The Pope Announces His Resignation – First time this has happened in nearly 600 years. The last time was in 1415. Put that in historical perspective…Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492. Martin Luther was born in 1483. This is a really big deal in Church history whether you are Catholic or not.

Lawsuit Threatened by Attorney Representing Author and Publisher of Bestselling book ‘The Harbinger - Read this article. Some of the darker side of the publishing world.

Bookish – A New Website to Help Recommend Books – This launched last week to much fanfare. Took two years to develop. Try it out. It works fairly well. EXCEPT the selections are limited, for now, to only the catalogs of the major publishers involved. For example I couldn’t find Frances Chan. One analyst gives reasons why it will survive and why it won’t.   (By the way, don’t forget NovelCrossing.com which helps you find your next Christian novel to read. A very well done recommendation site.)

Copyright Controversy Just Won’t Go Away – If you care about protecting your intellectual property you owe it to yourself to stay informed on the various issues and changes afoot.

Amazon Coins Coming in May – Fascinating press release from Amazon. A way to keep money within their own eco-system and avoid bank fees and other issues. Like I said, “Fascinating.”

Seven Productivity Myths, Debunked by Science (and Common Sense) – Alan Henry looks at various theories of getting things done, like “Getting up early is more productive.”

How Big is the Universe? – Watch this short six minute video attempting to explain the massive distances in the galaxy. At the 5:30 mark the scientist makes a comparison to a grain of sand. Our God is a big God.

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Shocking Copyright Grab by School System – Anything a student writes as part of a class is owned, forever, by the school? So if a kid invents the idea of a better FedEx as part of a school project the school owns the idea. Or if he writes the first pages of what becomes later, the next “Harry Potter,” the school owns the idea. (?!) Unbelievable.

Christian Writers Guild Adds Publishing Division – The linked Publishers Weekly article quote me accurately. This is a logical next step in the services the Guild provides. Not sure why so many in the writing community are up in arms over it. If someone wants to pay for all services from editing to printing at least CWG is an honorable company that will do what they say they will do.

10 Tips for Looking Professional Online – If you are new to this industry please read this article by Burcu Akyol. I guarantee that an agent or an editor will look you up online as part of their evaluation of your proposal.

Become a Storyteller – A half hour interview with Eugene Peterson from 2007 that is worth every minute, whether you write fiction or non-fiction. Highly recommended.

150,000 Animal Sounds Now Online – Cornell University’s ornithology department went live with all this incredible audio and video. Click here for what I sound like when I’m negotiating (American Alligator).

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Barnes & Noble to Shut Down 200 Stores in Next Ten Years – This article will take you to the Wall Street Journal article (may need registration to view) where the CEO of Barnes & Noble’s retail group Mitchell Klipper declared their intent to downsize. I heard the screams of the faithful. I heard the cackle of glee from the doomsayers. But then read behind the numbers. No CEO can truly predict TEN years of plans like that. According to another source 60% of the leases on their 689 retail stores (they also operate a separate chain of 674 college stores). This gives them tremendous flexibility in fixing their rental costs for the next decade.

For the past decade they have averaged closing 15 stores per yer. But until 2009 they countered by opening up to 30 a year. The article does not mention any plans for new openings which left a pallor on the statistics. When asked if the brick & mortar days are done Klipper said that was nonsense. Of those 689 stores only 20 were losing money (3%). Read the articles yourself and see if the prediction doom has any merit.

Is Barnes & Noble Doomed? – Ironic that the Wharton School of Finance published this article the week before the one from The Wall Street Journal above.

Why Do Writers Post Their Books on Amazon Before They are Ready? – Kimberly Hitchens answers a great question.

Mermaids Have Replaced Vampires! – Not sure what to think (“Under the Sea” instead of “Bella’s Lullaby“?).

Blogging for Writers – Elizabeth Spann Craig explores the topic from a fresh perspective.

Eleanore Forder, the First Lady of Christian Writers Conferences Has Passed Away – My dear friend Eleanore has reached her heavenly award. Since 1992 I have done over 100 conferences with Reg and Eleanore. She was an incredibly gracious lady. Always there with a gentle spirit and a bright smile. Toiling in the background she helped countless people across the country feel welcome and cared for. She will be sorely missed.

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