Public Publishing

Penguin and Amazon are in cahoots. The publishing house and the online bookstore are working together for the sake of a new literary contest. It’s a bit of an online American Idol. But instead of butchering Kenny Loggins songs, contestants submit manuscripts to be evaluated by some of Amazon’s high profile reviewers. The Times has a rundown here. The Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, as it’s called, is either a new, democratic form of literary production or a hyperbolic extension of the bottom line pandering that many artists have to do in order to get published in the first place.

Via if:book. This one’s worth a look for the sake of the impassioned comments.

Thanks Jeff.