Bookninja

Which edition of The Line Painter do truckers prefer — print or ebook?

George — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 17:51:28 +0000

Bookninja has a new address

George — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 13:14:51 +0000

Hi everybody. I’m not dead yet! Though I don’t know when things will get back on track. But as some of you know, and others may have guessed, I recently separated from my beloved Lady Ninja, on very amicable terms, but still sadly, and I have a new house now. So all you interns, publicists and assorted editors need to update your databases so I still get your flack and RCs, etc. .

Merry Merry

George — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 17:13:29 +0000

What better gift to you than Loretta Lynn and Jack White singing a song about getting pissed in Portland??

So You Want to Write a Novel

Claire Cameron — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 14:56:25 +0000

“For the love of all that is holy–why?”

4 minutes and 38 seconds of love on YouTube

Continuing craziness at Open Book Toronto

George — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 15:49:39 +0000

I’m still running those Questionless Books Interviews over at Open Book Toronto, where I’m writer in residence this month. Check out the recent additions since I last rapped at ya about Margaret Atwood:

Questionless Books Interview: Margaret Atwood edition

George — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 13:03:24 +0000

Today’s QBI at Open Book Toronto as part of my writer in residence gig there is with Margaret Atwood. Fun!

At its core, Publishing is… making anything public.

As opposed to Editing, which is… at best, helping to improve the quality of writing.

A Publisher should always… do his/her best. Provide lunch.

As opposed to an Editor, who should always… do his/her best. Provide tea.

Questionless Books Interview, #2: The Librarian

George — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 12:12:10 +0000

After starting with novelist and Ninja Peter Darbyshire yesterday, I’d like to switch perspective on the same questionless questions and go with public librarian Alexandra Yarrow. A long-time friend of Bookninja, Alex is a Supervising Librarian at the Ottawa Public Library (Rideau Branch).

I am… a public librarian

I am known to… type and read very, very fast, devour novels while slouching in wingback chairs and then share them with library patrons, offer library tours and free coffee, and sing in a high voice for storytime.

I do this in… skirts.

I do this because… We’re the people’s university! I feel strongly about the need for excellence in our profession, and service to all members of our local community. When I was getting my Masters in Library Science, I had this quote from librarian Wendy Newman on my kitchen whiteboard, and it’s still a touchtone for me: “Universal access to the universe ideas.” That’s the business (I hope) I am in.

Questionless Books Interview

George — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 12:53:41 +0000

Hi guys. As I mentioned yesterday, I’m writer in res over at Open Books Toronto, and I’m interviewing a bunch of lit types about the state of the industry, the differences between literary identities, and the future of books without ever asking them a question. First up, of course, is my old Ninja pal, Peter Darbyshire, author of the amazing new novel, The Warhol Gang. Go buy it now, then read the interview.

At its core, a Writer is… Someone who sits down at the computer every day, or at least most days, and writes until his soul is gone.

As opposed to an Author, who is… Someone who seizes any opportunity to not write, such as answering interview questions.

A Writer is responsible for… Civilization.

As opposed to an Author, who is responsible for… The continuing profits of distilleries.

Writer in Residence, Open Book Toronto

George — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 12:37:44 +0000

Hi all, I’ll be the writer in “residence” for OBT this month. Please feel free to wander over and check out what I’m posting there. I’ll try to put up links here as well.

To be clear, I’m not dumping Bookninja; I’m just looking for help. I need a couple of people to help share the burden, but I’ll probably run things in the background and post as well. I just can’t do it all any more. If the people who join work out, they may indeed inherit the site one day, but it won’t be tomorrow.

So until the tap turns back on, set your RSS feeds to Bookninja, or check back regularly, in case there are flurries of activity. It’s not going anywhere just yet.