Douglas Coupland, author of Generation X, Microserfs and many others has launched a fashion line. According to published reports, the goal of the enterprise is to”‘”explore a new way of seeing Canada’ far removed from ‘birch bark and moose and Mounties’.”

I recently asked how authors can make more money. Presumably, this fashion line isn’t going to catapult Coupland into the mogul stratosphere so I doubt it’s about finances. But still, it is an interesting way to further expand his name recognition, and maybe bring in a few extra bucks as well.

NBA superstar LeBron James’s recent announcement that he would play for the Miami Heat next season brings (thankfully) a close to one of the biggest media maelstromstrom in sports history.

So I’m wondering how long it will be before we see news of a “LeBron to the Heat” book sale.

World soccer icon David Beckham’s career moves have spawned some interesting books. John Carlin’s excellent White Angels: Beckham, Real Madrid, & the New Football was an amazing tale of the business implications of the world’s most famous athlete’s transfer. And Grant Wahl’s The Beckham Experiment documented the star’s move to the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007.

If someone was taking bets, I’d wager that we’ll see a “LeBron to the Heat” or “LeBron leaves Cleveland” book sold within 10 business days.

It’s been an exciting –and hectic– time here at Slushpile.net headquarters. There are now less than 6 weeks to go until my first book is published. The Man Behind the Nose: Assassins, Astronauts, Cannibals, and Other Stupendous Tales by Larry Harmon, co-authored by yours truly, will be released from HarperCollins on August 17, 2010.

I’ve learned a great deal over the last few months of editing, page proofs, red pencils, and whatnot. I’ll be sure to share all that knowledge with you in the coming weeks. If you have any specific questions about what happens during the publishing process, particularly from the time you turn in the draft until it hits the stores, please let me know and I’ll answer those requests to the best of my ability.

Please check out the official book official book website for more details about the title and the upcoming events scheduled for the release.

Also, if you’re on Facebook, please join our fan page for news, events, fan memories, and some very, very cool photos.

It seems like every other day, someone in our bookish blogging world offers a theory for why major media book coverage is shrinking. Generally, these concepts involve the economy, the proliferation of blogs, the short attention spans of today’s consumers, and a few little green martians. But today, I’m going to offer another, admittedly outlandish, explanation:

One of the many reasons that major media markets are losing ground with their book coverage because they waste space and words providing criticisms that astound no one, surprise no one, and are in no way shocking, educational, or illuminating. In short, they waste our fucking time. They squander the precious little coverage on books they don’t like. A more effective strategy might be to focus on some hidden gem that is being overlooked. Maybe introduce new writers to the culture at large. But my advice to at least a certain segment of critics is “Stop your petty bullshit crusades against writers that, in the whole scheme of things, don’t make much of a dent in our pop culture.”

Case in point, the recent New York Times coverage of Bret Easton Ellis’s new novel Imperial Bedrooms. Now, in the interest of full disclosure: I am an unabashed Ellis fan. I did not like the new book quite as much as I had hoped, but as a whole, I am a huge fan of his body of work. I’ve stood in line at those sketchy booksignings he describes in Lunar Park, you know, the ones where the author sucked on throat lozanges and was sick with a “head cold” the whole time. I am an Ellis admirer and I honestly do think he gets a raw deal in my ways. With that out of the way, let’s look at the matter at hand.

The esteemed Gray Lady saw fit to publish not one, but two negative reviews of Imperial Bedrooms. First, Erica Wagner wrote on Thursday, June 17 that “I can well believe the haunted fascination that sparked off Imperial Bedrooms.” But the resulting novel falls flat.”

Okay, fine. Critics don’t have to enjoy every thing they read.

Then Janet Maslin wrote on Wednesday, June 23 that the book “is without shock value. It’s a work of limited imagination that all too deftly simulates the effects of having no imagination at all.” She even goes so far as to state that the sense of dread in the novel is because the “options have narrowed” for the author himself.

Which brings me to my point… well two points actually:

Did Anyone Expect Any Different?
Is there anyone in the book world who is surprised that The New York Times did not like Bret Easton Ellis’s new book? I mean, there’s a better shot at Fox News endorsing Nancy Pelosi for President or PETA suddenly throwing a dinner party featuring foie gras. Just take a look at their history of Ellis examination.

–In August 2005, A.O. Scott reviewed Lunar Park and wrote, “The problem with this novel is not that it is a fast, lurching ride to nowhere. Of course it is; it’s a Bret Easton Ellis novel. The problem is that it does not have the honesty to admit that it wants to be more, the faith that readers will accept more or the courage to try to be more. It is the portrait of a narcissist who is, in the end, terminally bored with himself; that it may also be a self-portrait doesn’t make it any more true.”

–In January 1999, Daniel Mendelsohn <

I made my feelings about writing books years ago. So I tend to ignore most of the industry news about how-to-write and how-to-get-published books. But in yesterday’s Publishers Marketplace there was a tidbit that gave me a sense of deja vu all over again.

