On Monday, November 16 join GalleyCat writers and readers for a drink and a chance to win a free ticket to the eBook Summit. The party runs from 6:30 until 8:30, moving this virtual conversation about publishing into the real world.

Click here to RSVP for a spot at the party at NYC's Bubble Lounge. At the event, education director Carmen Scheidel and GalleyCat editor Jason Boog will join writers, editors, agents, journalists, and other publishing types--sharing a drink and pondering the future of this crazy profession.

Here's more from the release: "From eReaders and publishing on demand to new business models for publishers and booksellers, our event will explore the technology that is driving change in the industry. eBook Summit will take place December 15-16, 2009 at New World Stages in New York City. Admission to Monday's Preview Event is complimentary, but RSVPs are required. Feel free to invite colleagues and friends. We'll also be raffling off a ticket to the December Summit, so be sure to bring some business cards."

As the afternoon sun sets, much too soon, here are a few publishing links to play with...

Daily Finance analyzes a a $20 million breach-of-contract lawsuit filed against Houghton Mifflin Harcourt by Cengage over textbook sales.

NY Daily News excerpted Sarah Palin's taped interview with Oprah Winfrey, an interview that will open her book tour next week: "We don't have to keep going down this road of controversy and drama all the time," she said, when asked about Levi Johnston's frayed relationship with her family.

Worried about publishers printing unfinished copies of Vladimir Nabokov's last novel? Flavorpill reminds us of a rich history of unfinished literary works.

MobyLives notes that the man who invented the AK-47 assault rifle really wanted to be a poet.

That's the heavy metal-driven trailer for Clash of the Titans, a 2010 remake of a movie that rocked this GalleyCat editor's world in 1981--both films were adapted from the literary adventures of the Greek hero, Perseus.

Suvudu rejected the film: "I know so many original screenplays not getting the treatment they deserve. These are new, original stories, books and screenplays that are quality, that are being pushed aside so movie studio executives feel a bit safer in their job."

GalleyCat picked this adaptation for our first Book It or Blow It feature--testing passionate GalleyCat readers' opinions about upcoming cinematic literary adaptations. Add your thoughts in the comments: did they book it or blow it?

After a nine month tour of 90 cities in 40 different states, the Bible Across America project has produced two handwritten copies of the Bible--individual verses copied by more than 30,000 people.

One handwritten copy of book-2,200 11 x 17 pages--is being auctioned on eBay to benefit Biblica. As of this writing, the current bid was $305, still a bargain for this massive document.

GalleyCat caught up with Tara Powers from Lambert, Edwards & Associates, who helped coordinate the event for Zondervan. We set up at certain spots around the country," she explained. "Christian stores, Christian colleges, and Christian events. We'd set up 4 tables at every event. It was a very long process--taking about six to ten hours at each stop. The biggest stop we had was 800 people in one day--that was at Liberty University in Virginia."

Powers recalled how one man flew from Baltimore to help his son sign the Bible in California. The time commitment varied: "Some people had the verse, "Jesus wept," but other people had longer verses. It didn't take anybody longer than five minutes," Powers concluded. There have been discussions about a Bible Around the World project, but no plans have been made yet. (Via Edward Champion)

Aspiring writers require many tools, but a list of available agents is one of the most valuable gifts any fledgling author can receive. With that in mind, here's a birthday present for all the aspiring writers in the audience.

According to Writer's Digest, there are 1,300 practicing literary agents in the United States, making it a daunting task for any writer to connect with the right representation at the right time. To help writers out, the magazine published a list of "24 Agents Who Want Your Work."

Here are pitching guidelines from Kate McKean at Howard Morhaim Literary Agency (who recently sold "How to Take Over Teh Wurld" by icanhascheezburger), taken from the informative list: "NONFICTION INTERESTS: narrative nonfiction, sports-related books, food writing, pop culture and craft. FICTION INTERESTS: literary fiction, contemporary women's fiction, paranormal romance, romantic suspense, urban fantasy, mystery, YA and middle-grade fiction. DOES NOT WANT: epic fantasy, sci-fi or children's picture books. HOW TO CONTACT: Agent prefers e-mail queries, and generally responds in six to eight weeks. Send a query letter and three sample chapters."

While working on a book about Liberia, one journalist discovered a way to connect Liberian communities online--turning her print project into a full-time multimedia vocation.

Today's guest on the Morning Media Menu was Ruthie Ackerman, founder of the hyperlocal website, Ceasefire Liberia. Through a variety of multimedia projects, Ackerman's site connects Liberian immigrants with Liberian communities in Africa--using social media to share news, poems, essays, and pictures between separated communities. The writer shared advice about building hyperlocal sites with other communities.

Here's an excerpt from the interview: "I started writing a book about Liberia...I had gone there to see what was going on with youth there, especially the ones that had went through the war there. I had heard they were slipping through the cracks ... Then I realized that one of the biggest Liberian communities was right here in New York City--which is where I live--on Staten Island."

The new literary journal One Good Read will publish individual issues online and through print-on-demand, with a unique social networking component: all submissions will be posted in the journal's community space at Fictionaut.

