Dan Brown's Origin makes a strong start in UK bookshops

Although not quite the sensation of previous Robert Langdon thrillers, The Da Vinci Code author’s latest mystery sold 100,000 copies in its first week Dan Brown’s mastery of something like a code for bestsellers has returned to cheer UK booksellers, with more than 100,000 copies of his latest thriller, Origin, sold in the first five days after publication last Tuesday. But while retailers pronounced themselves delighted, there were some indications that his hold on British readers is not quite as sure as it once was – with these figures adding up to only a fifth of the initial success of 2009’s The Lost Symbol.According to Nielsen BookScan, Origin had amassed 100,095 sales by Saturday. Brown’s publisher, Transworld, said this makes it the fastest-selling original fiction title in the UK since Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman in 2015, which sold 168,455 print copies in its first five days. But the Bookseller pointed out that Origin’s first week UK sales were half those of Inferno, which sold 228,961 copies in its first week in 2013, with Inferno’s sales half those of The Lost Symbol, which sold 551,000 print copies in its first week in 2009. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2017-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #latest thriller #british readers #lost symbol #nielsen bookscan #harper lee

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Print Sales Flat at Start of 2023

Unit sales of print books dipped 0.1% in the week ended Jan. 7, 2023, from the comparable week in 2022, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-13 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Despite leaks, Prince Harry’s memoir is the UK’s fastest selling nonfiction title ever.

You don’t really have to do much at this point to absorb passages from Prince Harry’s public therapy tell-all trauma dump, Spare. So much of what’s in the book has already appeared in interviews, profiles and, thanks to a very aggressive British press, as actual text on the internet. Despite the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-01-12 15:22:07 UTC ]
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Print Sales Start 2023 Flat with 2022

Unit sales of print books last week were even with the week ended January 8, 2022 with higher fiction sales offset by lower sales of nonfiction books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-12 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Prince Harry’s autobiography Spare is UK’s fastest-selling nonfiction book

The memoir, which includes claims Prince William attacked him, records figures of 400,000 on its first day Prince Harry’s autobiography has become the UK’s fastest-selling nonfiction book ever, recording figures of 400,000 on its first day on sale.The controversial memoir Spare has made... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-10 19:17:17 UTC ]
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Nothing is Real: Craig Brown on the Slippery Art of Biography

This talk was delivered at the 2019 Edinburgh International Book Festival. One of the longest biographies of recent years, the ill-fated Philip Roth by Blake Bailey, runs to 800 pages. It takes a total of 31 hours and 46 minutes to listen to on audiobook. Roth was 85 when he died, so his real... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-01-08 15:07:39 UTC ]
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The Symbolism of ‘Young Goodman Brown’ Explained

‘Young Goodman Brown’ is an 1835 short story by the American author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Inspired in part by the Salem witch craze of 1692, the story contains a number of powerful symbols. But how should we analyse the symbolism of the story? Let’s take a closer look at the most […] Continue reading at Interesting Literature

[ Interesting Literature | 2022-12-30 15:00:29 UTC ]
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12 Sci-Fi Stories to Help Make Sense of the Climate, Risk, and Our Digital Lives

Don’t miss these short stories featuring firefighting drones, lab-grown mammals, long-buried fan fiction, and much more. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2022-12-30 10:50:00 UTC ]
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Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Underground Comix Original, Dies at 74

Pathbreaking underground comix artist and editor Aline Kominsky-Crumb, whose work inspired a generation of women cartoonists, died from pancreatic cancer at home in Sauve, France on November 30. She was 74. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-21 05:00:00 UTC ]
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How Publishers Make Old Books New Again

Pluck any classic novel from a bookstore shelf and it will most likely feature an introduction by a contemporary writer. Especially inspired pairing of authors can imbue an old text with new relevance, highlight its enduring influence, or even become a new selling point for a backlist title. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette UK Buys Welbeck Publishing Group

U.K.-based Welbeck Publishing was formed in 2019 by publishing veterans Mark Smith, whose credits include cofounding and serving as CEO of Quercus Books, and Marcus Leaver, one-time CEO of Sterling Publishing and Quarto Group. Sales in 2022 are expected to top £25million. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Bob McGrath, original cast member on Sesame Street, dead at 90

Bob McGrath, an actor, musician and children's author widely known for his portrayal of one of the first regular characters on the children's show Sesame Street, has died at the age of 90. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2022-12-05 03:00:34 UTC ]
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Can U.S. Printers Make a Comeback?

The CEO of Worzalla says that with Chinese dominance of the industry threatened by frequent lockdowns and high shipping costs, now is the time for American printers to expand. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-02 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Disney built an AI that can easily make actors look younger or older

Disney researchers have developed an artificial intelligence system that seemingly makes it far easier to make an actor appear younger or older in a scene. While artists will still be able to make manual adjustments to make sure the effect looks as realistic as possible, the AI tool could take... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-12-01 15:45:09 UTC ]
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Brown Sugar Kitchen Chef Tanya Holland’s New Cookbook ‘California Soul’

In her new cookbook, the acclaimed owner of Brown Sugar Kitchen traces the Great Migration’s influence on West Coast cuisine. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-11-28 18:51:40 UTC ]
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Make Yourself at Home: Meet the U.S. Team at Nosy Crow Inc.

The U.K. children’s book publisher spreads its wings into the North American market. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-28 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Children’s authors of colour published in UK rose to 11.7% of market in 2021

BookTrust research shows, however, that the overall picture ‘remains far from representative’ with some writers and illustrators reporting tokenismNew research has found that 11.7% of children’s book creators published in the UK in 2021 were people of colour, up from 5.6% in 2017.Despite the big... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-11-23 06:01:50 UTC ]
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Two-thirds of UK’s biggest advertisers to cut television spend

Traditional TV shunned in favour of digital media and last-minute promotional campaignsMore than two-thirds of the UK’s biggest advertisers intend to cut back spending on traditional TV next year, as the recession fuels a shift to digital media and last-minute bursts of promotion.A survey of 59... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-11-21 00:01:39 UTC ]
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Amazon Makes Cuts to Its Book Group

As part of a companywide effort to reduce costs, Amazon has eliminated an unspecified number of jobs in its Books business. Word of the reductions came in a letter sent yesterday to employees from CEO Andy Jassy describing “role eliminations” in the company's Books and Devices units. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-18 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The original 1997 'Berserk' anime is coming to Netflix on December 1st

Berserk, the long-running manga that married fantasy and, well, violence, is coming back to the small screen. The original 25-episode 1997 anime series based on the manga and directed by Naohito Takahashi is coming to Netflix on December 1st, according to ComicBook.com.As is clear from the... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-11-14 11:27:38 UTC ]
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David Walliams recorded making derogatory remarks about BGT contestants

Exclusive: Britain’s Got Talent judge made sexually explicit comments about participant, leak showsThe Britain’s Got Talent judge David Walliams made derogatory and sexually explicit remarks about contestants during the recording of an episode of the ITV show, according to a leaked transcript... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-11-10 10:00:02 UTC ]
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