DailyLit and Recovering the Classics

A great reading experience is a lot more than just the words on the page (or screen), the way a great dinner is so much more than just the food on the plate. While our product and design team has been hard at work on building a beautiful app for DailyLit, one of the most frustrating problems we’ve run into has been the lack of cover art for our titles. It doesn’t matter how graceful or intuitive the layout is—no one wants to see rows and rows of auto-generated covers, and there aren’t many resources for cover art for works in the public domain (like the classics you find on DailyLit).

This was more than just a problem for our app. There are few things more dispiriting for a book lover than a beautiful book with a terrible cover. A good cover is many things. It’s a work of art and design unto itself, something crafted by someone (or several someones) over many hours. It’s a sign that someone cared enough about this book to make something beautiful to go alongside it. More importantly, it’s an introduction to the book that follows, giving you a sense of what the book is about and setting the tone before you even start reading. Good cover art is one of the ways we keep classics feeling fresh and modern. That’s why it’s so important for great books to have great covers, and so sad when they don’t.

Then we came up with this crazy-sounding idea: what if we reached out to artists and designers who also love books to try and give these classics some much-deserved attention? We approached our friends at the Creative Action Network and set to work building Recovering the Classics, which just launched this month. We’re all really excited for and proud of this project—not only are we getting great, publicly available art for some of our favorite works of literature, we’re also giving talented artists great exposure and even an opportunity to earn some money for their hard work. We’ve already gotten more than a hundred and fifty submissions from dozens of amazing artists from all over the world. We’ve also been getting some great press from Huffington Post, Fast Company, and Today.com.

Right now there are a few ways to get your hands on these gorgeous covers: you can order prints of your favorite covers directly from CAN, you can download a high-quality ebook with the cover of your choice for your iPhone, iPad, or most other ereaders, or, if you just love the feel of a real book in your hands (we do!), you can also order a printed copy through our partners at the Harvard Book Store. All you have to do is click on your favorite cover and follow the links.

All best,

Justin
Managing Editor, DailyLit

We’re one of the Beast Best!

We’re thrilled to announce that DailyLit has been named one of the 82 best things on the internet by The Daily Beast. Come check out our rooster Mark (he’s that new logo you might have noticed at the top of our homepage) at his new perch, and take a look at the other Beast Best winners while you’re there. You just might find your next daily habit.

Want to celebrate? Maybe it’s time to start your next read on DailyLit.

Thanks for making us one of the best destinations for reading. And keep those suggestions coming. We’re taking each and every one into account in our website redesign.

Happy reading,

Yael and the rest of the DailyLit team

DailyLit News: Love Our New Team

Here’s the latest from DailyLit, hitting your inbox now:

DailyLit News: Love Our New Team

NOTE FROM FOUNDER

I’m thrilled to announce that DailyLit is joining forces with a brand new literary startup, Plympton, so we can together invent the future of serialized books and series. Ever since I met Plympton’s publisher, Jennifer 8. Lee, I’ve been impressed with her energy, enthusiasm and, most important, her dedication to the written word (she’s a former New York Times reporter as well as a bestselling author). Together with co-founder and editorial director, Yael Goldstein Love, she has put together an amazing team of technologists and editors who have already started work on enhancing DailyLit’s features and signing up new authors. It’s an exciting time for DailyLit.
Cheers — to loving our new team,
-Susan
Susan Danziger
Founder, DailyLit
@susandanziger, @dailylit

FROM PLYMPTON

GREETINGS FROM THE PLYMPTON TEAM

We here at Plympton couldn’t be more excited to be joining forces with DailyLit. And to be joining forces just in time for Valentine’s Day no less, a perfect time for new pairings! As Susan mentioned, we’ll be working on enhancing some features of DailyLit in the coming months, which will include giving DailyLit readers first access to the original serial fiction that comes out of our literary studio. We’ll be making every effort to leave the features you already love about DailyLit in place. Sometimes, though, what seems a trivial change to one person can be profound for another. If you ever feel that we’ve messed with something you cherish, please, please let us know!

ROMANCE IN THE DIGITAL AGE: WINKPOKE

One of the first Plympton original titles we’ll be publishing on the DailyLit site is a series of short stories about love in the digital age. “WinkPoke” is literature’s answer to The New York Times’ “Modern Love” column, with each installment a rich, fictional look at how we navigate intimate relationships in a world dominated by Facebook, FaceTime, and dining companions too obsessed with their phones to notice the growing look of despair on our collective faces. We won’t be launching this series until June, but we just couldn’t let Valentine’s Day go by without letting you know it was coming.

