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Comment from the book world in July 2013

July 2013

'On the internet everyone is writing.'

29 July 2013

'On the internet everyone is writing. There is a great flowering of writing. Going in to Knopf (his US publisher) today is not like going into a publisher 50 years ago. That world is changing... 'You're lucky if a book stays in print for 30 or 40 years. Writers want a guarantee they'll be read in the future, and we would love to give them that, but we can't...

I always knew writing a novel was a great thing. I wasted time writing films. I don't look back on those years as lost, but it wasn't what I should have been doing. I would like to have written more (novels), yes. Most writers can write three times as many books as I have and still live a life.'


James Salter, author of All That Is is, in the Observer

'How much money do they think authors earn?'

22 July 2013

'When my first novel was published, people said: "Why are you still here?" (working in a London bookshop). How much money do they think authors earn? If you're lucky, you'll get enough to help you survive while you're writing your next book...

I tried to control my characters but they insisted on doing their own things. In both my books, I've used dual narratives because I enjoy the curious effect that's created when I put stories next to each other... The imaginative part of my childhood happened in Australia. A sense of homesickness can spur writing and I'm interested in the danger that people encounter in sparseley-populated places.'

Evie Wyld, author of After the Fire, A Still Small Voice and All the Birds, Singing in the Independent on Sunday

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'30 years loving being a novelist'

15 July 2013

'I've spent 30 years loving being a novelist. It's bullshit to say that I think television has superseded the novel. It's just not what I think. Of course it's exciting to do something on this scale in a medium I've never worked in; and, yes, I've talked about TV dramas being comparable to novels, in that you have the length for complex storylines and characters. But I would never say they have replaced novels. There's room for both.'

I remember when V S Naipaul said the novel was dead. I wrote a piece saying it wasn't. I have never thought it was, and it's ridiculous for me to have to defend the novel again. I try to speak carefully and to tell the truth; it couldn't be more irritating to be misrepresented in this way.'

Salman Rushdie in The Times

'The publishing world has gone mad.'

8 July 2013

‘Whether you're an author, agent, publisher or retailer, depending on your view it's either a terrifying or exhilarating time. The only certainty is that it's all changing... The publishing world has gone mad. But throughout it all, one thing will survive - the inspiration of stories, the power of words. It's what unites all of us at this party. Of course we need to embrace all the digital world has to offer, but we mustn't ever forget that at the heart of everything we do are you, our authors, and your words and stories. So my advice to publishers would be: by all means play with the tech companies, but think carefully about becoming one. There's a world of difference between the culture of a content business and a tech business and in the end I'm not sure that you can comfortably marry the two.'

Victoria Barnsley, CEO, at the HarperCollins UK summer party which turned into her leaving party, as reported in Bookbrunch

Writers in danger from laptops

1 July 2013

'As a writer you become obsessive, wedded to the position you place your notebook in in relation to the laptop. But you don't realise your body is awfully contorted. (Writing on the computer) is so much more painful than writing with a fountain pen ever was.

You are always peering down at your laptop and it is a big strain on your neck. Back and neck problems are the blight of the modern age and it is something we really need to look at. It is astonishing the number of people injured - the walking wounded.'

Anthony Horowitz, author of the Alex Rider series, in the Sunday Times

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