Libel Suit Filed Against Grisham, Others

Publisher’s Weekly reports a libel lawsuit has been filed against John Grisham and three other authors, based on books published about a 1982 murder of a cocktail waitress in Ada, Oklahoma.

Amazon/Borders launch New Novel Contests

Amazon and Borders launch two new Novel Contests. The Amazon contest is looking for the ‘Next Breakout Novel’ in fiction. The winner will receive a $25,000 advance from Penguin. The Borders Group contest is looking for the ‘Next Great Crime Novel’ with the winner receiving $5,000 and a publishing deal through Border’s.

“The Outsiders” turns 40

As one of the most well-liked stories about teenage angst, S.E. Hinton’s “The Outsiders” is still relevant today.

NaNoWriMo Time is Near

Starting today you can sign up for the National Novel Writing Month, which begins November 1st. If you are not in the know you’ve gotta go to the NaNoWriMo home page to learn more.

How to Write a Blockbuster

The secret? Dumb down. It’s really amazing what people consider to be a good read.
You’ve gotta love the British. They make being blunt an art form. The Observer analyzes the book Crystal and figures out how to write such a blockbuster.