Awards, Writing and E-Books

I’m tired and busy, so here is a linkdump, mostly writing and e-book related:

The Prize of the Leipzig Book Fair, one of Germany’s three most important literary awards, has been won by the 28-year-old Austrian writer Clemens J. Setz for his short story collection Die Liebe zur Zeit des Mahlstädter Kindes (Love in the Times of the Mahlstädt Child).

I haven’t read the collection, but this looks like a good decision. Besides, I like seeing the young outsider win against the established writer whose “My Dad has Alzheimer” memoir was the big favourite. The translation award (Hurrah! Someone recognizes the work of translators) went to Barbara Ritter and her translation of Leo Tolstoi’s War and Peace.

More Awards: The prestigious Adolf-Grimme TV awards, mostly known for rewarding very worthy and very dull programming, have been awarded. One of the winners – and the only one I actually care about – is the TV adaption of Sven Regener’s novel Neue Vahr Süd, set and shot in Bremen.

Jay Lake has an interesting post on the development of writing skills and how many things become automatic over time, as one’s skills grow.

At the Guardian, Damien G. Walter wonders whether fantasy fiction can tell the truth. The obvious answer is, “Yes, it can and so can any other genre.” Though I find his examples a bit one-sided. And note how he completely fails to mention that the fantastic city in Catherynne Valente’s Palimpsest is accessed/transmitted via sex.

Talking of Catherynne Valente, she has a nice post in praise of blogging.

I was also really horrified by Galaxia at the end of the Foundation series and actually considered it a betrayal of the wonderful books that had come before. I still love the original Foundation trilogy – it spoke very much to me and to my fears and hopes when I first read it in the late 1980s. Galaxia was a betrayal, a sign that “they”, that is all the people I hated at the time (stupid classmates, rabid environmentalists, politicians who were in favour of the German unification, the whole bloody system which would not let me vote) would win in the end. I am not quite sure how I drew the link from Galaxia to stupid classmates, rabid environmentalists and pro-unification politicians.

Shaun Farrell believes that indie publishing will rejuvenate the fiction world and bring new blood into the market at Adventures in Sci-Fi Publishing.

Five things to know about the e-Revolution at Pimp My Novel.

Historical mystery writer M. Louisa Locke guestblogs about publishing and promoting her book on the Kindle at The Henderson Files. Thanks to Estara for the link.

Jenny Holbrook-Talty on the do’s and don’ts of book cover design at Write It Forward.