Could lockdown herald an exciting new chapter for the book trade?

The pandemic has thrown publishing and booksellers into crisis – and left customers struggling to obtain books when they most want them. But some in the industry sense an opportunity to drag it into the 21st centuryOn 18 March, Emma Corfield-Walters received the news that for the second year running, her shop, Book-ish, in Crickhowell in the Brecon Beacons, had landed the title for Wales in the regional round of the independent bookshop of the year award. Corfield-Walters has run Book-ish for 10 years. It has 16 staff and a cafe, is the base for a literary festival that she also organises, and is credited with having played a major part in the regeneration of Crickhowell’s award-winning high street. Above all, it is a highly successful business: 2019 was a record year. The fact that it would now again be a contender for the overall prize – to be announced in June at the British book awards – was for Corfield-Walters a hard-earned affirmation of a decade’s passion and work.But she was hardly celebrating. Britain was then five days from lockdown. “It was surreal,” she says. “We’d won best bookshop in Wales, yet I wasn’t sure for how much longer I’d have a shop that people could visit. It was like that scene in Star Wars when the walls are moving in, and the room’s getting smaller and smaller. The goalposts were shifting every day. At first, we thought: OK, we’ll buy hand sanitiser! But by the weekend, it was clear the shop would have to close.” Her first thought was for her... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2020-05-10 08:00:20 UTC ]
News tagged with: #year running #major part #record year #star wars #huge relief #signed copies #bookshop #british book #literary festival #independent bookshop

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Dear Reader by Paul Fournel review – an elegy for the printed book

A charming French novel about an old-school publisher trying to get to grips with the digital ageAt more than one point in this novel I found myself asking: could this be any more French? Early on we meet a character described thus: “She used to be incredibly good-looking and now at... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's market explored at New York Children’s Book Summit

The first Nielsen Children’s Book Summit convened in New York on Friday (12th December) at the McGraw-Hill Auditorium in midtown, saw over 150 participants attending the day-long meeting organized by Nielsen Book Americas SVP Jonathan Stolper and Bookigee’s Kristen McLean. They worked to be... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Should the Young Adult Book Category Be Rebranded?

The book term 'young adult' is generally disliked by both teen readers and adult fans. But is there a better alternative? The post Should the Young Adult Book Category Be Rebranded? appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Blinkist Condenses Nonfiction Books to 15-Minute Audiobooks

Berlin-based Blinkist condenses nonfiction books down to key points called blinks and is offering an app that delivers books as 15-minute audio summaries. The post Blinkist Condenses Nonfiction Books to 15-Minute Audiobooks appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Harris to chair Costa Book of the Year judges

Author Robert Harris will chair the judging panel for the 2014 Costa Book of the Year. He will be joined by writers Maggie O’Farrell, Bernadine Evaristo, Jonathan Stroud, Owen Sheers and Wendy Moore, actress Dame Diana Rigg, the BBC’s economics editor Robert Peston, and actress Samantha... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair Partners with World Cookbook Fair

The Frankfurt Book Fair and the World Cookbook Fair have partnered to strengthen the international culinary and wine publishing community starting in 2015. The post Frankfurt Book Fair Partners with World Cookbook Fair appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mantel attacks Thatcher book critics

Hilary Mantel says criticism of the BBC's decision to broadcast her short story The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher is "froth and bile". Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2014-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Soft September for Adult Trade

Sales in the adult trade segment fell 11.8% in the month, compared to September 2013. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-Book Legal Restrictions Are Screwing Over Blind People

For more than a decade, the visually-impaired have been locked in an excruciatingly slow and circuitous battle against US copyright laws. The post E-Book Legal Restrictions Are Screwing Over Blind People appeared first on WIRED. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2014-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At Hearing, Second Circuit Questions E-book Case Against Apple

At Apple's appeal hearing Monday in its ebook price-fixing case, Second Circuit Judge Dennis Jacobs aggressively questioned DoJ attorney Malcolm Stewart, and repeatedly referred to Amazon as a "monopolist." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Bookseller's Books of the Year

The main question we asked when compiling the second Books of the Year list, was: what are these sort of lists good for? Until last year, in its previous 155 years The Bookseller eschewed this kind of listing, partially because it was felt that, as the august Organ of the book trade, we were to... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Can an Oil-and-Gas Exec Disrupt the Book Business?

Bangkok-based Gordon Ross says disrupting the book industry is a business challenge, and has launched Bleeding Heart Publications to test his instincts. The post Can an Oil-and-Gas Exec Disrupt the Book Business? appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Unbroken' YA adaptation follows original book to the bestseller lists

This past November, author Laura Hillenbrand published a young adult version of her 2010 bestseller 'Unbroken' (itself still on bestseller lists). The book for younger readers is also selling well, though reviewers disagree on whether it's necessary. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Got Diversity? Six Hacks that Address Book Industry Diversity, 21st-Century Style

The lack of diversity in the book publishing industry is not new or surprising to veterans of the business. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Another E-book Dip

E-books lost a little bit of sales ground in the third quarter of 2014, according to data from the latest survey of book-buying behavior from Nielsen Books & Consumers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Igloo to publish Penguins of Madagascar books

Igloo Books is this month launching a series of books based on DreamWorks Animation’s new family film "Penguins of Madagascar". The range includes a book of the film, picture books, sound boards, various sticker and activity sets, and colouring books, and the company intends to “push ourselves... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Iceland’s Jólabókaflóð: The Christmas Book Flood

In Iceland, the holiday season sees more than 800 books published and is responsible for 60-70% of all book sales in the country. The post Iceland’s Jólabókaflóð: The Christmas Book Flood appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette Tests if Gumroad Can Sell Books on Twitter

Hachette has partnered with Gumroad, a company that enables direct sales through Twitter, to see if the social media platform can sell books. The post Hachette Tests if Gumroad Can Sell Books on Twitter appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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CIA Torture Report to be Published as Book

Melville House will publish 'The Senate Intelligence Committee Report on Torture' as a paperback and an ebook on December 30. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette turns to Twitter to sell books

Hachette is selling three of its titles, including Amanda Palmer's new book 'The Art of Asking,' using buy buttons on Twitter. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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