A heart-warming love letter to books and bookshops, by an amenable fellow turned antisocial old misanthrope“I was in here two years ago and you had a book by Roger Penrose. Do you know what happened to it?” Shaun Bythell – owner of the Book Shop in Wigtown, Galloway – has 100,000 books in stock, sells 20,000 a year, and has handled nearly 1m second-hand books since he bought the shop in 2001. Unsurprisingly, the Roger Penrose volume had not stuck in his mind.Before he entered the book trade at the tender age of 31, he was “amenable and friendly”. Now, after many years of fielding bizarre questions, constant haggling over prices (why is it “acceptable to try to screw the profit out of struggling small businesses” but not supermarkets?), and struggling to survive despite Amazon’s “icy grip” on bookselling, he has been forced to embrace the stereotype of the “impatient, intolerant, antisocial proprietor”. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2019-08-24 10:58:38 UTC ]
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American professional associations for authors, publishers, and booksellers write to the House subcommittee on antitrust issues about Amazon. The post US Publishers, Authors, Booksellers Call Out Amazon’s ‘Concentrated Power’ in the Book Market appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-08-17 14:51:35 UTC ]
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A number of figures from across the retail spectrum are enthused by the prospect of a bumper autumn of releases, after many were delayed owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-14 03:13:11 UTC ]
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Bookshop has helped many independents weather the pandemic, but some booksellers say the ABA is not being transparent about its financial relationship with the online retailer and worry that Bookshop poses new competition. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-08-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The chairman of the editorial board of A-Level Law Review, Ian Yule, has quit his role after an article he wrote for the education magazine was heavily edited and put through a sensitivity reading from transgender rights charity Mermaids. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-10 16:33:55 UTC ]
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Calling his ownership and management of The Bookseller 'the greatest privilege of my working life,' Nigel Roby sells The Stage's Hugh Comerford. The post Nigel Roby Sells the UK’s ‘The Bookseller’ to Stage Media Company appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-08-07 09:05:55 UTC ]
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Veteran biographer A.N. Wilson takes on one of the most popular, prolific and puzzling writers in English literature in "The Mystery of Charles Dickens." Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-08-06 14:00:54 UTC ]
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The Bookseller has been acquired by the publisher of theatre magazine the Stage, in a move that will see the 162-year-old book trade newspaper join forces with the 140-year-old brand. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-06 12:20:48 UTC ]
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If you tuned into yesterday’s historic House Judiciary Subcommittee antitrust hearing, during which the top executives of some of the world’s largest tech companies tried convincing politicians that they weren’t monopolies, you may have heard a bookseller chime in during Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’s... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-07-30 19:54:55 UTC ]
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Sci-fi preconceptions are challenged by little-known marvels from James Tiptree Jr, Angélica Gorodischer and othersThe border between science fiction and mainstream literature is more permeable than booksellers or publishers would have us think. Double Booker prize-winner Margaret Atwood’s... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-07-27 06:00:46 UTC ]
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It’s a strange thing, when you realise, you’ve fallen out of love. It’s kind of embarrassing, really. Noticing that things are messy, and that you don’t care. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-23 21:56:20 UTC ]
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It's worth the extra $10 for this ebook reader to escape Amazon's stranglehold on our lives. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2020-07-15 04:01:00 UTC ]
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Booksellers are preparing themselves for customers’ mandatory use of face masks in shops from 24th July, expressing some misgivings, particularly should they be required to enforce the government’s new rules. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-15 03:08:25 UTC ]
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Bookshops are relieved to be physically open again, reporting "steady" trade since raising the shutters at the start of June, with strong local support. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-13 11:30:32 UTC ]
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The annual Rising Stars list of industry catalysts reaches its 10th instalment with the Class of 2020, and judging by their forebears’ success, this year’s batch have plenty to look forward to. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-09 13:02:11 UTC ]
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Octopus imprint Cassell has scored a journey into the world of quizzing by actor Shaun Williamson. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-02 16:28:56 UTC ]
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Headline has acquired Victoria Hislop's One August Night, a sequel to her novel The Island, for release this October. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-02 01:22:20 UTC ]
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The Bookseller would like to capture the trade’s thoughts on social media and, in particular, "cancel culture" and its impacts on UK publishing, bookselling and writing. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-01 19:32:20 UTC ]
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Among the revelations from Condé Nast's virtual NewFronts presentation last week was the launch of a dedicated podcast network, including seven new audio series tied to various brands in its portfolio. One of those, "The Pitchfork Review," debuts next week, comprising a weekly series hosted by... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2020-07-01 17:31:18 UTC ]
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Booksellers are increasingly willing to speak publicly about challenging and offensive customers, breaking with a wall of silence about those interactions that has largely held up even in an age of social media. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-07-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Booksellers in Arizona, Florida, and Texas are concerned about the surge in Covid-19 infections, and several have reverted from welcoming customers to browse back to curbside pickup. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-07-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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