By combining self-help and literature, the School of Life’s first novel does both a disservice | Alice Kemp-Habib

Billed as ‘a therapeutic novel’, the publisher’s first foray into fiction follows 29-year-old Anna’s mental health journey – with a view to helping the reader. But how useful can such clunky writing be?At 29 years old, Anna is full of self-loathing. She hates her job, her boyfriend is having an affair and her parents’ response to her troubles is indifferent at best. This is the starting point for A Voice of One’s Own, the first novel to be published by The School of Life. In its pages, fiction and self-help make for uneasy bedfellows.Co-founded by philosopher Alain de Botton in 2008, The School of Life broadly aims to teach its “students” how to lead calmer, more fulfilling lives. Its publishing arm, launched in 2016, disseminates self-help literature with pithy titles such as Reasons to be Hopeful and A Simpler Life, which purport to blend philosophical wisdom with practical advice. Like De Botton himself, the books are Marmite; while many critique the school for peddling watered-down pop philosophy, its teachings have clearly found a market. The organisation has branches in seven major cities, and its most popular title, Big Ideas for Curious Minds, has sold over 120,000 copies globally, while its workshops on playfulness, confidence and self-awareness regularly sell out. The new book represents a departure, however. Through A Voice of One’s Own, The School of Life is showing, rather than telling, its readers how to live better. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2023-07-07 15:45:50 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster to publish Country Life titles

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Thu, 22/09/2011 - 08:48 Simon & Schuster has signed a deal with Country Life magazine to publish a new series of tie-in books, beginning this autumn with Curious Observations: A Country Miscellany. The book will comprise writings, articles and... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reading scheme axed due to school spending cuts

Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Mon, 19/09/2011 - 09:39 A primary schools project that has helped thousands of struggling young pupils to read is being axed by the government, according to the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT). The Reading Recovery Project involves... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tavi Gevinson Rookie magazine: how it combines fashion and feminism.

Among the twenty- and thirtysomething women who populate the New York publishing world, there's a near-universal love for Sassy, the offbeat 1990s-era teen magazine, which they excitedly read along with their Plath and Didion as precocious adolescents. So it's no surprise that Rookie magazine,... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2011-09-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Reader's Digest' Wants Your Life Story in 150 Words or Less

Oh boy, do I have a contest for you long-winded Facebookers and personal bloggers. It's called, "Your Life: The Reader's Digest Version." The venerable magazine is willing to shell out $25,000 if you can keep The Story of You to a crisp and compelling 150 words (words, not characters—this isn't... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2011-08-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Schools' library snubs hit literacy rates

Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Fri, 05/08/2011 - 08:40 The government's lack of coherent support for school libraries is one of a number of factors contributing to the fall in children's literacy, according to a report by an All-Party Parliamentary Group for Education. The report... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Independent bookstores look to life after Borders

Jay Hancock: Is the death of Borders a bell that tolls for the book trade? Or a business opportunity? Continue reading at Baltimore Sun

[ Baltimore Sun | 2011-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Tries Taking the Kindle To School, Again, With Textbook Rentals

Amazon, which dominates the ebook market, has stayed out of the electronic textbook market. Until now: The company has opened up a textbook store for its Kindle platform, where it is renting "tens of thousands" of titles for the upcoming school year. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sphere serves up Nadal life story

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 11/04/2011 - 15:45 Sphere believes it has a smashing winner with the acquisition of the autobiography of Rafael Nadal, the Spanish tennis ace and current world number one. Non-fiction publishing director Adam Strange bought UK and... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ness and CILIP in school libraries plea

Written By: Katie Allen and Caroline Horn Publication Date: Fri, 01/04/2011 - 08:49 Children’s author Patrick Ness and Annie Mauger, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) have called for a "properly resourced and professionally staffed"... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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ACE literature funding to rise 9.9%

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 31/03/2011 - 09:10 Arts Council England (ACE) portfolio funding for literature organisations will rise 9.9% in real terms compared to the previous funding period, the government claims, as ACE revealed its new national portfolio of arts... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sceptre to examine secret life of Christopher Marlowe

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 25/03/2011 - 11:56 Sceptre is to publish a début novel-in-verse which promises to put an end to one of the greatest literary mysteries, that of whether playwright Christopher Marlowe wrote Shakespeare's plays. Publishing director Carole... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Changing copyright laws could "stifle" literature, report finds

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Fri, 11/03/2011 - 08:50 Changing copyright laws in the UK could strike a blow to investment in literature, a report has found. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) has produced the document for the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA), which reveals that out... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers' school budgets under threat

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Fri, 25/02/2011 - 15:56 Almost three quarters of primary head teachers are expecting funding for books to be inadequate in 2011–12, as the Publishers Association has warned of a “challenging year” for book sales to schools. As schools begin to... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reprieve for Edinburgh's school librarians

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hodder and Stoughton buys real-life Charlotte Gray

Written By: Charlotte Williams Hodder & Stoughton has acquired the account of the life of "real life Charlotte Gray". Pearl Witherington was the only female agent in the Special Operations Executive to run her own network in France during the second world war. Hodder non-fiction publisher... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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School library services face closure

Written By: Caroline Horn School library services (SLS) in Birmingham and Sutton are to close or substantially reduce the service they offer to schools, while in Greenwich the service suspended on a temporary basis in 2009 will not now be resumed. The news follows recent closures of services... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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