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Authors feel economic impact when their books are banned

Oct 11, 2023
While some authors report an uptick in sales following the attention of book bans, bans can be detrimental for others.
Book bans "can be quite detrimental to the economics of that book," said Kasey Meehan, program director of Freedom to Read at PEN America.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Preparing for a bump in book sales, post-Nobel win

Oct 6, 2023
The new Nobel laureate in literature, Jon Fosse, is known in much of the world, but has yet to become a household name in the US.
Norwegian writer Jon Fosse — recent recipient of the Nobel Prize in literature — poses for a photo at his home near Frekhaug, Norway, on Oct. 5.
Eirik Hagesaeter/Bergensavisen/AFP via Getty Images

Poet Lillian-Yvonne Bertram explores money as "a state of lack"

Sep 26, 2023
Read an excerpt from the title poem of Bertram's latest work, "Negative Money," which explores race, gender and indebtedness.
Lillian-Yvonne Bertram's "Negative Money," a book of poems, tackles themes including race, gender and debt.
Courtesy Lillian-Yvonne Bertram

One prized Nobel effect: a bump in book sales

Oct 6, 2022
The award can boost sales for a little known author, and can also highlight a field of research.
French writer Annie Ernaux, seen here in Mexico, was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature today.
Ulises Ruiz/AFP via Getty Images

Author Beverly Cleary highlighted the struggles of the working class in her books

Apr 1, 2021
The “Ramona” series reflected the U.S. economy, one academic says, from recession to slow recovery to prosperity.
Beverly Cleary in Oregon Public Broadcasting's "Discovering Beverly Cleary."
Courtesy of Oregon Public Broadcasting

Independent bookstores are thriving, but a threat looms

Dec 31, 2018
This isn’t a bad time to be in the independent bookstore business. The American Booksellers Association says there’s been a nearly 31 percent increase in the number of indie bookstores since 2009. The indie renaissance coincides with the collapse of national book chains. One threat to bookstores’ future: rising rents and labor costs. Click the […]
Could the "indie renaissance" that has been helping independent bookstores thrive also cause their downfall?
Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

Copyrighted works are entering the public domain for the first time in over 20 years

Dec 28, 2018
You’ll be able to freely use select works from Robert Frost, Aldous Huxley and Edith Wharton.
American poet Robert Frost, taken about 1963. His “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” will be in the public domain Jan. 1.
Hulton Archive/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

How the ghost of economies past influenced Dickens' "A Christmas Carol"

Dec 25, 2017
The BBC’s Anu Anand takes a tour of Charles Dickens’ last London home, and chats with a historian who explains how economic hardships influenced the celebrated author’s “A Christmas Carol” classic.  Click the above audio player to hear the full interview.

UK honors Jane Austen 200 years after death

Jul 18, 2017
The romantic novelist is celebrated with her image on a new 10 pound bill.
“Jane Austen was always concerned about the money she made from her writing,” said Kathryn Sutherland, an Oxford professor. “She would be proud and amused to find herself on a bank note.”
CHRIS J RATCLIFFE/AFP/Getty Images

How did Shakespeare make his money?

Apr 21, 2016
Did theater or wool-trading account for the playwright's wealth?
A Sotheby's employee handles a copy of William Shakespeare, The First Folio 1623 on July 7, 2006 in London, England. 
Scott Barbour/Getty Images