'NY Times' Regrets Publishing Book Essay
By E&P Staff
Published: March 24, 2007 12:05 PM ET

NEW YORK
In an editors' note in tomorrow's edition of The New York Times Book Review, the paper states that it regrets publishing a recent essay with certain resemblances to passages in someone else's essay -- particularly one involving a chambermaid.

The essay in question appeared in the Book Review on March 4, called "Confessions of a Book Abuser," by Ben Schott, who has contributed other pieces to the paper. The Times said that readers had pointed out "a number of resemblances" between it and "Never Do That to a Book," an essay on the same subject by Anne Fadiman that appeared in her 1998 book "Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader."

Schott denies reading the earlier essay before he wrote his piece.Among the resemblances: "references to a system of dog-earing pages either at the top or at the bottom depending on referential purpose and to travelers who rip previously read sections from paperbacks and discard them before boarding an airplane."

But the most "striking resemblance" occurs in the opening lines of each essay, the editors' note revealed. Here is how it describes the problem.

*Schott's begins: "I have to admit I was flattered when, returning to my hotel room on the shores of Lake Como, a beautiful Italian chambermaid took my hand. . . . Escorting me to the edge of the crisply made bed, the chambermaid pointed to a book on my bedside table. 'Does this belong to you?' she asked. I looked down to see a dog-eared copy of Evelyn Waugh's 'Vile Bodies' open spread-eagle, its cracked spine facing out. 'Yes,' I replied. 'Sir, that is no way to treat a book!' she declared, stalking out of the room."

Fadiman's essay begins: "When I was 11 and my brother was 13, our parents took us to Europe. At the Hôtel d'Angleterre in Copenhagen, as he had done virtually every night of his literate life, Kim left a book facedown on the bedside table. The next afternoon, he returned to find the book closed, a piece of paper inserted to mark the page, and the following note, signed by the chambermaid, resting on its cover:"Sir, you must never do that to a book."

Questioned about the similarities, Schott, who has recently been contributing freelance work to The Times, said that he had never read Fadiman's essay before it was brought to his attention, also by a reader of the Book Review, and suggested that the thematic resemblances were a coincidental result of the narrowness of the topic. He maintains that the encounter with the Italian chambermaid took place as he described it, in 1989, when he was 15.

Had editors been aware of Fadiman's essay, the Book Review would not have published Schott's.

'NY Times' Regrets Publishing Book Essay

Laura Lippman

Every writer wants to think that they've improved with each book, yet we all know that so many don't. I've been reading Lippman for a number of years and while I liked her early books, I didn't drop everything to read them. When she branched out away from her series, I found a new Lippman - one that I wanted to drop everything for and read.

It wasn't that I didn't like her Tess Monaghan series, because I did, but the fact is that each book was getting better than the one that preceded it. And that included her series, and the most recent Monaghan book, No Good Deeds, (just out in paperback) was excellent.

Her latest book is a thriller that has been earning accolades everywhere, from the Washington Post to a starred review from Publisher's Weekly. The latest achievement of this author who has won numerous awards from the Edgar to the Shamus and many others? I am happy to report that What the Dead Know will debut on the New York Times Bestseller List tomorrow in a starred 11th spot, which means it's tied with the 10th place book by Mitch Albom. Congratulations, Laura. I am so thrilled for you! Read all about Laura's reaction here:

http://www.journalscape.com/LauraLippman/2007-03-21-17:33

IMMIGRATION, THE ENVIRONMENT, WAR AND PEACE: THIRD PEN FESTIVAL GATHERS WORLD WRITERS TO EXPLORE CHANGING MEANINGS OF "HOME"
162 Writers From 45 Countries Gather in New York City April 24-29

New York City (March 21, 2007)-

PEN American Center today announced the theme-"Home and Away"-and program for its third annual PEN World Voices: The New York Festival of International Literature, which will draw together 162 writers and cultural critics from 45 countries for 67 panels, lectures, tributes, readings, one-on-one conversations, and musical performances. America's only festival of international authors, World Voices will occur April 24-29 in various locations around New York City, including festival venues such as the Bowery Ballroom and the Morgan Library. Israeli writer David Grossman will deliver the Arthur Miller Freedom to Write Lecture on the Festival's closing night, and other participants include Salman Rushdie, Nobel Laureate Nadine Gordimer, Dave Eggers, Patricia Melo, Starbucks selection author Ishmeal Beah, novelist and screenwriter (Babel) Guillermo Arriaga, Booker Prize-winner Kiran Desai, Neil Gaiman, Yasmina Khadra, Saadi Youssef, Pulitzer Prize-winner Marilynne Robinson, Ma Jian, Tatyana Tolstaya, Sam Shepard, and writer/musician and downtown artist Patti Smith.

The Festival's theme of "Home and Away" explores the insights literature and writers bring to bear on critical topics in today's world: local versus larger attachments in a globalizing world, the conflicting claims of tribe, religion and nation, and the ultimate issue of planetary survival. "In the United States the charged question of who can call America home has ignited a national debate on immigration," said newly appointed Festival Director Caro Llewellyn, who comes to PEN from the acclaimed Sydney Writers' Festival. "We wanted to open up the discussion to include broader questions about what makes a home, and how we define ourselves in relation to it. The Festival affirms PEN's conviction that writers have an essential contribution to make to the resolution of such issues and that our national conversation can and must be enriched by a more diverse and international range of voices."

Taking "home" in its broadest possible sense, the Festival opens with a major event at Cooper Union's Great Hall bringing the writer's distinctive focus to the crisis facing the planet itself. Destruction of the Earth's natural systems touches each of us across boundaries of nationality, economics, religion, ethnicity, and language. On the evening of Tuesday, April 24, Homero Aridjis, Billy Collins, Jonathan Franzen, Moses Isegawa, Pico Iyer, Laura Restrepo, Marilynne Robinson, Roxana Robinson, Salman Rushdie, and Colson Whitehead will each read impassioned and illuminating pieces on the subject of the natural world.

Programs around the city will consider the theme of "Home and Away" from a variety of perspectives. The Festival also features several large-scale ensemble events, comprising writers from a number of nations and backgrounds. Among this year's highlights:

" "Town Hall Readings: Writing Home," where Don DeLillo, Nobel Prize-winner Nadine Gordimer, Steve Martin, and Salman Rushdie join other U.S. and international voices to explore the idea of home (Wednesday, April 25)

" "An Evening with The Moth," where one of the city's hippest literary series takes on the festival theme through storytelling by authors such as Neil Gaiman and Pico Iyer, with humorist John Hodgman as the M.C. (Thursday, April 26)

" "A Believer Nighttime Event," featuring a performance by Miranda July and a "Writer Speed Date Session" with four World Voices authors (Saturday, April 28)

" "The PEN Cabaret," bringing together musician and poet Patti Smith, playwright Sam Shepard, poet Saul Williams and other special guests at the Bowery Ballroom (Saturday, April 28)

Numerous one-on-one conversations throughout the Festival week will pair authors in intimate discussion of their craft. Among these programs are Neil Gaiman with Ivory Coast graphic novelist Marguerite Abouet, Norway's award-winning writer Per Petterson and Pulitzer Prize winner Marilynne Robinson, Babel screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga and Paul Auster, Dave Eggers and the subject of his new novel, Valentino Achak Deng, Kiran Desai and Vikram Chandra, and Tatyana Tolstaya and David Remnick. Events on Sunday, April 29, at the New York Public Library include a tribute to the late Polish writer and journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski, a panel about sex and eroticism in today's literature, and an event examining the temptations and responsibilities of travel writing featuring British author/philosopher Alain de Botton.

