The Observer's Sara Nelson on why the publishing industry keeps advance amounts and sales figures under wraps: "Nobody talks about publishing numbers because they are so unbelievably low...When told, for example, that last year s hit novel, Jonathan Safran Foer's Everything Is Illuminated, sold about 100,000 copies in hardcover, one editor of a huge-circulation monthly gasped and said, 'If I only sold 100,000 magazines, I'd get fired.'"
Publishers, open your books! We know the numbers lie! [Observer]

Ung Lee, a 2002 Princeton senior and Joyce Carol Oates protégé (shades of Jonathan Safran Foer) was recently awarded several fiction prizes. The only problem is that at least one of his prize-winning stories was plagiarized. [Ed. notewhat, daddy's trust fund manager couldn't buy you an original work? Oops. Sorry. It's Princeton. Involuntary response.] Seth Shaferthe author of the storycomments.
Accidental strength [TMN]