Two Writer's Digest Books Featured on All Things Considered...

We were very excited to learn that two of our books were featured on NPR yesterday in the latest installment in an All Things Considered series called Three Books. During the segment, titled Get That Book Deal: Three Books Tell You How, author Sarah Pekkanen discussed the three titles about writing that helped her the most.

Pekkanen, whose debut novel The Opposite of Me will be published next year by S&S imprint Atria, said Stephen King's On Writing inspired her; Donald Maass' Writing the Breakout Novel (a WD book) taught her the importance of conflict; and James Scott Bell's Plot & Structure (also a WD book) kept her organized.




A related NPR piece yesterday discussed publishers gambling with big advances on what they hope to be blockbusters. (If you click through to these stories on the NPR site, you can both read them and listen to them.)

What are you favorite books on writing? Leave a comment let me and my readers know what you've found helpful or inspiring.

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• For expert help crafting your fiction check out our array of courses by clicking here.

Stephen King on Rowling and Meyer...

In case you haven't heard (or read), our pal Stephen King has been flapping his gums with USA Weekend and recently had this to say about J.K. Rowling and Stephenie Meyer:

"Both Rowling and Meyer, they’re speaking directly to young people. ... The real difference is that Jo Rowling is a terrific writer and Stephenie Meyer can’t write worth a darn. She’s not very good."

King went on to talk about other terribly successful terrible writers, as well as a few he admires.

There's always a bit of backlash of what's wildly popular (in the book world and otherwise). There sure was a lot of Rowling backlash. (I remember lots of talk about her over-adverb-ing.) King has had his share of this sort of thing as well. But I wonder why he would bother criticizing Meyer. Trashing the current queen of bestsellerdom is certainly a good way to get his name all over the blogosphere, but Stephen King doesn't exactly need the publicity, as he's just helped launched the new Amazon Kindle.

I have never read a book by Rowling, Meyer or King so I can't offer an opinion on their prose. I can offer an opinion on King's statement: I think it's kinda mean.

While we're on a Twilight-related subject. Check out my new t-shirt (which is not mean--just funny):

Entertainment Weekly's 100 Best Books of the Last 25 Years...

I zipped home for lunch this afternoon, and found the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly in my mailbox (a happy surprise--it usually comes on Saturday) featuring The New Classics--The 1000 Best Movies, TV Shows, Albums, Books & More of the Last 25 Years. I almost didn't make it back to the office I was having so much fun reading it. And look at Daniel Radcliffe/Harry Potter smack in the middle of the cover! I immediately turned to their book list.

Now, as EW would say:

SPOILER ALERT!!

If you want to read these yourself leave my blog right now (or at least shut your eyes and scroll way down).

Here are five books of note that made the list:

#2: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire because J.K. Rowling "went epic and evil."
#21: On Writing because Stephen King offers "some of the soundest advice to writers set to paper."
#40: His Dark Materials trilogy because Phillip Pulman offers "a grand, intellectually daring adventure through the cosmos."
#65: The Giver, by Lois Lowry because they agree with the Newbery committee (and it's a fantastic book).
#84: Holes, by Louis Sachar, because they continue to agree with the Newbery committee (and it's also a fantastic book).

Mixed in with the many fiction and nonfiction titles were several graphic novels such as Art Spiegelman's Maus, Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, and Neil Gaiman's Sandman.

Fact that surprised me: The Da Vinci Code was on the New York Times Hardcover Best-Seller List longer than HP and the Goblet of Fire (166 weeks vs. 148 weeks--3 years-ish for each!)

My Saturday afternoon is officially taken--I have a date with this double issue.