Among other Festival programs taking place: a series of events for young people, featuring writers with unexpected takes on childhood themes and experiences, such as Ishmael Beah, Neil Gaiman, Uzodinma Iweala, and Markus Zusak; programs on prison writing, including an evening hosted by director and producer Sydney Pollack (Thursday, April 26); a panel examining the cultural forces that have shifted the focus of Latin American writing from Magic to "Gritty Realism" (Friday, April 27); a discussion moderated by Alice Sebold about the rise of Mediterranean noir (Friday, April 27); and several events about what's lost and gained in the translation from literature to both drama and film (and vice versa).

The Festival's closing event on Sunday, April 29-the second annual Arthur Miller Freedom to Write Lecture (last year's speaker was Nobel Prize-winner Orhan Pamuk)-will feature Israeli writer David Grossman. The author of over a dozen widely translated works of fiction, non-fiction, and children's literature and winner of numerous international awards, Grossman has been an active supporter of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations and critic of Israeli settlements on the West Bank. Shortly after he joined public calls for a cease-fire in the recent Lebanese war, Grossman's son was killed while serving in the Israeli Defense Forces. Following the lecture, there will be an on-stage conversation between Grossman and Nobel Prize-winning South African author Nadine Gordimer.

"We asked David Grossman to deliver this year's lecture because he exemplifies Arthur Miller's belief in the unique power of literature to enable the moral imagination," said Festival Chair Salman Rushdie. "Both in his work-and by his personal example-he has insisted upon the responsibility of the writer to assist his community in reaching for a broad, humane and compassionate conception of citizenship. We are honored that Mr. Grossman will share his insights with us this year."

Beginning March 26, the full program for the PEN World Voices Festival, including author participants, event location, ticketing information, and corporate sponsors, can be found at http://www.pen.org/page.php/prmID/1096.

Founded in 1921, PEN is the world's oldest literary and the oldest ongoing human rights organization. Its mission remains the advancement of literature, the defense of free expression, and the promotion of international literary fellowship. PEN American Center was founded in 1922 and is the largest and most active of the 141 chapters constituting International PEN. Its 3,100 distinguished members carry on the achievements in literature and the advancement of human rights of such past members as W. H. Auden, James Baldwin, Willa Cather, Robert Frost, Allen Ginsberg, Langston Hughes, Thomas Mann, Arthur Miller, Marianne Moore, Eugene O'Neill, Susan Sontag, and John Steinbeck. To learn more about the PEN American Center, please visit: www.pen.org

2007 James Beard Foundation Awards
Nominees Announced

Culinary World's Most Prestigious Awards Honor the Art of American Food and 'Rising Star Chefs' at 20th Anniversary Celebration

NEW YORK, March 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The James Beard Foundation has announced nominees and special honorees for the 2007 James Beard Foundation Awards, the nation's top honors for culinary professionals. This year, there are a total of 62 Award categories for restaurants, chefs, broadcasting, print journalism, books, and restaurant design.

Highlights of the announcements, held at a reception at the historic James Beard House in Greenwich Village, included: Barbara Kafka, Lifetime Achievement Award; Art Smith, Humanitarian Award; and Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen; Cookbook Hall of Fame.

NOMINEES 2007 James Beard Foundation Book Awards
For cookbooks published in 2006
Winners will be announced May 7, 2007

Category: Asian Cooking

Cradle of Flavor
Author: James Oseland Publisher: W.W. Norton; Editor: Maria Guarnaschelli Price: $35.00

Into the Vietnamese Kitchen: Treasured Foodways, Modern Flavors
Author: Andrea Nguyen Publisher: Ten Speed Press Editor: Aaron Wehner Price: $35.00

The Sushi Experience
Author: Hiroko Shimbo Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Editor: Judith Jones Price: $40.00

Category: Baking and Dessert

Baking: From My Home to Yours
Author: Dorie Greenspan Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company Editor: Rux Martin Price: $40.00

Heirloom Baking with the Brass Sisters
Authors: Marilynn Brass and Sheila Brass Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers Editors: Judy Pray Price: $29.95

King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking
Authors: The Bakers at King Arthur Flour Publisher: The Countryman Press Editors: Kermit Hummel Price: $35.00

Category: Cooking from a Professional Point of View

Alain Ducasse’s Desserts and Pastries
Author: Frederic Robert Publisher: Les Editions D’Alain Ducasse Editor: Stephanie Ruyer Price: $195.00

Happy in the Kitchen
Authors: Michel Richard with Susie Heller and Peter Kaminsky Publisher: Artisan
Editor: Ann Bramson Price: $45.00

The Professional Chef, 8th Edition
Author: The Culinary Institute of America Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Editors: Pam Chirls Price: $70.00

Category: Entertaining

The Big Book of Appetizers
Authors: Meredith Deeds and Carla Snyder Publisher: Chronicle Books Editor: Bill LeBlond
Price: $19.95

The Big Book of Outdoor Cooking and Entertaining
Author: Cheryl Alters Jamison Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Editor: Harriet Bell Price: $24.95

Opera Lover’s Cookbook
Author: Francine Segan Publisher: Stewart, Tabori & Chang Editor: Leslie Stoker
Price: $35.00

Category: Food of the Americas

Dishes from the Wild Horse Desert: Norteño Cooking of South Texas
Author: Melissa Guerra Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Editor: Anne Ficklen
Price: $29.95

The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook
Authors: Matt Lee and Ted Lee Publisher: W.W. Norton Editor: Maria Guarnaschelli
Price: $35.00

Kathy Casey’s Northwest Table
Author: Kathy Casey Publisher: Chronicle Books Editor: Bill LeBlond Price: $35.00

Category: General

The Family Kitchen
Author: Debra Ponzek Publisher: Clarkson Potter Editor: Rica Allannic Price: $25.00

The Improvisational Cookbook
Author: Sally Schneider Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Editor: Harriett Bell Price: $34.95

Tasty: Get Great Food on the Table Everyday
Author: Roy Finamore Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company Editor: Rux Martin
Price: $30.00

Category: Healthy Focus

The Diabetes Menu Cookbook: Delicious Special-Occasion Recipes for Family and Friends
Authors: Barbara Scott-Goodman and Kalia Doner Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Editor: Justin Schwartz Price: $29.95

EatingWell Serves Two
Author: Jim Romanoff Publisher: The Countryman Press Editor: Kermit Hummel Price: $24.95

Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way
Author: Lorna Sass Publisher: Clarkson Potter Editor: Rica Allannic Price: $44.00

Category: International

Arabesque
Author: Claudia Roden Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Editor: Judith Jones Price: $35.00

