Publishers Weekly

File:Pwtiny.png
Editors	Jim Milliot and Michael Coffey
Categories	Trade magazines
Weekly
Total circulation (June 2011)	15,407[1]
First issue	1872
Company	PWxyz LLC
Country	United States
Language	English
Website	www.publishersweekly.com
ISSN	0000-0019

Publishers Weekly, also known as PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of Book Publishing and Bookselling". With 51 issues a year, the emphasis today is on book reviews.^[2]

The magazine began as The Publishers' Weekly (with an apostrophe), a collective catalog for publishers to pool their resources. That listing of books enabled booksellers to learn about forthcoming titles, and eventually the publication expanded to include features and articles.^[3]

Harry Thurston Peck was the first editor-in-chief of The Bookman, which began in 1895. Peck worked on its staff from 1895 to 1906, and in 1895, he created the world's first bestseller list for its pages. In 1912, Publishers Weekly began to publish its own bestseller lists, patterned after the lists in The Bookman. These were not separated into fiction and non-fiction until 1917 when World War I brought an increased interest in non-fiction by the reading public.^[4][3]

Through much of the 20th century, Publishers Weekly was guided and developed by Frederic Gershom Melcher (1879–1963), who was editor and co-editor of Publishers' Weekly and chairman of the magazine's publisher, R.R. Bowker, over four decades. Born April 12, 1879, in Malden, Massachusetts, Melcher began at age 16 in Boston's Estes & Lauriat Bookstore, where he developed an interest in children's books.^[5] He moved to Indianapolis in 1913 for another bookstore job. In 1918, he read in Publishers' Weekly that the magazine's editorship was vacant. He applied to Richard Rogers Bowker for the job, was hired and moved with his family to Montclair, New Jersey. He remained with R.R. Bowker for 45 years.^[5] While at Publishers Weekly, Melcher began creating space in the publication and a number of issues dedicated solely to books for children.^[6] In 1919, he teamed with Franklin K. Mathiews, librarian for the Boy Scouts of America, and Anne Carroll Moore, a librarian at the New York Public Library, to create Children’s Book Week.^[5] When Bowker died in 1933, Melcher succeeded him as president of the company, resigning in 1959 to become chairman of the board of directors.^[7][3]

Writers and readers[link]

In 2008, the magazine's circulation was 25,000. In 2004, the breakdown of those 25,000 readers was given as 6000 publishers; 5500 public libraries and public library systems; 3800 booksellers; 1600 authors and writers; 1500 college and university libraries; 950 print, film and broad media; and 750 literary and rights agents, among others.

Subject areas covered by Publishers Weekly include publishing, bookselling, marketing, merchandising and trade news, along with author interviews and regular columns on rights, people in publishing, and bestsellers. It attempts to serve all involved in the creation, production, marketing and sale of the written word in book, audio, video and electronic formats. The magazine increases the page count considerably for four annual special issues: Spring Adult Announcements, Fall Adult Announcements, Spring Children's Announcements, and Fall Children's Announcements.^[2]

Book reviews[link]

The book review section, not added until the early 1940s, grew in importance over the past half-century, and it currently offers opinions on 7,000 new books each year. Since reviews are scheduled to appear one month or two months prior to the publication date of a book, books already in print are seldom reviewed. These anonymous reviews are short, often no more than 220 words, and the review section can be as long as 40 pages, filling the second half of the magazine. In the past, a book review editorial staff of eight editors assigned books to more than 100 freelance reviewers. Some are published authors, and others are experts in specific genres or subjects. Although it might take a week or more to read and analyze some books, reviewers were paid $45 per review until June 2008 when the magazine introduced a reduction in payment to $25 a review. In a further policy change that month, reviewers received credit as contributors in issues carrying their reviews.

Now titled "Reviews," the review section was once called "Forecasts." For several years, that title was taken literally when a review was followed with italicized sentences that attempted to predict a book's success. The "Forecasts" editor for many years was Genevieve Stuttaford, who greatly expanded the number of reviews. She joined the PW staff in 1975, after a period as a Saturday Review associate editor, reviewing for Kirkus Reviews and spending 12 years on the San Francisco Chronicle staff. During the 23 years Stuttaford was with Publishers Weekly, book reviewing was increased from an average of 3800 titles a year in the 1970s to well over 6500 titles in 1997. She retired in 1998.^[2] Former "Forecasts" editor Sybil Steinberg, who began reviewing for Publishers Weekly in 1976, later edited Writers and Their Craft: Interviews from Publishers Weekly (2003) and other books about writing.

Some PW critics are actually well-known writers. Katharine Weber was an anonymous PW reviewer before she became an acclaimed novelist. Texas novelist Clay Reynolds,^[8] in The Texas Institute of Letters Newsletter (February, 2004), gave a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the policies of PW and other review publications:

