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 thirtysomething she is creditably handsome.” Sorry? What the narrator, an ageing male publisher, looks like, or how creditably or uncreditably good-looking he is, we don’t find out. Another woman leaves the room “in a wiggle of buttock” – I dropped my annotating pencil when I read that line. “Artichokes require a degree of elegance” – there’s another drop of essence of Gallic for you.But there is more to Dear Reader, and what kept me going was that one of the subjects exercising our narrator is the issue of electronic readers – Kindles or, as our hero Robert Dubois has it, the “dear reader” of the title. This book is an elegy for a dying world: that of the printed book and, that death’s darker corollary, the reader who is still interested in, or has the attention span for, the long-form narrative. (I always thought these things were arranged better in France, with no Net Book Agreement and tax breaks for bookshops, but apparently not.) In the world of Dear Reader, there has been a general collapse of cultural understanding: the interns point out to Dubois the remarkable coincidence that the publishing house they have landed in has the same name as him. Meanwhile, Dubois cannot quite get to... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2014-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jet Blue, Random House and Mary Pope Osborne are giving away free kids books through a program that places book vending machines in underprivileged neighborhoods. The post Vending Machines to Dispense Free Kids Books appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'What Pet Should I Get?': New illustrations, books, and exhibits are still to come from Dr. Seuss, 24 years after his death. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins Children’s Books will publish The Person Controller, the second children’s book from author and comedian David Baddiel. Illustrated by Jim Field, the book is about Fred and Ellie - twins who end up inside a video game, and will be published this October. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Let's celebrate some of the best cover artwork comics fans have ever seen. The post Revisit Fables’ Beautiful, Groundbreaking Comic Book Covers appeared first on WIRED. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2015-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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He has only been in graphic storytelling for three years, but already the Czech-born writer has produced several influential series for the biggest publishers – and his latest is set to reinvent crime noirAt 28 years old, Ales Kot is at the forefront of a new generation of writers injecting... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A survey from the Federation of European Publishers (FEP) and the International Publishers Association (IPA) has highlighted the international disparities in the taxing of books and ebooks. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Charging VAT on digital books is “holding back the development of the ebook market in general, and especially in non-English and small-language markets”, the International Publishers Association’s (IPA) José Borghino has said. A global survey of VAT rates, conducted by the IPA and the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Harper Lee’s long-lost novel has sold over 200,000 copies in the UK over the past weekEL James’ reign at the top of the UK book charts for the last month with her erotic bestseller Grey has been ended by a novel written in the 1950s and abandoned in a box for decades: Harper Lee’s Go Set a... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-07-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Among the titles generating interest this week are a Greek short story collection about locals fleeing the debt-ridden nation, and a previously unpublished novel by the grandson of Ché Guevara. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Vermont-based press will be the first press to offer a book-length look at the agenda of native politico and Democratic presidential candidate, Senator Bernie Sanders. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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What's your favorite book by Dr. Seuss? To mark the publication of the lost-then-found new Seuss book 'What Pet Should I Get?' PW wants to know about your favorite! Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A scheme involving the White House, libraries and publishers will let children from cash-strapped families read free ebooksWhile the UK quibbles over library ebook lending, American publishers are teaming up with charities and libraries to give away thousands of ebooks to low-income students.... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books about angels are growing increasingly popular with six titles expected for release over the next few months. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The International Publishers Association and the Federation of European Publishers has released a report of VAT rates on books and ebooks around the world. The post VAT Rates on Books and Ebooks Around the World appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frank Cottrell Boyce has discovered some new literary heroes at the most beguiling library in the world, The International Jugendbibliothek. It was set up after the second world war by a Jewish refugee after Nazi book burning and banning. Here Frank tells us all about it – and kicks off a... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House UK Children's has acquired a teen book by Emily Barr in a six-figure deal. Editorial director Ruth Knowles bought world rights to The One Memory of Flora Banks, along with a second stand-alone novel, from Lauren Pearson at Curtis Brown. The book is about Flora, a teenage... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A "limited number" of copies of Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman (William Heinemann) have been found to contain a printing error, with Penguin Random House's printer Clays having to print replacement stock. Copies affected by the technical fault at Clays have two lines missing on each of six... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Go Set a Watchman has become a major hit in a year that needed one and raises questions about American society and its publishing and reading culture. The post On Harper Lee, Pre-orders, and Book Product appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This week: the latest from Juan Gabriel Vasquez, and what it's like to be a speechwriter. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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WWII naval disaster story by Lynn Vincent and Sarah Vladic goes to Jonathan Karp at S&S; St. Martin’s Press signs a novel about three Vanderbilt women by Theresa Ann Fowler, and more in this week's notable book deals. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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