The Soul of a New Cuisine
Author: Marcus Samuelsson Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Editor: Pam Chirls
Price: $40.00

Spice
Author: Ana Sortun Publisher: Regan Books/HarperCollins Publishers Editor: Cassie Jones Price: $34.95

Category: Reference

Culinary Biographies: A Dictionary of the World’s Great Historic Chefs, Cookbook Authors and Collectors, Farmers, Gourmets, Home Economists, Nutritionists, Restaurateurs, Philosophers, Physicians, Scientists, Writers, and Others Who Influenced the Way We Eat Today
Editor: Alice Arndt Publisher: Yes Press, Inc. Price: $48

The Organic Cook’s Bible
Author: Jeff Cox Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Editor: Linda Ingroia Price: $40.00

What to Eat
Author: Marion Nestle Publisher: North Point/Farras, Straus and Giroux Editor: Paul Elie Price: $30.00

Category: Single Subject

Braise
Author: Daniel Boulud Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Editor: Emily Takoudes Price: $32.50

The Essence of Chocolate
Authors: John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg Publisher: Hyperion Books Editor: Leslie Wells Price: 35.00

Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen
Author: Deborah Madison Publisher: Broadway Books Editor: Jennifer Josephy Price: $19.95

Category: Wine and Spirits

Keys to the Cellar: Strategies and Secrets of Wine Collecting
Author: Peter D. Meltzer Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Editor: Linda Ingroia
Price: $29.95

Romancing the Vine
Author: Alan Tardi Publisher: St. Martin’s Press Editor: Elizabeth Beier
Price: $25.95

The Wines of France: The Essential Guide for Savvy Shoppers
Author: Jacqueline Friedrich Publisher: Ten Speed Press Editor: Meghan Keefe
Price: $19.95

Category: Writing on Food

Heat
Author: Bill Buford Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Editor: Sonny Mehta
Price: $25.95

The Omnivore’s Dilemma
Author: Michael Pollan Publisher: The Penguin Press Editor: Ann Godoff Price: $26.95

The United States of Arugula: How We Became a Gourmet Nation
Author: David Kamp Publisher: Broadway Books Editor: Charlie Conrad Price: $26.00

Category: Photography

Kaiseki: The Exquisite Cuisine of Kyoto’s Kikanoi Restaurant
Photographer: Masashi Kuma Publisher: Kodansha International Editor: Greg Starr
Price: $45.00

Michael Mina
Photographer: Karl Petzke Publisher: Bulfinch Press/ Little, Brown and Company
Editor: Michael Sand Price: $50.00

Tartine
Photographer: France Ruffenach Publisher: Chronicle Books Editor: Bill LeBlond
Price: $35.00

CATEGORY: COOKBOOK OF THE YEAR
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON MAY 7, 2007

Thriller Awards, Part 2

I received an email from author Rob Walker regarding the Thriller Award nominations. He expressed some comments and questions that I think others might have as well, so with his permission, I'm posting our exchange.

>>> --- Rob Walker wrote:---
Not to be totally cynical but after the Mystery Writers of America named Stephen King their guy this year for lifetime achievement, now the ThrillerFest authorities decide James Patterson is due a lifetime award for the Thriller...None of these organizations are playing tiddly-winks with name recognition now are they? Tell me, do you think the awards have to go to American authors who've consistently hit the bestseller list? Is it possible that this is a great way to get publicity for the MWA and the ITW? Does it have to do with output--number of books published? Or number of books sold? Or is there a scarcity of truly good authors known to the typical man on the street--not a household name, so we pass on sayFrederick Forsythe for a James Patterson? Just curious.

Rob Walker
http://blog.myspace.com/robertwwalkerbooks
www.myspace.com/robertwwalkerbooks
www.robertwwalkerbooks.com>>>

My response:

First of all, I think Stephen King is one of the greatest American writers, a master storyteller and while I wouldn't classify the majority of his books as mysteries, there are enough for him to qualify. Does that help MWA get more publicity? You betcha. Is there something wrong with that? Nope. Does King not only write amazing stories but also support new authors? Yep. All in all, I totally support the MWA's choice.

As for the ITW, their ThrillerMaster award states it goes to an author who has a body of work spanning at least two decades, and while I wouldn't swear to it,I'm pretty sure the author has to be a member of the organization, which leaves out a lot of people, including Forsyth.

Furthermore, for years and years there has been a stigma attached to genre writers, and thriller writers have been one rung below even that, a subgenre, if you will, that many authors don't want to be associated with - of course, a lot of that feeling has changed since Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code stayed on that bestseller list for more than two years.

So, is Patterson a great thriller writer? Well, that depends on your perspective. He may not be what I would consider a great writer (have you read Patrick Anderson's book, [The Triumph of the Thriller: HowCops, Crooks, and Cannibals Captured PopularFiction]? In my opinion, he condenses everything that's wrong with Patterson's writing into a short paragraph, it's brilliant.) But, that said, you can't argue with the millions of people who love his books, line up to buy his books every THREE months, and yes, have kept him on the bestseller list for a long time now.

Personally, I've enjoyed several of Patterson's books but I accept them for what they are - he's a good storyteller, no one can pace a book better or faster than he can with those ridiculous two page chapters, and enough character development, especially over the course of a series, to make the reader care. Does he support lesser known authors? Hell yes, they are writing his damn books for him and their names are front and center. And are you familiar with his PageTurner Awards? The man gives back.

Finally, Patterson has done more for the thriller genre than just about any other author except maybe Dan Brown - the bestseller lists are peppered with thrillers in large part because of Patterson. So all in all, I cannot argue with this choice for Thriller Master. And yes, I do think that these type awards do need to go to authors that consistently hit the bestseller list. Despite what you may think, popularity does count, especially in a lifetime achievement award. You don't get a career that spans a lifetime if you're not popular, it's that simple. If no one is reading your books except a small, diehard fan base, then no, you don't deserve this award.

I think Forsyth would be an excellent choice for this award and who knows, maybe someday he'll decide he is a thriller writer and join the organization. Or maybe they will offer him the award and then he'll join. There are a lot of very fine writers writing thrillers and this is only the second year of this organization and its awards, so I don't think it is fair to jump all over their choice when they pick someone who is obviously one of the most popular and most successful writers in that genre. In fact, to dismiss him because a lot of people don't like his writing would be doing a disservice to the genre and its fans. Yes, there will be more publicity for ITW because of their choice, but what on earth is wrong with a new organization getting some publicity?

I thank you for bringing these questions to me. I think a lot of people may be wondering about the same things you are.

Follow up from Rob Walker:

>>>Thanks for your thoughtful response and you covered all the bases well. I frankly in the end just would like to see an award for Excellence in writing, not Popularity in reading, I suppose.

Still, in my world, writing is an art not a souffle. When editors in New York are dictating to authors to write snippets instead of scenes and chapters, or to write a DaVinci Code type book, this bugs an artist. Most real artists rebel against the mainstream while still trying to be commercial and to get fed.>>>

My response:

I know that writing is an art, and most artists need to write to their muse, not to their editors. But the excellence in writing awards are out there, isn't that what the Best Novel, Best First Novel, and Best Paperback Original categories are for?

