Katherine Manderfield

Photo by jchristopherrobinson via Flickr Tinseltown, Southland, The Entertainment Capital of the World, El Lay, The City of Angels, Hell-A, La La Land —LA has its share of nicknames, but none seem to give our city due credit for the wealth of literature housed among these trafficked streets. Thanks to an unfortunate reputation as a not-so-literary city, LA local bookshops are often and unduly overlooked. But, forget what you might have heard (or haven’t...

Photo by sadjeans via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Five years ago, the independent bookstore was likely fated to join the cassette tape: nostalgically revered, but tragically doomed. Despite hand picked recommendations, too-cool cashiers, and erudite small talk, the local bookstore didn’t stand a chance against the Big Guys—corporations like Barnes and Noble, Borders, and the true Iago of bookselling, Amazon. Then came the Kindle, the Nook, whatever the hell Sony makes,...

Photo by luis de bethencourt via Flickr While the common adage suggests everyone has one book in them, it fails to mention that book will average 28 rejections. Or that publishing it might take as long as writing it. Nor is it even insinuated that your one book, once it’s published, will hopefully make you about $1 per book—that is, if you can sell 7,000 copies first. So yes, everyone might have one book...

Is she writing the next great Los Angeles novel? (Photo by Ed Yourdon via Flickr) This Saturday, the LA Chapter of the Woman's National Book Association is hosting Bookwoman Day, an all-day writing conference at the Marina del Rey Hotel. The event will provide a meeting ground for local publishers, literary agents, and book gurus to discuss various ways on "How to Get Published in 2011." The Bookwoman Day schedule boasts a wealth of...