DISPATCH: news, notes & press

NY Observer: A dream book deal may leave you fat and lonely. Guardian Unlimited: Drowning in the slush pile of broken dreams. SF Weekly: Even McSweeney's can't live without cold hard cash. Salon: Pretty girls who type can't get a break in literary world. NY Observer: Chick lit is still fun and frothy even in Saudi Arabia. Yahoo!: Albert finds she can lie but she can't hide from lawyers. NY Mag: MFA teacher's pets can't escape the hype machine. NY Observer: Good looks get press, might help sell books. Salon: Even if you publish a book your life will still suck. Hard. LA Times: Celeb starts book club, warrants feature story. NY Mag: Quirky filmmaker writes quirky novel; eye rolling ensues. NY Times: Hipsters invade libraries, coolness may follow. Guardian Unlimited: Austen experiment embarrasses all. Baltimore Sun: Bookstores learn obvious lesson, patrons suffer. Yahoo!: Frey editor mad at Oprah. Oprah still rules universe. Village Voice: BlackMen mag goes bigger with the Maxim model. LA Times: Writers (and bloggers) contest book review turf. NY Times: Writer makes it easier for writers to waste time. Village Voice: Touby sells co. for $23M. Who's laughing now? Yahoo!: She acts, has two last names and has written a novel. The Phoenix: Pretty people write books, author photo sells copies. NY Times: Couch based book tours the new thing in publishing. TimeOut NY: White is not black but plenty green in publishing. NY Observer: Life is glam for Teen Lit editor and writer. Yahoo!: Authors just don't warrant the constant coverage. Yahoo!: People can't be bothered to pick up a book. Publishers shrug. SF Chronicle: Literary star blog to benefit charities, some mid-list authors. LA Times: Striking writers pen novels to fill time. LA Times: Rich and connected Hollywood spawn write book about Hollywood rich and connected. Wall Street Journal: Writing for a living becomes even less of a way to earn living. Yahoo!: Nigerian lady lit opens eyes and avenues. NY Mag: Memories make for many books. TimeOut NY: How to succeed in publishing depends on who's asked. NY Observer: Hot ARCs help not-so-hot literate guys pick up hot literate chicks.