You were right on the money with regard to the impact reviews in Publishers Weekly (PW), Library Journal (LJ), Kirkus Review (KR) and the New York Times Book Review (NYTBR) have on publishers and sales; what you may not know is that I also write or have written for all of them. I’m approaching 700 reviews, by the way. I no longer write for KR and LJ, as their policies forbid anyone from writing for PW or one of the others (except the NYTBR), and the work they offered was steadier and more reliable. I’ve now done 87 reviews for PW (given three stars in all that time). For years, Sybil Steinberg was the Forecasts Fiction Editor there, but she retired about two years ago, and the position was taken over by Deena Croog [wrong: Deena was an editorial assistant; Jeff Zaleski succeeded Sybil Steinberg]. Sybil ran a tight ship and taut operation. Deena, who sounds as if she’s about 13, is a little less well organized, but she’s a tougher nut to crack in some ways. What’s interesting about the PW reviews, though, is that copy is sometimes altered before printing. On a few occasions, I’ve had opinions utterly reversed from what I wrote. I’ve questioned this, but I’ve never received satisfactory answers. I keep doing it because it’s good work and satisfies the university administration. I’m thinking of “retiring,” though, when I hit number 100.^[9]

In 1967, F. G. Melcher's son, David Melcher, explained what happened to the thousands of review copies sent to PW:

Needless to say, our house was always full of books, some of which became mine, but some of which were birds of passage which I had to read rapidly before they were taken back to the office. People often ask what happens to all the review copies received at the office of the Publishers' Weekly. They are worked rather hard actually, as I early became aware. Until they have served their intended purpose of being listed, forecast, reviewed, and commented upon, they stay on the working shelves and are taken out, if at all, only overnight or over the weekend. Later they become available for staff borrowing. Finally, they are divided up among the staff.^[10]

Before the use of e-mail, reviewers were given paper lined for a character count. They then made two carbon copies, kept one copy and mailed in the other copy along with the original typed on the lined paper. For years, freelance reviewers were instructed to return bound galleys after the review was written, but beginning in 2005, reviewers were allowed to keep those advance reading copies.

Some reviews now are published only online as "web exclusives". PW's long standing policy of not reviewing self-published or vanity press books changed in 2010 with the introduction of PW Select, a quarterly supplement requiring self-published authors to pay for a listing and the possibility of being selected for a review, as they outlined:

If you are a self-published author with a finished book that carries an ISBN, you can register to have your book listed in a seasonal supplement that will be bound into issues of Publishers Weekly. Overprints will be available for purchase and bonus distribution. Additionally, a digital edition and online database will be made available. The registration fee of $149 entitles you to a listing of your book—title, author, illustrator (where applicable), pagination, price, format, ISBN, and a description of the book's contents—all of which will appear in the supplement and online database. Authors should also include the online location at which to place orders for their book. All registered listings that meet the above criteria will be listed (though we reserve the right to decline an author's registration and return the fee if we if we deem the book inappropriate to our broad readership).^[11]

Magazines and mergers[link]

For most of its history, Publishers Weekly, along with the Library Journal-related titles, were owned by founding publisher R. R. Bowker. When Reed Publishing purchased Bowker from Xerox in 1985, it placed Publishers Weekly under the management of its Boston-based Cahners Publishing Company, the trade publishing empire founded by Norman Cahners, which Reed Publishing had purchased in 1977. The merger of Reed with the Netherlands-based Elsevier in 1993 led to many Cahners cutbacks amid takeover turmoil. Nora Rawlinson, who once headed a $4 million book selection budget at the Baltimore County Library System, edited Library Journal for four years before stepping in as editor-in-chief of Publishers Weekly from 1992 to 2005.

Sara Nelson era[link]

Beginning January 24, 2005, the magazine came under the direction of a new editor-in-chief, veteran book reviewer Sara Nelson, known for her publishing columns in the New York Post and The New York Observer.^[12] A senior contributing editor for Glamour, in addition to editorial positions at Self, Inside.com and Book Publishing Report, she had gained attention and favorable reviews as the author of So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading (Putnam, 2003), in which she stirred a year's worth of reading into a memoir mix of her personal experiences after a New Year's resolution to read a book each week.^[13]

Nelson began to modernize Publishers Weekly with new features and a makeover by illustrator and graphic designer Jean-Claude Suares. The many alterations included added color (with drop shadows behind color book covers), Nelson's own weekly editorial, illustrated bestseller lists and "Signature,"^[14] longer boxed reviews written by well-known novelists. The switch to a simple abbreviated logo of initials effectively changed the name of the magazine to PW, the name long used for the magazine within the book industry.^[2]

She also introduced the magazine's Quill Awards, with nominees in 19 categories selected by a nominating board of 6,000 booksellers and librarians. Winners were determined by the reading public, who could vote at kiosks in Borders stores or online at the Quills site. Reed Business dropped the Quill Awards in 2008.^[15]

In the past, the front covers of Publishers Weekly were used to display advertisements by book publishers, and this policy was changed to some degree in 2005. Although new PW covers now feature illustrations and photographs tied to interior articles, these covers are often hidden behind a front cover foldout advertisement. The visual motif of each cover is sometimes repeated on the contents page.^[2]

The Nelson years were marked by turbulence within the industry as well as a continuing trend away from serious writing and towards pop culture. Publishers Weekly had enjoyed a near monopoly over the past decades, but it was getting vigorous competition from Internet sites, e-mail newsletters and daily newspapers.^[16] The industry was consolidating. Many independent booksellers, who had been bread–and–butter clients of Publishers Weekly, were going out of business.^[16] Paid circulation dropped by 3,000 to 25,000 in the mid 2000s,^[16] Nelson pushed for significant changes towards modernization, greater use of the Web and more focus on analytical reporting, but she was contending with economic forces working against the book buying market,^[16] problems she addressed in a 2005 interview:

