How to use this Page

Amazon’s online television division has ordered pilots for four new animated programs.

On November 7, a special reading at WORD in Brooklyn will celebrate the blurbs that novelist Gary Shteyngart has bestowed upon other books.

Jacob Silverman created a Tumblr site dedicated to archiving The Collected Blurbs of Gary Shteyngart, collecting the author’s praise for books by authors ranging from Molly Ringwald to Adam Wilson to Lev Grossman. You can also follow Shteyngart on Twitter.

Check it out:  ”The Shteyngart blurb has become almost a seal of approval that, while comical in the sheer amount of books he’s actually blurbed, are actually really good ways to tell if you’re going to like a book or not … The Collected Blurbs of Gary Shteyngart, Live brings together John Wray, Rachel Shukert, Adam Wilson, Gideon Lewis-Kraus and Karolina Waclawiak (as well as a few words from Silverman), all authors blurbed by Mr. Shteyngart, for a night of readings and tribute to the Russian-born oligarch of back cover quotes..” (Photo via Mark Coggins; link via Sarah Weinman)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Speculative fiction writer Michael R. Underwood has inked a book deal with Simon and Schuster Pocket Books this week, the second deal that began in Penguin’s Book Country writing community.

Nelson Literary agent Sara Megibow negotiated the two-book deal with Pocket Star editor Adam Wilson. You can read Underwood’s work at this Book Country link.

Underwood wrote about the experience on his blog: “Back at the end of January, Adam Wilson, of Pocket Books, sent me an email saying he’d read an excerpt of Geekomancy on Book Country and saw from my blog that I had a completed draft, so could he see it? At that point, I was reminded of Ghostbusters.  If someone asks if you’re a god, you say yes.  If an editor asks to see your manuscript, you say yes.  There may be actually reasons to say no to an editor, but I didn’t have any good ones.  I sent the manuscript along with a note that I was still in revisions and could send a more polished version later, if he preferred.  Adam said he’d read the as-is version, and in a little over a week, he wrote back and wanted to schedule a phone call.” (pictured, via)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.