DAILYLIT LOVE SONNETS

No Valentine’s Day gift in mind yet? Why not surprise your beloved reader with an inbox full of sonnets. DailyLit features Sonnets from the Portugese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (”How do I love thee? Let me count the ways”) and the complete collection of the love sonnets of William Shakespeare. Just click the “Gift this Book” tab when signing up for the poems, send a personal message, and set the delivery date for February 14th.

FROM YOU

YOUR LITERARY VALENTINES

Last year at this time, we asked you which person (real or fictional) you would most want to have as a companion on Valentine’s Day. The clear winners were Mr. Darcy and your own partners. We think that’s pretty good news!

Some of you, though, have further flung yearnings.

“Browning, Byron, Yeats, Rumi, Burns, Auden, Bowie, several Begali poets – I want poetry and passion and stormy endings and memories. The quiet love and support is 50 years dependable at home,” said ynleung.
“Henry Tilney of Northanger Abbey – because I imagine he would pretend he had forgotten and then surprise me with a fantastic evening,” said Hollydy.
And Demeter wasn’t going to be forced to choose between two perfect alternatives: “Cary Grant and/or Mr. Darcy.”
It’s not too late to cast your vote.

WRITING THAT MAKES YOU SWOON

This year we want to ask you, what’s the most romantic piece of writing you’ve ever read? It doesn’t have to be a published work — could be something scrawled out on the back of an envelope just for you. Let us know your answers here. Our Editorial Director, Yael Goldstein Love, chose John Hollander’s nostalgic poem, “An Old-Fashioned Song” as her favorite, even though she’s feeling pretty lucky in love this Valentine’s Day.

An Old-Fashioned Song
by John Hollander

No more walks in the wood:
The trees have all been cut
Down, and where once they stood
Not even a wagon rut
Appears along the path
Low brush is taking over.

No more walks in the wood;
This is the aftermath
Of afternoons in the clover
Fields where we once made love
Then wandered home together
Where the trees arched above,
Where we made our own weather

When branches were the sky.
Now they are gone for good,
And you, for ill, and I
Am only a passer-by.

We and the trees and the way
Back from the fields of play
Lasted as long as we could.
No more walks in the wood.

FROM AROUND THE WEB

VALENTINE’S DAY DELIGHTS

If you have a special book lover you want to surprise this Valentine’s Day (or you want to treat yourself) here are some of our favorite finds from around the web.

This heart-shaped wreath made out of paper roses crafted from vintage book pages makes us think of Little House on the Prairie: Shabby Chic Edition.
We also love these handmade cards on Etsy. The outside is a library card in an envelope. The inside reads, “I’m checking you out.” Please do, beautiful card! Please do.
And Jane Austen fans will clamor for this T-shirt featuring her famous quote, “To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love.” Better news for some of us than others.

KICKSTARTER FINDS: THE LETTERPRESS OF THE DIGITAL AGE

The People’s e-Book project wants to do for ebooks what the photocopier did for zines — unleash the creativity of individuals with a super-simple online tool that allows anyone to make e-books quickly and for free. The campaign, which already has over 600 backers, is over on March 1. You can follow the project on Twitter at @peoples_e or online at thepeoplesebook.net.

DailyLit Joins Forces with Plympton

I’m thrilled to announce that DailyLit, the oldest publisher/distributor of serialized books and series is joining forces with Plympton, a start-up that specializes in creating original series and cutting-edge technology for digital reading. Plympton’s cofounder, Jennifer 8. Lee, will take the helm as of today, and I will happily become an advisor and investor, together with my husband, Albert Wenger.

I’ve been impressed with Jenny ever since I met her a year or so ago. Her energy, enthusiasm, and love of writing (she’s a former New York Times reporter as well as a published bestselling author), convinced me that DailyLit would be in great hands under her stewardship. Together with her co-founder and editorial director Yael Goldstein Love, she’s formed a terrific team to develop original series and cutting edge technology that should thrill publishers, literary agencies, authors and readers. You can read more about their plans here on Plympton’s blog.

I hope you’re as excited as I am to see where DailyLit can go from here.

—-
DailyLit is the leading publisher/distributor of serialized books in digital form. Selected to be the #1 Book Website by the Sunday Times, DailyLit has sent over 50 million book installments. DailyLit’s books and series are all free and feature bestselling and award-winning titles. Installments can be read in fewer than 5 minutes and can be read wherever you receive email, including on any computer, Blackberry, or iPhone.

