An interesting opinion piece by Tamara Pearson, author of the novel, The Butterfly Prison (Open Books, 2015). She is an activist, journalist, and editor living in Latin America— The publishing industry’s focus on profits amounts to a censoring of a diversity of viewpoints and experience.Books are lives compressed, humanity summarised into screaming or striking stories. One would think the book world would be a safe haven from inequality, but instead the traditional publishing industry – the big corporate publishers - is perpetuating prejudice and limiting ideas by elevating certain authors, characters, and thoughts above all others, with significant social consequences.The big publishers are big businesses with monopolies over a product, as much as other industries. They are driven by profit, rather than the social importance of books, and only publish books that are a sure thing, causing quality to be lost to lowest-common-denominator marketability. Sure things are books by celebrities, books with a guaranteed (forced) market such as text books and required readings in … [Read more...] about The Traditional Publishing Industry Is Killing Books | Opinion | teleSUR English
A Glimpse Behind the Mask: Bill Cosby by Alan P. Sloan
Who is Bill Cosby? Is he a funny, charming performer, doling out sage advice and entertaining children? Or does his warm smile hide a decadent and unrepentant serial rapist? Is he wearing a mask? On Monday, the Associated Press obtained 2005 documents where Bill Cosby admitted to obtaining quaaludes to give to young women and "other people" for sex. With at least 42 women accusing Cosby of sexual assault, observers are left with the uncomfortable revelation that this amusing comic that many of us grew up with, was wearing a mask. With that in mind I want to share an extraordinary excerpt from an upcoming memoir by a long-time Hollywood insider Alan P. Sloan, who worked as a high level executive and producer in Hollywood, recalling a revealing encounter with Bill Cosby. BILL COSBY (Excerpted from the memoirs of Alan P. Sloan) The day I spent with Bill Cosby was one of the most unpleasant experiences in my career as a television producer. Unlike the public picture of the witty, relaxed comedian he was a bully who went out of his way to make certain we … [Read more...] about A Glimpse Behind the Mask: Bill Cosby by Alan P. Sloan
Author Robert Gregory Browne on Storytelling and the Art of Composing
The age of eBooks has opened the door to an exuberant array of writers. We have new voices, bright with potential. Sometimes they are raw, tentative and hobbled by an uncertain grasp of spelling, grammar or technique, but the talent is there. On the other end of the scale are the seasoned pros, writers with a past who for one reason or another have stepped away from traditional publishing. When I run into these writers, it’s always a bit of a surprise. They have old school polish but are producing work in the new frontier of the Internet, riding the cutting edge of technology. These writers are sleek and agile craftsman, wordsmiths who know how to turn a phrase, build tension and create tight, well paced plots. Why are they good? Because they’ve done it before. ALOT. They are professionals. Robert Gregory Browne is one of those writers. Robert has been to the mountaintop. An ITW Thriller Award nominated novelist, he started his career penning short stories and went on to write books for St. Martin's Press and Penguin Dutton. He’s worked under his own name and under top … [Read more...] about Author Robert Gregory Browne on Storytelling and the Art of Composing