I was referring to the lifetime achievement type awards that, in my mind, require popularity as one of the components to that type of award. And it doesn't eschew excellence in writing either, it's just a completely subjective thing to judge.

2007 THRILLER AWARD NOMINEES ANNOUNCED BY INTERNATIONAL THRILLER WRITERS

Amid a grand celebration during the West Coast debut gala, BRUNCH ANDBULLETS, the illustrious co-presidents of ITW, Gayle Lynds and DavidMorrell, announced the nominees for this year's “Thriller” awards. They alsoofficially proclaimed the recipient for the 2007 ThrillerMaster Award (anaward honoring an illustrious body of work spanning two decades or more) tonone other than a true master of suspense, James Patterson.

BEST NOVEL

False Impression, Jeffrey Archer (St. Martin's Press)
Killer Instinct,Joseph Finder (St. Martin's Press)
Cold Kill, Stephen Leather (Hodder &Stoughton)
The Messenger, Daniel Silva (Putnam)
Beautiful Lies, Lisa Unger(Shaye Areheart Books/Bantam)

BEST FIRST NOVEL

Shadow of Death, Patricia Gussin (Oceanview Publishing)
Switchback, MatthewKlein (Orion)
A Thousand Suns, Alex Scarrow (Orion)
18 Seconds, George D. Shuman (Simon & Schuster)
Mr. Clarinet, Nick Stone(Michael Joseph Ltd/Penguin)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

Skeleton Coast, Clive Cussler with Jack DuBrul (Berkley Trade)
The Deep BlueAlibi, Paul Levine (Bantam)
An Unquiet Grave, P.J. Parrish (Pinnacle)
Headstone City, Tom Piccirilli (Spectra Books/Crown)
Mortal Faults, MichaelPrescott (Onyx Books)

BEST SCREENPLAY

Inside Man: Russell Gewirtz
The Departed: William Monahan
The Good Shepherd: Eric Roth
Children of Men: Alfonse Cuarón, Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergusand Hawk Ostby
Casino Royale: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Paul Haggis

I'm on LibraryThing, are you? Let me know!

A Cozy Book Club, in a Virtual Reading Room
By ANNE EISENBERG

WHEN many people think of online social networking, they picture Web sites where the young and the restless discuss their love lives and their favorite bands. But Kathryn Havemann, 60, of Dayton, Ohio, has joined a different sort of Web-based network — one where people are linked by a more sedate interest: their book collections.

“I would never put my life out on the Internet,” she said, “except through my books.”
Social networks that tap the interests and buying power of traditionally reserved groups like the bookish are a small but growing force on the Web. Ms. Havemann, for example, is among the 150,000 or so members of LibraryThing (www.LibraryThing.com), a site that lets people create detailed online book catalogs, learn about the collections of other members, discover shared favorites and swap recommendations.

Creating a catalog on the Web site is easy. Enter the title of one of your books, and the search engine supplies the rest of the details, like the International Standard Book Number, or ISBN, and a thumbnail image of the cover. Click again, and list the next item.
You can view or print your catalog instantly, sorted by author, for example, or by more personal tags like “books that mention Venice,” “books that touch on digital photography” or “books I’ve loaned out.” Collections can also be displayed by book covers.

Ms. Havemann, for instance, has catalogued all of the 2,956 volumes at her home, and no longer has to rely on hand-written notes or a spreadsheet. Now, as she collects new books — an unending and delightful process — she uses a portable bar-code scanner to accumulate their ISBNs, then downloads up to 500 entries at a time onto LibraryThing.

But the swift, accurate cataloguing of her books is not what she prizes most about LibraryThing.
“I love the social aspect,” she said.

Many social connections thrive at the site. Although members can keep all details of their online catalog private, most choose to display their libraries, so Ms. Havemann can learn about other members’ collections just as she might if she visited their homes.

For example, software on the site shows her who else among the members has the same titles she has. All the information is listed by user name, which does not have to be one’s real name; that means bookworms can remain anonymous while sharing the details of their collections. There are more than 1,500 discussion groups on the site, too, as well as shared information on the tags or descriptive words that members use to keep track of their books.

LibraryThing carries no advertising. It is supported by commissions from Amazon.com for books bought through the site, and by member fees. Registration is simple: just enter a user name and password, click on “Add books,” and begin.

The first 200 books can be catalogued free; after that, the cost is $10 a year or $25 for a lifetime membership. AbeBooks, an online bookseller, owns a 40 percent share in LibraryThing.
Other sites, too, including Shelfari and aNobii, are building online book cataloguing and social networking services.

Tim Spalding, founder and president of LibraryThing, which is based in Portland, Me., says that while the site was founded in 2005, it is still in what he calls “perpetual beta,” as the software is steadily being improved. “We plan on staying in beta,” he said. “It’s a sign of constant innovation.” So far, more than 10 million books have been catalogued there.

Mr. Spalding, who studied Greek and Latin as a graduate student and is now a Web site developer, wrote the software based on his own bibliographic interests. To compile data like publication dates for each catalog entry, the application searches Amazon, the Library of Congress and 70 other libraries that provide open access to their collections.

Based on data gathered at the site, Mr. Spalding has written programs that recommend books that members may want to read, or may want to skip, based on their own interests. For instance, he said, if you liked “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions” by Thomas S. Kuhn, the program suggests that you are not likely to enjoy “The Virgin’s Lover” by Philippa Gregory.
One way that Mr. Spalding generates site statistics is by analyzing the tags or key words that people use to help them categorize and remember their books. For example, people cataloguing a new detective novel by Donna Leon might add tags like “Guido Brunetti” (the sleuth) or “Venice” (the setting).

When new members add a book by Ms. Leon to their catalogs, for example, all of the tags that others have used to classify the book appear automatically in the bibliographic data. Click on a tag, and it will lead to the user name of its creator, and in turn to that person’s other book choices.

In this way, people can explore one another’s book categories, as they might once have wandered the library stacks, hoping for unexpected finds.

TAGGING is also becoming important to the ways that Internet services raise money, said David L. Sifry, founder and chief executive of Technorati, a company in San Francisco that tracks the tags people use to mark items on the Internet — including those at photo- and video-sharing sites.

Mr. Sifry said advertisers of a product like automobiles will pay a premium of $50 to $150 above the base rate to have their names on a page that many readers have tagged with words related to “car.”

Mr. Spalding, too, plans to take advantage of the targeted-audience information created by tagging to generate revenue.

For example, he is in the process of selling some of his recommendations data, which is based in part on tagging statistics, to other sites that sell books and book information.

Ms. Havemann, who works an indexing analyst at LexisNexis, which offers sophisticated search services, uses tags at LibraryThing because they are helpful in jogging her memory of a specific book’s contents.

“One book can run into another,” she said, “but if I tag a book by a character’s name, for instance, I can remember the book later.” She also checks other people’s tags to see if she wants to add any of their books to her library.

“It’s wonderful,” she said, summing up her experience on the LibraryThing site, “to know there are many other crazy people out there who are absolutely addicted to books.”

