An author bought his own book to get higher on bestseller lists. Is that fair?

Author Mark Dawson has attracted criticism after bulk buying his own book gave him a high chart position. But that isn’t breaking any rulesFor any author, being able to describe yourself as a bona fide bestseller is key to conferring your career with a certain gravitas – and will often bring you even more sales. In the UK, while most book charts are tallied by Nielsen BookScan, the Sunday Times bestseller list – like the New York Times chart in the US – has become the gold standard. But making the bestseller list isn’t necessarily as straightforward as tallying sales. Not all is fair in romance and war (and other genres) when it comes to getting to the top of the charts.Take the case of Mark Dawson, a British writer who just over a week ago hit No 8 on the Sunday Times hardback list with his thriller The Cleaner, released by the independent publisher Welbeck at the end of June. This is a great achievement for any author or small publishing house, but Dawson had done something remarkable: he bought 400 copies of his own book, at a cost of £3,600, to push his sales high enough to make the top 10. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2020-07-20 15:59:35 UTC ]
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BEA debates 'power shift' to authors and readers

The theme of the International Digital Publishing Forum conference on day one at Book Expo in New York was “Putting Readers First,” but whether power has shifted from publishers and retailers to readers - asserted in a keynote by Canelo Publishing’s Michael Bhaskar - was quickly challenged by... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bury This Book In The Ground And It Will Magically Come Back As A Tree

This children's book not only teaches about ecology, it practices it.Despite the rise of ebooks, most children's books are still made from trees. One new picture book is designed as a simple reminder of that fact: When kids finish reading a story about an adventure in the rainforest, they can... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2015-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Winners of 2015 Best Translated Book Awards

Winners of the 2015 Best Translated Book Award, Can Xue for fiction and Rocío Cerón for poetry, were announced at BookExpo America this year. The post Winners of 2015 Best Translated Book Awards appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Michael Neil in stint at Dubray Books

Former W H Smith books director Michael Neil will cover the maternity leave of Dubray Books' managing director Maria Dickenson. Neil, who left W H Smith last month, will be the Irish independent bookshop chain¹s acting managing director from the beginning of August. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google Closes Down Play Books Publisher

The Digital Reader reports that due to concerns over “rampant commercial piracy,” Google has closed the Google Play Books Partner Center to new users. The post Google Closes Down Play Books Publisher appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2015: A Resource Hub for Indie Authors

Writing can be a lonely endeavor, and self-publishing—without the support of a major house—can be even lonelier. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Roundup: Religion Book News from Across the Web, May 28, 2015

John M. Templeton Jr. dies; Thomas Merton remembered; the legacy of Richard John Neuhaus. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2015: Coach House Books

Along a downtown Toronto laneway (back alley) named after Canadian poet bpNichol, an eight-line poem is carved into the concrete that leads you to Coach House Books, an independent publisher founded 50 years ago by artist Stan Bevington. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2015: For E-books in Libraries, Obstacles Remain

A Thursday afternoon panel was officially named "The Power of Partnerships," but as moderator Keith Michael Fiels, executive director of the American Library Association suggested, it should have been called "E-books: The Continuing Saga." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nicholls claims bestseller charts top spot

Narrowly denied the top spot in the previous week’s charts, David Nicholls has bounced back to claim pole position in UK Official Top 50 with his seventh overall number one. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Where’s Waldo the Reader? Book Discovery Tactics from IDPF

Executives from Goodreads, HarperCollins, and Penguin Random House shared book discovery tactics in the age of overload at BEA's IDPF conference on Tuesday. The post Where’s Waldo the Reader? Book Discovery Tactics from IDPF appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2015: Books by Franzen, Hallberg Among Most Talked About

This year, as always, we walked the aisles to ask our favorite folks in the know what upcoming books they are excited about. The two novels we heard about the most were Jonathan Franzen's 'Purity' (FSG, Sept.) and Garth Risk Hallberg's 'City on Fire' (Knopf, Oct.). Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Download: Report on Chinese Book Market 2015

A new report from the BIZ Beijing, The Chinese Book Market 2015, provides a thorough understanding of trends in Chinese publishing. The post Download: Report on Chinese Book Market 2015 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Goldsboro Books to expand in June

Goldsboro Books is to expand in June, increasing its size by a third. The high-profile independent bookshop, founded in 1999, is currently based at 23–25 Cecil Court in the heart of London’s theatre district. It will expand into the adjacent premises, at 27 Cecil Court, in June. David Headley,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2015: 10 Books to Grab at BEA

With so many galleys flooding the BEA show floor, it’s hard to know which ones to choose. Here are 10 of our favorites, with excerpts from PW reviews. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2015: Is Subscription the Future of E-Books?

Subscription ebook services have been a buzzworthy topic in recent years, but are they a good deal for authors and publishers? That was the topic of a standing room only panel, moderated by Smashwords founder Mark Coker who noted the promise of subscription models as well as the “legitimate... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2015: 'Fault in Our Stars' Top 2014 E-book Seller

John Green's The Fault in Our Stars was the top-selling ebook in 2014, according to data just released by PubTrack Digital, a unit of Nielsen BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2015: Does Diversity Matter in Book Reviewing?

Yesterday afternoon at the Center for Fiction in midtown, NBCC board member Walton Muyumba led a conversation about racial and gender representation in book reviewing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Momentum Drives Social Media Book Promotions

Momentum is designed to be a turnkey subscription service that allows publishers to create social unlock book promotions--ask fans to tweet or post in return for cool stuff--and then track fan engagement and behavior afterwards. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Single page of notes wins SF author John Scalzi $3.4m deal

Publisher Tor says ‘we’d be nuts to decline’ 13-book contract, which will include three young adult novels alongside next instalments of Old Man’s War seriesAmerican science fiction author John Scalzi has signed a 10-year, 13-book deal with publishers Tor, which will net him $3.4m (£2.2m).Scalzi... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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