DailyLit News: Weathering the Storm

  • Note from the Founder
  • Twitter Fiction Festival
  • Make Your eReader look like The Great Gatsby
  • Bookriot’s Guide to Amazing Authors 
  • Tappable Stories
  • 10 Must-Reads
  • Libraries to the Rescue

    • Note from the Founder

    “No pen could describe it, nor tongue express it, nor thought conceive it unless by one in the extremity of it.” — Daniel Defoe’s description of a hurricane in 1704
    We live just a few blocks from where the banks of the Hudson River overflowed during Hurricane Sandy.  My family and I were lucky to have survived the hurricane relatively unscathed (OK a few too many card games of Spit and Texas hold ‘em by candlelight but otherwise fine). Others were not as lucky.  Some lost their homes, their schools, and worse, their lives. Many around New York are still without power and in need of supplies.  I’m asking the DailyLit community to join me in donating to the relief efforts; here’s where you can help.

    Cheers, to weathering the storm!

    -Susan

    Susan Danziger
    Founder and CEO, DailyLit
    sdanziger[at]dailylit[dot]com
    Twitter: @susandanziger, @dailylit

    Twitter Fiction Festival

    Remember DailyLit’s Twitter Tales challenge to write a tweet-length story? Now Twitter is officially going big with fiction. The Twitter Fiction Festival lets writers experiment with Twitter in some creative storytelling over a 5 day period. You’ll need to apply to participate; the deadline is this week (Nov. 15th). But don’t worry, we’d still love to see the fruits of your tweets here in DailyLit’s forum.

     

    Make Your eReader look like The Great Gatsby

    We love this Kickstarter project that brings iconic book jackets as hard covers for your e-readers. Check out the stunning e-reader covers of: The Great Gatsby, The Invisible Man, Clockwork Orange, The Wizard of Oz and Moby Dick. They may even inspire you to read a classic book on DailyLit .

    BookRiot’s Guide to AMAZING authors

    Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the amount of great literature there is to tackle? Well, Bookriot may be coming to your rescue. The literary site did a Kickstarter project called START HERE: Read Your Way to 25 Amazing authors. Each section presents an author, explains why you might want to try him/her, and lays out a three or four book reading sequence. Folks have already submitted guides to Herman Melville’s lesser known works as well as a flowchart for William Faulkner’s writing.

    Tappable Stories

    Recently we were introduced to a new way to write “tappable stories” on your iPhone or iPad. Tapestry.is launched  earlier this month. The experience feels a bit like putting together a PowerPoint. After you create your story, you get a URL which you can send or tweet to others so your piece can be inserted right into their version of the Tapestry app.

    10 Must-Reads

  • DailyLit is compiling a list of 10 Must-Read Classic Books for every educated person. What’s on your list? One reader suggested The Count of Monte Cristo and The Bible. And I’ll be adding Pride and Prejudice and A Room with a View. Which are your Must-Reads? Make your suggestions here.

    Libraries to the Rescue

    Public libraries around New York came to the rescue during Hurricane Sandy. They provided warmth, light, Internet and charging stations — a new twist on the value of public libraries. And Scholastic just announced it would donate 1 million books to schools and libraries affected by the storm. We’ve heard amazing stories of generosity and gratitude. In DailyLit’s forums we’re collecting your own stories from the Hurricane. You can share them here.

    I hope you’ll join us here at DailyLit and elsewhere in helping victims of the hurricane. You can donate to the Fund for Hurricane Relief or give needed help and supplies to organizations listed here.

    • .

    DailyLit News: The Road Less Traveled

    Here’s our latest newsletter:

    CONTENTS

    NOTE FROM THE FOUNDER

    Looking back over the past few months, I realize I’ve taken (in the words of Robert Frost) the road less traveled. We moved to New York City from the suburbs (not a traditional route); pulled our kids out of school to have them homeschooled (and no, not by me); and just returned from traveling through remote parts of China where at times we were the only Westerners in sight. I’ve begun to truly appreciate the road less traveled. In fact, this month I’ve worked with The Nature Conservancy to launch a series of photographs that highlight wonders of nature from all corners of the world — even roads not taken.
    Cheers, to roads less traveled!
    -Susan

    Susan Danziger
    Founder and CEO, DailyLit
    sdanziger@dailylit.com
    Twitter: @susandanziger, @dailylit

    NATURAL LIGHT

    I’ve wanted to create a series of simple, inspiring photographs for a long time. No reading necessary — just beautiful images that appear in your inbox. And thanks to The Nature Conservancy, that’s what Natural Light is — a series of images of birds and butterflies, forests and meadows, seashores and mountaintops — virtual breaths of fresh air for your inbox.

