Litopia

Litopia Daily 035: A Mule and Forty Acres

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:20:02 +0100

Eve brings you today in writing history: Donna brings us the latest news.

Litopia Daily 034: The Fruits of Fraud

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:12:32 +0100

Eve brings you today in writing history: Donna brings us the latest news.

Litopia Daily 033: T.E.A.L.

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:51:38 +0100

Eve brings you today in writing history: Donna brings us the latest news.

Litopia Daily 032: Twit or Twat?

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:25:51 +0100

Eve brings you today in writing history: Donna brings us the latest news.

Litopia After Dark : Semi-Colonic

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 22:55:43 +0100

Donna Ballman, Dave Bartram, Paul Baker join Peter Cox in the second LAD of the new season... with some terrific news about our audience figures, and a hint of some major format changes to come over the next few weeks... you'll like 'em!

Litopia Daily 031: In Which We Fondle A Kindle

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 10:15:13 +0100

Eve brings you today in writing history: Donna brings us the latest news.

Litopia Daily 030: Ghost Signings!

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:24:44 +0100

Eve brings you today in writing history: Donna brings us the latest news.

Litopia Daily 029: Horror & Hurricanes

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:27:49 +0100

Eve brings you today in writing history: Donna brings us the latest news.

Litopia Daily 028

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:07:11 +0100

Donna concludes part two of our news roundup covering the past three weeks: Eve brings us today in writing history.

Litopia After Dark : Speaking Out

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:35:12 +0100

We’re back! In our first Litopia After Dark of the season we’re talking about the pitfalls of self-publishing and the plunging sales of the gossip magazine. We also cover freedom of speech as Random House pull a novel by Sherry Jones called The Jewel of Medina. Our regular Amazon spot is back and this week we look at Audible’s impending launch of an imprint to showcase titles from indie publishers before they’re published and we chat about the built in obsolescence of the Kindle. On our panel this week are Dave Bartram, Donna Ballman and Martyn Daniels. You can find Martyn’s last appearance on Litopia After Dark here and visit his blog at Brave New World. Litopia Daily returns on Monday, tune in to listen to a comprehensive news update. And we missed you in the Ustream chatroom on Friday (7.30pm GMT), come along next week and join in with the live show.

Litopia Daily 027: Yes Folks, We're Back!

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:14:37 +0100

Back after our summer break , refreshed ,revitalized and a bit soggy (Peter fell out of his canoe), here we are back with Eve Harvey who’s bursting to tell you about today’s writing trivia and Donna Ballman, who has so much news from the past three weeks that we’re running it over two shows.

Litopia Summer Special: Masterclass!

Fri, 8 Aug 2008 08:08:08 +0100

In-depth interviews with leading writers, illustrators and editors by Donna Ballman.

Litopia Summer Special: The Early Years

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:04:33 +0100

The best of episodes one to fifteen.

Litopia Summer Special: The Holiday Reading Show

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:01:55 +0100

We may be on holiday, but we're still reading! Here is our roundup of the best books you should be packing along with the suntan.

Litopia After Dark : The Publish-Or-Be-Damned Game Show

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:54:38 +0100

Our last, and without doubt most outrageous (note the "Explicit" rating) live offering before the long summer break - we proudly present our most ambitious and most perfect game show offering, for your amusement and delectation. Panelists Donna Ballman, Dave Bartram, Paul Baker, Carolyn Soutar and very special guest "Dr. Sue" Susan O'Doherty embark on a positively neo-Darwinian competitive frenzy of combat - publishing-style! Fortunately, our own Eve Harvey is on hand to keep the score, and to maintain a modicum of sanity. For the next three weeks, we're not live - but we ARE nevertheless going to be with you - so don't miss an episode! And we'll see you LIVE in the UStream chatroom once again on the 15th August!

Litopia Daily 026: Afore Ye Go

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:47:42 +0100

Our last Litopia Daily before the summer break! Eve pushes the boundaries, Donna tangles with the TSA, and Peter's looking forward to Minnesota - and being back with you on Monday 18th August!

Litopia Daily 025: Twitterings and Tweets

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:09:00 +0100

Peter continues to rant about getting writers into the gym, plus Today in Writing History from Eve, and Today’s Writing News from Donna.

