Every now and then I encounter people who can’t suspend disbelief. They ask how I can write about ‘such terrible things’Feeling unappreciated is your lot as a writer. Few readers; no readers. Scathing reviews; no reviews. Publishers saying, “Don’t call us, we’ll call you” or not taking a punt on your second book because the first sold poorly. The fat American and English imports on display at the front of many bookshops, a tiny Australian section in the back corner. Beverley Farmer finding her short-story collection Milk shelved with books on nursing mothers; me finding my novel The Stencil Man shelved in Art and Craft.Most of these indignities occur while you’re still at your desk. They multiply once you appear in public. Elizabeth Jolley, signing books at a department store in Perth, was scrutinised by a beady-eyed woman who eventually approached and asked, “How much is the table?” A bookseller stuck the first page of a US thriller under my nose and said, “Once you can learn to write as good as this …” Related: Harold Bloom’s defence of western greats blinded him to other cultures | Kenan Malik If I say, 'Worse things happen in real life than I invent, just read a newspaper,' I learn they don’t read newspapers Related: Peter Handke's Nobel prize that dishonours the victims of genocide | Ed Vuilliamy Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2019-11-03 17:00:27 UTC ]
Canadian independent publisher (and bookstore!) Biblioasis has printed up a limited run of indie bookseller trading cards, featuring heroic comic book portraits of prominent booksellers. Why? Well, for starters, this week is the annual independent booksellers conference in Baltimore, the ABA’s... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-01-21 13:40:31 UTC ]
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International publishers are calling for a presidential pardon to free imprisoned Egyptian publisher and bookseller Khaled Lotfy. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-01-14 06:05:25 UTC ]
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An indie bookshop which was the official bookseller of the Barnes Children’s Literature Festival has been replaced by organisers in favour of Waterstones. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-01-14 03:02:58 UTC ]
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Some ideas from a seasoned bookseller on events to generate business in the slow month of January. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-01-08 13:00:11 UTC ]
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Some suggestions of what booksellers should read this year, and what they might avoid. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-01-01 13:00:01 UTC ]
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‘Tis the season of realizing the limits of your spacial awareness! “Measure twice, cut once”? In this economy? Luckily, UK bookseller Waterstones has opened our eyes to a new way of rectifying our (easily preventable) gift-wrapping fuck-ups. Behold: This is a public service announcement 🎄 📚... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-12-16 16:31:30 UTC ]
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Peter Handke, the Austrian writer whose Nobel win has been causing upheaval in the literary world since it was announced in October, is now persona non grata in Kosovo, the country’s foreign minister Behgjet Pacolli announced Wednesday. Handke, who has defended or downplayed Serbian war... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-12-12 20:22:06 UTC ]
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The Bookseller is to create a Rising Stars-style listing of individual booksellers to coincide with the Booksellers Association Conference in September 2020. The Bookshop Heroes special, supported by the BA and sponsored by HarperCollins, will be published to coincide with the annual conference. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-11 22:52:50 UTC ]
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In the publishing world, it seems like winning the Nobel Prize just isn’t what it used to be. A Deutsche Welle interview with Lucien Leitess, director of the Swiss publishing house Unionsverlag, explored the business of predicting a Nobel laureate’s commercial success. The controversy... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-12-11 19:54:24 UTC ]
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Linda Cannon, co-owner of Parson Weems’ Publisher Services and a longtime bookseller and sales rep, died on December 5 following a brief illness. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-12-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
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We talk a lot on these parts about supporting indie bookstores, but this story from The Washington Post adds an extra layer of of urgency: Patrick Darby, who worked as a bookseller at big chain stores for many years before starting his own shop, Novel Books, is in dire straits. Darby opened... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-12-04 20:41:36 UTC ]
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Two members of the external Nobel literature prize committee have quit – one over the choice of Peter Handke as this year's winner and the other over the slow pace of reforms since the sexual assault scandal. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-03 10:30:14 UTC ]
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It’s a writerly dream come true: a cocktail based on your book, prepared by a dedicated bookseller who has pored over your pages for references to alcohol or even flavors and scents he can interpret to concoct the drink. Nick Petrulakis of Booksmith in Brookline is the literary bartender in this... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-12-03 09:49:31 UTC ]
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Guide by the late Charles L Dobbins, known as the father of modern trapping, sees off polemical defence of traditional dairiesThe Dirt Hole and Its Variations might be a serious guide to hunting and trapping foxes, coyotes, bobcats and raccoons, but the double entendre has helped it land the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-11-29 11:35:58 UTC ]
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A bookseller counts Thanksgiving blessings and the opportunities they inspire. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-11-27 11:00:06 UTC ]
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John Lewis' Christmas advert has come under fire as author and former bookseller Jen Campbell highlighted the similarities between the advert and her children’s book Franklin’s Flying Bookshop (Thames & Hudson). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-18 10:24:18 UTC ]
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Bookseller Harry Illingworth is set to leave Goldsboro Books at the end of the year to become a full-time agent at The D H H Literary Agency. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-12 03:55:21 UTC ]
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Faced with growing numbers of customers migrating to the internet, German bookseller Hugendubel is pinning its hopes on a new store concept which it ambitiously calls the "bookshop of the future". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-05 01:04:10 UTC ]
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From meditations on the d/Deaf experience to short stories blurring the mythic and the gothic with the everyday, from mixing the personal and political to a young woman uncover the truth about her family’s past – four outstanding writers have today been named on the shortlist for The Sunday... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2019-11-04 12:55:09 UTC ]
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Thinking about becoming a bookseller? From hand-selling to music choice, here are a few of the useful skills one new bookseller learned about on the job. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-11-04 11:38:38 UTC ]
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