By all accounts, 2016 is off to a great start. This month has been chock-full of interesting articles, exciting news, and passionate advice. Here are some of our favorite essays, blog posts, and lists since the first of the year.
Why the British Tell Better Children’s Stories
The Atlantic makes a case for imagination and fantasy over morality in children’s lit. What do you say? Huck Finn or Narnia?
The Time My Grown-Up Novel Was Marketed as Young Adult
Speaking of children’s literature and genre, Lit Hub digs deeper into how these labels affect marketing and ultimately, sales. Kate Axelrod explains the complications that lead to mislabeling her book.
The War Over Comic Books Is Nearly Over, and Kids Are Winning
Like audiobooks, graphic novels (AKA comic books) have recently risen in popularity and received critical acclaim. In fact, Gene Luen Yang, author of American Born Chinese was named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.
Infographic: Analyzing Shakespeare’s Characters
Not interested in YA? All right then, this one is for you. This infographic explores the relationships between characters in Shakespeare’s tragedies.
The Gaiman List
Author (and fantastic narrator!) Neil Gaiman makes a case for his favorite audiobooks, including Bleak House, Bag of Bones, and, of course, The Art of Asking.
Via HarperCollins
Author Amy Tan “Thrilled” By Bloodsucking Leech Named in Her Honor
A new species of leech, Chtonobdella tanae, has been named for author Amy Tan. Leeches feature prominently in her book, Saving Fish from Drowning, and she is reported to be tickled by the homage.
Classic Characters You May Not Remember from Children’s Literature
OK, OK, one last kid-lit article. Check out this satirical post on TheToast.net, rounding up characters such as Sarah who lives in Heidi’s shadow and Mary Poppins’s creepy sister.
Going Places
Did you know that Washington, D.C. bookstore Politics & Prose double as travel agents? For years they’ve been curating travel in France. This year, they’re expanding to Tuscany, Cuba, and more.
Finalists Named for 2016 PW Bookstore of the Year
More great indie bookstore news! Publisher’s Weekly has released their finalists for bookstore and sales rep of the year. Bookstore nominees include Village Books, Greenlight Bookstore, and more fantastic indies.
25 More Hard Truths About Writing and Publishing
Attention writers! Zeroes author Chuck Wendig dishes out the facts about writing, publishing, and marketing books. Most surprising? Just how much influence your Twitter following does or does not have in selling books.
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