Bestselling Author Brandon Sanderson Challenges Audible Over “Poor” Deal Terms
Bestselling fantasy author Brandon Sanderson is publicly challenging Audible, claiming the Amazon audiobook platform “treat[s] authors very poorly.” Sanderson has announced that he is releasing four new titles on Spotify and Speechify rather than on Audible. A spokesperson for Audible told Axiom, “We look forward to ongoing dialogue with [Sanderson] on how we can further improve the experience for him and other creators, while bringing his work and others’ to our listeners.” Sanderson says he has received support from other authors and industry group; however, he’s realistic about what he will be able to accomplish. “How does anyone take on Amazon? Right?” Sanderson said. “I don’t want to go to war with Amazon, they would win.”
Sony Pictures Animation Releases New Spider-Verse Short Film
Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks will release a brand new original short film titled The Spider Within. The short film is set within the world of the upcoming film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The Spider Within is part of the new mentorship program LENS (Leading and Empowering New Storytellers), which aims to give leadership opportunities to high-potential candidates from underrepresented groups. Under the guidance of the program, Michelle Raimo Kouyate and David Schulenburg will work together to produce a short film. It will debut exclusively at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival this June.
2023 Whiting Award Winners Announced
The 2023 Whiting Award winners were announced at an in-person ceremony held on March 29 in New York City. Winners of the award are given a cash prize of $50,000 and are recognized as emerging talents in their respective categories of drama, poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. This year’s winners are: Tommye Blount, Mia Chung, Ama Codjoe, Marcia Douglas, Sidik Fofana, Carribean Fragoza, R. Kikuo Johnson, Linda Kinstler, Stephania Taladrid, and Emma Wippermann. An in-person event, featuring reading from the award winners, was held on March 30 at the Center for Fiction.
8 of the Best Audiobooks from the First Quarter of 2023
Listen your way into some of the best audiobooks from the beginning of 2023. It’s off to a bang!