Advertising downturn and sale[link]

In 2008, faced with a decline in advertising support, Reed's management sought a new direction. In January 2009, Sara Nelson was dismissed along with executive editor Daisy Maryles, who had been with PW for more than four decades. Stepping in as editorial director was Brian Kenney, editorial director of School Library Journal and Library Journal.^[2] The dismissals, which sent shockwaves through the industry, were widely covered in newspapers.^[17]

In April 2010, George W. Slowik Jr., a former publisher of the magazine, purchased Publishers Weekly from Reed Business Information, under the company PWxyz, LLC. Cevin Bryerman remained as publisher along with co-editors Jim Milliot and Michael Coffey.^[2]

On September 22, 2011, PW began a series of weekly podcasts: "Beyond the Book: PW's Week Ahead".^[18]

Archives[link]

PW maintains an online archive of past book reviews from February 2001 to the present.^[19] The earliest articles posted in PW's online archive date back to 1995. A redesigned website was unveiled on May 10, 2010.^[2]

See also[link]

• Booklist
• Editor & Publisher
• ForeWord
• Kirkus Reviews
• Library Journal
• San Francisco Review of Books
• School Library Journal

References[link]

Listen to[link]

• "PW's Week Ahead" podcasts

External links[link]

• Publishers Weekly official site
• Publishers Weekly iPhone/iPad app
• Interview on magazine's history
• 20th Century American Bestsellers
• Sybil Steinberg discusses Publishers Weekly

Daniel Handler
Handler at a party celebrating the publication of The End, the thirteenth and final installment of A Series of Unfortunate Events, on October 12, 2006, in New York City
Born	Daniel Handler (1970-02-28) February 28, 1970 (age 42) San Francisco, California, United States
Pen name	Lemony Snicket
Occupation	Novelist, screenwriter, musician
Nationality	American
Period	1998–present
Genres	Children's literature
Notable work(s)	A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Basic Eight, Watch Your Mouth, Adverbs
Spouse(s)	Lisa Brown
Influences C. S. Lewis, Vladimir Nabokov, Roald Dahl, Edward Gorey, Franz Kafka, Edgar Allan Poe, Zilpha Keatley Snyder, Dino Buzzati
Signature
www.lemonysnicket.com

Daniel Handler (born February 28, 1970) is an American author, screenwriter and accordionist. He is best known for his work under the pen name Lemony Snicket.

Personal life[link]

Handler was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Sandra Handler Day (née Walpole), an opera singer and retired City College of San Francisco Dean, and Lou Handler, an accountant.^[1] His father was a Jewish refugee from Germany, and his mother is distantly related to British writer Hugh Walpole.^[2][3] He has a younger sister, Rebecca Handler. He attended Commodore Sloat Elementary, Herbert Hoover Middle School and Lowell High School. Handler graduated from Wesleyan University in 1992. He is an alumnus of the San Francisco Boys Chorus.

Handler is politically active and helped form LitPAC. In the June 10, 2007 edition of The New York Times Magazine, Handler reveals ambivalence toward his wealth, and the expectations it creates. He states he is often asked for money for charitable causes and often gives. He has supported the Occupy Wall Street movement.^[4] In an interview conducted by the 667 Dark Avenue fan site, Daniel Handler gave his personal philosophy as "Never refuse a breath mint".^[5]

Although Handler has a partially Jewish background and considers C. S. Lewis to be an influence, he describes himself as a secular humanist.^[6] In addition, he says, "I'm not a believer in predetermined fates, being rewarded for one's efforts. I'm not a believer in karma. The reason why I try to be a good person is because I think it's the right thing to do. If I commit fewer bad acts there will be fewer bad acts, maybe other people will join in committing fewer bad acts, and in time there will be fewer and fewer of them".^[7]

Professional work[link]

Books[link]

Three of his novels have been published under his name. His first, The Basic Eight, was rejected by many publishers for its subject matter and tone (a dark view of a teenage girl's life). Handler claims that the novel was rejected 37 times before finally being published. The book's tone served as an impetus of sorts for the Lemony Snicket works, A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Watch Your Mouth, his second novel, was actually completed before The Basic Eight was published. It follows a more operatic theme, complete with stage directions and various acts. Described by HarperCollins, the book's reprint publisher, as an "incest opera", it mixed Jewish mythology with modern sexuality. Watch Your Mouth's second half replaces the opera troupe with the form of a 12-step recovery, linguistically undergone by the protagonist.

His most recent effort under his own name is Adverbs, a series of short stories that he says are "about love." It was published in April 2006.

In December 2011, his novel "Why We Broke Up" came out, and the website is http://whywebrokeupproject.tumblr.com/ where you can submit your own heartbreak stories and read other people's heartbreak stories as well.

Handler has stated that his next adult novel is about pirates - or, more specifically, a modern-age pirate who "wants to be an old-fashioned kind of pirate."^[8]

Lemony Snicket[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (February 2011)

Daniel Handler signing copies of his books at a promotion for A Series of Unfortunate Events

Handler began writing A Series of Unfortunate Events under the Snicket pseudonym in 1999. The books concern three orphaned children who experience progressively terrible events following the alleged death of their parents and burning of their home (done by a man named Count Olaf and his troupe of associates), and Snicket acts as the narrator and biographer of the fictional orphans^[9]. He has also narrated the audiobooks for three consecutive books in the series, before deciding to quit because he found it too difficult, handing back the narrating job to the original narrator, Tim Curry.

