Hello, readers! If you’ve been around awhile, you know the deal. It’s time for Around the Web, our weekly roundup of bookish news and content. This week, I’m sharing a post on what to think about before you start writing a novel, a look at how three self-publishing authors are making a living, a new report from the Authors Guild, and the announcement of this year’s Freedom to Read Award. Before Writing Your Novel Emily Harstone of Authors Publish has written a post that discusses some of the things to think about before beginning your novel, arguing that thinking about your writing in publishing terms from the get go can save you from getting dispirited in the long run. How Self-Published Au

This week we’ve got booknooks, commonly misused English phrases, a repurposed Italian manuscript, and results of a survey about disabilities

The first page of a book often gets scrutinised more than the cover. In fact, many judge a book by the first page rather than the cover! Within the publishing world, the first page, or first lines even, could make or break the prospect of a contract. At that stage of the publishing process there is no beautiful cover to visualise the book’s premise yet. In these series of posts we are featuring first pages of our brilliant authors, who write for a delightfully discerning audience, kids. #NotReadyToDie by Cate Carlyle About the Book Ginny’s life suddenly comes to a screeching halt one fateful Monday when a shooter shows up at Southwestern High School during first period. In lockdown with both

Hello all, welcome back to Around the Web, your weekly roundup of all things story, literary, and bookish from across the internet. This week, I’m sharing an examination of the strong female lead, a new literary prize, a manuscript heist story, and a writing blog post. Hope you enjoy! The Strong Female Lead I love strong female protagonists (like, I designed my own independent study course on them in undergrad), but the older I get, the more I question them and what they say about our culture. That’s why I enjoyed this New York Time’s opinion piece by filmmaker Brit Marling, which examines the roles available to women actors. Carol Shields Prize A new literary prize named after The Stone Dia

Welcome to the inaugural The First Page post! The first page of a book often gets scrutinised more than the cover. In fact, many judge a book by the first page rather than the cover! Within the publishing world, the first page, or first lines even, could make or break the prospect of a contract. At that stage of the publishing process there is no beautiful cover to visualise the book’s premise yet. In these series of posts, we will be featuring first pages of our brilliant authors, who write for a delightfully discerning audience, kids. STOP READING THIS BOOK! written by Caroline Fernandez, illustrated by Shannon O’Toole Stop Reading This Book! introduces young readers to book elements like

Welcome back, readers! This week’s I’m sharing a personal column by A.H. Reaume on disability and ableism, a look at Barnes and Noble’s controversial diversity project, a bunch of Black History month reading recommendations, and a short appreciation post on bookish friends. How Ableism Affects Writing A.H. Reaume has written a column for Open Book in which she shares how the ableism of those around her has affected her writing, slowing down and even stopping her work on a novel. If you’ve experienced similar situations, I hope this shows you that you’re not alone. And I hope it makes everyone more aware of how we treat one another. Barnes and Noble’s Diversity Misstep Image: TBWA\Chiat\Day\N