Publisher of great 20th-century writers and thinkers who lifted the lid on the business of booksIn March 1990, the publishing world was stunned by news of André Schiffrin's controversial resignation from the position he had held for the previous 29 years as editor-in-chief of Pantheon Books. Most of his senior editorial team resigned alongside him and a letter of protest was signed by more than 300 eminent authors, including Arthur Miller, William Styron and Kurt Vonnegut. The New Yorkers among them mounted a demonstration outside (the parent company) Random House's headquarters and EL Doctorow used the National Book Critics Circle annual dinner as a platform to express his outrage. The episode ignited a debate about the tension between the political and commercial role of publishing that continues to this day.During his time at Pantheon, André, who has died aged 78, published some of the great writers and thinkers of the second half of the 20th century while sticking to a consistently leftwing agenda. Eric Hobsbawm, EP Thompson, Edward Said, Anita Brookner, RD Laing, Michel Foucault, Noam Chomsky, Art Spiegelman and Marguerite Duras were in his stable, along with Studs Terkel, the idea for whose bestselling oral histories André came up with after listening to Terkel's radio shows. As independent publishers began to be acquired by global conglomerates and phrases such as "fiscal responsibility" were bandied about, André categorically refused to cut his cloth, his list or... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2013-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
Independent publishers with titles selected for this year's Man Booker longlist, published... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Twenty years after it was founded by former Pantheon publisher Andre Schiffrin as a nonprofit publisher with a mission statement to publish “in the public interest,” the New Press is on something of a roll. The house has a new bestseller—Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow—spacious offices in... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It was a big evening for independent publishers at the National Book Critics Circle Awards this year. Copper Canyon Press, Graywolf Press, and Lookout Books scored wins in poetry, criticism, and fiction, respectively. Edith Pearlman, whose story collection Binocular Vision took home the fiction... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In the early days of the digital revolution, most independent publishers were moving slower than the larger houses in getting on the ebook bandwagon. That period has clearly passed. With only a couple of exceptions, the publishers that made it onto this year’s edition of PW’s fast-growing small... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Independent publishers have welcomed the launch of Apple’s iBooks Author self-publishing... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Independent publishers have reported a stronger Christmas than in 2010, with Waterstones showing... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Despite enormous amounts of attention directed towards digital efforts in the magazine industry, many independent publishers still count print as their main business and most reliable source of revenue. As the paper market continues to fluctuate, publishers are finding new ways to keep the price... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-09-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Tue, 06/09/2011 - 08:30 Faber has entered into a partnership with The Perseus Books Group in the US, setting up a company to provide global digital services for independent publishers in the UK, Ireland and Commonwealth. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publication Date: Tue, 26/07/2011 - 15:24 Indies have dominated the longlist for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction, announced today (26th July), with nine of the 13 titles from independent publishers. Forrmer winner, Alan Hollinghurst has also been nominated for his much-praised The Strangers... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Wed, 08/06/2011 - 07:35 The Independent Publishers will host on 30th June a "meet the developers" session with IC tomorrow, part of the Technology Strategy Board, a Government-backed body that works to promote growth through innovation. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Lisa Campbell and Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 17/03/2011 - 16:06 Gardners is set to launch its Hive.co.uk website within weeks and has 400 retailers signed up, although some indies have expressed mixed views about the initiative. Speaking at the Independent... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Tue, 01/03/2011 - 08:50 Berg, Faber, Grow Story Grow and Search Press lead the nominations at this year's Independent Publishers Guild awards with two each. Twenty-two publishers have been nominated across eight awards. The winners will be revealed on... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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