Handler has also appeared at author appearances as "Lemony Snicket's handler", as well as appearing as Snicket himself in various other books and media, including the commentary track for the film version of his books, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. He also wrote an introduction to Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography under his own name.

The Lemony Snicket books have been international best-sellers, and the 13th and final installment of the series came out Friday, October 13, 2006. On the day the thirteenth book came out, Handler appeared on the Today show as Lemony Snicket's representative.

Handler has also written some short fiction and picture books under the Lemony Snicket pseudonym. As part of his support of Occupy Wall Street, Handler wrote "Thirteen Observations made by Lemony Snicket while watching Occupy Wall Street from a Discreet Distance," which was published on the Occupy Writers website.

Lemony Snicket has his own website which has a section about "The Afflicted Author". In this autobiographical section, Snicket is very vague, saying things such as: "His family has roots in a part of the country which is now underwater" and, without any previous mention of this scandal, "The aftermath of the scandal was swift, brutal and inaccurately reported in the periodicals of the day." Also on this site, Mr. Snicket discusses his "representative" to the public, Daniel Handler. He does not go in depth about Handler, but states, "Mr. Handler has had a relatively uneventful life..." ^[10] HarperCollins Publishers published a short interview with Lemony Snicket on their website, asking personal questions, such as "What were some of your hobbies as a child?" to which Snicket answered, "Taxidermy and playing the harpsichord".^[11]

He has gone on to play accordion in several other Merritt projects, including music by The Magnetic Fields, The 6ths and The Gothic Archies, the last of which provided songs for the audiobooks in the A Series of Unfortunate Events children's book series. On October 10, 2006, an album by the Gothic Archies was released with all thirteen songs from the thirteen audiobooks in A Series of Unfortunate Events, along with two bonus songs.

In the audio commentary on the film adaptation Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Handler plays a song about how depressing it is to have leeches in a film.

Daniel Handler wrote the lyrics to the song "Radio", performed by One Ring Zero, and the lyrics to "The Gibbons Girl" by Chris Ewen's The Hidden Variable.

Film[link]

Handler has also had some success in film work. He produced the screenplay for Rick, which was based on the Verdi opera Rigoletto, as well as Kill the Poor, which was based on the novel by Joel Rose.

Handler was involved in the screenwriting process for the film Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, but was ultimately removed from the project. He had completed eight separate drafts of the film before giving up following a change in those who were producing the film. Robert Gordon (screenwriter of Galaxy Quest) was hired to replace Handler and eventually received credit for the film's screenplay, under Handler's request.

Handler did submit a commentary track for the DVD version, alongside director Brad Silberling. In character as Lemony Snicket, he derides the Lemony Snicket in the film - played by Jim Carrey - as an impostor, as well as choosing to play accordion and sing about leeches rather than pay attention to the film. At numerous times during the track he shows great sympathy towards the Baudelaire children, and implies that he is being held captive by the director in order to do the commentary.

List of works[link]

This is a partial list of works Handler has created or been involved with. For more information regarding his works as Lemony Snicket, see Lemony Snicket.

Books[link]

• The Basic Eight St. Martin's Press/HarperCollins (1998)
• A Series of Unfortunate Events (as Lemony Snicket) HarperCollins (13 books from 1999 to 2006)
• Watch Your Mouth St. Martin's Press/HarperCollins (2000)
• Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography (as Lemony Snicket) (2002)
• How to Dress for Every Occasion, by the Pope (with illustrations by Sarah "Pinkie" Bennett, pseudonym for Lisa Brown) McSweeney's (2005)
• Adverbs St. Martin's Press/HarperCollins (2006)
• The Beatrice Letters (as Lemony Snicket) (2006)
• Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid (as Lemony Snicket) (2007)
• The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming (McSweeney's) (as Lemony Snicket) (2007)
• The Lump of Coal (as Lemony Snicket) (2008)
• The Composer is Dead (as Lemony Snicket) (2009)
• 13 Words (as Lemony Snicket) (with illustrations by Maira Kalman) HarperCollins (2010)^[12]
• Why We Broke Up (2011)

As editor or contributor:

• Nonsense Novels by Stephen Leacock (Introduction) New York Review of Books Classics (2004)
• Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs and Some Other Things That Aren't as Scary, Maybe, Depending on How You Feel About Lost Lands, Stray Cellphones, Creatures from the Sky, Parents Who Disappear in Peru, a Man Named Lars Farf and One Other Story We Couldn't Quite Finish, So Maybe You Could Help Us Out. by McSweeney's (Introduction and Unfinished story)
• The Confidence-Man: His Masquerade by Herman Melville (Preface) Dalkey Archive Press (2007)

Film[link]

• Rick (2003)
• Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
• Kill the Poor (2006)

Music[link]

• 69 Love Songs - The Magnetic Fields
• Hyacinths and Thistles - The 6ths
• The Tragic Treasury: Songs from A Series of Unfortunate Events - The Gothic Archies
• Distortion - The Magnetic Fields
• Nevermind the Context - moth wranglers
• The Composer Is Dead - A collaboration with Nathaniel Stookey, premiered in San Francisco at Davies Symphony Hall on July 8, 2006
• Realism - The Magnetic Fields
• "Barricade" - Stars

