publishing
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On a brief visit to Waterstones at the West End of Edinburgh’s Princes Street yesterday, I was very pleasantly surprised to see quite an interesting poetry section. Instead of being populated by the usual suspects with one or two token others thrown in, it included a few American imports and a healthy selection of small
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As you’ll know if you’re a regular visitor to these virtual parts, Rob A Mackenzie and I swapped manuscripts nearly a fortnight ago. I’ve had a read-through of Rob’s MS and will comment properly on it in due course, but suffice to say for the moment that it’s very good and a lot of fun
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One of the perks of my day job is the flexitime system, of which I take advantage by taking long lunches with friends in the summer recess. Yesterday, I had lunch with Rob A Mackenzie. Rob and I swapped the still Protean manuscripts of our putative first full collections, so publication was much on our
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The shortleet for this year’s Forward prizes is out and I haven’t read a single book on it. No surprise there, as I don’t ever seem to keep well abreast of these lists. I don’t own any of the titles yet either, although John Burnside‘s Gift Songs should already be in the post from the
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Interesting piece in today’s Sunday Herald about independent bookshops in Scotland. It seems Hugh Andrew of Birlinn is branching out into bookstores. This has to be a welcome development for writers and readers in Scotland, given the dominance of identikit chain book stores, but the big challenge is how independents will not just survive but
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The programme for the the Debut Authors Festival 2007 came through the door this week. This year’s festival has a 100% increase on the 2006 poet count: there are two–namely Daljit Nagra and Annie Freud–but that’s still one down on 2005. Also as with last year, the poets are mainstreamed into the programme alongside the
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Salty ruminations on bad news from Bloodaxe. * Which come after Mark Ravenhill writes on arts funding vs sport funding in The Guardian. * Meanwhile, here’s a new poetry podcasting project. * And something else that could set poetry alight.
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1My recent visits to the HappenStance site have revealed that a lot has been going on behind the front page. The publications and chapbook reviews sections have been completely overhauled, with a very swish look and a good deal of new features. 2 The website of Chapman, the grande dame of Scotland’s literary magazines, had
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Well, Ottakar’s is definitely to be swallowed by the dog, not that I held out much hope that anything else would be the outcome. “Support your local booksellers!” must be the rallying cry. I’m not averse to buying books online, but these days I’m more inclined to find out about a book online and order
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The Competition Commission has finally cleared HMV’s bid for Ottakar’s. Now tell me, how is it not lessening competition for HMV, which owns Waterstones, to buy Ottakar’s? In central Edinburgh, there are already three Waterstones stores and only one Ottakar’s store. The only other sizeable bookshop is Blackwells, and that company is in financial trouble
Amy Jo Philip 