News Around the Net

Cormac McCarthy is so old, he's used the same typewriter since 1963. That's not even a joke. It's the truth. And now it doesn't work, so he's auctioning it off. Anyone have $20,000 in spare cash? Could anyone really see Cormac McCarthy writing on a Mac at Starbucks anyway?

What killed Jane Austen? Was it Addison's disease? Was it a cow?

There's Rick Moody and his Twitterature, then there's this. Some people are focused on bringing writing into the electronic age, Nicholas Rombes is bringing it back to the 19th century. Touche, Mr. Rombes.

Speaking of the future of books, I don't see any reason this wouldn't work. Right? Okay, so it wouldn't work with a population over 800. Fine.

Want to grow as a writer? Doesn't matter what type of writing, there is a class for you. And a lot of them.

This week, the NY Times is giving us their 10 best books for 2009 as part of their holiday gift guide. You can get me any of them, of course, since I have read none of them. Keep it fiction though, nonfiction is lame and boring. I'm sure Raymond Carver's whole life was very exciting, but I know the basics and I don't care about anything else.

I think being sued for plagiarism is more of a rite of passage at this point. Join the club, Stephanie Meyer. Have you met Ian McEwan and Dan Brown?

In case you've ever wondered how much money a bookseller makes.