Litopia Daily 024: The Sad Death of Publishing News

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:35:53 +0100

A shock announcement today from Publishing News, the British book trade magazine, that it is to close. Plus Today in Writing History from Eve, and Today’s Writing News from Donna.

Litopia Daily 023: Danger - Writers In Training

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:28:57 +0100

Eve's off to Patagonia... Donna's defending the Almighty in the courtroom... and Peter rants about dead writers and dumb agents...

Litopia Daily 022: Shake that Booty!

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:29:06 +0100

Eve expostulates on one of the greatest literary critics in the English language... Donna reveals a present-day Shakespearean mystery... and Peter wants to shake your booty...

Litopia After Dark : The Famous Litopia Game Show

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 23:07:01 +0100

As we continue our long wind-down to the summer hols, we present THE FAMOUS LITOPIA GAME SHOW. Just a sec - I can hear you thinking - we had the same thing last week... Well, WE DIDN’T. Last week was a quiz, tonight is a GAME SHOW. So now we've got that settled it’s on with the show - game show, as I welcome tonight’s panelists... From Fort Lauderdale, the Venice of America, we have leading Litopian and verily, leading lawyer Donna Ballman From England’s West country, Dave Bartram. From the isle of man, John Quirke. And from Edinburgh the capital of Scotland - Eve Harvey!

Litopia Daily 021: The Dirty Mind of Dr. Bowdler

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:43:50 +0100

Eve exposes the sanitizer of Shakespeare... and Donna revisits the 19 year old writer of The Trouble with Tribbles, a classic Star Trek episode.

Litopia Daily 020: Cakes In The Rain

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:29:15 +0100

Eve exposes history's first vanity publisher... and Donna's left that darn cake out in the rain again...

Litopia Daily 019: Huck's In Trouble...

Wed, 9 Jul 2008 10:56:46 +0100

Eve unmasks Barbara Cartland, Donna battles PC (no, not Peter...)

Litopia Daily 018: Mondegreens

Tue, 8 Jul 2008 11:49:02 +0100

Grey miners think of strike in this episode, as both Eve and Donna mysterious intuit the same mondegreen...

Litopia Daily 017: Celebrity Biographers

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 12:43:56 +0100

Eve explores the origin of the comic .... and Donna gets her teeth into biography...

Litopia After Dark : The Litopia 4th July Holiday Quiz

Sat, 5 Jul 2008 20:47:44 +0100

Where do your most brilliant ideas come from? What's the most extreme thing you've done when researching your book? What's the worst book you've ever bought? Litopia After Dark this week begins to wind down for the summer holidays with a writers' quiz. It all gets completely out of hand as the panelists give each other marks and the bickering reaches a crescendo as they try to outdo each other in the race to the finish line... tune in to see who wins. The contenders this week are Dave Bartram, Richard Howse and Donna Ballman. They are joined by Amanda Lees, novelist, journalist, actress and broadcaster whose second novel Kumari, Goddess of Secrets has just been released.

Litopia Daily 016: Go Ahead, Reader, Make My Day

Fri, 4 Jul 2008 14:18:42 +0100

Eve drops through a rabbit hole .... and Donna gets us au courant...

Litopia Daily 015: The Original Cool Aid

Thu, 3 Jul 2008 12:58:21 +0100

Eve examines covermounts .... and today's hottest news from Donna.

Litopia Daily 014: For Whom The Writs Toll

Wed, 2 Jul 2008 11:37:37 +0100

Eve takes us back to 1961 .... and today's hottest news from Donna.

Litopia Daily 013: Finding Your Writing Partner

Tue, 1 Jul 2008 14:59:10 +0100

We're still in beta, folks... no news today, but a BRAND NEW feature plus a special guest!

Litopia Daily 012: From Tom Paine to George Carlin

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:19:05 +0100

A thought-provoking start to the week, plus today's hottest news from Donna.

Litopia After Dark: Big Publishing is Dead?

