Suspend Your Disbelief

Recent Posts

Shop Talk |

Okay, so IS the New York Times sexist?

by Celeste Ng

After all the Franzen-Freedom hoopla, Jennifer Weiner and Jodi Picoult imply yes. NPR’s Linda Holmes has some great reflections on the dustup, while Slate tries to break it down by the numbers: Of the 545 books reviewed between June 29, 2008 and Aug. 27, 2010: —338 were written by men (62 percent of the total) —207 were written by women (38 percent of the total) Of the 101 books that received two reviews in that period: —72 were written by men (71 percent) —29 were written by women (29 percent) What does this tell us? These overall numbers pretty well […]


Shop Talk |

The New Self-Publishing

by Celeste Ng

Long seen as the last resort of those who couldn’t find a “real” publisher, self-publishing has undergone a dramatic change over the past few years. Now it’s often seen as a way to get the attention of those “real” publishers by getting one’s work out there. None of this is really news. But what is new is that even some established writers are self-publishing. Newsweek reports: Maybe Grisham isn’t a Lulu customer yet, but writer John Edgar Wideman (Philadelphia Fire) is. Wideman’s latest collection of short stories, Briefs, came out from Lulu this spring. In a traditional paperback publishing deal, […]


Shop Talk |

Famous Rappers and Their Literary Counterparts

by Celeste Ng

If William Faulkner were a rapper, who would he be? (Or, if you prefer, if Lil Wayne were a writer, who would he be?) Flavorwire matches famous rappers with their 20th-century literary doppelgangers with surprisingly apt comparisons: Ja Rule = Jay McInerney In the 1980s, McInerney was a fresh-faced up-and-comer whose novel Bright Lights, Big City had just taken the New York literary world by storm. Similarly, Ja Rule exerted an iron-fisted rule over the radio waves in the late 1990s and early 2000s. McInerney and Ja Rule both celebrated cocaine culture and had an arsenal of flashy new-fangled tricks […]


Shop Talk |

Wall Street Journal to Launch Book Review Section

by Celeste Ng

The news lately is almost always about book review sections folding—but the Wall Street Journal will soon be LAUNCHING a review section of its own. Reports GalleyCat: Former Atlantic editor Robert Messenger will helm a brand new pull-out book review section at The Wall Street Journal. According to the New York Observer, Messenger will edit the new section and supervise web reviews as well. Current books editor Erich Eichman will answer to Messenger as well. An internal memo projected that the section will launch sometime in September. The New York Observer sees this as the WSJ’s first salvo in a […]


Reviews |

The Magicians, by Lev Grossman

by Leslie Clements

At the heart of Lev Grossman’s latest novel, The Magicians, lies the idea that a fantasy world exists, but one far more complex, and at times limiting, than Quentin Coldwater, the unlikely hero, might wish. Drawing on the rich fantasy traditions of Tolkien, Plover, and Rowling, Grossman subverts genre expectations in wholly original ways.


Shop Talk |

What's in a (Pen) Name?

by Celeste Ng

The Washington Post takes a look at pen names and why writers use them: In the ’80s and ’90s, pen names began to serve less sociopolitical needs. Now a pseudonym provides an artistic reboot, or serves as an experiment, or permits a writer to reach the wallets of a new audience. […] Authors also use pen names that italicize the genre in which they’re writing. Are you more likely to read a pulpy mystery by a writer named Robb or a writer named Nora? What would look better in swirling, golden script on the steamy jacket cover of a romance […]


Shop Talk |

Book of the Week Giveaway: Rich Boy, by Sharon Pomerantz

by Jeremiah Chamberlin

Last week, Fiction Writers Review launched a Fan Page on Facebook. The goal is threefold: to introduce new readers to FWR, to create an informal place for conversation about books and writing, and also to give away lots of free books. Each week we’ll give away several free copies of a featured novel or story collection as part of our Book-of-the-Week program. All you have to do to be eligible for our weekly drawing is to be a fan of our Facebook page. No catch, no gimmicks. And once you’re a fan, you’ll be automatically entered in each subsequent drawing. […]


Shop Talk |

Tomorrow! Free stories on the NYC subway!

by Celeste Ng

In one of the coolest promotions ever, One Story will be handing out free issues—each containing a complete short story—tomorrow at Brooklyn subway stations. Says the magazine’s blog: From 7:30-9 am on Wednesday, September 8th, volunteers will be handing out free copies of One Story at subway stations throughout Brooklyn, as part of the “One Story, One Borough” campaign, in our ongoing effort to save the short story. Each issue will include an invite to a One Story reading by Brooklyn OS authors James Hannaham, Reif Larsen and Caedra Scott-Flaherty at noon at The Brooklyn Book Festival on Sunday, September […]


Interviews |

Imagined Landscapes of History: An Interview with David Ebershoff

by Brian Bartels

Brian Bartels talks with David Ebershoff–author, editor-at-large for Random house, and Columbia professor–about such topics as the role research plays in his writing, writing the book you want to read, the advice his gives his students about drafting, and how he approaches revision.




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