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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The International Publishers Association (IPA) has urged Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis to protect the country’s reading and book culture during the ongoing financial crisis. In a letter, IPA secretary general Jens Bammel wrote of how the Greek publishing industry has “suffered... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House (PRH) Children’s will this autumn release a series of colouring books for a crossover audience based on classic novels. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Frankfurt Book Fair has formally announced France will be its 2017 Guest of Honor country. The Institut Français will organize France's program. The post France to Be 2017 Guest of Honor at Frankfurt Book Fair appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Media mogul Richard Desmond’s typically self-effacing new autobiography shows how he took virtual unknowns David and Victoria and made it all OK!A rival emerges to the claim that Al Gore invented the internet. It turns out that Richard Desmond invented the Beckhams. Please adjust your records... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A preview of some great fiction and non-fiction books published this summer. The post Bugging Out: The Must-Read Insect Books of the Summer appeared first on WIRED. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2015-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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High inflation offset gains, leading to a 5.16% decline for the Brazilian book market in 2014, which totaled just US$2.03 billion. The post Recession, Inflation Combine to Pop Brazilian Book Bubble appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After attending a panel discussion on 'The Crisis of American Fiction,' in which an all-male panel discussed only male authors for an entire hour, author Kamila Shamsie began to research the dearth of women in publishing and literary fiction. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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During a recent talk show chat, "Game of Thrones" actress Maisie Williams revealed she had listened to fans' online opinions when crafting her scrappy Arya Stark character, originally written as a left-handed swordswoman in George R.R. Martin's book series. "The fans are so die-hard; they're... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In Brazil this past April and May, 17.34% of all books sold were coloring books — a genre which has dominated the bestseller lists for months. The post The Coloring Book Phenomenon Takes Over Brazil appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The German Bookseller and Publishers Association presents statistics for the German book market 2014. Sales are up in nonfiction and at physical bookstores. The post German Book Market 2014: Nonfiction Up, Overall Sales Down appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ronald Schild of Germany's MVB discusses how research shows simple metadata fixes, like putting the language of a book in your metadata, can double sales. The post How A Simple Metadata Fix Can Double Book Sales appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Macmillan Children’s Books has acquired a children’s book by Emma Donoghue, author of adult bestseller Room. The Lotterys Plus One is a middle-grade title about Sumac Lottery, a girl with six siblings, two mums, two dads. The family all live together in a big Victorian house they all call... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At the New Yorker, Adam Gopnik laments the closing of a bookshop in Paris, ultimately tying it to a loss of a kind of personal freedom. The post Elegy for a Lost French Bookshop…and Freedom appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Little, Brown has acquired a new cookery title form the founders of barbecue brand, Grillstock. Publishing director signed World rights in Grillstock: The Bar-B-Q Book by Jon Finch and Ben Merrington from Clive Wilson at Harris and Wilson. The book will feature 100 recipes inspired by Deep... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A Kindle is no match for the Italian artist and graphic designer's mixed-media tomes.With some books, reading on a screen is virtually the same as on paper. Swipe or turn a page and you'll see words organized into sentences organized into paragraphs organized into chapters. Not so with the work... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2015-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lucky magazine, once a blockbuster, genre-defining title for owner Conde Nast, has suspended its print operations, halting a plan to shift from publishing 10 times a year to quarterly, according to a person familiar with The Lucky Group, which publishes the magazine. The person did not know when... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2015-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The National Book Foundation has announced that Harold Augenbraum, its longtime executive director, will be stepping down in March. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Seeing a boom in YA book sales, Argentine publishers are now chasing global trends and marketing to a younger demographic to help boost prospects. The post Argentine Publishers Chase YA Book Sales Boom appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-06-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The CEO of Greenleaf Book Group argues a book can be your strongest marketing tool and outlines four points to consider before committing to writing one. The post What’s the Holy Grail of Content Marketing? A Book appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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‘If a man wants to write about gender and the pitfalls of masculinity, they’re met with sneers,’ says the bestselling author, who disputes criticism that he is antifeministThe author Matt Haig found himself “crucified” online after suggesting that his next non-fiction title could be a book... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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