Are small publishers doing all the hard work for the big ones?

These days, it is minimally staffed and funded firms who invest in new authors. The giants avoid such risk, only picking the writers once their names are madePaul McVeigh and Kirsty Logan are authors you may have heard of. Both of their debuts were published by Salt, an independent publisher. Paul McVeigh’s The Good Son was shortlisted for a bunch of awards, and won the Polari first book prize this year. Kirsty Logan’s The Rental Heart and Other Fairytales won three awards — including the Polari in 2015— and Logan had her next book published with Harvill Secker, a division of Penguin Random House. The same trajectory is likely for Paul McVeigh. It’s a familiar story.Independent publishers have existed since the 19th century; it wasn’t until the 20th and the 21st that we saw the industry dominated by a few corporations. “The Big Four” publishers – Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, Hachette and HarperCollins – have grown big by buying up small publishers. Hogarth, for example, was founded by Leonard and Virginia Woolf in 1917; now it is an imprint at the Crown Publishing Group, which is in turn a part of Penguin Random House – which itself used to be Penguin and Random House before their merger in 2013. Phew. Related: 'Crazy but fantastic': Man Booker prize pitches tiny publishers into big league Related: A northern powerhouse really is coming – in publishing Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2016-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #book prize #rental heart #harvill secker #19th century #simon schuster #virginia woolf #random house

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Are small publishers doing all the hard work for the big ones?'


Andy Healy promoted to publishing director at Immediate Media

Immediate Media has promoted Andy Healy to the position of publishing director, it was announced today (12 March). Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2012-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


EU ready to settle with publishers over ebook price-fixing, but no talks yet

European Union antitrust chief Joaquin Almunia says that the Competition Commission is open to a settlement with publishers in the increasingly high-profile ebook price fixing case, but only if the companies address key regulatory issues. Almunia says regulators are coordinating with the Justice... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2012-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ebook price-fixing #competition commission #justice department #simon schuster #key issue


Apple, Publishers Must Address All Allegations Before E-book Case Can Be Closed, EU Says

Apple along with five ebook publishers must address all the European Commission's antitrust concerns before any settlement can be reached warned the European... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2012-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ebook publishers #european commission #e-book case


Lower ebook prices ahead as government threatens Apple, publishers?

The Justice Department has told Apple and five major publishers that it's planning to sue them for fixing ebook prices. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #major publishers #justice department


Big Night for the Little Guys

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 ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #graywolf press #edith pearlman #fiction prize #big night #independent publishers #lookout books #debut author


Bookshops bypassed by academic publishers

Tensions between academic booksellers and publishers are likely to heighten following the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #academic publishers #academic booksellers


Publishers warned on ebook prices

Five US publishers are being threatened with legal action over the way they set prices for electronic books according to reports. Continue reading at BBC World

[ BBC World | 2012-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishers warned #ebook prices #legal action #set prices #electronic books


U.S. reportedly warns Apple, ebook publishers about price-fixing

The U.S. Justice Department has warned Apple Inc. and five top book publishers that lawsuits over alleged ebook price fixing might be in the offing, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ebook publishers #justice department #warned apple


Steve Jobs' last big deal is Apple's biggest headache

Before his death in October of last year, one of Steve Jobs' last big moves was Apple's foray into electronic books. The company announced the platform in March 2010, but the method in which Apple handled its deals with publishers has caught the eye of regulators. The Justice Department plans to... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2012-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #electronic books #steve jobs #big deal #company announced #raise prices


U.S. Warns Apple, Publishers

The Justice Department has warned Apple Inc. and five of the biggest U.S. publishers that it plans to sue them for allegedly colluding to raise the price of electronic books, according to people familiar with the matter. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2012-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #justice department #warned apple #allegedly colluding #electronic books #people familiar


McDermid backs value of publishers

Little, Brown author Val McDermid has backed the role of publishers, as children's laureate... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


French government to digitize out-of-print 20th century works, plans ebook initiative

It's a case of having one's cake and eating it, too. Or, in this instance, digitizing the works of others and reselling them online for a 40 percent cut. According to Le Temps, a controversial new law recently passed by the French government will see out-of-print books from the 20th century... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #french government #ebook format #image credit


The Amazon Paradox: Coming to Terms With Publishing's Colossus

Despite consumer uncertainty in buying online, and publisher uncertainty in partnering with Amazon, ebooks sales are dominating the market. Continue reading at The Atlantic

[ The Atlantic | 2012-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #buying online


Can the BuzzFeed Formula Work For Real News?

BuzzFeed, the meme-centric social news site known for its reserves of offbeat content and silly cat photos, is stockpiling journalists—serious ones. Last week, it announced the hire of award-winning Rolling Stone writer Michael Hastings, adding to an impressive roster of reporters that include... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2012-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #japanese earthquake #steve jobs #april issue #poynter institute


Kate Lyall Grant new Severn House publisher

Kate Lyall Grant is to become the new publisher of Severn House, with overall responsibility for... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #severn house


Condé Nast Primes Ars Technica for Its Big Moment

Ars Technica has many things, from an audience of nearly 8 million monthly uniques to an affluent, educated readership of engaged hard-core techies. What it hasn’t had—until now—is a dedicated advertising staff. Founded by Ken Fisher in 1998 and bought by Condé Nast for a reported $25 million... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2012-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mac os #sales staff #big plans #long-form journalism #ad clients


Tumblr: Online’s New Frontier for Publishers

No one is coming back to check a publisher’s Web site,” said Rachel Fershleiser, who works in literary strategic outreach at Tumblr, calling to mind a dull Web site that offers a catalogue and not much else. Incentive to come back, Fershleiser said, is the key to building a presence online,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #coming back #rachel fershleiser #web site


Amazon Publishing to sell series of ebooks outside the Kindle Store

It remains to be seen if it's a full-on change of policy, but it looks like Amazon is at least shifting it stance when it comes to where some of the ebooks put out by its Amazon Publishing division are sold. As you may recall, Barnes & Noble and other booksellers recently pulled print... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #kindle store #barnes noble #ebook versions #latest addition #ebook form


Fast Stats : Publishing Industry Statistics You Can use

AD TRENDS ON SOLID GROUND In the fourth quarter of 2011, most ad pages declined—but not in the Financial and Real Estate category. Ad pages for this sector were up 23% to 1,683 pages, from 1,372 pages the year before. The biggest... Continue reading at Publishing Executive

[ Publishing Executive | 2012-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ad pages #fast stats #fourth quarter


Association Publishing Priorities, Challenges and Hot-Button Issues for 2012

The most pressing issues facing publishers today all stem from one central concern: To deliver relevant, targeted and in-demand content to readers where and whenever they want it, to break through the wall of information overload and determine what exactly that is—which seems to be expanding and... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2012-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hot-button issues #information overload