    UPGRADING OUR SERVICE

    Since we recently upgraded DailyLit to new servers, certain readers have had issues with how their email installments have rendered. If that’s still an issue for you (or if you have other issues), please let me know at support@dailylit.com. In the meantime, you can make your installments easier to read by following instructions here.

    THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

    Why not impress your friends at your 4th of July BBQ by actually having read The Declaration of Independence? It’s part of “America’s Greatest Hits: Inspirational Reads that Define a Nation” that also includes The Gettysburg Address and JFK’s Inaugural Address.

    CREATIVE PLAY

    Have fun with these recent Questions of the Week:
    -Make up your own first lines of novels to see if you can come up with the most realistic sounding beginnings. Check out opening lines from others and include your own here.
    -If you could have your portrait painted by any artist (past or present), who would it be? Include your artist here.

    ROAD NOT TAKEN

    Here are some words to live by from Robert Frost’s “Road Not Taken”:
    TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
    And sorry I could not travel both
    And be one traveler, long I stood
    And looked down one as far as I could
    To where it bent in the undergrowth;

    Then took the other, as just as fair,
    And having perhaps the better claim,
    Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
    Though as for that the passing there
    Had worn them really about the same,

    And both that morning equally lay
    In leaves no step had trodden black.
    Oh, I kept the first for another day!
    Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
    I doubted if I should ever come back.

    I shall be telling this with a sigh
    Somewhere ages and ages hence:
    Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
    I took the one less traveled by,
    And that has made all the difference.
    —-
    You can find other poems by Robert Frost here on DailyLit.

    Off to the London Book Fair…

    I’m off shortly to the London Book Fair.  I hope to have easy internet and email access but just in case, for the next week or so there may be a slight delay in answering DailyLit support questions or other inquiries.

    If you happen to be at the London Book Fair, I hope you’ll come see The Great Debate I’m organizing through The Publishing Point.  The proposition being debated is: “In the fight for surval, outsiders and start-ups are taking on today’s heavyweight publishers and will ultimately deliver a knock-out punch.”

    It’ll be a formal Oxford style debate (we’ll be in England after all!) and will feature as debaters Allen Lau of Wattpad; Bob Young of Lulu;  Evan Schnittman of Bloomsbury; and Fionnuala Duggan of CourseSmart.  It should be great fun as audience members will vote to determine the outcome of the debate. You can sign up for the debate here (although you can just show up as well).  There’s no charge to attend the debate, but there is, I believe, a fee to register for the book fair itself. Thanks to our sponsors, Bowker Identifer Services and Copyright Clearance Center, we’ll be videotaping the debate for all to see.

    And if you are there, I hope you’ll stop by to say hello.

    DailyLit Rolls Out Solution to Resolve E-Mail Formatting Issues

    We’ve rolled out a solution that should resolve email formatting issues resulting from our recent migration to a new server.

    Please let us know if you are still having any issues.  Thanks!

    -Susan Danziger, Founder, DailyLit

    @susandanziger, @dailylit

    sdanziger[at]dailylit[dot]com

    DailyLit is Working to Resolve E-Mail Format Issues

    Since we recently upgraded DailyLit’s server, it seems as though certain readers are experiencing issues with the format  of emails delivered.  As a temporary measure, if you are having such a problem, we suggest you change the format to “plain text Unicode” found under “Your Settings” once you sign in.  Just look in “Manage the books you’re reading”, find the book you’re reading, and adjust your setting under “More”.   That should help, at least until we are able to resolve this issue.

    In the meantime, to help us quickly resolve this issue, if you are experiencing any issues, please let us know on which platform — and on which device — you receive emails.

    Thanks in advance for your patience.

    -Susan Danziger, Founder, DailyLit

    @susandanziger, @dailylit

    sdanziger[at]dailylit[dot]com

    Moving to Spanking New Machines

    In the next couple of weeks DailyLit will be transitioning to a new hosting facility with brand new machines.   As such, we will need to have a bit of down time to make that transition possible.   I’ll keep you posted regarding the exact timing.

    Following that transition there may be some deliverability issues so please make sure you check your spam folder so you don’t miss any installments.   I hope you’re not inconvenienced too much.

    —-

    DailyLit is the leading publisher of serialized books in digital form. Selected to be the #1 Book Website by the Sunday Times, DailyLit has sent over 47 million book installments. DailyLit’s books and series are all free and feature bestselling and award-winning titles. Installments can be read in fewer than 5 minutes and can be read wherever you receive email, including on any computer, Blackberry, or iPhone.

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