This!! weekinpublishing.
This was the “huge awards announced” publishing week, and thanks to mkcbunny for being the very first to tell me that Cormac McCar.. I mean Doris Lessing won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Congratulations to Ms. Lessing, who is now 10 million Swedish crowns richer. That’s a whole lot of meatballs and cheap-but-functional furniture!! (yay Swedish stereotypes! Don’t hit me with your salted fish!) And due to the wonders of the Internet and aggressive journalism we can see her extremely awesome reaction upon first being told the news (thanks to GalleyCat for the heads up)!!
Meanwhile, Al Gore, author of AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH and THE ASSAULT ON REASON (I think he might have been a politician or something too) won the Nobel Peace Prize. We don’t, sadly, have video of him saying “Oh Christ” when he heard the news, but even still I don’t think he’d be able to top Ms. Lessing for sheer hilarious deadpannery.
In other awards news, the National Book Award shortlist was announced. Congratulations to all the shortlistees!
In agent advice news, Janet Reid at FinePrint would like you to name your files something, you know, LOGICAL when you electronically submit them. And Kim Lionetti at BookEnds wants you to watch Friday Night Lights (and join the lively TV discussion in the comments section!).
The Washington Post has started a new book blog called Short Stack, which is poised to throw down with New York Times book blog Paper Cuts. They haven’t actually gotten in a fight yet, but let’s face it folks, this situation is as incendiary as two librarians quietly arguing over Dewey or LOC book classification. Stay tuned. It could get ugly.
And finally, Stephen Colbert has drafted a letter to Oprah congratulating her on being selected to promote his new book I AM AMERICA (AND SO CAN YOU!) on her bookclub. You can sign the petition to support Colbert’s unilateral bid to be on Oprah here.
Have a great weekend!
HILLARIOUS!
Gawd! I must keep clicking the replay on that over and over.
Just precious.
On the flipside, the video of Gore being told he won the Nobel Prize isn’t as cute.
He just huffs and says in his Forrest Gumper voice: “Way-ul. It’s abow-ut damn ti-yum.”
Colbert is a master of promotion. It helps that he is playing a character, also named Stephen Colbert (imagine!), who is an unashamed in-your-face promoter. Unfortunately this isn’t an approach that a lot of people can use!
Or maybe they can. I can visualize the blog now: “Today, John Doe blogs about how amazing John Doe’s new book is . . .”
I heart Al Gore, even if he isn’t as funny as Doris Lessing.
Yes the Colbert machine is a master of promotion. I am learning from him.
Have you heard about this book LOTTERY?
I’m mailing myself to Oprah…
LOL
I like the Washington Post’s Short Stack so much better. Much more welcoming and inclusive, don’t you think?
Well, if you’re too old to care about the extra money or promote your career, what do you get for it? A number of film crews greeting your taxi every time you get out. “Oh, Christ!” indeed.
(Did I hide my jealousy adequately?)
That video clip was hysterical! Thanks for posting!
Oh, here’s a true story. I had a dream last night I had (sshhh…relations) with Stephen Colbert. I told my husband and he was like “Ew.” It was a fuzzy dream, but I remember my husband’s phone ringing and ringing (business calls overseas). The ringing phone made it into my dream. It turned into the “Atone Phone” Stephen Colbert had on his show a couple of weeks ago. He wanted me to atone for something. Me?! The Church Lady? So then he wants me to come over and talk about it in person. Then one thing leads to another….
I’m glad Al Gore won the Nobel Prize.
Congratulations to Al Gore, yes! And Joan Walsh had a nice blog piece about it this morning at Salon — kinda heartbreaking but in the right way, you know?
Thanks for the Colbert/Oprah link — I didn’t know anything about it!
Doris Lessing also said that all her relatives are going to come out of the woodwork and ask her for money.
She is an outspoken delight.
Al Gore’s winning the Nobel Peace Prize for raising awareness regarding man made climate change…GOOD!
Al Gore’s winning the Nobel Peace Prize considering his position regarding actual peace…NOT SO GOOD!
Kudos to Doris Lessing for keeping it real.
ROFL! Doris Lessing is hysterical. Gawd, I love living in the day of YouTube and blogs.
Thanks, Nathan.
Ha! Love it.
Yeah, we had to watch that video twice. My husband said it was like watching his Granny!
We checked the link too, which I highly recommend doing, because the photo of Ms Lessing on her front porch with her hand on her forehead is priceless. Imagine working away and being on the list so many times but not winning.
And then-
I hope I am just like Doris Lessing when I’m her age. On the other hand, why wait? I’m going off to practice being refreshingly underwhelmed with myself right now.
Seriously, there’s something writers can learn from Stephen Colbert. The man is a genius of self-promotion–without actually whoring himself. (OK, well, maybe a little bit…)