Diary of a small town sensation: how the Wimpy Kid author built his dream bookshop

Growing up, Jeff Kinney discovered Tolkien, comics and computers at his local bookshop. When it closed he was bereft – would opening his own as an adult help to right that wrong?Author Jacqueline Woodson recently spoke about books being either mirrors or windows. Mirrors for seeing ourselves, and windows for seeing into other worlds. Growing up, I enjoyed both types of books, from the realistic contemporary fiction of Judy Blume to the epic fantasy of JRR Tolkien. I had access to books by these and every author in between courtesy of a bookstore a short drive from my house. I didn’t understand my privilege then, but I’ve come to understand it better over time.In the short time that it was open, I developed interests that would shape my career. I grew up at the advent of personal computing, and the books I read helped me along a path to becoming a programmer. I also developed a deep appreciation for comics, thanks to an expansive humour section at the bookstore. Those comic collections helped to prepare me for my dream career as a cartoonist. Had we not had a bookstore nearby during my formative years, I would have grown up to be a completely different person.We’ve had several romances develop from first dates in the cafe, and one couple is getting married this autumn Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2019-10-05 09:00:40 UTC ]
News tagged with: #local bookshop #judy blume #epic fantasy #jrr tolkien #deep appreciation #formative years #bookstore

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Authors’ way

In the late 1990s the venerable book trade chronicler Ian Norrie wrote to The Bookseller’s then-editor Louis Baum to complain about the inclusion of an author in the magazine’s series of The Great and the Good. “Authors are not part of the book trade per se,” Norrie wrote. This week The... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A One-of-a-Kind Celebration for Turkish Author Ahmed Umit

Kalem literary agency and Turkish publisher Everest gathering global publishers and translators in Istanbul to launch Farewell My Beautiful Motherland by Ahmed Umit. The post A One-of-a-Kind Celebration for Turkish Author Ahmed Umit appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookshops unwrap Christmas plans

Booksellers are rolling out their Christmas advertising, with chains divided between emphasising the power of giving a book as a gift and recommending individual compelling titles. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Struggling authors applying for emergency funds in record numbers

The Society of Authors reveals 2015 saw the highest number of applications for financial assistance, with more well-known authors beginning to ask for helpA record number of struggling authors applied for emergency financial assistance in 2015, the Society of Authors has revealed, with... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Popular U.K. Band Taps Author for Promotional Push

Author Stuart Evers recently collaborated with U.K. folk trio Daughter, writing three short stories that provide the visuals for three music videos promoting Daughter's second album. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Global Kids Connect: A Star-Studded Party

Capping the Global Kids Connect conference was a party for PW's just-published Children's Starred Reviews Issue; many local authors and illustrators whose books were featured in that issue were in attendance. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In Amicus Brief, Authors Guild, ABA, B&N Back Apple

A coalition of authors groups and booksellers is urging the Supreme Court to reverse the verdict in Apple's ebook price-fixing case. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Black authors don’t write only for white women | Dreda Say Mitchell

Yes, book publishers have a problem with writers of colour – it’s just not the one Man Booker prizewinner Marlon James describesThere are so few ethnic minority voices in publishing and the media that when one criticises another it has come to be regarded as a form of strike-breaking. Knowing... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Global Kids Connect Conference Debuts in New York

The one-day conference offered an expert lineup of publishers, editors, and agents, who offered professional perspectives on everything from content creation and licensing to doing business in China. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Smart: 'publishers do invest long-term in authors'

Ebury m.d. Rebecca Smart said that traditional publishers need to “shout from the rooftops” more about the value and investment they provide for authors. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-12-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Shamsie: 'Publishers not investing in author careers'

Novelist Kamila Shamsie has said that traditional publishers’ focus on the “bottom line value of pounds and pennies” has meant a shift away from building authors’ careers in the long-term and created a lack of diversity and new voices. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-12-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Day: Writers are 'divided into two camps'

Authors are divided into two camps – those who self-publish and those who are traditionally-published, and the “eternal debate” over which is superior should end, The Bookseller’s Author Day has heard. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-12-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kids These Days: They Might Just Pay for Digital Content

Media consumers who prefer native digital content now make up nearly half the audience for entertainment in developed markets and more than a third of the audience for publishing and online services. In developing markets, those shares are slightly lower but trending in the same direction, Bain... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Where are the brown people?': authors slam lack of diversity in UK publishing

Nikesh Shukla calls industry’s backtracking ‘a perfect loop-de-loop of blame’ as he is joined by Jon McGregor in a groundswell of readers and authors demanding more diverse representationMan Booker winner Marlon James: ‘Writers of colour pander to the white woman’Authors Nikesh Shukla and Jon... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A female author's revelation: When the men stopped mattering

There are few things more revealing than a fervent hobby. If you expose someone's passionate pastime, you somehow learn more about him than the activity alone should reveal. Think Vladimir Nabokov's butterflies, or George W. Bush's portraits. As for me, I've practiced only one activity with... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Andersen signs debut YA author Julia Gray

Andersen Press has acquired a satirical YA novel about two boys and Norse gods by debut author Julia Gray. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors Rally 'Round Ninja Day

A band of children's authors with recently published ninja-themed books have joined forces to organize Ninja Day Story Time, to encourage booksellers, librarians, and young ninja devotees to celebrate the occasion. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book of limericks transforms struggling author Ranjit Bolt into literary lion

Ranjit Bolt has won plaudits with A Lion Was Learning to SkiIn the summer of 2014, the spectacle of a middle-aged playwright selling limericks about “comedic giraffes” and “Spanish cicadas” was a regular one at Cambridge market. But as more followed – elephants, sharks and “a young lady from... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-11-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Neuromancer author Gibson returns to Gollancz

Gollancz has acquired William Gibson’s Sprawl Trilogy, comprising of Neuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive and a collection of short fiction, Burning Chrome. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Surprise Laura Ingalls Wilder Bestseller Transforms a Small Press

The surprise success of 'Pioneer Girl' has caused South Dakota Historical Society Press to change how it does business, from the number of titles it publishes to how it handles rights. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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