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 ]
The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association concluded its Fall Tradeshow in Portland, Ore., with an author breakfast and bookseller education programming. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Lisa Jewell puts a great deal of thought into the monikers she chooses for the people who populate her books. Here are her rules of thumb. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-09-07 09:02:29 UTC ]
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Victor LaValle’s 2017 literary horror novel, The Changeling, contains another book at its center: Maurice Sendak’s children’s tale Outside Over There. In Sendak’s story, goblins steal a neglected baby while “Papa is away at sea,” replacing her with a child made of ice. In LaValle’s novel, rare... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-07 08:37:37 UTC ]
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For more than 50 years a bookseller at City Lights, San Francisco's Paul Yamazaki is the National Book Foundation's Literarian Award winner. The post US National Book Foundation: Paul Yamazaki Wins the Literarian Award appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-09-06 22:16:49 UTC ]
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Van Nuys native Paul Yamazaki, a longtime veteran of San Francisco landmark City Lights, will receive a lifetime honor at the National Book Awards next month. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-09-06 14:00:49 UTC ]
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“Whatever has been invented, Le Guin teaches us, can be reinvented.” John Plotz revisits Earthsea. | Lit Hub Criticism Moeen Farrokhi on writing and humiliation under Iranian censorship: “I began to question the very act of writing itself.” | Lit Hub Memoir “No one needs my opinion about books.”... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-08-26 10:30:54 UTC ]
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Every fall season, bookseller enthusiasm builds for certain subjects, and novels—notably high-stakes historical fiction and immersive work in translation—are extra hot for 2023. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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“No one needs my opinion about books.” Longtime indie bookseller Josh Cook against the cultural authoritarianism of “good taste.” | Lit Hub Criticism When folk went mainstream: On Harry Everett Smith and the cultural paradigm shift that his Anthology of American Folk Music. | Lit Hub Music... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-08-23 10:30:23 UTC ]
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As interest in translated literature grows, small presses like Two Lines, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this September, are eager to introduce new international authors to Anglophone readers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Valerie Koehler says that if her book shop is forced to comply with a new state law regulating public school literature, she might go out of business. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2023-07-26 21:13:13 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble will reopen its bookstore at The Avenue at White Marsh in a redesigned format on July 26, the bookseller announced Wednesday. It's one of several changes and new stores planned for the center. Continue reading at Baltimore Sun
[ Baltimore Sun | 2023-07-19 17:11:00 UTC ]
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After a survey revealed the stresses that authors face when placed in the spotlight for the first time, publishing houses and industry bodies have pledged extra training and pastoral careAuthor and publisher welfare has been a hot topic in the books industry of late. Publishing houses, trade... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-07-18 15:13:43 UTC ]
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Editor with the Paris-based publisher Gallimard Jeunesse who was determined to give British children’s books a presence in FranceChristine Baker, who has died aged 71 of cancer, did much to give British children’s books a presence in France, making them readily available to families and schools... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-07-10 16:54:07 UTC ]
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Small presses have been publishing excellent work by writers who you may not know (yet). From compelling short stories to heart-wrenching novels, these books will take you on a journey across states and countries, into the past or to the future, as well as deep into the minds of richly-drawn... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2023-06-30 11:00:00 UTC ]
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You won't make a living wage working as a bookseller in an indie bookstore. Here's a look at wages across the country. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-06-12 10:37:00 UTC ]
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A coalition of 18 plaintiffs—including a powerful alliance of library, publishing, author, and bookseller groups—are suing to strike down a controversial new law that would expose librarians and booksellers to criminal liability for making allegedly inappropriate books accessible to minors. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
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At a lunch-hour keynote on May 24, National Book Award winner and former National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Jacqueline Woodson sat down with bookseller Miwa Messer. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The award, championing small presses with fewer than five staff, was won by The Doloriad – an audaciously original novel set in a post-apocalyptic dystopiaDead Ink Books has won the Republic of Consciousness prize for small presses for Missouri Williams’s “astonishing” debut novel The Doloriad.... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-04-26 08:35:38 UTC ]
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Hug an author today! Fifty-four percent of debut authors responding to Bookseller survey said the process had a negative impact on their mental health—equally likely to feel bummed out whether they pubbed with a Big Four or an indie publisher. One, quoted anonymously in The Bookseller’s report,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-24 15:32:12 UTC ]
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The bookseller announced new benefits and discount perks in an effort to "revitalize" its membership ranks and unveiled an alternative free B&N Rewards loyalty program. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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