Culture & entertainment
Discover facts about culture & entertainment. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Culture & entertainment
Self published writers buy expensive barcodes to operate
A private agency is the sole U.S. source for ISBNs, which independent authors can buy to help retailers list and distribute their books. The numbers can be…
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Why publishers release hardcovers first
Hardcovers come first so publishers can charge eager readers more before releasing a cheaper paperback, often about a year later. It's a pricing strategy, not…
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Crossword creators are paid surprisingly little
Syndicates often pay constructors a one-time flat fee, even when a puzzle appears in hundreds of papers. The person who made your morning coffee break more…
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Why American crossword grids are symmetrical
Editors require many American crossword grids to use rotational symmetry: turn the grid upside down, and the pattern of black and white squares stays the…
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Some literary awards make money from hopeful writers
Some obscure awards charge authors steep reading fees just to consider their books, turning the promise of recognition into a business.
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The publishing clause that makes authors pay for plagiarism
An indemnification clause can make an author responsible for the publisher’s legal costs if the author’s work leads to a plagiarism lawsuit.
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Why magazines lose money on subscriptions
The low subscription price helps build a large readership, which magazines can use to sell expensive full-page ads to luxury brands. Postage alone can nearly…
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Why book spines point opposite ways across the Atlantic
In the U.S., spine text typically runs top to bottom; in much of Europe, it runs bottom to top. That difference can make browsing an international book…
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Why cookbook recipes aren't always tested
Publishers rarely pay independent kitchens to test every recipe, so unless the author does that work, some measurements may be guesses. That burnt cake might…
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Mainstream self help books recycle the same basic concepts
A simple idea like waking up early can be expanded into a full-length self-help book with anecdotes and other material.
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Why famous authors praise books they barely know
Publishers and agents often trade blurbs among their clients, so a glowing endorsement may reflect professional reciprocity rather than a book the author…
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A celebrity's name on a book may not identify its writer
A ghostwriter can turn interviews, recordings, notes, or an outline into a finished manuscript. The celebrity supplies experiences or ideas; the collaborator…
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Why the same face appears on so many romance covers
Publishers reuse a small roster of trusted models, so the same rugged face can appear as a Scottish Highlander, a modern billionaire, and a space pirate.
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A fantasy prologue can ask for attention before giving you a character
A page of ancient wars and unfamiliar names demands memory before the reader knows whom to care about. Starting with a person facing a problem supplies a…
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Literary fiction is not the opposite of an imaginary world
The label usually emphasizes qualities such as language, character and thematic ambition rather than a single plot formula. A book can explore those things…
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Why magazines keep the same cover font for decades
A familiar masthead helps shoppers recognize a magazine at a glance on a crowded newsstand. Some publications have kept custom fonts for decades.
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Tom Cruise divorced all three wives at 33
The three were Mimi Rogers, Nicole Kidman, and Katie Holmes; the proposed link to Scientology numerology is speculation.
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Klingon began as grunts and became a real language
James Doohan improvised the original throat sounds in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. For Star Trek III, producers hired linguist Marc Okrand to turn them into…
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The Bond clause that banned Brosnan from wearing tuxedos
Brosnan’s 1995–2002 contract barred him from wearing a tuxedo in other movies. For The Thomas Crown Affair, he wore his collar open and bow tie undone at a…
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Marvel once trademarked the word zombie
Marvel’s trademark covered “zombie” in comic-book titles, not the word itself. The company held it from 1973 until it lapsed in 1996.
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Bagpipes require squeezing an air sack
The player squeezes a large sack under one arm to keep air flowing steadily over the reeds—like supplying the instrument with its own set of lungs.
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Kalimba involves plucking tiny metal tines
Plucking the tines with your thumbs makes them vibrate over a wooden block, producing a soothing, music-box-like chime.
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The instrument played with wet fingers
Its glass bowls spin on a spindle; pressing moistened fingers against their rims produces an eerie, resonant sound.
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Sleight of hand conceals items in the palm
A magician holds the coin against the fleshy curve of the palm while keeping the fingers relaxed. The hand looks empty because the hidden coin never changes…
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