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:01:57 +0100

This week on Litopia After Dark we examine the role of the world's mega-publishing houses and try to predict their future. We contemplate the often-tenuous position of being a Big Publishing Boss. If the price of signing with Big Publishing is being contracted to grind out a book every year - could you cope? And why - when the indie film and music publishers are so widely respected - does the indie publishing scene get such little media attention and respect?

Litopia Daily 011: Giving Up Our Rights?

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:06:41 +0100

A journalist who tried to block police attempts to access his notes on a book on terrorism has been told he should never have brought the case.... and today's hottest news from Donna.

Litopia Daily 010: Amazon Hides

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:30:39 +0100

More about Amazon... and today's hottest news from Donna.

Litopia Daily 009: Shark Attack!

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:42:09 +0100

Today's hottest news from Donna.

Litopia Daily 008: Party Time

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 10:47:58 +0100

We chat to volunteers from the Federation Of Children’s Book Groups - plus all today's news from Donna.

Litopia Daily 007: Free Speech?

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:59:31 +0100

All the news that 's worth a peruse...

Litopia After Dark: Pace Yourself!

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:13:08 +0100

Does Country Music reflect the history of the people? On Litopia After Dark this week we discuss a new book by Dana Jennings called Sing Me Back Home. Also, that buzzword of the '90s - multitasking. New research suggests that it accomplishes very little. And how Google is making us all stupid. After all that, we take a short nap before recommending our favorite links of the week. On the panel this week are Dave Bartram, Donna Ballman and John Quirke. And in the UStream chat room 7.30pm GMT we sang "Drop kick me Jesus through the Goal Posts of Life!" in harmony. Next week we’re choosing a better song - join us.

Litopia Daily 006: Lunch With Rolfe Swinton

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 15:14:26 +0100

One of the most interesting and insightful people currently working in the new media area, Rolfe has pretty much done it all - as an entrepreneur in media and technology, as a management consultant and as an expert in venture capital and private equity. This fall, he takes up a professorial position at INSEAD where he will teach the New Business Ventures course. Respected by publishers, he has some terrific advice to share with us about the way our business is headed - and specifically, what authors can do right now to profit from the web.

Litopia Daily 005: Ask The Editor

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:39:21 +0000

A new and exciting forum opens today in the Colony - ASK THE EDITOR. We talk to Lynn Price, editorial director for Behler Publications, about her work and the new forum.

Litopia After Dark - Are Books Bad?

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:07:44 +0000

The massive environmental destruction wrought by paper industry isn't the only bad thing about book production that we cover on tonight's LITOPIA AFTER DARK. Our special guest on this week's show is Raz Godelnik, CEO of Eco-Libris who talks about the impact books have on the environment. His company believes in providing people with easy and affordable ways to plant a tree for each book they read. So what impact does book buying really have on the environment? And what can we, as writers, do to influence change? The panel gets stuck in – and you can, too, if you join us live next week in the UStream chat room – details on the website http://podcast.litopia.com.

Litopia Daily 004: Contact!

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:56:51 +0000

"Below-DU-remix by deutscheunschuld" from the album Mixter One by Lisa DeBenedictis

Litopia Daily: Where is Peter?

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:41:16 +0000

"Permanent" from the album I’ll Be Here Awake by Arthur Yoria, available from Magnatune.

Litopia Daily: BBC to Listeners - Turn Off!

Mon, 9 Jun 2008 13:09:29 +0000

We get a reply - of sorts - from Amazon... the Colony's new look has arrived and so has a new forum called ASK THE EDITOR - and the BBC tells its listeners... not to.

Litopia Daily: Amazon Ate My Cake!

Mon, 9 Jun 2008 13:09:29 +0000

The inaugural LITOPIA DAILY looks at Amazon – how they’ve come from nowhere to dominate online book retailing; a terrific achievement. But is there a dark side to their quest for growth? Links in this show: The Litopia Open Inbox (leave a note or phone message for us) Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3)

Litopia After Dark - What's Your Problem?