Here’s the news item that caught my attention, from Monday, June 28:
“Mike Nappa’s 77 REASONS WHY YOUR LAST BOOK WAS REJECTED (and what you can do about them), a practical, engaging resource for aspiring writers that delivers insider information on why editors and agents decline books – and how to make them stop declining yours, to Peter Lynch at Sourcebooks, in a nice deal, for publication in Spring 2011, by Mike Nappa at Nappaland Literary Agency (World).”

Sounds great, doesn’t it? Extremely helpful, right? But it also seems ridiculously similar to one of the few writing books that I do, wholeheartedly, endorse. Check out this Publishers Marketplace announcement from December 5, 2003:
“MacAdam/Cage founding editor Pat Walsh’s WHAT AM I DOING WRONG: 78 Reasons Why Your Book May Never Be Published And 14 Reasons Why It Just Might, a smart, humorous and honest look at the relationship among editors, writers and publishers, filled with blunt and colorful advice to would-be authors wishing to avoid the blunders and bad directions that lead to rejection instead of publication, to Jane von Mehren at Penguin, at auction, for publication in 2005, by Amy Rennert (NA). ”

In spite of how it was listed in the original deal news, when Walsh’s book was actually published, it was titled 78 Reasons Why Your Book May Never Be Published & 14 Reasons Why It Just Might

Now, I’m fully aware that there are only so many ways people can present tips like “Personalize your query letters” and “Spellcheck your manuscript.” And one insider’s info is probably not vastly different than another insider’s info. So there will undoubtedly be some overlap between any and all writing and publishing books.

But really? You title a book 77 Reasons Why Your Last Book Was Rejected when there is already a book called 78 Reasons Why Your Book May Never Be Published?

[For the record, titles are not protected by any copyrightcan't copyright titles so you can't accuse anyone of theft or anything legally untoward here. I just wonder what is it, exactly, about the seventies that must be so persuasive about publishing tips? Eighty is too much but sixty too little?]

Anyway, I don’t know how Nappa’s book will turn out. Hopefully, someone will find it useful. But in the meantime, pick up a copy of Walsh’s 78 Reasons Why Your Book May Never Be Published today because it is definitely crammed full of useful, informative, and educational tips.

The New Yorker released it’s list of the best (or most worth-watching or coolest or hippest or whatever criteria) writers under the age of 40. The list is in conjunction with the magazine’s special double-literature issue that will be released this coming Monday.

Here’s the rundown of the names (along with ages) courtesty of The New York Times:
–Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, 32
–Chris Adrian, 39
–Daniel Alarcón, 33
–David Bezmozgis, 37
–Sarah Shun-lien Bynum, 38
–Joshua Ferris, 35
–Jonathan Safran Foer, 33
–Nell Freudenberger, 35
–Rivka Galchen, 34
–Nicole Krauss, 35
–Yiyun Li, 37
–Dinaw Mengestu, 31
–Philipp Meyer, 36
–C. E. Morgan, 33
–Téa Obreht, 24
–Z Z Packer, 37
–Karen Russell, 28
–Salvatore Scibona, 35
–Gary Shteyngart, 37
–Wells Tower, 37

I’m now awaiting with baited breath Old Lady Johnson’s List of the Worst Under 14, sure to represent the students most worth-watching as they dangle participles and end sentences in prepositions in 8th grade composition classes.

In the middle of last week, I was re-organizing some book shelves (or, to be honest, vainly attempting to create some organization) and pulled a number of sports books down. On top of the pile was the 1997 book Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court by John Wooden with Steve Jamison.

I started flipping through the book, reflecting on how simple a philosophy Wooden espoused. I was particularly impressed by the fact that the book seemed to be geared towards teaching, rather than being geared towards generating humongous speaking fees to major corporations. So many books by basketball coaches are little more than attempts to position them as business experts.

Then, came news that Wooden had been hospitalized. ESPN reported on their television crawl that the 99-year-old coach was in “grave condition.”

And then, finally, came the news on Friday night that John Wooden had passed away.

There have been plenty of tributes to Wooden over the course of the weekend. And the amazing sports accomplishments he racked up have been reported over and over. But equally interesting is his personal life. His wife, Nell, was the only woman he ever kissed in his life. She passed away in the mid-eighties. ESPN reported that on Friday, in the hospital, Wooden asked to be shaved because he knew he was going to see his beloved soon.

Basketball, sports, and America at large will sorely miss John Wooden.

Many aspiring authors cling to their manuscripts, afraid to show them to the world, out of fear that their ideas will be stolen. A post today on GalleyCat directly addresses this fear.

There is a perception that “mammoth-sized Hollywood studios that are scowling through their slush piles concocting plans to steal hot ideas from struggling writers,” states Jeff Rivera, the other of the post. So the website went to publishing attorney Lloyd J. Jassin what aspiring authors should do to keep major players from pillaging their ideas during the submission process. Check out the post for Jassin’s response.

My own, admittedly non-legal, non-professional understanding of copyright was that you can not secure the basic ideas but you can secure the execution of those ideas. For example, you can write about a boy at a school for wizards or about teenage vampires or about a young lawyer trapped in a shady firm. That’s how all these copycat books pop up and try to cash in on successful titles. But you can’t write about the specifics of that school for wizards (using the same names, same plot devices, same descriptions, etc) because that’s copyrighted material.

