Al Pacino to Publish Memoir

The legendary actor of acclaimed films like The Godfather and Scarface has announced that his memoir will be released this October. Sonny Boy will detail Pacino’s legendary career, from his days in avant-garde New York theater to his most famous roles and collaborations. Pacino will also open up about life beyond the screen, discussing his childhood in the Bronx as well as his early artistic inclinations. “It has been an incredibly personal and revealing experience to reflect on this journey and what acting has allowed me to do and the worlds it has opened up,” Pacino told People.

Dolly Parton and Sister Reveal New Cookbook

You’re invited to pull up a chair to a year of meals, friends, and fun with the Partons, as Dolly and her sister (and favorite cook) Rachel share beloved, crowd-pleasing recipes and family stories. Good Lookin’ Cookin’ is due out in September and includes over 80 recipes for everyday, holidays and more.

RuPaul Launches Online Bookstore

Emmy Award–winning host and drag performer RuPaul has launched Allstora, an independent, author-owned online book marketplace offering more than 10 million titles. The company plans to “empower all storytellers through an equitable compensation model” by challenging the e-commerce status quo set forth by companies like Amazon which grossly underpay their authors. Instead, Allstora will split profits with authors, who will make “double what they’d make from any other retailer.”

But that’s not all! The company also aims to uplift the voices of underrepresented groups, including LGBTQ+ people, women and communities of color. And this month, Allstora will also debut RuPaul’s Book Club, a monthly subscription service featuring books curated by RuPaul. Check out Allstora’s full collection of books here.

7 Fantastic Reads to Introduce to Your Book Club This Month

Fanfiction Community Rocked By Etsy Sellers Turning Their Work Into Bound Books

Several popular sellers on Etsy are selling copies of fanfiction taken from sites like Archive of Our Own (AO3) and reselling them as bound books. The average price of these bound copies is around $149, and the fanfiction community is outraged. Some authors are deleting their works from the internet altogether to prevent book binding resellers stealing them. Several are speaking out on the issue.

“[T]here is a vast mental/emotional toll to having your creative work ceaselessly exploited. Especially when it happens in a manner adjacent to a community that you consider yourself a part of,” said SenLiYu, AO3 author of Manacled.

LeVar Burton Shares Official Trailer for “Butterfly in the Sky”

This documentary chronicling the journey of the broadcasters, educators and filmmakers of PBS’s Reading Rainbow — who believed television could inspire a lifelong love of reading — premieres in select AMC theaters on March 17 and 20. Check out the trailer here.

Brandon Sanderson Strikes Deal with Audible

Last week, Brandon Sanderson reported that he recently met with Audible officials to address concerns with how authors are paid, and said that audiobooks for his four Secret Projects could soon be made available on the Amazon-owned platform. In the past, Sanderson has declined to offer his novels on Audible because of how the platform pays its authors, instead deciding to bolster healthy competition by highlighting some of the smaller Audible competitors.

Now, Sanderson says his efforts have borne some fruit; a few weeks ago, three key officers high in Audible’s structure presented for Sanderson a new royalty structure they intend to offer to independent writers and smaller publishers. “This new structure doesn’t give everything I’ve wanted, and there is still work to do, but it is encouraging,” Sanderson said. “It’s all very technical, but I have to say I’m impressed with the effort they have made. The people there listened to my complaints, and have tried to improve.”

Bono’s “Surrender” Wins Audiobook of the Year

Surrender is the story of the remarkable life of Bono — artist, activist, and the lead singer of Irish rock band U2 — the challenges he’s faced, and the friends and family who have shaped and sustained him. The audiobook, narrated by the rock star himself, has received the 2024 Audie Award’s highest honor: Audiobook of the Year.