Sun, 8 Jun 2008 20:02:16 +0000

The Doctor is in! Litopia After Dark this week takes on the role of Public Service Broadcasting. The life of a writer is often lonely, exhausting and intense; trapped in a world of introspection and solitude. History has shown writers are often more likely to suffer from mood disorders and in extreme cases may even take their own lives - Hemingway, Wolfe and Plath for instance. But help is at hand. Our very special guest this week is Dr Susan O’Doherty, writer, clinical psychologist and certified hypnotherapist, with a private practice in Brooklyn Heights, New York. Her focus is developing and enhancing creativity. Most of her clients are writers, musicians, and visual or performing artists. So, sit back, relax and listen to the secrets of how to deal with the stress of the writing life and unblock that creative flow. Also on the show this week :- * The writers workspace - monks cell or a suite at The Savoy? Which is better for creativity and results? * Eugene Luther Gore Vidal is on his last tour of Europe. Novelist, playwright, and provocateur; he is a literary giant. But who are the 21st Century Literary Legends? * Are you to old or too young to read this? Age ranging in children’s books just isn’t fading away, if anything the debate is becoming even more frantic and heated. For or against? The Ustream chatroom (Friday 7.30pm GMT) was chilled and laid back this week as we were hypnotised into a place of deep serenity. If you drop in next week, please tiptoe and used hushed voices - we may still be in the zone.

Litopia After Dark - Going, Going, Gone!

Sun, 1 Jun 2008 19:26:48 +0000

What am I bid? Charles Dickens’ desk goes under the hammer this week and Britney Spears’ used chewing gum fetched $14,000 on Ebay. Since it seems there’s money to be made from celebrity relics, Litopia After Dark has decided to auction off our host. So what are we bid for one Literary Agent, male, house trained, not particularly adept with the domestic chores but willing to learn? After a frenzied bidding session and some frantic squabbling, the hammer went down - tune in to find out who the lucky winner was and what they had to cough up. Also on the show this week: An examination of how the literary world has changed over the past decade by Robert McCrum, who has just stepped down after 10 years as literary editor of The Observer. Creative writing courses are the new mental hospitals according to Hanif Kureishi. Computer games are changing the way we look at narrative. Scott McClellan, a former press secretary to President Bush, has released a “tell-all” A new book detailing the 1963 plagiarism case of James Bond creator Ian Fleming is itself the subject of a legal dispute. If you have any comments about Litopia After Dark, please click the TAKE PART tab above and follow the link to our OPEN INBOX, we would be delighted to hear from you. Our new show Litopia Daily will be launched on June 9th and we’re looking for contributions from any listeners out there - so go on, give us your views! On the show this week, our panelists are Donna Ballman, Dave Bartram, Richard Howse and we’re delighted to welcome back, Carolyn Soutar. The Ustream chatroom (7.30pm GMT) was as insane as ever. Please join us next week to bring some sanity to the proceedings.

BIG NEWS: LITOPIA DAILY IS COMING!

Thu, 29 May 2008 11:59:03 +0000

Six months ago, Litopia Writers’ Colony launched the world’s first weekyl panel show for writers – LITOPIA AFTER DARK. The show quickly attracted rave reviews and an ever-growing audience of listeners globally. Building on that success, we are proud to announce the launch of the world’s first daily podcast for writers - LITOPIA DAILY. Says host Peter Cox: “With things changing so quickly in the publishing industry, it makes sense to produce a short, daily podcast where writers can find their daily fix of news, comment and – we haven’t forgotten – entertainment, too. LITOPIA DAILY is going to be succinct and to the point – it’ll give you what you need to know when, or before, you need to know it. Like a morning coffee, it’ll set you up for the day.” We really do want LITOPIA DAILY to become an important part of your writing life on the internet. And we hope that you will become an active part of this very exciting new venture! Read more on our website - http://podcast.litopia.com