The journal is edited by Chris Kubica and will pay contributors, but, as he writes: "How much...not sure yet. Some $ and printed copies." According to the site, each issue will rotate around a single theme and all submissions should play with the idea. In an interesting twist, the journal has pre-prescribed table of contents.

Check it out: "In addition, each issue will have only ONE of each of the following types of creative works: One tweet, One poem, One list, One short story, One one-act play, One essay/creative non-fiction, One cartoon/comic strip, One photograph, One drawing/painting, One news story/editorial."

Yesterday TVNewser reporter Kevin Allocca broke the news that Lou Dobbs, the author of "War on the Middle Class" and "Independents Day: Awakening the American Spirit" will be leaving his nightly news program.

Here's more from TVNewser: "TVNewser has heard from multiple sources that Lou Dobbs will announce he is leaving CNN on his program tonight at 7pmET. A CNN spokesperson could not confirm nor deny that Dobbs would make an announcement about his future at CNN or that he will be leaving the network."

UPDATE: TVNewser's post has added a statement from CNN's Jon Klein: "Lou has now decided to carry the banner of advocacy journalism elsewhere."

UPDATE: TVNewser's post has added a statement from Dobbs' farewell address: "Over the past six months it's become increasingly clear that strong winds of change have begun buffeting this country and affecting all of us, and some leaders in media, politics, and business have been urging me to go beyond the role at CNN and to engage in constructive problem solving as well as to contribute positively to the great understanding of the issues of our day."

Dobbs joined CNN in 1980, and is the host of the popular program, Lou Dobbs Tonight. Update: the NY Times has confirmed with a CNN executive that Dobbs will resign.

The Featured Book of the Day is The Trouble with HR: An Insider's Guide to Finding and Keeping the Best People written by Johnny C. Taylor and Gary M. Stern. This book outlines the problems within the business industry's HR departments. Unneeded are the scrambling managers, trying to fill a position within the company. What is needed? An HR department that can find stellar employees.

In order to do this, Taylor and Stern provide step-by-step instructions for all companies, small or large. The book teaches how to gain an effective talent acquisition strategy, select potential leaders and make a program to continue to educate them, and how to keep the people within the company happy. The authors show to to take your HR department and make them into educated leaders and business managers.

Johnny C. Taylor has served as chairman for the Society for Human Resource Management and has held senior-level positions within HR in many high profile companies. Gary M. Stern has written for Investor's Business Daily and The Wall Street Journal.

Today Little, Brown Books for Young Readers announced that they will publish a mysterious new series by novelist Lemony Snicket (pictured), the pseudonymous author's first new series since the blockbuster "A Series of Unfortunate Events" books. The series will feature four hardcover titles, and the first book will appear in 2012.

Snicket is the pen name for Daniel Handler, who will also be publishing a young adult novel under his own name with Little, Brown. It will be illustrated by Maira Kalman, and is set for 2011 release. Handler followed his editor, Susan Rich, from HarperCollins. She now serves as editor-at-large at Little, Brown.

Publisher Megan Tingley played along with the joke in a statement: "We are proud to be joining forces with this literary genius along with the talented Mr. Handler, Ms. Kalman, and Ms. Rich. While I wish I could tell you more, I'm afraid I have been sworn to secrecy, but trust me: These will be highly inventive and entertaining works that will enthrall Lemony Snicket's legions of fans as well as firmly establish Mr. Handler as a force to be reckoned with in the world of young adult literature."

Building Twitter lists is like tumbling down a Lewis Carroll rabbit hole: bumpy, seemingly bottomless, but ultimately, enlightening.

In an ongoing effort to make the GalleyCat Twitter feed more user friendly, we are building a few fancy new Twitter lists that will break the hundreds of publishing posts we read every day into curated, easy reading collections. The archiving process is taking longer than we anticipated, but here are the first lists. They are not comprehensive, but they will be--with your help. Send @GalleyCat a message to add your favorite feed to the appropriate list.

For a look at publishing's future, check out the Best Digital Book Twitter Feeds. For a look at publishing's socially-networked present, check out the Best Publisher Twitter Feeds. For an inside look at book deals, check out the Best Agent Twitter Feeds. Finally, check out the collected Twitter wisdom of the speakers at the upcoming mediabistro.com eBook Summit.

Tune in tomorrow for the Best Book Publicity Feeds, the Best Writing Advice Twitter Feeds, the Best Publishing News Twitter Feeds, and the Best Author Twitter Feeds.

As reports of editors at publishing houses being laid off continues there is another group of professionals that are being affected by this predicament, authors and the agents that represent them. More specifically, these are authors whose books are 'orphaned' or as Liz Scheier, former senior editor with Ballantine defines as "a book that is bought by an editor who leaves that publishing house before the book goes on sale."

One of the results of such an occurrence is with the original champion of the book gone, sometimes the book tanks faster than a submarine. Could the book have tanked otherwise? Perhaps but often times the "orphaned book syndrome" is given the blame.

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