Want to review the latest digital book you purchased from Google Play? You’ll need a Google+ account.

Would this affect your online book reviewing? AppNewser has all the details:

Google is integrating user reviews on digital media sold in the Play store with its social network Google+. So if you want to give your opinion on Angry Birds, the new Lil Wayne album, or Michael McConnelly’s new novel,  you’ll have to do so publicly.

When you add a review to the Google Play store, a pop up box explains, “From now on, reviews you write will be posted publicly using your Google+ name and picture. Your name on previous reviews will appear as ‘A Google User.’”

The American Library Association released an E-Book Media and Communications Toolkit, helping libraries campaign for digital book access.

The package includes statistics, graphics, reporter contact advice, sample public service announcement scripts, and templates for writing op-eds and letters to the editor. We’ve included the op-ed template below–do you think these letters can help librarians take their cause to the public? Here’s more about the template:

This op-ed (stands for “opposite the editorial page”) template is intended to raise awareness that your library offers e-books, but also faces roadblocks to this service. If e-books are new or underutilized in your community, this may be a good choice for you. We have included places to customize this text to your community, but you should change the draft headline or other text to meet your needs and local media guidelines for length. Op-eds provide a place in newspapers, some magazines, and some television and radio commentaries, for readers, listeners and viewers to express their views. A good strategy is to be timely and present local evidence to make your point.

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As we near the nail-biting conclusion of National Novel Writing Month, we have some simple advice for all the undoubtedly frazzled writers in the marathon: have a drink. This GalleyCat editor created a variation on The Thin Man martini this summer–try our recipe at this link.

If you want more cocktail options, Studio 360 hosted a Fuzzy Novel competition this summer, collecting more than 100 cocktails mixed by listeners and named after famous books.

Brett Elms won the contest with the The Age of Innocence cocktail and Susan Steinway was the runner-up with the My Antonia. Bartender, poet and author Rosie Schaap mixed the winning drink in the video embedded above. Follow this link to listen to the whole episode.

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First Book has partnered with Houghton Mifflin Harcout Children’s Publishing Division (HMH Kids) to run a social media-based book donation campaign.

The contest was inspired by Chris Van Allburg‘s Caldecott Medal-winning picture book, The Polar Express. Every time a new user clicks “like” on the HMH Kids’ Polar Express-themed Facebook page, the company will donate one book to First Book (until December 25th). The publisher has agreed to give away up to 25,000 books to the literacy nonprofit.

Here’s more from the release: “The HMH Kids Facebook page features a link to a ‘Polar Express Countdown to Christmas’ online calendar, where families can find a holiday activity for each day, December 1–25, including shareable Polar Express e-cards, recipes for seasonal treats including Polar Chocolate Nougat Caramel Squares, reindeer craft instructions, online games and mazes, and much more. They are encouraged to share holiday playlists and photographs of children reading The Polar Express on the Facebook page.”

Vietnam War veteran Tim O’Brien has won the 2012 Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award. This $10,000 honorarium is awarded by the organizers behind the Dayton Literary Peace Prize.

During the ceremony, the National Book Award-winning novelist fought back tears as he accepted his award. Follow this link to view a video with O’Brien’s full speech. Last year, The Poisonwood Bible author Barbara Kingsolver won this prize.

Here’s more from the release: “‘The Dayton Literary Peace Prize promotes  the cause of peace by helping people understand the ugly realities of war on a deep, personal level, which is exactly what I strive to do in my work,’ said O’Brien. ‘It is a great, great honor to have been chosen as a recipient of the Richard C. Holbrooke Award. Over what has been a long career, this award means more to me than any other — by far.’”

Actress and producer Salma Hayek has optioned The Boy Kings of Texas, a memoir by Domingo Martinez.

The book was a finalist for the National Book Award for nonfiction this year. Hayek acquired the rights for her production company, Ventanarosa. The deal was negotiated by Bruce Vinokur of CAA and Alice Martell of The Martell Agency. Here’s more about the book, from the release:

Plucked from obscurity from a pile of unsolicited manuscripts, THE BOY KINGS OF TEXAS [is] first-time author Martinez’s coming-of-age story about the traumas and pleasures of growing up in Brownsville, Texas, in the 1980s … In telling his story, Martinez provides a real glimpse into a society where children are traded like commerce, physical altercations routinely solve problems, drugs are rampant, sex is often crude, and people depend on the family witch doctor for advice.

Natasha Anders continues to rise up our Self-Published Bestsellers List this week with The Unwanted Wife.

Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this post included a Kindle Single, but Carina Press executive editor Angela James and Publishers Marketplace news editor Sarah Weinman both pointed out that Kindle Singles are edited and published by Amazon. We will not include these titles on our list in the future.

To help GalleyCat readers discover self-published authors, we have compiled lists of the top eBooks in three major marketplaces for self-published digital books: Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.

We update these lists every week, tracking how writers perform inside these booming marketplaces. You can read all the lists below, complete with links to each book. If you are an author, check out our Free Sites to Promote Your eBook post and our How To Sell Your Self-Published Book in Bookstores post and our How to Pitch Your Book to Online Outlets post.

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Baseball legend Nolan Ryan will publish The Nolan Ryan Beef Cookbook with Little, Brown in 2014.

Besides holding the Guinness World Record for the fastest baseball ever thrown, the pitcher is also a rancher and cook. David Vigliano and Anthony Mattero from Vigliano Associates negotiated the deal with executive editor Michael Sand. Here’s more from the release:

But ever since he bought his first heifer at the tender age of ten, ranching has been close to Nolan Ryan’s heart.  Ryan was one of the first baseball players to sign a contract worth $1 million.  He invested his earnings in a ranch.  While still pitching for the Texas Rangers he was asked to run for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture, and during this period in his career, he started to compile his favorite beef recipes.  Ryan served on the Board of Directors of the Beefmaster Association, and while there started his own eponymous brand, Nolan Ryan’s All Natural Beef, to increase consumer awareness of the brand.

Is your National Novel Writing Month plot stuck? Maybe you need to add an anti-hero.

V from V for Vendetta, Lisbeth Salander from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Severus Snape from the Harry Potter series, Guy Montag from  Fahrenheit 451 and The Punisher. What do all these characters have in common? They aren’t villains; they’re anti-heroes.

Above, we’ve embedded a TED-Ed video about anti-heroes, narrated by educator Tim Adams. Below, we’ve rounded up tips for creating an anti-hero.

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Here are some literary events to jump-start your week. To get your event posted on our calendar, visit our Facebook Your Literary Event page. Please post your event at least one week prior to its date.

John D. Luerssen will be signing copies of his new book, Bruce Springsteen FAQ. See him on Saturday, December 1st at The Town Book Store starting 2 p.m. (Westfield, NJ)

Red Hen Press will host an evening with its authors at the Boston Court Performing Arts Center. Check it out on Tuesday, November 27th starting 7 p.m. (Pasadena, CA)

Schuler’s Book Store will have a Storytelling Celebration with 2nd Story and the Lansing Storytellers. Join them on Thursday, November 29th starting 7 p.m. (Grand Rapids, MN)