Every day Poets & Writers Magazine scans the headlines—from publishing reports to academic announcements to literary dispatches—for all the news that creative writers need to know. Here are today’s stories:

“Like belief in a higher power, the will to publish a novel ignores all the atheistic arguments and the cold hard numbers.” Dominic Smith examines the contemporary literary landscape [2], the realities of self-publishing, and the growing number on novelists at work in America. (Millions)

Theo Pauline Nestor offers five tips to help writers increase productivity [3] and find their creative voices in 2014. (Huffington Post)

In the Atlantic, novelist Mary Kay Zuravleff reveals the stark realities of self-promotion in a satirical piece that highlights the depravities of courting readers and generating publicity [4].

“As e-books are stripping down to the bare-bones of what is actually book-like, physical books are growing more sumptuous and fetishistic.” Daniel D’Addario explores the evolution of books from print to digital forms [5]. (Salon)

A federal judge has ruled that the popular and revered fictional character Sherlock Holmes will remain in the public domain [6]. (Vulture)

“My interest in adolescence is directly related to the fact that I don’t seem to have outgrown it.” In the New Yorker, Antonya Nelson discusses [7] her short story “First Husband,” and how complex family dynamics influence the development of her characters.

To celebrate the approach of 2014, Flavorwire compiled a list of literary libations from twelve famous books [8].