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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As the USA and Cuba reestablish diplomatic relations, literary relations are also flourishing: Restless Books will release a series of Cuban sci-fi books. The post Restless Books’ Publisher Searches for Cuban Science Fiction appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Shirley Hughes, winner of the inaugural Book Trust lifetime achievement award, answers our questions about Dogger, Alfie and how come she waited until she was over 80 years old to write her first novel. We also got to meet the real DoggerFirst of all some exciting news… Shirley Hughes has won... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How do you brand the digital book of the future? 50% old school, 50% new school.From a design standpoint, Kindle books aren't radically different than their print counterparts. Letters are rendered in pixels rather than ink, and are somewhat adjustable. But otherwise, a digital a book is the... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2015-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With 600,000 books sold, the startup Lost My Name is redefining personalization in publishing.There's no company sign or logo out front. No indication of any kind that this quiet stretch of Pritchard's Road in East London includes the headquarters of a global publishing sensation. A squat,... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2015-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Last month the finalists for the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults were announced. Now we want to test little bookworms on what they know about New Zealand books for kids and their authors. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2015-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Alex Bellos and Edmund Harriss’s Snowflake, Seashell, Star promises to be ‘both a field guide and a therapeutic exercise book’Adults who are running out of cats and gardens to colour in as part of the new craze for “mindful” colouring books will soon have a more educational option for their... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The New Zealand Book Awards will return in 2016 with an annual fiction prize of $50,000, it has been announced. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2015-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After years of depending on non-book items to boost profitability, Canada's dominant bookstore chain wants to return its focus to selling actual books. The post Canada’s Indigo Bookstore Refocuses on Books appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Canongate has acquired a mathematical colouring book. Katy Follain, publishing director of non-fiction, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights in Snowflake, Seashell, Star by Alex Bellos from Rebecca Carter at Janklow & Nesbit. Bellos has “created a unique and inspiring colouring book using... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An exploration of the landscape around a remote Cornish farmhouse, a study of the role of lemons in the Italian cultural landscape, and an account of life below deck on giant container ships are among the books shortlisted for the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year shortlist. Stanfords... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A collection of essays from Zadie Smith, a novel critiquing the concept of romantic love by Alain de Botton and Marina Lewycka’s first book in four years are among the highlights of Penguin General’s spring 2016 list. Authors and staff from Penguin General – which comprises of imprints Penguin,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Paula Hawkins’s debut psychological thriller "The Girl on the Train" was the top-selling title on the print and Kindle bestseller lists for the year to date. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Playwright and PEN winner Victor Lodato sells his sophomore novel to SMP, YouTube star Marzia Bisognin lands a deal for her debut novel, former senators Tom Daschle and Trent Lott explore a D.C. crisis at Bloomsbury, and more in this week's notable book deals. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Last week, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, by a 2–1 margin, affirmed Judge Denise Cote’s 2013 finding that Apple orchestrated a 2010 conspiracy with five major publishers to fix ebook prices. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Lucy Beresford is launching an initiative to create a library at one of the London shelters for domestic violence charity Refuge. Beresford said: “I'm launching an initiative called Refuge for Books, asking all my friends in the publishing world to send me a copy of a book for Refuge.... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Orenda Books has signed world English language rights to a debut "deeply moving thriller". Rights to Epiphany Jones by Michael Grothaus was signed by Orenda's pubisher Karen Sullivan from Maggie Hanbury of the Hanbury Agency. Described as an "energetic, inventive, gritty and deeply moving... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It is "incredibly blinkered" to only target traditional newspaper reviews for books, The Pool c.e.o. and co-founder Sam Baker has said. Speaking at The Bookseller's Marketing and Publicity conference yesterday (30th June), Baker also admonished the industry for its obsession with the hardback,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors are not used enough in marketing and publicity by publishers, writer Liz Fenwick has claimed. Speaking at The Bookseller's Marketing and Publicity conference Fenwick, who is published by Orion, said that she thought in general publishers did not speak enough to authors, or on a regular... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This week, dirty Seinfeld fan fiction, a David Lynchian campus novel, and Kim Stanley Robinson's latest. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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28 UK authors will be setting up shop at the the Guadalajara Book Fair, this November 28-December 6, as part of Britain's 'guest nation' literary program. The post UK Sends Young Authors to 2015 Guadalajara Book Fair appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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