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Daniel Handler

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Daniel Handler

• The Official Lemony Snicket website
• Daniel Handler at the Internet Movie Database
• Article in the New York Times Magazine, June 10, 2007
• The Onion AV Club interview with Daniel Handler.
• Daniel Handler on creativity and the creative process, an interview with about-creativity.com June 14, 2007
• Handler Interview on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos
• Thirteen Observations made by Lemony Snicket while watching Occupy Wall Street from a Discreet Distance

Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events character
File:Lemonysnicketgrave.PNG Signature
First appearance	The Bad Beginning
Occupation	Biographer, researcher, V.F.D. member, theater critic, accordionist, rhetor, convict
Family	(See Snicket family)

Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American novelist Daniel Handler (born February 28, 1970). Snicket is the author of several children's books, serving as the narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events (his best-known work) and appearing as a character within the series. Because of this, the name Lemony Snicket may refer to both a fictional character and a real person. This article deals primarily with the character.

As a character, Snicket is a harried, troubled writer and researcher falsely accused of felonies and continuously hunted by the police and his enemies, the fire-starting side of the secret organization Volunteer Fire Department (V.F.D.). As a child he was kidnapped and inducted as a "neophyte" into V.F.D., where he was trained in rhetoric and sent on seemingly pointless missions while all connections to his former life, apart from his siblings Jacques and Kit (who were also kidnapped and inducted), were severed. In the organization he met and fell in love with a peer named Beatrice, to whom he eventually became engaged. After a series of unfortunate events (after which the real-world series is in some ways named), he became falsely accused of murder and arson. Eventually the fallacies grew so much that The Daily Punctilio reported his death. Beatrice eventually moved on and married Bertrand Baudelaire, becoming the mother of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire, the protagonists of A Series of Unfortunate Events. Fourteen years thereafter Beatrice and Bertrand were murdered in a house fire, leaving the Baudelaires orphans. Feeling indebted to his former fiancée, Snicket embarks on a quest to chronicle the lives of the Baudelaire children until they become old enough to face the troubles of the world on their own.

Snicket is the subject of a fictional autobiography, Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography (which contains an introduction from a fictionalized version of Daniel Handler). A pamphlet, 13 Shocking Secrets You'll Wish You Never Knew About Lemony Snicket, was released in promotion of The End. Other works by Snicket include The Baby in the Manger, The Composer Is Dead, Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid, The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming, The Lump of Coal, and "13 Words". Snicket is currently writing All the Wrong Questions, a new children's series that is due out in October of 2012.

Name origin[link]

The name Lemony Snicket originally came from research for Handler's first book, The Basic Eight. Handler wanted to receive material from organizations he found "offensive or funny", but did not want to use his real name, and invented "Lemony Snicket" as a pseudonym.^[1] The name's similarity to Jiminy Cricket, whom Handler described as "exactly the kind of overly moralistic, cheerful narrator who [sic] I despise", was "likely a Freudian slip".^[2] When writing A Series of Unfortunate Events, he and his editor thought that the books should be published under the narrator's name, rather than his.^[1]

Narrator and character[link]

Lemony Snicket came from a family of three children. His brother Jacques Snicket and sister Kit Snicket were also V.F.D. members and friends of the Baudelaire parents. Both Jacques and Kit appear as supporting characters in the Series of Unfortunate Events books. He also knew Count Olaf in his early life, as the two attended school together.

In his youth, Lemony Snicket attended a V.F.D.-run boarding school with several other characters from the series. He received later tuition at a V.F.D. headquarters in the Mortmain Mountains, and was employed by a newspaper called The Daily Punctilio after graduating. He was an obituary spell-checker and theater critic.

with the actress Beatrice Baudelaire. Lemony and Beatrice were at one point engaged to be married, but Beatrice broke off the engagement for unclear reasons, and returned her ring to Lemony at some point later, along with a two-hundred page book explaining why the two could not be wed. It is revealed, however, that Lemony Snicket was believed to be dead by the Baudelaire parents, as The End states that, following with the tradition of naming children after someone who has died, Violet was to be named Lemony if she was a boy. Beatrice most probably discovered the truth sometime after marrying Bertrand Baudelaire, as she would presumably have no reason to send the ring and book to Lemony if she consistently believed his death.

As Beatrice was the Baudelaires' mother, she died in the fire that destroyed the Baudelaire mansion. She is not to be confused with another Beatrice Baudelaire, the daughter of Kit Snicket, and adopted sister of the Baudelaire orphans. Snicket frequently alludes to Beatrice in his narration and dedicates each Series of Unfortunate Events book to her.

Snicket is also known to have been close "friends" with a woman with the first initial "R.", who was the Duchess of Winnipeg.

Lemony Snicket has charged himself with the task of researching and writing the sad story of the Baudelaire orphans for "many personal and legal reasons".^[3] He traces their movements and collects evidence relating to their adventures, but it is possible that he never met Violet, Klaus or Sunny in person. Many fans often identify him, though, as a taxi driver who appeared briefly in The Penultimate Peril, The Reptile Room and The Wide Window. This man is heavily implied to be in the possession of the sugar bowl, a key plot element of the series, after recovering it from the pond within which it had been hidden.

