The Writing Center

The LA Times blog “Jacket Copy” reports on literary agent Sandra Dijkstra’s call to protest the Union-Tribune’s plans to reduce coverage of its Books section. U-T editor Chris Lavin, however, is quoted as saying that the changes “will both improve and broaden our coverage of books.”

But this hasn’t been the trend — the LA Times has recently combined its book coverage with its opinion section, a change that significantly reduced the space devoted to books; the SF Chronicle has recently made cutbacks on book coverage as well. Dijkstra, who describes San Diego as one of the top 10 book-buying cities in the country, is worried enough to encourage the community to demand the book section’s restoration. To send a letter, e-mail books@uniontrib.com.

Today’s Union-Tribune features a review of Thomas Larson’s new book, The Memoir and the Memoirist, which looks like a fascinating read given the ever-increasing popularity of memoirs as well as the drama that often surrounds them (James Frey, Augusten Burroughs).

And if Larson’s name sounds familiar, you may recall that he is the editor of the upcoming San Diego Writers Anthology, whose deadline is August 1. If you’re a member of SDWI or have been to its classes or events, you probably have fiction, poetry, or prose to submit — visit the web site for more information. If you’re not a member, join today and you’ll be eligible.

I just came across an article in Slate featuring a few good authors and their favorite fonts, which, interestingly, is something that they’ve really put some thought into.

The featured writers express an overwhelming fondness for Courier (thanks to memories of childhood and writing on typewriters). Of the writers listed here, none uses my own font of choice (Times New Roman), though Anne Fadiman writes “in an aggressively foursquare version of Times Roman” and Maile Malloy uses Times for “the look of honesty about it, no stretching or stuffing of page lengths.”

I have to admit that this little piece has made me think more about fonts than I (or any writer) should. We simply need to write. As Andrew Vachss (who uses Courier, by the way) points out, “the writing has to stand (or not) on its own.”

For those of you book lovers who want to see what others are reading — and to share your own virtual libraries as well — check out Library Thing, where you can list or “shelve” your favorite books, start a blog, read and post reviews — and basically immerse yourself among other book lovers in titles cagalogued from Amazon, the Library of Congress, and 70 other world libraries.

Begun in May of last year, Library Thing joins the growing list of networking sites that connect people based on the books they love. You can hold up to 200 books in your library at no cost, and paid memberships are $10 a year, $25 for life.

Plus, Library Thing is working with Random House to offer free galleys in exchange for reviews from members (with plans to expand to other publishers in the fall), another step toward what many publishers are now trying as a way to promote books through “real” readers in addition to traditional book reviewers.