Every day Poets & Writers Magazine scans the headlines—from publishing reports to academic announcements to literary dispatches—for all the news that creative writers need to know. Here are today's stories:
John Milton is best known as the author of the epic poem Paradise Lost, but he may have also penned a "filthy, innuendo-laden" limerick recently discovered in an obscure eighteenth century poetry anthology. (Guardian)
According to a new study, 10 percent of Americans use e-readers and another 10 percent are "likely to purchase one in the next six months." (InformationWeek)
In a related development, e-book sales jumped 150 percent in July to over forty million dollars. (Publishers Weekly)
In a further related development, according to the Bookseller, "sales of printed romance books have fallen for the first time since records began," leading the industry publication to suggest that e-book sales are now "cannibalising" print sales.
The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is moving to the USC campus for its 2011 event "after 15 years celebrating books with the community of Los Angeles on the campus of UCLA." (Jacket Copy)
The only indie bookstore in Bayonne, New Jersey, is set to close next month after seven years in business. (Jersey Journal)
Forbes asks an intriguing question: Why does billionaire investor Ron Burkle care so much about Barnes & Noble?
An anonymous donor has pledged half-a-million dollars to the Seattle Public Library provided the funds can be matched by other donors. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