Litopia After Dark - Boy's Night

Mon, 26 May 2008 12:21:12 +0000

Here come the boys! Litopia After Dark flexes its muscles and takes an unemotional, rational, stoic look at the masculine news of the week. We keep it real as we discuss boy poets, boy heroes, boy geeks and boys toys. No-one cries, there’s little small talk and you can almost hear the stiff upper lips. Our special guest this week isn’t a boy - but Donna needed all the help she could get. Jean Hannah Edlestein is a contributing editor to Bad Idea Magazine and a frequent contributor to Guardian Unlimited - she’s written features, comment and criticism for the Observer, the Sunday Times, The Independent and the Independent on Sunday... among many others. She’s been described as everything from "the only attractive blogger" to a "wangsty git" (a term she explains on the show). Her first novel is due for release May 2009. And her blog can be found at http://www.jeanhannahedelstein.com. Also on the show this week: Is it time for the first female Poet Laureate? A first edition of poetry by William McGonagall sells for more than Harry Potter first editions. Why do we love this dodgy poet so much? Benjamin Nugent has written a new book celebrating The Nerd - what’s to love about boys who don’t wash, don’t go out for days at a time, and never have girlfriends? As Scrabble turns sixty, we ask what is so compelling about this simple game. Tintin, Jennings and Biggles are all back - why are public schoolboys so popular? Our regular pannelists this week are Donna Ballman, Richard Howse and Dave Bartram. The testosterone level was at an all time high in the chatroom on Ustream (8pm GMT) and the nerd war was polite and methodical. Next week it’s all pink fluff and knitting, so join us for the gossip!

Litopia After Dark - I Hate You!

Sun, 18 May 2008 16:01:21 +0000

Confrontation is in the air this week on Litopia After Dark. Yes, there’s an exceptional amount of aggro in the news this week and, as you’ve come to expect, our fearless panel tackles everything head on as we discuss things we hate, things they hate and things things hate: it’s really one great big hate-fest. To balance out all the negativity we have a very special guest who we love. Prize winning teen author Susie Day’s hilarious and touching novel, BIG WOO!, is published by Scholastic (Marion Lloyd Books) in the UK in April and by Scholastic Inc in the US in the summer. In the US it goes by the title of SERAFINA67 *URGENTLY REQUIRES A LIFE* Susie’s first book, WHUMP!… IN WHICH BILL FALLS 632 MILES DOWN A MANHOLE, won the BBC Children’s Fiction Prize and was serialized on Radio 4 in 2004. Susie likes Arthur Ransome, Scotland, Time Lords, and cheese. She lives in Oxford and, she says, hopes one day to find the ‘off’ switch to her television. Also on the show this week: BBC to Knitters - We Hate You!... Men Hate Sex and the City... We all Hate Adverts... We Hate To say It - Is This The Final Chapter for Book Clubs?... Publishers Hate Amazon...First Person Narrative - Love It Or Hate It?

Litopia After Dark - Author 2.0

Sun, 11 May 2008 08:46:14 +0000

Tonight on LITOPIA AFTER DARK we're delighted to have as our special guest an acclaimed author who could be considered a signpost to the future. In the words of publishing maven Martyn Daniels (who was our guest on "The Money Issue - How will Authors Survive in the Digital Future?" April 5th) Kate is one of the few authors who "gets it" about the new digital media age, and who is already using it in highly creative ways. Reader in Creative Writing and New Media at De Montfort University, Kate currently teaches the online MA in Creative Writing and New Media. She could well be considered the prototype "Author 2.0". So join us as we ask her all the most important questions about the next step in the evolution of the author. Also on the show this week: in a wonderfully virulent attack, legendary science fiction author Orson Scott Card lays into JK Rowling. Louise Hay is a one-woman publishing phenomenon and one of the best-selling authors in history. We discuss what has got her to the top and kept her there. Also: music and politics - the campaign soundtracks are put to the test and we ask whether original creative works are used or abused by politicians. And HarperCollins are making hundreds of videos of their authors - we ask why? On the panel this week are Donna Ballman, Richard Howse, Eve Harvey and very special guest Kate Pullinger. In the Ustream chatroom 8pm GMT everyone was amazingly polite and attentive. Join us next week to try to get us as off-topic as possible.

