First Person or Third?
Whether you’re writing a
novel or a short story, the choice of ‘person’ can be
difficult. Seems like many years ago, first person was
looked down upon as somewhat less than literary. But in a
review in Publishers’
Weekly, Patricia Cornwell’s latest Kay Scarpetta novel
is criticized for its lack of emotional connection. The
reviewer says:
Bestseller
Cornwell's 15th novel to feature Dr. Kay Scarpetta (after
2005's Predator)
delivers her trademark grisly crime scenes, but lacks the
coherence and emotional resonance of earlier books. With her
recent switch from first- to third-person narration,
Cornwell loses what once made her series so compelling: a
window into the mind of a strong, intelligent woman holding
her own in a profession dominated by men.
Harry Potter
Revives Industry
Harry Potter
and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final book in
J.K. Rowlings’ Harry Potter series sold 10 million copies in
the first 24 hours. Not only does this make Rowlings a
mega-millionaire, but it pulled booksellers along in its
wake. Amazon announced a 20% increase in profits for the
quarter, and Books A Million saw sales rise almost 10%, and
Barnes and Noble’s second quarter income also rose by over
9%. This is good
news for readers and writers, proving that a good book can
be good for business and the economy. Watch for Dan Brown’s
new book due out this fall.
Booksellers or
Morality Police?
There is a huge controversy
surrounding the upcoming publication of O.J. Simpson’s
novel, If I Did It. On September 13, Fred and Kim Goldman will appear on
the Oprah Winfrey Show along with Denise Brown to discuss
the publication of the controversial fictional confessional
to be published by Beaufort Books. Beaufort publisher Eric
Kampmann will not be on the show that will devote the entire
hour to the topic.
Meanwhile, booksellers are mixed on whether they plan
to carry the book. Some will make it available on line but
not in stores, while others merely shrug and explain that
it’s not up to them to decide what folks should be reading.
The controversy will most certainly spur sales. Personally,
I’ll wait for the movie. No, wait…didn’t they already make a
movie about this?
The U.S. government is trying
to force scientists to submit their articles for publication
on a government-sponsored web site. There is a concern in
the scientific and academic communities
that if government
becomes involved in the publication of scientific and
scholarly work, changing the standard peer review process
that has long been in place, the work could lose its
integrity. As Dr. Brian Crawford, chairman of the AAP’s
Professional & Scholarly Publishing Division explained,
changing the peer review process could ultimately open the
gates for “agenda-driven research and bad science.”