The National Book Critics Circle awards go to:

Fiction: The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai (Atlantic Monthly Press)
Nonfiction: Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves and the American Revolution by Simon Schama (Ecco)
Biography: James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon by Julie Phillips (St. Martin's)
Memoir/Autobiography: The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million by Daniel Mendelsohn (HarperCollins)
Poetry: Tom Thomson in Purgatory by Troy Jollimore (Margie/Intuit House)
Criticism: Everything That Rises: A Book of Convergences by Lawrence Weschler (McSweeney's)
The Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing: Steven Kellman
The Sandrof Award for Lifetime Achievement: John Leonard

Mystery Writers of America Elects New Officers; Bestselling Author Nelson DeMille to Serve as National President

New York, NY—March 7, 2007—

Mystery Writers of America (MWA) recently announced the election of its national officers for the 2007-2008 term, including President Nelson DeMille.

DeMille is the bestselling author of: By the Rivers of Babylon, Cathedral, The Talbot Odyssey, Word of Honor, The Charm School, The Gold Coast, The General's Daughter, Spencerville, Plum Island, The Lion's Game, Up Country, Night Fall, and Wild Fire.

Serving alongside President DeMille are Secretary Frankie Y. Bailey, Treasurer Bob Williamson, and Executive Vice President Daniel J. Hale.

In his new role of Executive Vice President, Daniel J. Hale will be guiding the organization through a year of groundbreaking initiatives. Hale stated, “It is my great honor and pleasure to serve as the Executive Vice President of Mystery Writers of America, the premier organization for crime writers, professionals allied to the mystery writing field, aspiring crime writers, and those devoted to the genre.

“Mystery Writers of America is an organization dedicated to service. Through the newly announced MWA:Reads Library Initiative, we aim to provide books for American youth who might not otherwise have access to the wonderful world of mystery. We have also formed an Education Committee, one whose planned programs are designed to help increase the educational opportunities for the mystery community. Through it all, MWA remains steadfast in its dedication to promoting higher regard for crime writing, as well as raising the level of recognition and respect for its membership.”

Hale continued, “In the near future, MWA will launch its new website, one that has been completely redesigned. Not only visually stunning, it will usher in unprecedented opportunities for the 3,000 members of MWA, as well as those in the general public wanting to know more about their favorite authors.”

Mystery Writers of America’s membership includes publishers, editors, literary agents, and screen and television writers, as well as authors of fiction and non-fiction books.

The organization will celebrate the 61st anniversary of the Edgar® Awards on April 26th in New York City. The awards will be hosted by Al Roker of NBC’s Today Show and will honor Stephen King as the 2007 Grand Master. For more information about the Edgars, please visit www.theedgars.com.

Read It? No, but You Can Skim a Few Pages and Fake It
By Alan Riding

PARIS, Feb. 23 — It may well be that too many books are published, but by good fortune, not all must be read. In practice, primed by publishers, critics, teachers, authors and word-of-mouth, a form of natural selection limits essential reading to those classics and best sellers that become part of civilized intellectual and social discourse.

Of course, many people don’t get through these books, either, and too embarrassed to admit it, they worry constantly about being exposed as philistines.

Now Pierre Bayard, a Paris University literature professor, has come to their rescue with a survivor’s guide to life in the chattering classes. And it is evidently much in need. "How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read?" has become a best seller here, with translation rights snapped up across Europe and under negotiation in Britain and the United States.

"I am surprised because I hadn’t imagined how guilty nonreaders feel," Mr. Bayard, 52, said in an interview. "With this book, they can shake off their guilt without psychoanalysis, so it’s much cheaper."

Mr. Bayard reassures them that there is no obligation to read, and confesses to lecturing students on books that he has either not read or has merely skimmed. And he recalls passionate exchanges with people who also have not read the book under discussion.

He further cites writers like Montaigne, who could not remember what he read, and Paul Valéry, who found ways of praising authors whose books he had never opened. Mr. Bayard finds characters in novels by Graham Greene , David Lodge and others who cheerfully question the need to read at all. And he refuses to be intimidated by Proust or Joyce.

Having demonstrated that non-readers are in good company, Mr. Bayard then offers tips on how to cover up ignorance of a "must-read" book.

Meeting a book’s author can be particularly tricky. Here, Mr. Bayard said there was no need to display knowledge of the book, since the author already has his own ideas about it. Rather, he said, the answer is "to speak well of it without entering into details." Indeed, all the author needs to hear is that "one has loved what he has written."

Domestic life is another potentially hazardous zone. People often want their spouses and partners to share their love of a particular book. And when this happens, Mr. Bayard said, they can both inhabit a "secret universe." But if only one has read the book, silent empathy may offer the best way out.

Students, he noted from experience, are skilled at opining about books they have not read, building on elements he may have provided in a lecture. This approach can also work in the more exposed arena of social gatherings: the book’s cover, reviews and other public reaction to it, gossip about the author and even the current conversation can all provide food for sounding informed.

One alternative, he said, is to try to change the subject. Another is to admit not knowing a particular book while suggesting knowledge of the so-called "collective library" into which the book fits.

But Mr. Bayard’s most daring suggestion is that nonreaders should talk about themselves, using the pretext of the book without dwelling on its contents. In this way, he said, they are forced to tap their imagination and, in effect, invent their own book.

"To be able to talk with finesse about something one does not know is worth more than the universe of books," he writes.

That Mr. Bayard enjoys the role of iconoclast is evident in the titles of some of his earlier books, including "How to Improve Failed Literary Works," in which he examines "failed" books by Proust, Marguerite Duras and others, and "Inquiry Into Hamlet," in which he sets out to prove that Claudius did not murder his brother and Hamlet’s father, the King of Denmark.

With his new book, he is also a tad subversive because "How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read?" is not really what it appears to be. "It is told by a fictional personality who boasts about not reading and is obviously not me," he explained. "This is not a book written by a nonreader."
But he chose this device, he said, because he wanted to help people conquer their fear of culture by challenging the way that literature is presented to students and the public in France.

"We are taught one way of reading," he said. "Students are told to read the book, then to fill out a form detailing everything they have read. It’s a linear approach that serves to enshrine books. People now come up to me to describe the cultural wounds they suffered at school. ‘You have to read all of Proust.’ They were traumatized."

"They see culture as a huge wall, as a terrifying specter of ‘knowledge,’ " he went on. "But we intellectuals, who are avid readers, know there are many ways of reading a book. You can skim it, you can start and not finish it, you can look at the index. You learn to live with a book."

So, yes, he conceded, his true aim is to make people read more — but with more freedom. "I want people to learn to live with books," he said. "I want to help people organize their own paths through culture. Also those outside the written word, those who are so attached to the image that it’s difficult to bring them back."

Then why, he was asked, did he write a book that seems to justify nonreading?

"I like to write funny books," he said. "I try to use humor to deal with complex subjects."

Serious Book to Peddle? Don’t Laugh, Try a Comedy Show
By Julie Bosman

FEW authors, no matter how serious or scholarly, can afford to be so stubbornly Pynchonesque as to refuse to participate in a book tour. If they want to sell books, that is.

