A survey of indie presses shows that 60% fear they could be out of business by the autumn, writes Galley Beggar Press cofounder Sam JordisonOver the past few years, the success of independent publishers such as Fitzcarraldo, And Other Stories, Bluemooose and Influx Press has been something to behold. They have won prizes, engaged readers and published innovative and important books. Now that wonderful literary flowering is in danger. A survey on the impact of Covid-19 on small presses, carried out by the Bookseller and writer development charity Spread the Word, reveals that 60% of the small presses polled fear they could be out of business by the autumn, 75% don’t know if they will make it beyond March next year, while 85% of the publishers have seen sales drop by more than half.Small presses have been hit especially hard because they are more dependent on physical sales in bookstores, rather than online retailers or ebook sales. I know, because my publisher, Galley Beggar Press, has also seen a big chunk of its income disappear. One of the great strengths of our kind of publishing is that we have a real connection with dedicated readers who love books as physical objects, readers who have an equally strong connection with booksellers. A great deal of what we do relies on the enthusiasm and personal recommendations of those heroes of our trade whose shops Covid-19 has closed. We have lost many of our best advocates, not to mention the most practical way of getting books... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2020-05-15 06:00:32 UTC ]
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Publishers are still prepared to pay good money up front for the right books, agents have told... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#staying power
The recommendations of friends was the top driver behind children's discovery of new titles,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#book buyers
With competitive bookstores, strong sales and three major languages - Hebrew, Arabic and Russian - Israel's small but vibrant publishing industry is on the rise. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon is forcing publishers to start negotiations over ebook prices exclusive of the full 20%... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Friday Project has signed up a self-published crime writer who sets her novels among London... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Seven current and former heads of major American publishing houses have published a joint statement opposing hate speech in Saudi textbooks. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon has been approaching UK publishers ahead of the launch of its Kindle lending service, with... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lena Dunham, creator of HBO’s Girls, signed a $3.7 million book deal with Random House. Rob Spillman says it is emblematic of all that is wrong with corporate publishing today. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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NewsCred is a media upstart that offers a one-stop shop for high quality content from the likes of the Economist and Bloomberg. After relaunching less than a year ago with a $4 million investment, the company’s technology-driven syndication ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Johnny Depp launches his own book imprint with publishing company HarperCollins. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2012-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In splitting News Corp. into two companies, Rupert Murdoch is creating something he hasn't had in years: an Australian media company. By some measures, the publishing company to emerge from the division of News Corp. sometime next year will have ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Infinitum Nihi – Johnny Depp's new publishing imprint with partner HarperCollins – will publish titles including a Bob Dylan biography and a novel by Woody Guthrie. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cornerstone has appointed Jenny Geras as publishing director of Arrow, with Geras moving from Pan... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sayville, Long Island, October, 2012 – Brainworks Software, the leading provider of newspaper advertising and circulation systems for North America has announced that the Times Publishing Company has selected Brainworks to provide their pro ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google and major book publishers have settled a lengthy legal battle over digital copyrights, but a bigger dispute still looms with thousands of authors who allege that Google is illegally profiting from their works. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2012-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Trade publishing represents a "counter intuitive" opportunity for private investors, at... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers are facing a dystopian future in which they are bit-part players in the ecosystem... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers can now decide whether Google can digitize out-of-print books still protected by copyright, but does not settle the issue of individual author rights. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Association of American Publishers has settled a long-running copyright infringement case with Google Inc., though the issue of whether Google had the right to digitally reproduce books in copyright is still being hashed out in court. Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2012-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Headline has acquired the world rights in Poirot and Me by actor David Suchet, writing with... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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