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Kindle Books Now in ‘Snack’ Sizes

Not got a lot of time to read, but still want the gist of a particular book? Well, FT Press has begun selling stripped-down, 1,000 to 2,000 word versions of books, for only $1.99, and a new series of essays of about 5,000 words, for just $2.99.

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Kindle Books in Snack Sizes

Snark – David Denby (Simon & Schuster)

Well, it’s about time… Finally, somebody had the perspicacity to dig into the cultural/linguistic phenomenon that has been raging ever since the blogosphere exploded where bloggers and often anonymous commentators get their rocks off by tossing out a plethora of digs, cuts, insults and verbal bile that can only be categorized as…(wait for it…) snark.

Denby, (a critic at the New Yorker and the author of ‘Great Books’ and ‘American Sucker’) tackles the problem head on, first by defining ’snark’ and then by also attempting to clarify that which is not snark. Denby points out that while not exactly a new phenomenon (citing references back to Cicero’s ancient Rome, Greek poets and even H.L. Mencken) the practice certainly gained mass acceptance in the modern world by virtue of the incendiary confluence of internet freedom and our dark slide into celebrity culture.

In defining snark, Denby is careful to draw distinctions between the qualities that qualify something thusly, while being decernibly different than mere humor or satire. While humor is meant to be funny and satire exists partially to illuminate irony or juxtapositional differences, snark’s sole purpose is to cut down, decimate or destroy it’s victim. To fell a public giant whilst either hiding behind anonymity or simply without an accurate connection to the facts; or as Denby calls it, “trivial kneecapping.’

Denby does an admirable job of explaining his positions and uses more than enough examples to demonstrate what is (Private Eye, Spy Magazine, Perez Hilton) and what is not (Jon Stewart, Tina Fey, even Keith Olbermann – though they use snark at times) snark. Like an S.I. Hayakawa semantics lecture from the 70’s, Denby examines the deeper meaning of the oft-times casual words and phrases we toss around today, but at the same time offers no easy way out of the abyss. Perhaps, fore-warned is fore-armed for now.

Here’s an example:

http://www.snarkfu.com/

Eve Ensler – “Emotional Creature’ (Interview)

The woman behind The Vagina Monologues has a new project. Eve Ensler’s book, ‘I’m An Emotional Creature: The Secret Life of Girls Around The World,’ is a huge hit. She told us ‘it’s a call for girls to be girls.’ See what else she has to say here.

The 86 Biggest Lies on Wall Street – John Talbott (Seven Stories Press)

Oh, we should have listened to John Talbott… Talbott was the one, who in 2003 foretold the coming economic collapse in the real estate market with his book “The Coming Crash in the Housing Market: 10 Things You Can Do Now to Protect Your Most Valuable Investment.” Trouble was, as housing prices continued their meteoric rise, nobody listened.

Now Talbott returns with a myth-busting book detailing the real reasons behind the financial collapse on Wall Street that has had devastating consequences on Main Street as well. Talbott, a former Goldman Sachs banker, economic consultant and media commentator, details in plain english, the real reasons for the meltdown and how to separate the fact from fiction when listening to what business leaders and government wonks profess as the justification for massive Wall Street bailouts and the overall effects on the current economy.

By analyzing very specific trends and common ‘wisdom’ (the so-called ‘86 lies’) Talbott takes us under the hood to explain what some of these lies actually mean and how most of these circumstances came to be. By shining a light on problems in the financial system related to federal borrowing, overnight rates, and most importantly, the legalization of expanded leverage laws allowing banks to get in over their heads on assets of questionable merit, Talbott goes a long way to demystifying the sometimes confusing world of bank regulation, globalization, leverage, stock market hype, mortgages backed securities, credit default swaps and other highly engineered derivative instruments designed to make bankers profit, but only until the laws of deflation or over-leverage bring everything to a crashing halt.

Far too detailed to illuminate here, suffice it to say that ‘86 Biggest Lies’ is essential reading if one is to try to decipher the mumbo-jumbo given out that passes for financial news in the bearish times in which we now live.

Ripped: How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music – Greg Kot (Scribner)

In honor of the recent Grammy week in L.A., we thought it would be a good time to touch base with Greg Kot’s recent book, ‘Ripped: How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music.’

Kot, the music critic for the Chicago Tribune and co-host of the syndicated radio show Sound Opinions, chronicles all the major events of the past decade relating not so much to the so-called decline of the music business, but the way in which smart and clever artists have made new and interesting uses of the technology that some would say is at the root of the problem for the music business.

‘Ripped’ is the first book (that we’ve seen) that covers nearly all of the major developments in the tech/music revolution and does so without the often veiled accusations and pejorative tone that surrounds much of the discussion of the decade (not once, for example, does he say ‘record labels missed the boat by not embracing Napster.’) Instead, Kot sheds light on numerous examples – from Prince’s free CD in the UK’s Daily Mail to Radiohead’s pay-what-you-like album ‘In Rainbows’ to DJ Danger Mouse’s banned ‘Gray Album’ to the sample-based act Girl Talk, that give rise to an alternative way of getting music to an enthusiastic audience using an array of new tools and interesting concepts.

Along the way, we get the backstory of webzines like Pitchfork, the rise of bands like Death Cab for Cutie and Arcade Fire and a treasure trove of ideas to build upon for expanding music’s influence into the future.

While Kot’s POV is definitely Chicago and midwest centric (there’s little serious mention of Silicon Valley or companies like imeem, iLike, ReverbNation or Artist Direct, save the Lily Allen/YouTube and U2/iPod references), ‘Ripped’ serves as the best compendium to date of the keystones of the disruptive culture embraced by the alternative music community. A serious must-read for anyone who makes their living in recorded music today – particularly those at the top. – Tim Devine

Amazon Caves on Macmillan eBook Pricing

New York – Amazon.com (NASD: AMZN) has agreed to raise the price on e-books from publisher Macmillan, after a standoff last week that saw the company temporarily remove the “buy” buttons from Macmillan e-book titles on its site, The New York Times reported. While Amazon’s default pricing on e-books is $9.99, beginning in March the publisher will be able to set its own price for its e-book titles, expected to range from $12.99 to $14.99.

(From Digital Media Wire)
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Salinger Film Now Revealed

WIth all the renewed interest in the curious life of writer J.D. Salinger, it is now revealed that the author has quietly been the subject of a new documentary film and a book that will be released sometime in the near future. 37 year old screenwriter, Shane Salerno, currently working on James Cameron’s follow up to Avatar, Fantastic Voyage, is the producer/director who finished the two-hour documentary late last year, including interviewing over 150 sources – including Gore Vidal, Tom Wolfe, E.L. Doctorow and others – according to the entertainment website Deadline Hollywood.

Read more here…

J.D. Salinger Dead at 91

Famed author, J.D. Salinger of ‘Catcher in the Rye’ fame has died in New Hampshire of natural causes at age 91. In addition to his 60 million selling classic and a handful of other books, the reclusive author leaves an incredible fifteen unpublished works behind.

Apple Tablet to Feature B&N Store? (TechCrunch)

Of all the rumors swirling around the Apple Tablet expected to be announced on Wednesday, the one most everyone can agree on is that it will be used as a full color electronic reader which will put Amazon’s Kindle to shame. Over the past few weeks, Apple has been negotiating a flurry of last-minute deals directly with book publishers such as HarperCollins and McGraw-Hill. Magazine and newspaper publishers are salivating to get on the device. But one unanswered question so far is whether Apple will add books and magazines to iTunes or create an entirely new e-book store from scratch.

Read more at TechCrunch here.

Concerns Over Borders Grow (Publishers Weekly)

As speculation about the digital future of book publishing grab headlines, publishers are becoming more concerned about a company that could have an immediate impact on their business?Borders. In an article appearing on Debtwire, the financial news service reported that frustrated with the slow-paying practices of the retailer, a group of smaller publishers has hired the bankruptcy group of Lowenstein Sandler as legal counsel. A representative of Lowenstein, however, told PW that it has not been retained by any group. Debtwire quoted one publisher as saying some small publishers were having a hard time getting paid “in a timely fashion” and were contemplating taking some legal action. Read more…

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