Bestselling author, former chef, and current television personality Anthony Bourdain gave an interview to The Seattle Times in promotion of his new book, Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook. It’s a short but entertaining piece.

But the real highlight comes when the interviewer asks about the craziest thing that has happened to Bourdain. “It was a speaking gig, one-hour talk, with Q and A,” he responds. “A guy was shouting and begging to come up on stage to show me his tattoo. He gets up and drops his pants. He has (a tattoo of chef Eric) Ripert and (Iron Chef Masaharu) Morimoto and me. It was like Mount Rushmore on his hairy upper thigh. And he wanted me to sign it … A year later, he was in the Midwest, he jumped on stage. This time he was not wearing any underwear. Oh, and someone delivered a baby in one of my gigs. She started laughing and spit the baby out.”

Sounds like a good time.

What would you like to see happen at one of your readings?

As most longtime readers of Slushpile.net know, what little time in my life that isn’t absorbed in the pages of books is devoted to guitars. So I’m happy to say that I’ve placed a few articles in Premier Guitar. In the current issue, I’ve got an article about joining a band when you have to replace a legend. It was a fun piece to write and I got to interview some very cool musicians.

But the undeniable star of this issue is Craig Havighurt’s story on the Nashville flooding and the undescribable damage done to that city’s guitars. In “50 Feet High and Rising,” Havighurst recounts the depressing scene at Soundcheck studios, a facility that housed vintage and historical instruments as well as current models.

“Somebody said it’s the equivalent of the Louvre flooding…” says one interview subject in the piece. “In terms of vintage, playable instruments, it’s probably the biggest wipeout in the history of modern music.”

A Stratocaster owned by Jimi Hendrix was ruined. A Gibson Les Paul Deluxe that Pete Townsend played on the Who’s Quadrophenia tour is now “riddled with cracks.” The upright bass that Floyd Chance played on Hank Williams’ last recording session collapsed. Dave Roe lost the Fender Precision bass that he used on Johnny Cash sessions. Vince Gill reportedly had 60 guitars affected and almost all of Brad Paisley’s instruments were touched in some way. Peter Frampton, John Fogerty and plenty other musicians from all genres experienced varying degrees of damage.

Ultimately, Havinghurst’s sensitive writing will put this tragedy into perspective, even if you’re not a guitar person and regardless of your musical tastes. So the article is well-worth reading. Check it out here.

The fine folks at The Oxford American are sponsoring an event they’re calling “The Most Southern Weekend on Earth.” I’m sure that might be a debatable claim, but nonetheless, there are some cool literary events scheduled as part of the July 9-10 festivities in Clarksdale, MS.

On Saturday, the magazine’s editor Marc Smirnoff will interview Peter Guralnick, esteemed author of Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm and Blues and the Southern Dream of Freedom and Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley.

If you’re in the Delta, and you’ve recuperated from your 4th of July festivities, be sure to stop by for lots of good music, food, and book talk.

I love sports. And I love books. And I’m fascinated by coaches. So I should love sports books by coaches, right? But I just don’t.

Today’s yawner came with the news that New York Jets head football coach Rex Ryan is set to write a “nontraditional autobiography” that will be published by Doubleday next year.

Now, some observers have pointed out that Ryan hasn’t accomplished that much in his single season as a head coach. Most frequently, these coach books come on the heels of winning a championship in the given sport. But Ryan’s club finished 9-7 and lost in the AFC Championship Game. Josh Alper, for example, humorously points out wrote that readers should “Just look for ‘Putting the Cart Before the Horse: Rex Ryan’s Guide to Leadership’ at the top of a best-seller list near you.”

On the other hand, Ryan is in the Charles Barkley-mold in that he has a sizable ego and mouth (in a good, fun way) and he always provides good quotes, good stories, and whirlwind of “what’s he going to say next?” whenever he speaks. He comes from a legendary coaching family and his father, Buddy Ryan, would surely provide enough good material for a book.

But the problem is that so many of these coach books are so generic, sanitized, cliched, and paint-by-the-number affairs that they strip away all individuality and uniqueness. Maybe Ryan and his highly-successful co-author Don Yaeger will buck the trend. Unfortunately, I’m not placing any bets on that.

I blame two of my favorite coaches for creating the coach book template: Pat Riley and Rick Pitino. Back in the eighties, they both capitalized on their smooth personas and championship credentials to pen a series of highly successful books melding coaching tactics with business examples. They became highly sought after speakers, appearing before Fortune 500 companies and commanding hefty fees. As a result, it seems like every coach after that has positioned themselves in this business leader space. Therefore their books are correspondingly dull, tedious, and repetitive. They strive to be inspirational, to show you the hurdles they’ve overcome, and how they lead men to victory. But it’s all the same. Read one and you’ve read them all.

So I do hope that Ryan and Yaeger do something different and maintain the original voice the coach uses in the press room. Because the last thing the world needs now is yet another same old, same old coach book.