My tenth novel will be published in September. I began writing it more than four years ago. The delay in its publication is mostly due to the fact that I parted ways with my former literary agent as well as my former publisher. When I broke ranks with them I knew I was taking a risk: unless you are incredibly successful and have a stellar track record, it’s difficult to begin again in mid-career. [Read more…]
Delphinium Books Blog
Asymmetry, The Hot Novel of 2018
Back to Philip Roth whose death still haunts some of us.
A few months ago a first novel called Asymmetry was published whose author, Lisa Halliday, wrote about an affair she had with Roth. I saw that the book had good coverage but then heard via another famous writer (who by the way ends up being mentioned in the novel) that it was a fine piece of fiction, a “must read”. I marked Asymmetry as weekend fare and polished it off over Father’s Day weekend. [Read more…]
Why Has the Quality of Books Gone Down
I consider it good fortune to both write books and work in publishing. Although both jobs are arguably part of the same profession, one can also say that being an editor at times stands in opposition to being a writer. By this I mean that the editor is in the role of deciding what to publish, often disappointing a writer whose creative job ironically gives reason for an editor to exist. In the world of publishing editor and writer must coexist; however, due to the marketplace and the evolution of other forms of entertainment, this relationship has been forced to change. [Read more…]
Was Philip Roth a Misogynist?
Philip Roth meant everything to me when I first began writing, and I’ve followed his career more avidly than any other American novelist. He was a close friend of one of Delphinium’s authors, who sadly told me he was near the end a few days before his death was announced. [Read more…]
Editing Greatness
I’ve had the privilege of editing the work of writers who have published many books and have come to Delphinium later on in their careers. Editing a master is very different than editing a new writer. Established authors have managed to stay in the game for decades and beyond their sheer talent, they’ve had to develop a dogged perseverance to keep writing and publishing despite the success or failure of their previous books. Not to mention the fact that each of these authors have had bad experiences with editors who, while admiring their work enough to publish it, perhaps never digested it fully enough to be able to edit carefully and successfully. [Read more…]
My Favorite Short Story: The Captain’s Daughter by Alexander Pushkin
Writers and editors are often asked to name their favorite novel but seldom are asked to name their favorite short story. This fact may be determined by the short story’s brevity and that there are many more “perfect” short stories than there are “perfect” novels. Then again novels are not necessarily called “perfect” but rather just “great” and it is generally agreed that greatness does not preclude having flaws. All this notwithstanding, “favorite” implies a subjective point of view; and yet I think for most readers it’s difficult to choose a single short story that lives on in one’s mind above all the rest. But I actually have an all-time favorite, the only short story I continuously and ritually reread about once a year. This is The Captain’s Daughter by Alexander Pushkin. [Read more…]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- …
- 19
- Next Page »