Books, Writing the Long Way Around2 Comments

AL Kennedy at the Book Festival

August 28, 2011August 28, 2011 Writing The Long Way Around

I took copious notes at the AL Kennedy event, but to be honest, I was a little drunk and can’t make any sense of them. I had arrived early at Charlotte Square and smuggled in a bottle of wine, my intention to find a quiet corner to read and relax. I found an abandoned church pew outside the RBS Main Theatre where Alison was scheduled to appear and settled down. Pews, whether they are inside a church or outside at a book festival are most uncomfortable. I was about to move to a rather lovely wooden table and chair ensemble under some trees – I do like a … Continue reading AL Kennedy at the Book Festival

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Samuel Johnson Prize

April 15, 2011 Writing The Long Way Around

Massive congratulations to Stuart Kelly whose fabulous ‘Scott-land‘ has been selected for the longlist. Samuel Johnson Prize 2011 Continue reading Samuel Johnson Prize

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Hive Mentality

April 10, 2011April 10, 2011 Writing The Long Way Around

Perhaps a good thing for once? I am very interested in the changes taking place within the publishing industry. Hugh Andrew mentioned Gardners when he was in talking to our Creative Non-Fiction class. Gardners Hive article from book2book Gardners Hive article from theBookseller.com Continue reading Hive Mentality

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Victorian Booktitles

April 4, 2011April 4, 2011 Writing The Long Way Around

My research for my last creative non-fiction assignment, which I am developing to major project, has included the following fruity titles: The Diakka and Their Earthly Victims; Being an Explanation of Much That is False and Repulsive in Spiritualism by Andrew Jackson Davis The Death-Blow to Spiritualism: Being the True Story of The Fox Sisters as Revealed by Authority of Margaret Fox Kane and Catherine Fox Jenken by Rueben Briggs Davenport Memoranda of Persons, Places and Events; Embracing Authentic Facts, Visions, Impressions, Discoveries, in Magnetism, Clairvoyance, Spiritualism. Also Quotations from the Opposition by Andrew Jackson Davis Continue reading Victorian Booktitles

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Good = Profit?

April 1, 2011April 2, 2011 Writing The Long Way Around

We had a very interesting afternoon in the company of Hugh Andrew, MD at Birlinn Ltd. Aside from a conversation about e-book publishing, which I would love to follow up with him at some point, Mr. Andrew spoke about a brilliant and well written book that despite several resurrections by several different publishers, has never been successful. Is a good book one that is successful or one that is well written? The book in question was Peter Fleming’s (yes, brother of Ian) News from Tartary. I checked out Amazon this evening and although they don’t carry the book, it is … Continue reading Good = Profit?