Litopia After Dark - A Big, Sexy Package

Sun, 4 May 2008 14:13:41 +0000

Your book is written, re-written, checked and double checked and you’re ready to find it a home. But in this ultra-competitive publishing climate how do you ensure your novel escapes from the slush pile? On Litopia After Dark this week our very special guest is Simon Flynn, Publishing Director of Icon Books and we ask him how to sex up our submissions to get them noticed and how publishers themselves package their books to entice the reader. Libraries are branching out: As Swansea Library declares Friday nights, singles night and Swiss Cottage Library, London introduces a "borrow a person" event, we discuss whether the Libraries should be using gimmicks to attract visitors. Children’s books (in the UK) are about to be labelled with suggested suitable age ranges by the publishers. Is this a good thing or (as children’s librarian Jake Hope believes) is it a cynical and misguided idea? Also, digital books for kids - should bedtime stories be left to the iPod or is this a step too far? And, My Beautiful Mommy, does your child really need a book to prepare them for your plastic surgery? And as Richard and Judy prepare to leave Channel 4, taking their book club with them, the panel discuss whether this is the beginning of the end for UK authors? We also talk about the growth of the importance of bestseller lists, embedding your credit card details in your e-book and A-levels in Harry Potter. On the panel this week are Donna Ballman, Richard Howse and Dave Bartram. Also, our special guest is Publishing Director of Icon Books, Simon Flynn.

Litopia After Dark - Virtual Dinner Party

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 13:08:41 +0000

Dinner parties! Soul food for the chattering classes (if you’re a writer that means you). Don't you just love them? If you’re a man, the answer is likely to be "No!". If female, probably the opposite. An intriguing item in Slate explains why eligible men are so difficult to find forthese quintessentially middle-class eating events (apart from the fact that they simply don’t like them). Our soigné panellists then examine a new book published this week that re-evaluates the 1960’s - what lasting impressions has this decade left on our lives today? Singer and troubled celebrity Amy Winehouse has allegedly been offered £1 million to write a book - is this another example of car-crash publishing? And Chick-Lit - formulaic pap or modern classic? According to recent figures, Amazon is defying the economic crunch, but why? To round off the conversation, we consider television - do you - does anyone still watch it? A veritable smorgasbord of tasty morsels of news, canapés of fact and appetisers of opinion, this week’s show offered a prize to the panellist who most over-extended their food metaphors - llisten to the podcast to find out who won! The contestants tonight were Donna Ballman, Dave Bartram and Richard Howse with special guest Carolyn Soutar.

Litopia After Dark - DIY4U? How Writers Are Doing It For Themselves

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 07:00:00 +0000

The dynamically changing nature of the publishing business is creating new opportunities for writers to eliminate the publisher and go straight to the reader directly. This week, Litopia After Dark considers just how easy - or otherwise - an option it is to make a living by doing it all yourself. As the Harry Potter trial wraps up in New York, we spend some time thinking through the arguments and implications of what might be termed a literary weep-off. We also ponder some new opportunities for authors’ revenge against reviewers. And - do you really need to go to the expense of travelling to a country merely to write a travel guide about it? This week we are delighted to welcome as our special guest author and self-publisher Darren E Laws, whose company is Caffeine Nights Publishing. Joining him on the panel are Donna Ballman, Beverly Gray and Dave Bartram. There was no sobbing chatroom on Ustream at 8pm (GMT), thankfully. You should join us next week to find out what you’re missing.

Litopia After Dark - The Sex & Death Show

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 23:15:06 +0000

This week, following news of the death of several prominent internet writers, Litopia After Dark considers the exhausting, stressful pressure professional writers increasingly have to cope with. Are we taking on too much - and what can be done about it? We also discuss V.S. Naipaul (whose reputation is demolished in a new biography out this week) and ask: can we overlook the imperfections of an author when they produce work of great literary merit? Also, erotic fiction - the unseen way to bestsellerdom - and are the days of the history book now in the past? Finally, we return to book jackets: can you tell a book by its cover? To discuss all these stimulating subjects our panellists this week are Beverly Gray, Donna Ballman, Dave Bartram, Richard Howse and John Quirk.

