When I redesigned this blog a few months ago, I tried to find nearly every great bookstore blog I could in the hopes that some of you would enjoy them and get a sense of just how diverse and varied the independent bookstore world is right now.
Well, the thought occurred to me that it might be cool to do the same thing with publishers. While it’s true that many publishers either don’t have a blog or seem committed to only half-hearted attempts at blogging, there are a few that have very good blogs. For them, I’ve created a special blogroll over to the right (just under the bookstore blogroll). This is by no means a complete blogroll of publishers, but it’s a start. If you write a publisher’s blog and you’d like to have it listed, email me a link (Please don’t post a link in the comments).
Among the more notable blogs are Abbeville Press’ witty and wise blog The Abbeville Manual of Style. Check out their post about Twitter:
Is there no end to the riches Wikipedia holds? While researching game birds in conjunction with a volume he’s editing (The Vatican Gardens, to be specific—apparently those old popes liked to hunt), Arbiter of Style Austin stumbled across the following entry:
Vinkensport (redirected from Vinkenzetting)
As an utterly pointless competition for quantity of birdcalls, is this not the best metaphor for Twitter ever? Next time someone asks whether you use the site, we recommend dropping it with curmudgeonly flair: “That insipid vinkensport is strictly for the kids.”
Another great blog, full of informative posts is Arsenalia, the blog for Arsenal Pulp Press, a very cool indie press that specializes in “literary fiction and nonfiction; cultural and gender studies; gay, lesbian, and multicultural literature; cookbooks; and guidebooks.” They feature posts about gay and lesbian issues, censorship and, um, Comic Sans. Naturally.
Also worth reading is A Different Stripe, the blog from one of my absolute favorite small presses, the New York Review of Books (Thanks, NYRB, for introducing me to J.F. Powers, one of my favorite writers.). They have some very visually interesting posts, as well as literary news that’s all flavored with the unmistakable NYRB brand.
Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Harper Studio, one of the few “big” publishers or imprints to have jumped into the web world with both feet. Their blog, The 26th Story, offers humor, insight and some very fine video content on a range of subjects from publishing industry chatter and web strategies to Mark Twain.
More great publisher blogs are noted over in the Publisher Blogroll. Check them out.
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Forgive me, Patrick. Where is Richard Nash from? He was a panelist with you at the LAT FofB? I know, lazy me! I recorded the whole deal, sweetie. So interesting you!
Richard was the head of Soft Skull/Counterpoint (whose blog I have listed over on the sidebar). He left in February or March to pursue new ventures. Basically, he’s one of the people trying to figure out what a publisher ought to be in this new digital world.
(And as I read your comment, I wonder if you’re referring to his heritage. In which case, I believe Richard is Irish…And I would love to hear a recording of that panel, if you can figure out a way to get it to me.)