As the series progresses, it becomes increasingly clear that Snicket knew the late Mr. and Mrs. Baudelaire well for many years through their connections to V.F.D.. However, as mentioned in The Hostile Hospital and The End, despite all of Lemony's research and hard work, he still does not know the current location, position or status of the Baudelaire children.

Lemony was recruited by V.F.D. as a child, according to the Little Snicket Lad song.^[4] In The Beatrice Letters, his niece, the daughter of Kit Snicket, who is also named Beatrice Baudelaire, mentions that she believes he is a detective of some sort, a reference to his investigations into the case of the Baudelaire children.

Snicket is frequently disparaging of himself; he has described himself as a coward, and at various points in his novels comments that he would not have been as brave as the Baudelaire children had he been in their situation. He also confesses that he has done things that were not noble, most notably the original theft of the sugar bowl from Esmé Squalor. He has also implied that he had a part in the murder of Count Olaf's parents, Olaf being the main antagonist of the series, and that Beatrice was involved as well.

In the narration of the books, Snicket describes doing many unusual things in his free time, including hiding all traces of his actions, locating new hiding places, considering suspicious dishes and researching the perilous lives of the Baudelaire children. He claims to often write himself citations for bravery in an attempt to cheer himself up, but these attempts are always in vain.

Other Works[link]

Daniel Handler, still under the name of Lemony Snicket, is to write a new series of four books entitled All the Wrong Questions, to be released in 2012.

Daniel Handler has also written or contributed to other works under the Lemony Snicket persona that are not related to A Series of Unfortunate Events. He has stated "there's a chance some other matters may take up Mr. Snicket's attention, that he may research and publish, but I'm always wary of making such promises".^[5]

The first of these was a secular Nativity story entitled The Baby in the Manger. Another Christmas story, entitled The Lump of Coal, was published in USA Weekend in 2004.^[6] As Snicket, Handler wrote an introduction and endnotes for The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily, his favorite children's book, that referenced A Series of Unfortunate Events. A book of humorous quotes partly drawn from A Series of Unfortunate Events was published as Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid. Another "Christmas" story, The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming, was published in October, 2007.^[7]

Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs, and Some Other Things That Aren't as Scary, Maybe, Depending on How You Feel About Lost Lands, Stray Cellphones, Creatures from the Sky, Parents Who Disappear in Peru, a Man Named Lars Farf, and One Other Story We Couldn't Quite Finish, So Maybe You Could Help Us Out, a 2005 McSweeney's short story compilation, has an introduction and unfinished short story attributed to Lemony Snicket. Readers are encouraged to finish the unfinished story, and to submit their work to the publisher: "Our favorite ending will receive a fabulous prize of some sort". In 2007, the winner was announced on the McSweeney's website, announcing Jordan Pascual as the winner and won various prizes.

Snicket also wrote The Composer Is Dead, a murder mystery designed to introduce young readers to the instruments of the orchestra; it was previously produced as an orchestral work by the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, with Handler narrating as Snicket, and a recording of the performance is to be included with every copy of the expanded book.^[8]

In an interview with the 667 Dark Avenue fansite, Daniel Handler alluded to more Lemony Snicket books focused on the world of A Series of Unfortunate Events.^[9]

In all of his A Series of Unfortunate Events books, he does not have pictures of his face except in an illustration in The End, although his eyes are obscured by cucumber slices in this picture.

Appearances[link]

• The Bad Beginning
• The Reptile Room
• The Wide Window
• The Miserable Mill
• The Austere Academy
• The Ersatz Elevator
• The Vile Village
• The Hostile Hospital
• The Carnivorous Carnival
• The Slippery Slope
• The Grim Grotto
• The Penultimate Peril
• The End

Lemony Snicket portal

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Lemony Snicket

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Interviews and chapter excerpts (Official publisher web page)
• Daniel Handler, a.k.a. Lemony Snicket, on creativity and the creative process, an interview with about-creativity.com June 14, 2007
• Exclusive 667 Dark Avenue Interview
• Lemony Snicket, an external wiki

Sara Nelson is an American publishing industry figure who is an editor and book reviewer and consultant^[1] and columnist^[2] and who is currently the book editor at Oprah's O Magazine. Nelson is notable for having been editor in chief at the book industry's chief trade publication Publishers Weekly from 2005–2009 during a time of wrenching restructuring and industry downsizing. Her book So Many Books, So Little Time was published in 2003.^[3] Her views have been widely reported in numerous publications such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today, and she has appeared on television broadcasts including CBS's The Early Show. She has written for the Wall Street Journal and the Huffington Post^[4] about publishing industry trends and has been described as a "lively presence within the book publishing industry."^[2] She is an extensive reader^[5] and has been described as a lover of books.^[6]

Beginnings[link]

Nelson attended Phillips Academy in Andover and graduated in 1974.^[7] She wrote about books and publishing at the New York Post, the New York Observer, Glamour magazine, and held editorial positions at Self, Inside.com, and Book Publishing Report.^[2] Nelson married and had a child and is a fierce advocate for respect for working mothers.^[8] Women struggled with ways to juggle careers and families, and stay-at-home moms and working mothers jostled over women's roles in the home, sometimes termed in the media as the Mommy Wars. Nelson wrote:

