The New York Observer reports “Less than a month after Dmitri Nabokov announced, following years of indecision, that he would publish his late father Vladimir’s unfinished final novel, The Original of Laura, he has hired a new literary agent to represent the Nabokov Estate.”

Just who is this new mystery agent? None other than Andrew Wylie of The Wylie Agency. The loser in this situation? The previous agent of the Nabokov estate, Nikki Smith of Smith-Skolnik Literary Management. Guess Wylie’s nickname of “The Jackal” is indeed apt.

Nevermind the fact that Vladimir specifically left instructions for the 100-plus handwritten note cards that made up the novel to be burned after his death. Wonder how he’d feel about that?

To read the whole article on the NYO, click HERE.

To read a colorful article on “The Jackal” from Conde Nast’s Portfolio.com, click HERE.

Do you have a gripping fiction project ready to burst onto the literary scene? Why not use WordHustler to help you submit your short story to the 2008 RRofihe Trophy contest and earn a chance to win $500 and publication in Open City Magazine? Who knows, with that kind of attention, The Jackal may come sniffing your way too.

In case you didn’t see us, WordHustler was Hustlin’ at BookExpo America ‘08. We had a great time and would like to say thanks to everyone who helped make our BEA experience a memorable success. In particular we’d like to say thanks to a few special publishing professionals who helped make things wonderful.

To all the writers: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us. We built WordHustler for writers from all over the world just like you. It is truly a pleasure to serve you.

To the Mystery Writers Of America: Thanks for the copy of “The Blue Religion!” We love a good mystery!

To Abrams, Inc: Thanks for the advance copy of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” We hope that “Wimpy” is a smash hit.

To Karen at WriteGirl: Thanks for letting us sponsor you. You have a really talented bunch of girls and we are honored to be involved. Congrats on the medal! We can’t wait to help your girls get their work out into the world!

To Bodin and all of the folks at Endicia: We said it once and we’ll say it again: You guys rock. Thanks for the generous offer and we look forward to working with you on the case studies. Word of mouth is indeed the way to build a business and we just can’t praise you enough!

To Eli at Griffyn Ink: Lovely titles and thanks for the water gun. You guys are fighting the good fight and we’re going to support you in any way we can. Long live the independents!

To everyone at the Horror Writers Association: We’re looking forward to working with you guys. And to Kelly: it’s okay to be tempted. WordHustler is finally here and ready to help you throughout your transition to fiction. (Oh, and I’d rather be associated with the other famous John Singleton, but thanks for the “chilling” story. *grin*)

To the McSweeney’s campsite: Love the tent. What a great way to cut back on the hotel bills! Also: I wasn’t joking about wanting the Metal Gods book. (No, really. I can play Guitar Hero III on Expert. I want that book.)

To the guy serving the beer at the Expo: If you only have one type of beer, isn’t “What kind of beer do you want?” a pointless question? Really. You’re dealing with thirsty New Yorkers. Make with the beer already.

To anyone standing next to me at the beer stand: Sorry. He was clearly spilling the beer all over the floor.

Lastly, to The Bumblebee: Sorry for hi-fiving you. You just seemed like you needed a high-five.

Oh, and to our hero:

“The leads are weak? You’re weak.“

WordHustler LLC is proud to announce the launch of WordHustler Beta! Our lil’ site is the result of two writers who grew frustrated with all the disorganized and misleading writing databases out there. We set out to create a thorough, illuminating database of all the writing opportunities we could find. We also decided to take the hassle and confusion out of submitting multiple projects to multiple people. How? We do it for you. Simply upload your projects to the WordHustler site, choose some writing opportunities, and click “Submit.” We’ll print, organize, and ship them all for you. No hassle, no Post Office lines. Just you…one step closer to writing success.

This is you with WordHustler…unless you’re a guy. Then it’s not.

WordHustlerInk is our company blog dedicated to enlightening our members (and the world at large) with helpful articles, writing tips, links to worthy sites, and community feedback. This is also where you’ll find more detail explanations of WordHustler site functions, as well as the place we stash our pertinent “About Us” and “Contact” info. Check out the Frequently Asked Questions blog. Check here for our featured contests and hopefully soon, our WordHustlerInk zine! Who knows, maybe your dazzling creations will be published in the zine. First WordHustler, then the world!!!