Day 38 - Writer's Weekly World Review - And Last Contest day!

Today (well, Saturday really) is the last day of the contest! Who will win? Last chance for comments!

I am short on time, so I won't do much stumping on the news items, but here are the major pieces I found this week.

1) What is the biggest selling genre in eBooks? Think chiseled chests, heaving bosoms, and lots of euphemisms. http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/06/14/force-behind-kindle-nook-ebook-sales-heaving-bosoms/?test=faces

2) What happens when you take a classic childhood storybook style and art, then lace it with profanity and make it relatable to nearly every single parent? You get this: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7370193n. Now, I am not a fan of profanity, especially excessive. But the concept is brilliant. I first saw this with a Dr. Seuss book for the retired, and it used all the same whimsy to talk about doctors, illness, and age related problems and concerns. I loved it. I won't be buying the book in the video due to it's excessive swearing, but there is a lesson to be learned: barely released, it's sold over 150,000 copies. Hit the right chord, and you'll stand out in a crowded market.

3) A sequel is in the works for my beloved childhood book The Wind in the Willows. Books of that slower, sophisticated world are what I cherish the most from my childhood. The classic Winnie the Pooh stories are in the same class. That deep seated philosophical tone in each story made a big difference in how I saw the world around me, and still do. The sequel is more for modern audiences, but I am bound to pick it up anyway: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/47556-wind-in-the-willows-sequel-due-in-2012.html

Only three stories today... I am tired! Taking my youngest sister to a teen writing conference tomorrow morning.

Categories: Matt Tandy , Matthew Tandy , Writer's Weekly World Review , Writing World Review