It was a good year for a wide array of comics collections and graphic novels. From superheroes to memoirs of old age to vintage reprints, there was something for anyone — which is to say, everyone — interested in visual storytelling. READ FULL STORY »
Archive: December 2010 (1-10 of 22)
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's autobiography confirmed by publisher
A spokesperson for publishing house Alfred A. Knopf has confirmed reports that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will pen his autobiography. In a recent interview with the Sunday Times, Assange explained that he is writing the book to cover growing legal costs. “I don’t want to write this book, but I have to,” he told the Times. “I have already spent 200,000 pounds for legal costs and I need to defend myself and to keep WikiLeaks afloat.”
Assange went on to share that the book deal will bring in more than $1 million, although a Knopf spokesman has declined to comment on that figure. Assange previously told reporters that most of WikiLeaks’ money goes toward legal expenses and fighting off technical attacks. Assange is currently free on bail in England, and is fighting extradition to Sweden, where he faces allegations of sex crimes.
While no publication date has been given at this time, a Knopf spokesman says that Assange is due to deliver the manuscript sometime in 2011. The title has not yet been made public.
Kindle becomes Amazon's bestselling product of all time, edging out 'Harry Potter'
In the words of Dr. Egon Spengler, print is dead. Or at least it’s one step closer to that great library in the sky, according to Amazon’s announcement today that the third-generation model of their electronic reader, the Kindle, is now their biggest selling item ever, pulling ahead of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the previous title-holder. While the e-tail giant didn’t give out any concrete numbers, it’s likely that the relatively low $139 price tag helped to move a lot of units over the holidays. According to Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, the e-reader also did not experience the kind of competition from the iPad and other tablet devices that people were expecting because owning one does not obviate owning the other. “We’re seeing that many of the people who are buying Kindles also own an LCD tablet,” Bezos said in a statement. ”Customers report using their LCD tablets for games, movies and Web browsing, and their Kindles for reading sessions.”
WikiLeaks' Julian Assange has sold his memoirs
Britain’s Guardian newspaper is reporting that Julian Assange has sold his memoirs, to Canongate in the UK and to Knopf in the U.S. Fittingly, news of the top-secret book was leaked in a tweet from Spanish publishing house Mondadori, which said that the manuscript would be completed in March.
The WikiLeaks founder is currently freed on bail in England. It remains to be seen whether he will be extradited to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning in two sexual assault cases.
Though I have mixed feelings about Assange, I can’t wait to read this book. How about the rest of you?
Diana chronicler Andrew Morton to tackle Prince William romance in new book
Image Credit: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty ImagesAndrew Morton, the celebrity biographer who first captured Princess Diana’s ruptured fairy-tale existence in Diana: Her True Story, will author a book celebrating the romance and wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, according to People. William & Catherine will be published weeks after the future king’s wedding on April 29, chronicling the couple’s first encounters at university and the sure-to-be splendid wedding. “The nuptials of the English royal family’s most popular and glamorous couple are sure to be essential viewing — not just for England, but for the entire world — and this book will be a gorgeous record of what may well prove to be a turning point in the history of the British royal family,” Morton said in a statement.
Read more:
‘Diana: Her New Life’ EW review
Angelina Jolie biography by Andrew Morton: I read it so you don’t have to!
Jay-Z's 'Decoded' app for iPad: Exclusive demo video
Image Credit: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty ImagesJay-Z‘s memoir, Decoded, is coming to a mobile device near you. The official Decoded app for iPad/iPhone/iPod will feature interactive lyrics displays, excerpts from the book, and previously unseen interviews with the rap superstar. A basic version, for $9.99, lets users choose 10 Jay-Z songs for the app to “decode”; for $24.99, you can upgrade to get the full text of Decoded with all the extras.
Take a look at an exclusive demo video right here after the jump to see how it all works. Thoughts? Would you buy Jay-Z’s Decoded app? READ FULL STORY »
Stephen King answers questions about his new book and more in EW exclusive video
Everybody has something they want to ask Stephen King, whether it’s “Where exactly is the rip in space/time that allows you to write all of these books?” or, as it is for me, “Why did my parents let me read It as a child and then take me to the circus?” Luckily, EW has an exclusive video of Uncle Stevie answering fans’ questions related to his new collection of novellas, Full Dark, No Stars, as well as a whole bunch of other topics. Watch below:
So do you now know everything you wanted to know about King? Have any of you read the new book yet? What do you think?
Jonathan Lethem and Christopher Sorrentino discuss their new film books: 'They Live' and 'Death Wish'
If you like film books full of hagiographic hat-tipping then you should probably leave unread a new series of tomes called Deep Focus, in which contemporary writers are let loose on a movie of their choosing. Certainly the first two books, Jonathan Lethem’s They Live and his fellow novelist and friend Christopher Sorrentino’s Death Wish, are not overly fulsome in their respective appreciation of John Carpenter’s sci-fi fable and Michael Winner’s revenge saga. Lethem, for example, notes in his monograph that They Live “is probably the stupidest film ever to take ideology as its explicit subject.” Sorrentino, meanwhile, at one point dismisses Winner’s Charles Bronson-starring thriller as “often slack and shoddy.” Carpenter and Winner might well wonder, with friendly monographers like these who needs enemies?
EW Exclusive: Cover reveal and excerpt from the fourth 'Mortal Instruments' novel
Come get an exclusive glimpse at the latest book in Cassandra Clare’s tremendously popular young adult series, The Mortal Instruments. Following the titling conventions established by the first three books—City of Bones, City of Ashes, and City of Glass—the fourth (of six) novel will be titled City of Fallen Angels. Watch the video below to see the official cover, and then click here for a short excerpt from Fallen Angels, which is set to hit stores on April 5.
What do you think, fans of the series? Will this small taste tide you over until the release date?
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