But fewer still could have guessed until recently that their best pitchmen — and most engaged interviewers — would be the comedians of late-night cable.

Take Muhammad Yunus, the Bangladeshi “banker to the poor” who recently appeared on “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” on Comedy Central after it was announced that he had won the Nobel Peace Prize.

“Tell me about microfinancing and microlending,” Mr. Stewart asked earnestly. “Because there’s a theory that you developed through your work in economics that has really proven to be incredibly effective in fighting poverty.”

Mr. Stewart has also interviewed Ishmael Beah, the young Sierra Leonian who just published “A Long Way Gone,” a memoir about his wrenching experience as a child soldier; Jeffrey Rosen, the George Washington University law professor who wrote “The Supreme Court: The Personalities and Rivalries That Defined America”; and Vali Nasr, the Middle East expert who was promoting “The Shia Revival,” an examination of ethnic conflict in Iraq.

Since when did microlending, global poverty, constitutional law and civil wars in Africa become topics for frank discussion on fake-news comedy shows?

Publishers say that particularly for the last six months, “The Daily Show” and its spinoff, “The Colbert Report,” which has on similarly wonky authors, like the former White House official David Kuo, have become the most reliable venues for promoting weighty books whose authors would otherwise end up on “The Early Show” on CBS looking like they showed up at the wrong party.

Mr. Yunus’s appearance gave a jump-start to his national press tour and sent his rank on the online bookseller Amazon soaring, said Susan Weinberg, who is the publisher of PublicAffairs. “It was our pièce de résistance,” Ms. Weinberg said. “It had a huge impact on the book.”

Tony Fox, a spokesman for Comedy Central, said that though “The Daily Show” has been on the air since 1996, the number of authors featured has increased significantly in the last five years.
Authors are treated to a fairly straight conversation with Mr. Stewart, but Stephen Colbert, who remains in character as a Bill O’Reilly-type commentator, can be a more challenging interviewer who forces the author to play along with his schtick. “It’s a different experience,” Ms. Weinberg said wryly.

Television programs that devote significant attention to serious authors have practically gone the way of the illuminated manuscript, publishers lament. Brian Lamb’s long-running “Booknotes” program on C-Span was permanently shuttered in 2004. “The Charlie Rose Show” doesn’t generate as much buzz as it used to or translate into higher sales after an author appearance, some publishers say. And the morning shows seem to prefer a bad Britney to a good book.

Many publishers shrug off “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” on NBC and “Late Show With David Letterman” on CBS, saying they are too celebrity-driven to be interested in serious authors, and usually fail to generate a bump in sales anyway.

All that’s left are programs like “60 Minutes” on CBS, “Imus in the Morning” on MSNBC, “Larry King Live” on CNN, and, of course, “Oprah” — all extremely competitive venues for placing an author.

“The people who have abandoned us have abandoned us,” said Martha K. Levin, the publisher of Free Press, which last fall released “In the Line of Fire,” a memoir by Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the president of Pakistan. “Particularly for nonfiction, we are so dependent on media. And television has an impact that is unparalleled.”

But the Comedy Central shows are also becoming extremely competitive for publicists placing their authors. After a “Daily Show” appearance, several publishers said, the author’s Amazon ranking rises and the daily sales figures “pop,” in industry parlance. It is not at all unusual, one book publicist said, for a title to go from a 300,000 rank to a spot in the Top 300 — not often the case after shows like “Charlie Rose.”

“If I had my choice between Charlie Rose and Jon Stewart, I’d pick Jon Stewart, no question,” said one publicist who spoke anonymously because she didn’t want to anger the bookers on “Charlie Rose.”

About a year ago, publicists began noticing that Mr. Stewart was interviewing serious authors, said Lissa Warren, the senior director of publicity for Da Capo Press. “It was almost an ‘oh my God’ moment,” she said. “There aren’t that many television shows that will have on serious authors. And when they do have one, it’s almost startling.”

Part of the surprise, publishers said, is that the Comedy Central audience is more serious than its reputation allows. The public may still think of the “Daily Show” and “Colbert Report” audience as a group of sardonic slackers, Gen-Y college students who prefer YouTube to print. But publishers say it’s a much more diverse demographic — and more important, a book-buying audience.

“It’s the television equivalent of NPR,” Ms. Levin, of Free Press, said. “You have a very savvy, interested audience who are book buyers, people who do go into bookstores, people who are actually interested in books.”

According to Nielsen Media Research, the nightly audience for “The Daily Show” averages about 1.6 million, while “The Colbert Report” attracts an average of 1.2 million. (“The 1/2 Hour News Hour” on Fox, the conservative answer to the Comedy Central shows, had its premiere with 1.5 million viewers last Sunday but does not plan to do author interviews, a Fox spokeswoman said.)
Michael Mandelbaum, a professor of American foreign policy at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, said during his interview last year on “The Daily Show” to promote “The Case for Goliath,” Mr. Stewart drew out the most important themes of the book — points that were ignored by other interviewers.

“In my experience, it’s not just that serious books get a hearing on comedy shows,” Mr. Mandelbaum said. “But serious books get a serious hearing, as well as a funny one, on comedy shows.”

And if it is true that comedy thrives on opposites, then perhaps the combination of serious and slapstick makes perfect sense. “They can be themselves on the show,” said Mr. Fox of Comedy Central, describing the dynamic between authors and Mr. Stewart. “They can be the straight guy and he’s the funny guy.”

Not that Mr. Stewart injects comedy into every interview. He all but wept when he interviewed Mr. Beah, saying, “I’ve rarely read a book that makes my heart hurt — but this really does.”
Jeff Seroy, a spokesman for Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Mr. Beah’s publisher, said the Stewart appearance had a huge effect, doubling the online sales of the book the day after the show.
Mr. Seroy said that in meeting Mr. Beah before the show Mr. Stewart said, “I don’t know how I’m going to make this funny.”

Jon Stewart - Stephen Colbert - Serious Book to Peddle? Don’t Laugh, Try a Comedy Show - New York Times

MARTIN COUNTY BOOKMANIA

I wasn't going to post anything about this event (because they pissed me off - read on) but since a few of you asked, yes, I went. It was the first time that I didn't go for the entire day. The authors that were speaking, other than the three panels I attended, didn't warrant me getting up early or staying late. Not that their books aren't wonderful, because they very well may be, but I'm not a boomer interested in retirement investing, although I probably should be, (and if you are you can listen to the discussion here for as long as the link works: Jonathan D. Pond on You Can Do It!: The Boomer’s Guide to Retirement) and I don't have a dog so have no need of dog training advice (again, you can listen here: Patricia B. McConnell, Ph.D. - For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend) In fact, if you want to hear any of these panels, the library set up a page with links to podcasts of each event.

So I arrived late. About ten minutes before the start of the third panel of the day, and judging by the line I was waiting in, the most popular: "Once upon a Crime", featuring the always smart and personable Tess Gerritsen (The Mephisto Club); J. A. Jance, who I've never met and was a fascinating speaker (Web of Evil); Sujata Massey, another new-to-me author (Girl in a Box); Katherine Hall Page, a writer of traditional mysteries (The Body in the Ivy: A Faith Fairchild Mystery); the Florida half of P. J. Parrish, Kris Montee (An Unquiet Grave); and one of my favorite thriller writers, Lisa Unger (Sliver of Truth). The crime fiction panels have been moderated by Scott Eyman, Books Editor of The Palm Beach Post for as long as I've been going to this thing, and as always, he did a fabulous job.

