Gregory Maguire, author of 'Wicked,' does a good deed

Gregory Maguire, author of seven books for adults and five for young readers, is probably best known for "Wicked," his retelling of "The Wizard of Oz" from the witch's point of view.

But creating stories that explore the nature of evil, or what we perceive as evil, hasn't made him bad. In fact, he's done something very good with his new book, "The Next Queen of Heaven." A comic novel set in upstate New York in late 1999, the book features a teen girl as troublesome as they come; her devout mother, who, after a bump on the head from a religious statue, either begins speaking in her own profane code or in tongues; a local semi-out choirmaster; and a surprising nun. Maguire moves easily in and out of even minor characters, so the town comes alive in many dimensions, most of them funny and slightly bonkers.

Did I mention that "The Next Queen of Heaven" is free?

That's the good part. Maguire has chosen to publish the book with the Concord Free Press, which will distribute all 2,500 copies of the novel, for free, to anyone who asks. They ask two things in return:

• That you make a donation to charity and tell them what it was.
• That you pass on the book and ask the next reader to do the same.

So far, more than $97,000 has been donated through the distribution of its books -- Maguire's, which has been out for just a couple of weeks, is the publishing house's third.

"I admire that the books as well as the publishing model raise questions about art's inherent value and the commodification of content," Maguire says in the book's press materials. "I like knowing that this book is out in the world, helping generate donations for great causes."

It's not Maguire's first good deed -- he founded a children's literacy nonprofit in New England way back in 1987.

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Photo: Gregory Maguire. Credit: Chitose Suzuki / Associated Press

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An unusual publishing venture: take the book, then give

In the beginning, there was a book: "Give and Take" by Massachusetts-based author Stona Fitch. "Give and Take" was orphaned at a publishing house when its editor departed, and it didn't find a new home. Fitch just wasn't sure what to do with it. So he decided to give it away.

But there's a catch: He gives you the book for free and asks that you give money to charity.

Fitch has founded the nonprofit publishing house Concord Free Press which operates on this unusual Robin Hood-style publishing model. The press gives away its books, and its readers give away money. Readers, who get the books by requesting them from the website or at bookstores (now, mostly, in New England), are asked to note their donations on the company's website; using its GivingTracker, they can log in the exact numbered edition of their book, how much they gave and to whom.

Nonprofits large and small have received donations, including Amnesty International, the SPCA, Lupus UK, the Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland, the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center and Seeds of Peace. One man "gave away 9£ on the streets of Edinburgh"; another handed "$60 to Billy, a homeless person." It's all kind of wonderful and heartwarming, if not entirely sustainable.

So far, its website says, it's generated 300% of its startup costs -- but all that money has gone elsewhere. To maintain enough income to produce the two books a year it plans to publish, Concord Free Press will have to rely on more than T-shirt sales -- meaning, most likely, that it'll need some donations itself.

All of this would be pretty meaningless if the book wasn't worth reading. But it is. This isn't a review of "Give and Take" -- I've only just begun it -- but I can say that it has an Elmore Leonard quality, slick and slightly nefarious characters sped along by lean prose. "Give and Take" is about a piano player who quietly robs his female conquests, then turns around and gives money to the needy. Concord Free Press' Robin Hood publishing model really did begin with a book.

-- Carolyn Kellogg

L.A. library transfers to cost a buck?

In the face of a citywide budget crisis, the Los Angeles Public Library is proposing a service charge for books circulated through inter-library loan. If approved, the $1-a-book fee will take effect July 1.

If this were a kind of luxury tax, it wouldn't seem all that bad. I mean, a dollar, right? But some people are concerned that it'll affect the smallest, least-funded branch libraries -- and their patrons -- the most. That's why they've launched this blog urging people to write to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and library leaders and to organize opposition to the fee before the May 1 City Council hearing on the library's budget.

There are about 70 branches of the L.A. Public Library serving the city's readers (a few branches are currently closed for repairs). Obviously, not all branches can have every book, but most are available within the library system -- via inter-library loans -- for free. Author Cecil Castellucci, who volunteers at a public school in Echo Park, told the no-fee campaign organizers:

As a read-aloud volunteer at Mayberry Elementary school, I use this service to get the perfect books to read to the students. For example, I used the inter-library loan service to get books on opera to read aloud to the kids in preparation for their field trip to the L.A. Opera. As a young adult author, I find it appalling to be charging $1 for an inter-library loan.

While the organizers are soliciting suggestions for how to support the library, I know of one sure way coming up April 30. It's the library's annual gala dinner, a fund-raiser for the library foundation that this year will honor author Larry McMurtry ("Lonesome Dove," "Terms of Endearment," "The Last Picture Show"). Tickets are $750 apiece. Sure, that's a lot of smackers; but it would also pay for a lot of books zooming around the city through inter-library loans.

Carolyn Kellogg

photo by Tom Martin via Flickr

Giving -- and getting -- in a literary auction

Author Tayari Jones was moved by the vicious attacks last year on a Haitian mother and son in Dunbar Village, a housing project in West Palm Beach, Fla. To help the victims, she has organized a very literary online auction, which is now live on EBay.

There are books, of course, many of which are signed by the authors. But most exciting -- especially for aspiring writers -- are the critiques. Want to hear what George Saunders thinks of your story? You can, for just (at this writing) about $180.

Laila Lalami and Martha Southgate also will do story critiques. Joy Castro will read and review a personal essay. Poets D. Nurkse and Honorée Fanonne Jeffers offer critiques of poetry. Carleen Brice will give feedback on a nonfiction book proposal. And two other author/professors -- Sarah Schulman and Tayari Jones herself -- will read and comment on entire novel manuscripts (up to 300 pages -- sorry, "Harry Potter"-esque hopefuls).

Getting quality feedback on your writing is invaluable. And in this case, you'll be giving, too.

Carolyn Kellogg

Photo by Mo Riza via flickr