Electric Literature Launches Free Digital Lit Mag

[stonetools]

New site for book recommendations:

Digital publisher Electric Literature has launched a new digital literary magazine that will publish one story a week. Recommended Reading is a free online publication, available in ePub, Kindle and through email and Tumblr.

The first issue, which is sponsored by digital literary magazine Shelf Unbound, features a new story by Ben Marcus, with a “Single Sentence Animation” by Edwin Rostron. Future guest editors will include Aimee Bender, Jim Shepard, and Nathan Englander.

The idea for Recommended Reading was born out of a Kickstarter campaign that raised more than $18,000 to help pay writers. Trying to get out of the algorithm-based recommendation engines that dominate online, authors and editors will make personal recommendations for the stories to be featured in the new pub.

LINK

[Mike L]

Looks interesting. Worth keeping an eye on.

One quibble: The Kindle version (which is DRM-free) appears not to be available outside the US. I wonder why. The ePub and on-screen versions seem to be fully available.

Mike

[andyh2000]

The ePub downloaded really slowly - it turns out to be about 10Mb in size and contains an embedded video.

Andrew

[tubemonkey]

Pushing the Kindle button takes you to Amazon; and they want a $1. So I went with EPUB instead.

[Mike L]

Originally Posted by andyh2000

The ePub downloaded really slowly - it turns out to be about 10Mb in size and contains an embedded video.

Did you look to see what was in the video, Andrew? Advertising, perhaps?

Mike

[andyh2000]

Originally Posted by Mike L

Did you look to see what was in the video, Andrew? Advertising, perhaps?

Mike

I haven't watched it yet, but I think it's some kind of animation, perhaps related to the story. I only skimmed the web page hosting the story but I think the video is there as well.

Andrew

[Mike L]

Andrew,

Now you mention it, there's an animation on the website ("One minute animation"). I didn't bother to watch it, as I had no compelling reason to. Presumably it's the same in the ePub download.

Mike

[andyh2000]

Originally Posted by Mike L

Andrew,

Now you mention it, there's an animation on the website ("One minute animation"). I didn't bother to watch it, as I had no compelling reason to. Presumably it's the same in the ePub download.

Mike

Yep, I think that's it.

Andrew

[Prestidigitweeze]

Other eds at my magazine are always talking about Electronic Literature (essentially college kids who had the good sense to strike at the right moment and pulled in some great writers). Very happy to see Ben Marcus featured in the first issue of their magazine:-- I've liked and read him ever since reading with him at the Unspeakable Practices Festival at Brown several years ago.

This is an excellent sighting, Stonetools -- one of the few on MR (so far) that have mattered to me. Thanks tons for pointing it out.

[stonetools]

Originally Posted by Prestidigitweeze

Other eds at my magazine are always talking about Electronic Literature (essentially college kids who had the good sense to strike at the right moment and pulled in some great writers). Very happy to see Ben Marcus featured in the first issue of their magazine:-- I've liked and read him ever since reading with him at the Unspeakable Practices Festival at Brown several years ago.

This is an excellent sighting, Stonetools -- one of the few on MR (so far) that have mattered to me. Thanks tons for pointing it out.

You are welcome.I'm hoping it will point me and others to some good writing.

[Prestidigitweeze]

They should stop including the generic animation, though. It's a slow and predictable thing without any life or surprises, really the opposite of the agile content of the story.