Book clubs in America: Why do we love them so much?

A casual observer of the book-club scene could be fooled into thinking that this summer was a hard one for the nation's leisure readers. Late in spring, Oprah's club shuttered, stranding publishers in what promises to be a long shoal of short print runs and offering the rest of us one literary arbiter fewer to love or hate. Borders, which ran a sort of book group of its own, shut down stores, too, after creditors refused a buyout offer from a book-club mega-company. Could reading groups be losing their sway in our culture? On one hand, this is a reasonable question; on the other, it's like asking whether the United States should worry about being out-powered by Belgium. More than 5 million adults are thought to be in reading groups, not counting online clubs, and a number of those adults have a noticeable missionary bent: If Oprah didn't get you onboard, there's a good chance that your neighbor with a Thursday group will have you marking up Love in the Time of Cholera before summer is through.[more ...] Continue reading at 'Slate'

[ Slate | 2011-07-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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October 2015 Audio Books: In the Studio

Franco rounds out Audible’s Vonnegut reboot and more in this month's audio book news. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2015: A New Era Begins

After a decade of change in the publishing industry, the 2015 Frankfurt Book Fair (which runs October 14–18) marks something of a turning point. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Focus on Religion Gift Books 2015

Whether sized to stuff stockings or designed as works of art, gift books have their own special places in a wide variety of stores. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Book Truck Hits the San Diego Streets

Fondo de Cultura Económica (FCE), based in Mexico City, is one of the largest publishers in Latin America and has had an office in San Diego since 1990. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2015: Four Questions for BISG Executive Director Mark Kuyper

On June 15, Mark Kuyper, former CEO of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, succeeded Len Vlahos as executive director of the Book Industry Study Group, the U.S.’s leading book trade association for standardized best practices, research, information, and educational events. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Deals: Week of October 12, 2015

The follow-up to The Golem and the Jinni goes to Viking for a rumored seven figures, Deborah Harkness sells her fourth novel, and more in this week's notable book deals. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2015: Mapping the Digital Future

Despite all that has been said and done, full monetization of intellectual property (IP) continues to be a stumbling block for publishers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW Picks: Books of the Week, October 12, 2015

This week: adventures in the human body, new Colum McCann, and the dark side of Mark Twain. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lineup for Guadalajara Book Fair Set

The U.K. will be the guest of honor at the 29th annual Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL), set to run November 28–December 6, in Guadalajara, Mexico. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2015: Tackling Accessibility and NIMAS Challenges at Cenveo Publisher Services

A content-centric approach is the key to resolving accessibility issues for publishers, says Kevin Burns, senior v-p of content solutions. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Seattle’s Arundel Books Launches Small Press

The bookstore/art gallery is adding a trade imprint, Chatwin Books, focused on literary fiction and poetry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The stunning Surface Book may reignite PC maker hostility towards Microsoft

Microsoft’s foray into notebooks with the Surface Book is certain to tick off its computer-making partners, but there’s little recourse for the latter except to grin and bear it, analysts said today.“If I’m an OEM, I’m not happy,” said Jan Dawson, chief analyst at Jackdaw Research. “The big... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2015-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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FBF 2015: Cooking the books

Edouard Cointreau talks about moving the World Cookbook Fair from Paris to Frankfurt. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Brazil’s Book Rights Market Has Cooled, But Opportunities Persist

At the Rio Book Fair, agent Liana Suppressa finds the Brazilian rights market has cooled, but there are still opportunities to sell YA, children's books and bestsellers. The post Brazil’s Book Rights Market Has Cooled, But Opportunities Persist appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2015: Screenwriter's Debut Fetches Seven Figures

Canadian screenwriter Elan Mastai's debut novel 'All Our Wrong Todays' has been nabbed in a preempt by Maya Ziv at Dutton. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New Twilight book swaps characters' genders

Twilight author Stephenie Meyer has today released a new book where the genders of the two main characters Edward Cullen and Bella Swan are reversed, Life and Death (Little, Brown). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Quvenzhane Wallis has a deal to write Children's books

An Oscar nominee at age 9, Quvenzhane Wallis is now getting an early start on a writing career. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2015-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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What's Selling at Loganberry Books

Located in the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights, Loganberry Books offers a diverse selection of books, spanning new, used, and collectible volumes. Bookseller Lorraine Angus talked about a crop of titles, recently published and backlist, selling well this fall. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover, Judge it By Its Blurbs

The book blurb is one of the longest-running conventions in publishing and is largely a favor passed among writers and friends. But do they sell books? The post Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover, Judge it By Its Blurbs appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Microsoft's insane Surface Book price means it will be left on the shelf

At today's event in New York, Microsoft put on an impressive show. We were -- ironically -- expecting some surprises, and the announcement of the Surface Book meant we weren't disappointed; this is, after all, "the ultimate laptop". The looks are striking. The specs are impressive. The price tag... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2015-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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