We're well into the second month of 2009, and nothing's quite going by the book. Here's reading into the literary trends that lie ahead this year
We're well into the second month of 2009, and nothing's quite going by the book. Here's reading into the literary trends that lie ahead this yearSelf-publishing
Now on, no one will be seen running after big brands to see their names in print, thanks to the growing number of print on demand services in the country. Log on to Cinnamonteal.in for an idea.
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Blogs-turned-booksGet ready for the rising of the 'Blooks.' Frank Warren's PostSecret, a compilation of public confessions solicited over a blog by the same name, is a classic example. Closer home, twenty-something Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan, the author of the controversial blog The Compulsive Confessor, made it big with her chick-lit You Are Here, written on the same lines as her online journal. Many youngsters are fired up to get their blog-turned-books in the pipeline; who knows, they might just win the 'Blooker Prize' (yes, it actually exists!)
Cafe calling Picture places like Full Circle-Cafu00e9 Turtle, where you can flip those pages over coffee, brownies and some heady romance. Yeah, you'll see at least 50 new read-eat-buy book lounges in the country this time. The upcoming Penguin Classics Library in the city is a promising one, with its alfresco ambience, talks and quizzes. Lazy bones can rejoice at online book clubs like BookWag.com and Cafu00e9rati.com.
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Slump specialsLastly, books on financial management are going to take stores by storm, thanks to the economic slowdown. The best of corporate success stories amid the chaos, too, hold a fair chance of making it to the bestseller lists.u00a0
Graphic novels galore Doodles, depth and drama will snatch readers' attention from conventional covers, thanks to the comic-like ease and illustrative intelligence involved. Sarnath Banerjee paved the way for others with his Corridor and Abdul Sultan caught onto the legacy with the second Indian graphic novel, The Believers, after which came The Barn Owl's Wondrous Capers.
Watch out for:
>> Amruta Patil's 1999 and Parva
>> Japanese Manga-inspired titles
>> David Lapham's Young Liars
>> Frankenstein's Womb by Warren Ellis
>>The Courtyard by Alan Moore
>>Ultimates 3 Volume 1: Sex, Lies & DVD by Jeph LoebDigital overdoseThe surge of E-books and electronic reading devices are expected to hit the sales of shelf-titles this year, the prime causes being easier portability and sharing, low costs and heightened environmental concerns. Last year saw exactly the opposite, but this time around, we predict change.u00a0
Also, more and more classic works will be available in the digital form like never before. For starters, 3000 of Nobel laureate Ernest Hemingway's scripts have been compiled into a digital archive, and made accessible for reading at Cuba's Hemingway Museum since January.
Coffee table coming Giant glossy hardcovers are all set to take over the living rooms of the country's literati with infallible force. Subjects like photography, art, cooking, pop culture and sports will be on top of the table, quite literally. Encyclopedias and Sidney Sheldons will remain well stacked in the corner while these free-time flippies will steal the show with their breezy text and pictorial panache. Grab one to show off your literary love, or make some moolah off that Ladakh trip you went click happy on.
Mobile librariesThe best of books are also the costliest, so you've contemplated heading to the nearest public library (which is around 15 kms away from your place) only to quit the idea for the lack of time and effort involved in carrying back all that weight. This year, libraries are all about the click of a mouse or a mere SMS, and voila, the desired read is at your footstep.
Log on to:
>> Bookmeabook.comu00a0
>> Friendsofbooks.com