Nelson, based on a New Year's plan, embarked on an ambitious project to read one book each week and write about it, and the effort morphed into a book entitled So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading which was published by Putnam in 2003.^[9] While her initial book–a–week plan fell apart almost immediately, according to New York Times book reviewer Ihsan Taylor, the effort was fruitful since the book was seen as a commentary on the "nature of reading itself."^[10] Nelson's future employer, Publishers Weekly, reported that her book revealed her "infectious enthusiasm for literature in general."^[11] Writer Augusten Burroughs said Nelson's book was a "smart, witty, utterly original memoir about how every book becomes a part of us."^[12]

Nelson has been a consistent heavy reader throughout her life, and at one point, in a YouTube interview, said that she typically reads about 50 books cover–to–cover per year regardless of her self-imposed commitment. She will only write about a book after she's read it completely, according to Nelson in the interview. Further, she reads portions of many books which are sent to her or recommended by others, sometimes only the first ten pages. She favors fiction over non-fiction generally, occasionally reading classics overlooked during her college years, and some non-fiction works such as David McCullough's treatment of American president John Adams.^[11]

Publishers Weekly[link]

Editor-in-chief[link]

Nelson became editor–in–chief of the trade magazine Publishers Weekly in January 2005.^[6] It was a powerful position since the magazine is traditionally regarded as a standard bearer for mainstream critical opinion regarding books. A positive review from Publishers Weekly can bring a big sales boost to an unknown title, and the editor–in–chief's opinion about new books has considerable weight in the publishing industry. New York Times reporter Edward Wyatt suggested that the top job at Publishers Weekly in 2005 involved facing "many challenges".^[6]

In her new position, Nelson added a new assessment for books called a signature review.^[13] She permitted greater variety in the length of reviews (typically 200 to 500 words long), considered bylines to reviews, and changes to the magazine's cover format.^[6] She hired graphic designer Jean-Claude Suares, added color using so-called drop down shadows behind color book covers, and wrote an editorial each week. She switched the magazine's logo to use the two letters PW since the abbreviation was well understood within the publishing world. She developed a nominating board of several thousand booksellers and librarians to nominate books for prizes in nineteen different categories; readers voted for books within stores or online, and the awards were termed the Quill awards. There was increased use of a foldout advertisement on the front cover, with the theme repeated inside the table of contents page.

The first decade of the new century was marked by turbulence within the industry as well as a continuing trend away from serious writing and towards pop culture. Publishers Weekly had enjoyed a "near monopoly" over the past decades but was getting vigorous competition from Internet sites, e-mail newsletters and daily newspapers.^[6] The industry was consolidating. Many independent booksellers—a mainstay of Publishers Weekly clientele—were going out of business.^[6] Paid circulation dropped by 3,000 to 25,000 in the mid 2000s.^[6] Nelson pushed for significant changes towards modernization, greater use of the Web, and more focus on analytical reporting.^[6]

Nelson commented in an interview about how she saw PW evolving:

Nelson, looking at business practices within the book publishing industry, saw problems. She speculated that the industry practice of printing too many books to "kind of create a buzz" and then having to ship books back from bookstores was inefficient.^[14] She saw a trend favoring so-called big books at the expense of lesser known writers:

Television's impact on publishing[link]

Nelson noticed Oprah's impact on the book publishing industry, not knowing that the popular celebrity talk show host would one day be her employer.

In 2008, Nelson commented on the intersection of political candidates, books, and television celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, not knowing that the talk show celebrity would be her employer within a year. There were several dozen books about then-candidate Obama.^[16] Nelson was interviewed on National Public Radio on Winfrey's influence,^[17] similar to that of radio personality Imus,^[18] in the publishing arena.^[19] She described Oprah:

Television was playing a bigger role in the publishing industry in other ways. Nelson explained how publicity efforts such as a book excerpt were being eclipsed by TV interviews.^[20] Publishers were increasingly seeking TV exposure for authors since "TV has a greater reach than magazines," she explained.^[20] Sometimes TV shows require that some material not be used, she explained in an interview while commenting on the increasing use of a practice termed book embargoes.^[21] In addition, other ways to promote books were becoming more prominent, such as book clubs.^[22] Nelson was reportedly "not thrilled" by the trend towards pressuring authors to become speakers to promote their books publicly, and wondered whether the pressure from having to make public presentations would detract from a writer's focus on improving his or her craft.^[23]

Reporters sought her insight about why some books generated controversy while others didn't^[24] as well as her counsel on how publishers were trying to reach the lucrative teen market.^[25] "Teens can be very passionate readers ... the format isn't as important as the fact that they're reading," she said.^[26] Nelson commented that reading was ultimately a private act and said "Why people read what they read is a great unknown and personal thing."^[27]

Controversies and industry realignment[link]

During these years some prominent book fabrications emerged, with supposedly credible books being published which later were found to have been untrue.^[28] Nelson wondered whether hoaxes would bring negative publicity to the publishing industry.^[29][30] There was considerable fallout from an attempt to publish O. J. Simpson's controversial book If I Did It. Nelson criticized the project as a pathetic way of "trying to cash in."^[31][32] By that point, a huge negative public backlash, which had been building up, erupted, and the publisher withdrew the book from the marketplace.