Litopia After Dark - The Money Issue

Sat, 5 Apr 2008 18:13:33 +0000

This week Litopia After Dark looks to the future. As we move rapidly into the digital age, there are undoubted opportunities for writers, plenty of pitfalls, but mostly uncertainty. It's a timely subject - this week, Britain's Society of Authors alarmed everyone with a shock prognostication: authors may stop writing - o their chairperson said - because it simply won’t pay any more! This has also been the week in which the blogs-to-books publisher The Friday Project crashed and burned its way into liquidation yet paradoxically, on the other side of the Atlantic, Random House has just paid $300,000 to an unpublished blogger! All this makes our key question tonight - How will authors survive?- very opportune. We also discuss HarperCollins intention to do away with author advances, the growing furore over Amazon’s print-on-demand plans and we comb the bookshelves for the latest wave in book covers. Our very special guest this week is Martyn Daniels, author of the seminal, pathfinding report for the Booksellers Association of Great Britain about their digital future. We also have author and polymath Brian Clegg, whose latest book Upgrade Me: Our Amazing Journey to Human 2.0 is about to be published by St Martins Press, NY, and our regular panellist Dave Bartram completes he team.

Litopia After Dark - The End Of Civilisation As We Know It

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 11:11:15 +0000

People are getting dumber, the world is sinking into entropy and signs of decline and fall are all around. So why are we bothering with Litopia After Dark this week? Well, someone has to sort it out! The Queen’s English is on the endangered list. Katie Price (the UK glamour model aka Jordan) has a book in the running for a major award - her publsiher admits that even they don’t know how much of it she actually wrote herself - if any! Disney have turned our beloved Famous Five into a Hollywood cartoon. Enid must be spinning in her grave. Clearly, we’re all doomed. Also, Bret Easton Ellis didn’t care then and doesn’t care now, comic books stultify the imagination and kids read Heat magazine in preference to Jackie Wilson. Yet more proof, if it were needed, that the end is nigh. This week, here to contemplate the last rays of sunlight over intellectual Armageddo, are Dave Bartram, Beverly Gray and Richard Howse. Our special guest this week is best-selling children’s author MG Harris.

Litopia After Dark - Happy Talk

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 17:58:39 +0000

This week, Litopia After Dark boldly goes where no podcast has gone before (note the effortless Roddenberry reference!) as we consider Arthur C. Clarke’s legacy and ponder the literary merit of SF: geek fodder or classic fiction? We also nominate a children’s author to (literally) shoot out of the sky - and the Encyclopaedia Britannica goes luxury - but do we love it enough? Also, on the show this week - happiness is overrated - Sebastian Horsley is banned from the USA - employees are gagged - and it’s Mac! No it’s PC! No Mac! PC! Mac! Finally, we enquire where old books go to die and give you the sure-fire success formula for writing your non-fiction blockbuster. So don’t say we never do anything for you. Joining Peter on the panel are Beverly Gray, Dave Bartram, Donna Ballman, Richard Howse and Eve Harvey. And if you missed the party in the uStream chat room (8pm GMT on Friday) - where were you? Come and join in next week!

Litopia After Dark - The Hooker Prize

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 11:06:20 +0000

Take a walk with us on the seedy side as this week we deliberate the question - Vice: is it any good? We examine the sin of shoplifting books, the evil-doing of downloading e-books and the dissoluteness of failing to return library books. As we plummet further into a miasma of filth and depravity, the panel discuss pitching (literally) your work to a film studio - the sloth of Thesaurus use - the lust of the madam memoir... there’s no end to our degeneracy. Thedeviant panellists this week are Dave Bartram, Donna Ballman and Eve Harvey. And you should have been in the chatroom at 8pm GMT on Friday, it was wicked!

Litopia After Dark - Touching The Monkey

Sun, 2 Mar 2008 11:24:48 +0000

This week’s LITOPIA AFTER DARK recklessly plunges into the wild and wacky world of the WOTY (listen to the show to find out!) during which we learn more than we ever thought we’d want to know about micro-groms, man-flu, smirting and whaletails - to name but a few. We also look at the latest developments in the lawsuit brought by JK Rowling and Warner Bros against the author of publisher of the unofficial Harry Potter encyclopaedia... ask what future is there for publishing trade magazines... ponder alternatives to the Mozart Effect... and ask what your bookshelf really says about you. The main discussion tonight is about "If I Knew Then What I Know Now - The First, Best Writing Advice I Ever Had". Our panellists tonight are Donna Ballman, Dave Bartram, Beverly Gray and Carolyn Soutar. As always, the show is recorded in front of a live audience via UStream, where there’s an opportunity to make comments during the programme.

