story: First edition of The Importance of Being Earnest found by Oxfam in ... a handbag.
A friend's mother stashes her good jewellery in the pockets of clothes hanging in her wardrobe, so's to minimise potential burglary-losses. A couple of years ago we were at the opera when, hunting for a handkerchief, she discovered £20,000-worth of diamond necklace in the depths of her pocket ... Can't help wondering if, somewhere in Cheshire, someone is bemoaning their habit of hiding valuables in a really safe place.
Devil in the Detail
Saturday, October 20th, 2007 02:22 pmThis novel was going quite well until chapter four opened with the protagonist riding to Brighton in January 1667, and heading for the docks ...