Around the Word

Because You’re Worth It. If you haven’t already checked out our writeup of the recent presentation by Michael Levin—aka the Business Ghost—here at Gotham headquarters, read it now. And when you're done, check out David Murrary’s article over on Vital Speeches of the Day about not giving yourself away for free. As he says, tryouts are for Little Leaguers, so get your head in the game and don’t sell yourself short—although don’t pull a Linda Evangelista and tell everyone you won’t get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day.

Sweet Dreams, Missouri. After publishing about 2,000 titles in fifty-four years, the University of Missouri Press is set to close its doors. Known for publishing great works within the historical, journalism, political, and creative nonfiction fields, the company has been struggling since the recession began and faced difficulties with the technological changes within the publishing industry. An exact date for the close is still unknown.

Throw Like a Girl and Still Score. With women still making 60 cents to a man’s dollar, women’s organization Her Girl Friday recently met with a panel of experienced journalists and editors for a discussion about how female journalists should pitch their stories to stand out in a sea of male bylines. The bottom line of the discussion was that when pitching, journalists need to show a supreme level of confidence. Be prepared for rejection, but never back down. “There’s not a lot of support for women in this industry,” said Ally Millar, 31, an early member of the group. “We thought it would be great to have this event to help women connect. If we band together, maybe we can move forward together.”

Like A Million Little Pieces, Without Making Oprah Angry. Clark Kent has Superman, David Bowie has Ziggy Stardust, and many famous authors have their own alter egos that they inject into their stories as sort of a faux autobiography within their works. Flavorwire has compiled a list of some of the best known, including Kurt Vonnegut’s Kilgore Trout and Sylvia Plath’s Esther Greenwood. Is it a cheap ploy for character development, or is there a benefit to hiding behind someone else’s name? Who would your alter ego be? Let us know in the comments.