While waiting in line, I ran into Judi Snyder, the Director of Programming for the Martin County Library who hosts this event, and basically the woman who runs the show. I asked her if there was going to be any accomodations for press going forward with this event, and she laughed and said, "No, it's a free event." Now eight or nine years ago when I first started attending this event, it was lovely. They always had top flight authors from all over the country, but the crowds were small and manageable. Seating was never a problem, even if I wanted to go have a book signed or chat with an author between events. Now, that is not an option.

Last year I got there early, got a great seat up front and basically planted my butt in the chair for the duration - the entire day - and had a friend hold it for me (which was no easy task, let me tell you) to do what I needed to do. Forget lunch, bring a bottle of water, and dig in. Also last year was the first time CSPAN's BookTV filmed the event, probably because the big gun of the day was Joe Scarborough, but CSPAN was nowhere to be found with this year's event. So when I asked about accomodations for press, the giggly Judi Snyder was kind enough to point out that I could watch the event on monitors out on the patio. Does she seriously think I drove an hour to watch this event on a TV on a patio? I pointed out that other venues like the Miami Book Fair and the Broward Literary Feast always have press passes and seating, she looked at me like I was crazy and said but they are so much bigger. Yes, this is a much smaller event but frankly, it's just as crowded on a room by room basis as any of the larger book fairs. And if you want press coverage, which obviously she does not (other than the sponsoring Palm Beach Post), than you make those accomodations so I can a) get a seat within hearing distance b) get a seat within photo distance - with a very good Canon digital but not one of those newspaper-photojournalist-enormous-hanging-lens type cameras (so no pictures this year folks, sorry) and c) have access to the authors without losing that seat. Tess Gerritsen, Lisa Unger and Kris Montee spotted me across the room and waved and I would have loved to chat with them, and I really wanted to meet Judy Jance and Sujata Massey, but with this venue it simply wasn't possible. (This piece is turning into quite the whine-fest, isn't it?)

So, from the best of my recollection and no notes (I can't write while standing and juggling bags and such) here goes - waiting in line garnered me a standing position along the wall for the Crime Fiction panel, so at least I could see and hear for the most part. I learned that J.A. Jance (Judy) wanted to be a writer as a student, and applied to a creative writing program to get a masters degree, but was told that women should be teachers or nurses, so she did that instead (I think a teacher but I wouldn't swear to it.) She became a single mom at some point and started writing while working full time and raising her kid(s) and now has published dozens of books. You've come a long way, baby! Lisa Unger talked about how she thought Beautiful Lies was going to be a stand alone, but the character's voice kept coming back so Sliver of Truth was born. Yes, Lisa hears voices in her head. So do most writers, if they'll admit it. I enjoyed the panel but frankly, the details are too sketchy to say much more about it.

I lucked out and got a seat for the next panel as all the mystery buffs went running after the authors to get autographs. The next panel was "Separating Fact from Fiction": A Conversation with... Jeff Shaara, (The Rising Tide: A Novel of the Second World War) and Hampton Sides (Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West) which was moderated by Edie Donohue, who does at least one panel every year. She's always extremely prepared and asks good questions, and when warranted, tough questions. She should give lessons on moderating panels, or at least, write an article about how to do it. Share, Edie! Both these guys were smart and funny, a joy to listen to, not to mention easy on the eyes, too. Jeff Shaara talked a bit about his dad (Michael Shaara) but never mentioned the newest writing member of the family, his sister Lila. Hampton Sides was very entertaining and told a great story about a lecture he gave in Texas on what he calls "faction", that cross over between fiction and facts. And he was kind enough to point out that despite popular opinion, Texans do read. He also talked about how he does at least two years of research to every year of writing; Shaara is more of a one to one ratio.

The last panel I attended is one that Barnes & Noble does every year, their Discover Great New Writers program. Jill Lamar, the Director of Discover Great New Writers at Barnes & Noble bookstores, moderates and selects the authors for this event and every year it has been a treat. This year was no exception. Probably the most well known author on the panel was Kim Edwards of The Memory Keepers Daughter fame, but since I wasn't as huge a fan of that book as a lot of other people, I was more interested in some of the other writers like Nathaniel C. Fick, author of One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer, who was one of a possible dozen Ivy League college graduates that actually served on the front lines in Iraq. I asked him how he ended up there and he said when he joined the Marines it was pre-9/11 so it was a bit of a surprise to him as well. He was deeply affected by the war, especially when the officer who replaced him (that he "tapped", or selected) was killed shortly thereafter.

Another author I was delighted to see was Sy Montgomery, author of The Good Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood, which was, with regrets to John Grogran, basically the pig version of Marley & Me. The book was funny and poignant and all that good stuff, and listening to Montgomery was a hoot.

I had never heard of Uzodinma Iweala, the author of Beasts of No Nation, but I was very glad to hear what he had to say. He is a very young man, he wrote this novel about child soldiers in Africa while a student at Harvard. Iweala will be starting medical school at Columbia University this fall, but he has a two book deal with Harper Collins. He said that it may be difficult to write another book while a med student, but he seemed fairly confident that he would get it done. Lest you think this is a fictionalized yet autobiographical account, a la A Long Way Gone, the memoir of Ishmael Beah who was a former child soldier from Sierra Leone, be advised that it is not. Unlike Beah, Iweala grew up in an affluent Washington D.C. suburb, a child of two professionals with roots in Nigeria where Iweala often visited. He is an obviously brilliant young man with a very bright future, who has won accolades for this first novel, and I'm looking forward to reading his Beasts of No Nation.

Was it worth the two hours of driving for three hours of author events? Yep. These were great panels, although if I can add one more criticism (and I can!) there were too many authors on the crime fiction panel. Each author had such a short time to talk, and some were hardly heard from at all, despite the terrific moderating by Scott Eyeman. I would have liked to have seen it broken up into two panels so they could have been a little more personal, a little more in depth, but that is just my opinion. Same with the new writers' panel, although that is always six and since so many of them are unknown, it really is a great opportunity for readers to learn about new authors, and Jill does such a great job that it works despite the numbers. But in general, I really don't think a panel should exceed four or five authors as a rule, it just gets too unwieldly after that.

I'm just so damn opinionated. But isn't that why you're here?

Mystery Writers of America Launches Edgar® Awards Website
Site is the Exclusive Destination for All Things “Edgar”
New York, NY—February 15, 2007—

Mystery Writers of America (MWA), the premier organization for mystery writers and professionals allied to the crime writing field, today announced the launch of www.theedgars.com, the exclusive online destination for information about the Edgar Awards.

“This is the first time in the history of the Edgar Awards that individuals can go to one destination to find all of the information they would ever want about the awards and the various Edgar Week activities,” stated Daniel J. Hale, Executive Vice President of Mystery Writers of America. “The creation of www.theedgars.com is just one of the many steps that MWA is taking not only to make the Edgar Awards more accessible to the public, but also to raise the profile of the awards as a whole,” Hale added.

