British Book awards balance art and selling power to decide best writer in 30 years

Novelists rub shoulders with presidents, chefs, comedians and thriller megastars on longlist to define the title with the biggest impact on the book worldIt could be almost the setup for a joke, but a former president, a Booker winner and an erotic fiction superstar have walked on to the British Book awards’ longlist, and one of them could be crowned the best writer of the past three decades.Barack Obama, Hilary Mantel and EL James are three of the bestselling writers on an eclectic list drawn up to celebrate the awards’ 30th anniversary.A Year in Provence, Peter Mayle (Penguin) | 1990Delia Smith’s Christmas (BBC Books) | 1991Wild Swans, Jung Chang (William Collins) | 1992The Art Book (Phaidon) | 1995Longitude, Dava Sobel (Fourth Estate) | 1997Northern Lights, Philip Pullman (Scholastic) | 1997Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, JK Rowling (Bloomsbury) | 1998Bridget Jones’s Diary, Helen Fielding (Picador) | 1998Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Louis de Bernières (Vintage) | 1998The Illustrated Mum, Jacqueline Wilson and Nick Sharratt (Doubleday) | 2000White Teeth, Zadie Smith (Penguin) | 2001Sahara, Michael Palin (Weidenfeld Nicholson) | 2003Brick Lane, Monica Ali (Transworld) | 2004The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, Mark Haddon (David Fickling) | 2004The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (Picador) | 2004The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown (Transworld) | 2005The Gruffalo’s Child, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler (Macmillan) | 2005The Sound of Laughter, Peter Kay... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2020-02-14 06:01:23 UTC ]
News tagged with: #biggest impact #booker winner #barack obama #hilary mantel #el james #30th anniversary #jacqueline wilson #julia donaldson #stephenie meyer #dragon tattoo #completely fine #jackie morris #british book #novelists

Other Publishing stories related to: 'British Book awards balance art and selling power to decide best writer in 30 years'


E-Readers Create Boom in US Spanish-Language Books

The Los Angeles Times looks into the growing availability of Spanish-language ebooks and increasing confidence in the US Spanish-speaking market. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #spanish-language books


A Complete List of Children's Books and Authors at Wi9

PW has compiled a list of the children's books and galleys being given away at this year's Winter Institute, along with the buzz about why specific authors are attending. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #complete list #specific authors #winter institute


Adult Books & Authors at Wi9

A comprehensive list of the writers to look for and galleys and finished books available at the ABA conference. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Hatchet Job of the Year shortlist - 2013's most negative reviews in quotes

Tasters of the reviews competing for the annual prize that recognises 'the angriest, funniest, most trenchant book review of the past 12 months'News: Hatchet Job of the Year award draws and quarters shortlistCraig Brown on Distant Intimacy: A Friendship in the Age of the Internet by Frederic... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #paul theroux


Big Hat Books Temporarily Closes

Big Hat Books, Indianapolis' only independent full-service general bookstore selling only new books, is temporarily closing while its owner looks for a new, smaller retail space. The 10-year-old bookstore will be closed for an undetermined length of time. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


The First 3-D Printed Book Cover Is Here

A limited edition of Chang-Rae Lee's On Such A Full Sea turns typography into a sculpture.It was only a matter of time: the first 3-D printed book cover has arrived. Published by Riverhead Books on Tuesday, a limited edition of Chang-Rae Lee's novel On Such a Full Sea features a white slipcover... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2014-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #limited edition #chang-rae lee #riverhead books


Spanish-language books flourish thanks to e-readers

The surging popularity of the Kindle and Nook allows publishers to offer Spanish-language books in the U.S. at far lower prices than for printed copies. For decades, finding Spanish-language books in the U.S. was like tilting at windmills.     Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2014-01-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #lower prices #printed copies


Small presses release some of the best books around

In 2014, as in years past, it looks as if some of the best new releases will be coming from America's smaller publishers. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-01-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #years past #smaller publishers


Key to hit books discovered, study claims

Academic Yejin Choi says her algorithm can predict 'highly successful literature' with 84% accuracyAuthors, publishers and literary critics struggling to unlock the secrets of successful writing can breathe a sigh of relief, after a computer science professor has announced an algorithm that can... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #extremely successful #real readers #human consciousness


Telegraph Media Group made record £60m profit last year

The Telegraph Media Group made more than £60m last year, The Guardian can reveal. It is the third successive year that the company has managed to increase its operating profit.TMG is expected to report what amounts to a record figure formally in the spring when it files its accounts for the full... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #advertising revenues


The Audio Book Club Plucks The Good Lord Bird

This month, Dan Kois, David Haglund, and Emily Bazelon discuss James McBride’s National Book Award winner for fiction, The Good Lord Bird. The novel makes a farcical cross-dressing comedy of John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry, paints Frederick Douglass as a drunken letch, and generally takes an... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2014-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #remarkable things


Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' Surges in E-Book Sales

Adolf Hitler's anti-Semitic political testament, "Mein Kampf" is surging up electronic book best seller lists, even as sales of the printed version have been stagnant for years.     Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2014-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #e-book sales #adolf hitler #mein kampf #electronic book #printed version


Cut to the Core: Better Luck Next Year

Fall 2013 will be remembered as the season that the Common Core State Standards began to take effect—and it was a rocky rollout indeed. As the calendar marks a new year, we pause now to reflect upon what has been a bumpy first few months. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Time-Life Books Gets Set for a Return

Although Time Inc. began publishing books that combined the resources of its Time and Life magazines in 1961, Time-Life Books (T-L Books) was not officially established until 1964. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #time-life books


Holiday Sales for Children's Books Strong at Indies

PW's annual post-Christmas survey of two dozen bookstores across the country didn't turn up any blockbusters on a level with last year's Hunger Games trilogy; instead, shoppers gravitated to a mix of children's books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #holiday sales #dozen bookstores


James Franco stars in an ambitious book trailer for Gary Shteyngart memoir

The trailer for Gary Shteyngart's memoir 'Little Failure' features James Franco and Rashida Jones. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Scribd Responds to Writer Beware on Pirated Content

A Scribd executive acknowledged the problem of pirated content on Scribd and also outlined the company's efforts to prevent unauthorized uploads. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


A Picture Book To Teach Kids Typography

Jeremy Dooley created a new book--and an original font--to tutor tots on typeface.They say necessity is the mother of invention, but new parenthood isn't bad for coming up with new ideas either. "After my son was born, I found that his very simple books started me thinking about a lot of basic... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2014-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #picture book #basic concepts


Rome’s Book Fair Reflects a Country Unwilling to Surrender

Italian publishing is struggling, but the recent book fair in Rome offered signs of vitality and reflected a strong commitment to carry on. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #italian publishing


Book Manufacturing Organizations Merge

On the first of the year, the Hardcover Binders International/Library Binding Institute (HBI/LBI) merged with the Book Manufactures’ Institute. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |