The long-awaited Penguin / Random House merger is complete. Penguin issued a statement, saying, "Today, Penguin Random House becomes the first truly global trade book publisher." They didn't use any of the quirky new names many were hoping they would (Penguin House! Random Penguin!), but they do have a spiffy new website. Publishers Weekly released an article with information about which employees will be moving where, and what the structure of the new company will look like. Publishing Perspectives' Dennis Abrams interviewed industry insiders on the merger and what it will mean for all of us.
The Kids are All Right
Lots of great new YA books have been appearing on the shelves in time for summer. Check out Book Riot’s Ultimate Guide to YA Summer Reading for a list of books that stand out from the crowd. Publishing Perspectives takes a look at an interesting new trend in in books for young adults: the "home-grown series." Simon & Schuster's children's division pioneered this movement, which involves "editors creating story arcs and characters in-house and then finding authors and illustrators to put the ideas into books." If even a YA novel is too heavy for your poolside reading, try the digital comic Lil’ Gotham, which is great for older readers as well. Kelly Thompson talks about the merits of the comic on Lit Reactor.
Book Art / Art Books
Comic books like Lil’ Gotham aren’t the only example of what great things can happen when art and literature combine. In a series of stunning photographs, photojournalist Steve McCurry captures readers and their books all around the world. Russian-born artist Ekaterina Panikanova takes a different tack, painting directly onto the pages of old books to create beautiful, textured paintings. Some authors combine the spheres of painting and reading in a less literal way, as seen in this Lit Reactor piece on five painters who are also authors.
Posts
