Category: News and Editorials
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Kindle Vella, LGBTQ Publishing, Janelle Monae’s Debut Fiction…
An evening with Kindle Vella: First impressions of Amazon’s new attempt to reimagine reading (GeekWire) The serialized story is a mainstay of the literary world, a tried-and-true formula for creating a tantalizing tale, from opening hook to closing cliffhanger. But it’s the rare author who can keep readers engrossed in a narrative when the unparalleled…
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Writers and Agents, Queer Sci-Fi, and more!
‘I’m Easily Bored by Books,’ Says Writer of 22 Novels (NY Times) “I like to pretend that I’m the most attention deficit disordered person I’m ever going to meet,” Prose said. “I’m very conscious of keeping the reader’s interest. And I’m easily bored — I’m easily bored by books, I hate to say. And so…
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Importance of Indie Publishing, Alan Moore Releasing New Series, and more!
How to support indie authors and publishers (The Press-Enterprise) Readers who want to support wider success for authors can make a point of looking for and reading books from independent publishers. It’s hard to know at times whether a book’s publisher is a Big 5 house or a small publisher because the big guys have…
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Afrofuturism, Black Historical Romance, and more…
Page refresh: how the internet is transforming the novel (The Guardian) Towards the end of 2020, a year spent supine on my sofa consuming endless internet like a force-fed goose, I managed to finish a beautifully written debut novel: Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson, which comes out next month. And yet despite the entrancing descriptions, I could…
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7 Black-Owned Bookstores to Check Out During #BlackHistoryMonth
Looking for a way to support black authors AND black bookstores during this #BlackHistory month? Here are some black-owned bookstores from around the United States. Each one has an expansive and interesting catalogue with online ordering available. Enda’s Booktique (Duncanville, Texas) Enda’s Booktique is an independent bookstore located in Duncanville (Dallas), Texas, founded by Enda Jean…
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5 Novels by Black Indie Sci-fi and Fantasy Writers
Happy Black History Month! In celebration of black writers, I want to kick the month off by spotlighting interesting science fiction and fantasy novels by black indie writers. Check it out! 1. Tic Online by Von Johnson When US NAVYSPACE’s newest flagship, the fold jump capable USS Galileo is captured by the hostile Azian Maou…
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Black Indie SFF Writers, Amazon Sued for Ebook Price-fixing…
The rise of apocalyptic novels (BBC) It might seem masochistic to turn just now to tales of havoc and wrenching loss, yet these cautionary narratives also offer catharsis, a degree of hope, sometimes humour. In times of intense worry and rampant uncertainty, they almost seem to hold out the promise of a how-to manual –…
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7-year-old publishes second book, novelists hosting podcasts, and more!
African Literature and Digital Culture (Los Angeles Review of Books) Immediately after pandemic lockdowns were announced in March, writer Zukiswa Wanner, with the help of blogger James Murua, launched Afrolit Sans Frontieres, the first online literary festival held entirely on Instagram. A Twitter kerfuffle immediately ensued: the British platform BookBound, partner of Wasafiri magazine, announced that they were organizing the first ever…
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Let’s Go 2021! Looking Forward…
Hello Waking Writers and Readers, Welcome to 2021! Last year, Waking Writer kept busy and spotlighted some amazing writers! Who knows what strange things await us in 2021. But one thing will remain the same: Waking Writer will continue serving you fresh content from the land of book nerds and indie authors. I’m thankful for…
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Theft of Unpublished Manuscripts, a Rollercoaster Year for Publishing, and more…
Why on Earth Is Someone Stealing Unpublished Book Manuscripts? (New York Times) Mr. Hannaham was just one of countless targets in a mysterious international phishing scam that has been tricking writers, editors, agents and anyone in their orbit into sharing unpublished book manuscripts. It isn’t clear who the thief or thieves are, or even how…
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