Around the Word

NYPL Pajama Party: For all you insomniacs and Lionel Richie fans, circle May 20th on your calendars. That's when the New York Public Library will host a "Write All Night" scavenger hunt, where 500 participants will use laptops and smartphones to find 100 objects hidden in the library and and then perform a writing-related challenge based off those items. You can learn more about the event and how to enter here.

Paperless libraries?: In other library news, the city of Newport Beach is considering getting rid of the physical books at one of its local branches. Though this may outrage many bibliophiles, Nate Hoffelder over at eBookNewser  argues, "While you’re busy lighting the torches, let me say that I think this is an idea worth exploring. A library is more than just a place to house books." Think the all-digital concept will catch on?

Cover Awl: Contrary to the old cliche, books are in fact often judged by their covers. So say six writers The Awl surveyed on the importance of jackets and blurbs. Their experiences ranged from suggesting an image for the cover to having no input on a cover they hated, but they pretty much all agreed that asking other authors for blurbs is a humiliating experience. For those of you who have published books, what has your experience been when it comes to the packaging of your words?

Freelance fiasco: The AOL-Huffington Post unpaid writer drama continues. AOL laid off freelance writers in an email today, further annoying those already angry over HuffPo's use of unpaid bloggers and renewing calls for a writer's strike. But TechCrunch contributor Paul Carr argues to GalleyCat that the HuffPo platform is invaluable to writers promoting their work, and he's happy to do it for free.