The Edgar Awards, or "Edgars," as they are commonly known, are named after Mystery Writers of America's patron saint Edgar Allan Poe and are awarded to authors of distinguished work in various categories. The 2007 Edgar Awards Banquet will be held on April 26, 2007 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City. At the 2007 Banquet, Stephen King will receive the Grand Master Award, the highest honor bestowed by MWA. Additionally, the event will be hosted by Al Roker of NBC’s Today Show

Included on the website is in-depth information about each of the 2007 Edgar Award nominees and their nominated works. Visitors to the site can also learn about and buy tickets for the Edgar Awards Banquet, where the winners will be announced in each of 12 categories. Additionally, www.theedgars.com includes a detailed overview of the Edgar Symposium, an entire day of top-notch panels featuring some of the most respected names in the mystery/crime fiction genre.

“One of the most important functions of the website is to inform visitors about the 2007 Edgar Symposium. The Symposium presents a rare yet invaluable opportunity for both published and non-published crime writers to come together and exchange information about strategies for all facets of writing and publishing,” said author PJ Parrish, who is producing and chairing the event. She continued, “Among others, this year’s Symposium features best-selling authors Nelson DeMille, Janet Evanovich, Harlan Coben, and our 2007 Grand Master Award recipient, Stephen King. We hope that the new website will be a vehicle by which we can attract both professional and novice writers to this year’s amazing Symposium workshops.”

About Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is the premier organization for mystery writers, professionals allied to the crime writing field, aspiring crime writers, and those who are devoted to the genre. MWA is dedicated to promoting higher regard for crime writing and recognition and respect for those who write within the genre. We provide scholarships for writers, sponsor MWA:Reads (our youth literacy program), organize symposia and conferences, present the Edgar Awards, and conduct other activities to further a better appreciation and higher regard for crime writing. With 11 chapters covering the 50 states, membership is open to the public, and you need not reside in the U.S. to join. MWA is a nonprofit organization described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. www.mysterywriters.org

AUDIES AWARDS FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

The Audio Publishers Association has announced the finalists for its annual Audies Awards gala. The June 1 event, which considers audio titles released between November 1, 2005, and October 31, 2006, will be hosted by actor and audiobook narrator Jim Dale.

Fiction, Unabridged
Restless by William Boyd, narrated by Rosemund Pike, Audio Renaissance
Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen, narrated by Carol Monda, Recorded Books, LLC
Telegraph Days by Larry McMurtry, narrated by Annie Potts, Simon & Schuster Audio
The Prestige by Christopher Priest, narrated by Simon Vance, Blackstone Audio Inc.
The Two-Minute Rule by Robert Crais, narrated by Christopher Graybill, Brilliance Audio
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, narrated by David LeDoux and John Randolph Jones, HighBridge Audio

Biography/Memoir
Diana by Sarah Bradford, narrated by Katie Kelgren, Penguin Audio
Dispatches from the Edge by Anderson Cooper, narrated by Anderson Cooper, HarperAudio
Elizabeth by J. Randy Taraborrelli, narrated by Lynne Maclean, Hachette Audio
Sound and Fury by Dave Kindred, narrated by Dick Hill, Blackstone Audio Inc.
Teacher Man by Frank McCourt, narrated by Frank McCourt, Simon & Schuster Audio
The Great Escape by Kati Marton, narrated by Anna Fields, Tantor Media Inc.

Children's Titles for Ages 8-11
A Series of Unfortunate Events: The End by Lemony Snicket, narrated by Tim Curry, HarperChildren's Audio
Behind the Curtain by Peter Abrahams, narrated by Colleen Delany, HarperChildren's Audio
Jumping the Scratch by Sara Weeks, narrated by Stephen Spinella, HarperChildren's Audio
Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan, narrated by Bianca Amato, Recorded Books LLC
Two Weeks with the Queen by Morris Gleitzman, narrated by Morris Gleitzman, Bolinda Publishing Inc.

Judges' Award: Politics
Faith and Politics by former senator John Danforth, narrated by former senator John Danforth, Listen & Live Audio Inc.
Hubris by Michael Isikoff and David Corn, narrated by Stefan Rudnicki, Blackstone Audio Inc.
In Time of War by Pierce O'Donnell, narrated by Raymond Todd, Blackstone Audio Inc.
The One Percent Doctrine by Ron Suskind, narrated by Ed Herrmann, Simon & Schuster Audio
Wake Up Call by Kristin Breitweiser, narrated by Kristin Breitweiser, Hachette Audio

AUDIES AWARDS FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

The Audio Publishers Association has announced the finalists for its annual Audies Awards gala. The June 1 event, which considers audio titles released between November 1, 2005, and October 31, 2006, will be hosted by actor and audiobook narrator Jim Dale.

Fiction, Unabridged
Restless by William Boyd, narrated by Rosemund Pike, Audio Renaissance
Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen, narrated by Carol Monda, Recorded Books, LLC
Telegraph Days by Larry McMurtry, narrated by Annie Potts, Simon & Schuster Audio
The Prestige by Christopher Priest, narrated by Simon Vance, Blackstone Audio Inc.
The Two-Minute Rule by Robert Crais, narrated by Christopher Graybill, Brilliance Audio
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, narrated by David LeDoux and John Randolph Jones, HighBridge Audio

Biography/Memoir
Diana by Sarah Bradford, narrated by Katie Kelgren, Penguin Audio
Dispatches from the Edge by Anderson Cooper, narrated by Anderson Cooper, HarperAudio
Elizabeth by J. Randy Taraborrelli, narrated by Lynne Maclean, Hachette Audio
Sound and Fury by Dave Kindred, narrated by Dick Hill, Blackstone Audio Inc.
Teacher Man by Frank McCourt, narrated by Frank McCourt, Simon & Schuster Audio
The Great Escape by Kati Marton, narrated by Anna Fields, Tantor Media Inc.

Children's Titles for Ages 8-11
A Series of Unfortunate Events: The End by Lemony Snicket, narrated by Tim Curry, HarperChildren's Audio
Behind the Curtain by Peter Abrahams, narrated by Colleen Delany, HarperChildren's Audio
Jumping the Scratch by Sara Weeks, narrated by Stephen Spinella, HarperChildren's Audio
Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan, narrated by Bianca Amato, Recorded Books LLC
Two Weeks with the Queen by Morris Gleitzman, narrated by Morris Gleitzman, Bolinda Publishing Inc.

Judges' Award: Politics
Faith and Politics by former senator John Danforth, narrated by former senator John Danforth, Listen & Live Audio Inc.
Hubris by Michael Isikoff and David Corn, narrated by Stefan Rudnicki, Blackstone Audio Inc.
In Time of War by Pierce O'Donnell, narrated by Raymond Todd, Blackstone Audio Inc.
The One Percent Doctrine by Ron Suskind, narrated by Ed Herrmann, Simon & Schuster Audio
Wake Up Call by Kristin Breitweiser, narrated by Kristin Breitweiser, Hachette Audio