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 #formative years #bookstore

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High-profile authors sign up to Vaizey letter

Authors including Patrick Ness, Kate Mosse, Simon Singh, Mary Hoffman and Katherine Langrish,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury launches online service for unpublished authors

Bloomsbury is to offer online services to help unpublished authors learn about the publishing... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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US Authors Guild attacks Amazon over Kindle Lending

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Tue, 15/11/2011 - 10:12 The US Authors Guild has accused Amazon.com of "boldly breaching its contracts" with publishers by signing them up to its new Kindle Lending programme without permission. It claimed it is doing this to drive sales of its Kindle... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BA: 'end charity bookshop concessions'

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 11/11/2011 - 07:35 The Booksellers Association is calling for the end of tax and business rate concessions for charity bookshops, saying that they represent "unfair competition" to high street booksellers. The call comes amid claims... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Maher opens discount bookshop

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Fri, 11/11/2011 - 07:25 The former owner of Maher the Bookseller, which went out of business in June after 16 years trading, has opened another bookshop selling titles for up to 50% off r.r.p. Tony Maher, who used to own his former business in the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookshops take to the clouds to keep up with the literary e-volution

THE ebook revolution has gathered pace with Sydney's independent bookstores introducing ebook kiosks from today and Dymocks announcing a partnership with Google to deliver ebooks online. Continue reading at The Sydney Morning Herald

[ The Sydney Morning Herald | 2011-11-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Yale has a rummage through authors' books

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 31/10/2011 - 08:00 Yale University Press will be nosing around authors' bookshelves with the publication of Unpacking My Library: Writers and Their Books next month, with authors including Philip Pullman, Jonathan Lethem and Junot Díaz... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Three bookshops lauded by Parliament

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 27/10/2011 - 14:20 Three bookshops were among the top 10 retailers to be recognised in the Parliamentary Small Shops Competition. Kemptown Bookshop in Brighton won a trophy for coming third in the competition, run by the Independent Retailers... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Meredith Increases Dividend by 50% and Authorizes a $100 Million Stock Repurchase

This story first appears on FOLIO: sister site, minonline. Meredith Corp. chairman/CEO (since July 2004) Steve Lacy announced that the board of directors approved a $1.02-to-$1.53 per-share increase in the quarterly dividend paid to investors and authorized the repurchase of $100 million of... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-10-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon/TBD merger "could put bookshops out of business"

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Wed, 26/10/2011 - 15:55 The Booksellers Association has said the Office of Fair Trading's decision to clear the merger between Amazon and The Book Depository will give Amazon more power to put its competitors out of business. The OFT announced today... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Big Green Bookshop turns publisher

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 25/10/2011 - 09:00 The co-owner of the Big Green Bookshop has launched his own publishing company and is set to release his first book with author Greg Stekelman. Simon Key, co-owner of the independent bookshop based in Wood Green, London, has... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Subtext Livens Up Ebooks With Author Commentary and Social Reading

A new social reading app called Subtext today launches on the iPad with a selection of books laden with annotations from authors and researchers. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-10-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Somper sets up author training company

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Fri, 21/10/2011 - 11:35 Vampirates author and long-time children's book publicist Justin Somper has set up Author Profile, a training company aimed at helping authors navigate the media and social networking. Writers including Damian Kelleher,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Small Demons Makes Big Splash at Frankfurt Book Fair

In his closing remarks, Frankfurt Book Fair director Juergen Boos said that 2011 was a strong year for startups at the fair. Among those startups, perhaps none had a better reception than Small Demons, in Los Angeles. “We couldn’t have asked for a better first Frankfurt Book Fair,” Small Demons... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors to Get Sales Data From Three Big Publishers

Simon & Schuster, Random House and the Hachette Book Group said they would allow authors to access book sales data online, a service Amazon began providing last year. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Torbay Bookshop to stay open

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Wed, 12/10/2011 - 11:13 The Torbay Bookshop in Paignton has made a dramatic U-turn on its decision to close after purchasing a franchise in Thorntons chocolates. Husband-and-wife team Matthew and Sarah Clarke announced their decision to sell the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Viking acquires war camp diary

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 07/10/2011 - 10:59 Penguin has acquired a diary written during the Second World War by a teenage concentration camp internee, striking a deal directly with the author at her home in Prague. Viking publishing director Venetia Butterfield... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The bookshop revolution

Coffee, food, wine ... it takes a lot more than books to keep a bookseller in the black these days. Continue reading at The Sydney Morning Herald

[ The Sydney Morning Herald | 2011-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BA urges government action to protect bookshops

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Mon, 03/10/2011 - 18:41 High street bookshops need help from the government if their presence there is to continue, the c.e.o. of the Booksellers Association has said. Tim Godfray called on the government to give rate relief to businesses with a... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Perseus Creates New Service for Authors Seeking to Self-Publish

David Steinberger of Perseus, which will offer distribution and marketing to authors. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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