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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Irish author Louise O'Neill on her controversial novel Asking For It

The bit in her book that readers are reacting to the most, says Louise O'Neill, is not the gang rape. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2015-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Graphic memoir 'Arab of the Future' takes a look back to the author's childhood in Libya and Syria

The French cartoonist Riad Sattouf spent the earliest years of his life in three dictatorships. One dictator was Col. Moammar Kadafi, the "supreme leader" of Libya, where Sattouf and his parents moved when he was 2. Another was President Hafez Assad of Syria, where they relocated when he was 4.... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Vera B. Williams dies at 88; award-winning children's author and illustrator

Vera B. Williams' family saved pennies and nickels to get by during the Depression. So her mother's purchase of a "real chair" — neither stick-hard nor someone's castoff but brand new and cushiony — was an extravagance. "I don't intend to work all my life and have nowhere to sit down," the woman... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How Apple's Ad-blocking Software Could Put Small Publishers Out Of Business

With an iOS update expanding ad-blocking's reach, experts say smaller publishers and bloggers have fewer means of survival.As the debate over online ad blocking heats up with the arrival of iOS 9, experts say the biggest casualties of the online ad war may be small publishers and bloggers with... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2015-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ad-blocking software #smaller publishers #small publishers


HMH Debuts Kids’ Digital Subscription Service

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has launched Curious World, a kids' digital subscription service offering access to "playful learning" content for $9.99 per month. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Day

The Bookseller and FutureBook invite you to our inaugural Author Day. Now is the time for authors, publishers and the book trade to come together, share ideas and move from discussion to action. At a time of unprecedented change and promise for authors, our emphasis is on exploring potentially... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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UK’s Kids Pub Nosy Crow Partners with British Museum

Nosy Crow has partnered with the British Museum to produce a children’s books that will make art and history more accessible. The post UK’s Kids Pub Nosy Crow Partners with British Museum appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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MPIBA 2015: Kids' Books Contribute to High-Octane Show

Children's books have long been an integral part of the Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers Fall Discovery Show, and this year's gathering at the Renaissance Denver Hotel, held October 8–10, was no exception. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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4th Estate launches author video series

HarperCollins imprint 4th Estate is to launch RE4DINGS, a new video series featuring authors reading extracts of their work. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Aitken sets up Not Bad Books

Ben Aitken has set up independent publisher Not Bad Books after writing his début travel memoir, Dear Bill Bryson. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Belarus bookshop braves the state to publish Nobel winner's work

Underground publisher says it is risking regulations to translate Svetlana Alexievich’s novels into her home languageBefore a group of Belarusian artists and intellectuals chose it as their headquarters, Minsk drinkers would line up outside the run-down building for cheap vodka on tap. These... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Booka Bookshop and Tales on Moon Lane pop up at schools

Booka Bookshop and Tales on Moon Lane are setting up pop-up bookshops in schools. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors without borders

While self-publishers have many resources to choose from in their home language markets, selling rights abroad is altogether more difficult. Ahead of tomorrow’s Author Day, Porter Anderson looks at how indie writers can go global.   Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Fugitive Pieces' Author Anne Michaels Named Toronto’s Poet Laureate

The appointed three-year position, which includes an annual C$10,000 honorarium, means that Michaels will be the city’s advocate for poetry and language. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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NYCC 2015: Publishers Chase Growth in Kids', Girls’ Graphic Novels

Led by girl-focused comics, sales of kids' and YA graphic novels continue to grow and publishers used New York Comic Con to launch a spate of new properties targeting girls and young women. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Janne Teller tells it like it is

How to challenge extremist propaganda? What makes individuals turn to extremist ideologies? What practical solutions can challenge fundamentalism of all kinds—religious, political, economic—and how can we build multicultural communities that truly function? Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A manifesto for authors' marketplace success

"The gold rush is over," writes Auckland-based author Gary McLaren, seeing it as a natural market phenomenon that, "the supply of new books was eventually going to exceed demand" in digital publishing. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Seattle’s Arundel Books Launches Small Press

The bookstore/art gallery is adding a trade imprint, Chatwin Books, focused on literary fiction and poetry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author James Patterson wants to give holiday bonuses to booksellers

Patterson says he got the idea of offering holiday bonuses from applications he receives for bookstore grants. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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VIDEO: Bookshops celebrating 'Super Thursday'

Bookshops and publishers on both sides of the Atlantic are celebrating 'Super Thursday', the unofficial day that sees their big push for Christmas sales. Continue reading at BBC World

[ BBC World | 2015-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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