What I’m reading #68

Booksellers NZ is running a useful series of articles by Jillian Ewart. The latest is on how to promote a self-published book. Highly recommended if you are thinking of doing this. Click through to see more in the series.

Craig Sisterson of Crime Watch interviews Zirk van den Berg, author of Nobody Dies and No-Brainer.

Rosabel Tan of the Pantographic Punch misses former Sunday Star-Times culture editor Mark Broatch already, and talks more generally about the role of the critic. Money quote:

But if the only thing we reward are people writing safe recommendations focusing on the kind of minutiae that benefit no one, or bloggers who are clearly inspired not by art but by themselves, and who revel in the kind of cynicism that is neither intelligent nor attractive, then don’t be surprised – and don’t you dare complain – when this is all that we get.

Joe Hildebrand is sad about turning 36. Money quote:

When you’re 35 you are at least in your mid-thirties but once you go beyond that you have to start rounding up. Let’s face it, you’re basically 40.

Forty means different things to different people. Politicians see 40 as “generational change”. TV executives see 40 as “key demographic”. Teenagers see 40 as “pretty much dead”.

In Tehran they make their own fun:

Salman Rushdie was the target of a notorious fatwa issued by Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic republic of Iran, 23 years ago. Now, the author of The Satanic Verses is the subject of an Iranian computer game aimed at spreading to the next generation the message about his “sin”.

The Stressful Life of Salman Rushdie and Implementation of his Verdict is the title of the game being developed by the Islamic Association of Students, a government-sponsored organisation which announced this week it had completed initial phases of production. [. . .]

Three years ago, the student association and Iran’s national foundation of computer games asked students across the country to submit scripts for the game and the top three were handed over to video developers. [. . .]

Little has been revealed about the game but its title suggests players will be asked to implement Khomeini’s call for the killing of Rushdie.