Amazon Publishing Announces the Launch of “Icons”

[Jessica Lares]

Amazon teams up with authors to bring a series of short biographies under the brand "Icons" to its library. Released on a bi-monthly basis, the first is set to be "Jesus" by Jay Parini and will be available in December.

http://www.pubexec.com/article/amazo...-launch-icons/

"In a time when our fascination with the private aspects of public lives is so intense, it's not surprising that biography has become one of the most prominent forms of narrative nonfiction," said James Atlas. "Yet reading habits have changed dramatically in the digital age and I am excited to bring these short biographies to the Kindle platform."

The first ten books in the series are Jesus by Jay Parini, Stalin by Paul Johnson, Lucian Freud by Phoebe Hoban, J.D. Salinger by Thomas Beller, Poe by Paul Collins, Van Gogh by Julian Bell, Hemingway by Mark Kurlansky, David Lynch by Dennis Lim, Hannah Arendt by Anne Heller, and Hitchcock by Michael Wood.

"It seems appropriate to launch a series of short, thought-provoking biographies with a figure who has dominated our collective imagination and cultural iconography for over twenty centuries," said Jay Parini, author of Jesus. "This first book in the series will consider Jesus as the human face of god and dramatize the transformation from man to myth."

"We are thrilled to collaborate with James Atlas doing what he does best, and excited about the amazing authors that he's brought on board," said Ed Park.

image: The Last Judgement (cropped), Michelangelo

[Xanthe]

This could turn out either to be really interesting or else the sh*t could really hit the fan, especially with Jesus and Stalin being in the first group of people profiled.

My first reaction, though, was "That's what we have Wikipedia for".

[doctorow]

Originally Posted by Xanthe

This could turn out either to be really interesting or else the sh*t could really hit the fan, especially with Jesus and Stalin being in the first group of people profiled.

My thoughts!

[Catlady]

Not sure I see the point, or the potential market. Wonder what the price is.

[Mike L]

Well, if there's a market for this kind, I suppose it will be worthwhile.

But personally, I prefer to read biographies that are in-depth, and which are written by noted authorities on the subject. If I just want a factual overview of someone's life, I would read the Wikipedia article.

Mike

[ShellShock]

"It seems appropriate to launch a series of short, thought-provoking biographies with a figure who has dominated our collective imagination and cultural iconography for over twenty centuries," said Jay Parini, author of Jesus. "This first book in the series will consider Jesus as the human face of god and dramatize the transformation from man to myth."

Probably not one for atheists then. That sentence is a bit contradictory - is Jesus the human face of God, is that just a myth?

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by ShellShock

"It seems appropriate to launch a series of short, thought-provoking biographies with a figure who has dominated our collective imagination and cultural iconography for over twenty centuries," said Jay Parini, author of Jesus. "This first book in the series will consider Jesus as the human face of god and dramatize the transformation from man to myth."

Probably not one for atheists then. That sentence is a bit contradictory - is Jesus the human face of God, is that just a myth?

Whatever your religious leanings, there was a historical figure named Jesus of Nazareth around whom a very broad range of myths have sprung up. Some are religious canon to some, others are generally considered myth by most if not all.
(The DaVinci code, for one. )

As to the value of the line of bios itself, a lot will depend on the quality of scholarship they embody, the target audience, and the typical length. Comprehensive bios can run hundreds and thousand of pages so these "short" bios could end up being novella-length or bigger.

[tubemonkey]

Short biographies = Wikipedia

[Jessica Lares]

See, I would buy them. Wikipedia is not allowed as a source by most professors, so this would easily be your next bet without having to read a 500-page book if they really are brief. Would be nice if they were less than $10.

[HappyMartin]

They could be beautifully written from a fresh perspective. That would have to be better than reading a wiki entry.

It's about the writing surely.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by HappyMartin

They could be beautifully written from a fresh perspective. That would have to be better than reading a wiki entry.

It's about the writing surely.

Quality sells.
I'd wait for the first few releases before writing them off.

[xg4bx]

I'd actually be interested in the Stalin one, he seems like he would have an interesting biography....albeit he is probably the most evil man who ever lived.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by xg4bx

I'd actually be interested in the Stalin one, he seems like he would have an interesting biography....albeit he is probably the most evil man who ever lived.

On the short list.
But it is a strongly contested title with a lot of candidates.

[Grace Elliot]

My mind went off on a completely different tangent. I was thinking of a different sort of 'icon' altogether and perplexed how biographies fitted in!
Oh dear, time for a reality check...and mine has gone missing.

[speakingtohe]

When I was young my grandparents had literally 100's of Readers Digest books, each of which contained several books in condensed form.

I was a bit disappointed when I found out that condensed meant I was not getting the whole book, but up to the time I enjoyed them. I was pretty around thirteen when I read a book the I had previously read in Readers Digest book and I found it a lot better.

Still many people liked the Readers Digest books because they were condensed.

Even today, I might go for the smaller Bio after Wikipedia, and then get something more in depth if I was still interested. An example would be Rex Stout who kind of fascinates me from reading short book inserts, but I am not interested enough to pay $110 for a biography. And stupid of me I know, because even if I bought a second hand copy for under $5.00 a $110 book intimidates me. (perhaps I should look for a library copy

Helen