Litopia After Dark - The Future of the Book

Sun, 9 Mar 2008 09:33:38 +0000

LITOPIA AFTER DARK this week takes a fascinating direction as we discuss one of the biggest and most important questions facing writers and publishers today - how will books be sold in the future? Also, The Litopia Effect - how our discussions are influencing the world of literature as yet another story of fake memoirs hits the headlines. Plus we are all, literally, stereotypes... Jacqueline Wilson publicly disapproves of herself... and writers - mad, bad and dangerous in power? To discuss these topics in depth are Donna Ballman, Beverly Gray, Dave Bartram and Richard Howse. Our special guest this week is columnist, power-blogger about all things literary and Managing Editor of The Book Depository, Mark Thwaite by kind permission of Lola and Marnie!).

Litopia After Dark - Writers Are All Thieves

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 19:43:51 +0000

This week the panel discuss the dark and ugly face of writing. No, not Jeffrey Archer, but plagiarists - the cheats of the writing world. What makes one writer steal from another? We’re also looking at the year's weirdest book titles - product placement in children’s books - and the most important question we’ve ever addressed - "What IS wrong with Ken?" To discuss these issues, and more, this week are Donna Ballman, Dave Bartram, Beverly Gray and special guest television director Andrew Gillman.

Litopia After Dark - Inalienable Underpants

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 12:26:38 +0000

In this week’s show the panellists share their views on a multitude of news items. How do they feel about Zadie Smith’s attack on Literary Prizes? What lessons can the Publishing Industry learn from the impending death of the newspaper? And Self-Publishing, is this just a new, legitimate name for Vanity Press? Numerous other topics are discussed and as the discussion becomes heated, things are said, and conclusions are reached, not least about whether Aliens Love Underpants is the real title of a book...!

Litopia After Dark - Writers on Writing - why do we do it?

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 21:41:21 +0000

The show this week is an introspective - what is it that drives writers to write? We also cover the week’s news: Amazon buy Audible; What Microsoft buying Yahoo really means; Will Digital Editions Survive? How can Publishers make money out of The American primaries; a new book by New York Times reporter Philip Shenon looks at the 9/11 Investigation. Panellists this week are Dave Bartram, Beverly Gray, Donna Ballman and Eve Harvey. Remember, we can be found live on Ustream at 8pm (GMT) on Friday evenings.

Litopia After Dark - Enantiodromia

Sun, 3 Feb 2008 15:52:33 +0000

In this week’s extraordinarily named show, we have a very special guest, Karen Wenborn who is Managing Director of Classical Comics. Classical comics has a mission, to turn classics such as Shakespeare, Dickens and Bronte, books that young people often find boring, into cool comics that kids can’t wait to read. The panel discuss whether we should be outrageously happy or simply outraged that Shakespeare is getting the Spiderman treatment. Sean Dodson reports in his Guardian Blog, that bestselling author Paolo Coelho has apparently been pirating his own work for years. The panel discuss the implications of giving your novel away free on the internet. And finally, Publishing News is reporting that the head of Random House has announced that an e-book reader will be launched in the UK this year, and they are proposing a royalty for authors of just 15% of net receipts. This in turn means 85% for the Publisher. How can they justify this?

Litopia After Dark - Mummy Stole My Fingers!

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 23:22:04 +0000

Recorded live and uncensored, LITOPIA AFTER DARK is a wide-ranging look at what’s new, hot or not in the worlds of writing, publishing, media and culture. Again, we can be found live on UStream at 8pm (GMT) on Friday evenings and there’s an opportunity watch the Podcast being made and make comments during the program. In this week’s packed show we will be discussing Literary Prizes. AL Kennedy has just been awarded the (British) Costa Prize and yet the book is a bleak read, not universally appealing. We discuss whether the literary prize system is fatally flawed from the outset. Also - Misery Lit, the relatively new best-sellers of the publishing industry. What are the appeal of these harrowing, shocking memoirs? And why do people love them? The panel discuss the dangers of life story accounts spiralling out of control and the race to be the most unpleasant yet. This week’s guests are Dave Bartram, Beverley Gray, Richard Howse, Donna Ballman and Eve Harvey.