After a profound economic downturn beginning in 2007 and lasting for the next few years, the publishing industry slumped significantly. Nelson commented in 2008 how layoffs and salary freezes were "sobering".^[33]

Advice for aspiring authors[link]

Nelson's advice was repeatedly sought by aspiring writers regarding how to get their book on the coveted bestseller list.^[4] When asked How to get a title on the bestseller list? she responded cryptically: "... That depends ... And who knows?"^[4] Nelson said that publishers, evaluating a potential book, look to past successes to gauge potential profitability, and tend to rely on big-name authors^[34] who have a series to sell.^[35] Non-fiction books about food or eating tend to do well, and Nelson commented that Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food was doing well.^[36] She counsels writers to write excellent books and "get it into as many people's hands as you can."^[5]

Industry trends, digital books, self-publishing[link]

Amazon's Kindle is one of many new technologies affecting the publishing industry. Nelson owns one as well as a Sony Reader.

Nelson wrote about such industry topics as Twitter writers signing book deals,^[37] Jonathan Littell's controversial 1,000 page Holocaust novel,^[15] and realignments of publishing firms.^[38] Nelson was quoted about sleeper hit books such as Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen^[39] as well as an expansion of what's considered to be chick lit which has grown to be more accomplished and "grown up," according to Nelson.^[40] She commented on trends in changing technology, such as the coming of digital books such as Amazon's Kindle.^[1] She owns a Kindle^[5] and a Sony Reader and sees both as a "statement to the world that you like to read."^[41] She said:

Nelson identified other trends. Fewer places review books now, unfortunately, but there is more information available to consumers who may not want in-depth literary reviews of a book; rather, they want to know whether it's worth plunking down $25, and that's it.^[5] In some respects, according to Nelson, smaller publishers are better off than large houses which have huge budgets devoted to overhead; for example, Nelson said a small "mom and pop" publisher can do five books a year and be profitable.^[5] She still thinks it's tough times for people employed within the industry; she said "You can do all the right things and still lose your job."^[5] She thinks business-to-business magazines will become available mostly online, and soon.^[5] In the past, self publishing was seen as the "exclusive realm of egomaniacs, eccentrics, and failures," according to a reporter in the Los Angeles Times, but over the past decade or so it's become more popular and somewhat better accepted.^[42] Nelson commented in 2010 that there were more instances of publishers picking up a self-published book, although such success stories are still rare.^[42] "Publishers are taking self-published books more seriously," she said.^[42]

Dismissal from Publishers Weekly[link]

Then, in 2009, Nelson was dismissed from Publishers Weekly. She said:

The action sent shockwaves through the industry and was widely covered in prominent newspapers.^[43] There was considerable reaction by readers as well. One reader wrote: "Sara Nelson turned Publishers Weekly around!"^[2] Another wrote that "Sara Nelson pulled Publishers Weekly into the 21st century with grace, verve, and panache. And I’ve never met such a loud cheerleader for books and for the book publishing industry."^[2]

O Magazine[link]

In September 2009, Nelson was appointed book editor at Oprah's O Magazine.^[44][45][46] She continued to comment in the media about new forces in publishing such as the new quarterly literary magazine called Electric Literature which allows readers to read in a variety of media, including e-book, iPhone, and audiobook.^[47] Nelson applauded the effort saying that "anything that takes the starch out" was good.^[47] Generally, Nelson's outlook for the publishing industry is bright and thinks that "in the end readers will win."^[48] Sara Nelson appeared with Harry Smith of CBS News on The Early Show.^[49] She's also served as moderator for events sponsored by the LA Times Festival of Books.^[50]

Publications[link]

• So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading, Putnam, 2003.^[9]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Sara Nelson with CBS's Harry Smith

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (October 2010)

Steve Almond
Steve Almond in 2009
www.stevenalmond.com

Steve Almond (born 27 October 1966^[1]) is an American short story writer and essayist. He is the author of eight books.^[2]

Life[link]

He was raised in Palo Alto, California, and graduated from Henry M. Gunn High School. He received his undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University. He spent seven years as a newspaper reporter, mostly in El Paso and at the Miami New Times. He lives in Arlington, Massachusetts. He reviews books for The Boston Globe and The Los Angeles Times. His work was selected for the Best American Short Stories 2010.^[3][4]

He served as adjunct professor in creative writing at Boston College for five years until publishing an open letter of resignation in the The Boston Globe on May 12, 2006, in which he explained that his resignation was intended to protest the selection of Condoleezza Rice as the college's 2006 commencement guest speaker.

Steve was a contributing writer to Alarm Clock Theatre Company's Elliot Norton Award winning play PS Page Me Later based on selections from Found Magazine.

On October 27, 2011, Almond appeared as a guest on the critically acclaimed podcast WTF with Marc Maron.^[5]

Stories Online[link]

• Midnight on Them Spurs
• The Problem of Human Consumption

Works[link]

Short Stories[link]

• My Life in Heavy Metal (2002)
• The Evil B.B. Chow (2005)
• God Bless America (2011)

Nonfiction[link]

• Candyfreak : A Journey through the Chocolate Underbelly of America, Algonquin Books, 2004.
• (Not That You Asked) Rants, Exploits and Obsessions, Random House, was released September 11, 2007.
• Letters from People Who Hate Me, self-published with Espresso Book Machine, 2010.
• Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life, Random House, 2010.

Coauthor[link]

• Which Brings Me to You (with Julianna Baggott)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Steve Almond official website
• Great new interview with Steve Almond
• August 2003 Interview
• Boston College resignation letter
• Op-ed piece in The Boston Globe
• Video of Steve Almond interview on Fox television show RedEye