Man Booker prize judge Colin Thubron has complained this week that star endorsements bully readers into admiring books, but it’s long been standard practiceSetting cats among pigeons has long been an unofficial part of the contract for judges of the Booker prize. Remember Chris Mullin’s insistence on “zip–along” novels, or, way back in 1992, AN Wilson’s condemnation of the prize itself as “essentially trivial”? This year’s flurry of fur and feathers was provoked by a tirade from Colin Thubron on celebrity endorsements. Some blurbs, said the veteran travel writer, “almost blackmail” readers into feeling that “you’re either intellectually or morally incompetent if you don’t love this book or you’ve failed if you haven’t understood it”. Some people, he felt, “seem to earn their living … saying: ‘This is the most profound book of our generation.’”Starting our Iris Murdoch bookclub with this '69 @PenguinUKBooks edition - you don't find blurbs like this any more! pic.twitter.com/P2XUvgtKAM Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2017-09-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Online booksellers like Amazon and Kobo have begun banning self-published titles featuring themes like incest and bestiality. But now, some readers complain, other erotic titles are disappearing as well. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books, including Blurb books, were always kind of after the fact,” said Eileen Gittins, CEO of Blurb, the fast-growing POD self-publishing platform. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-08-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Edinburgh Book Festival, which is celebrating 30 years, is the "largest and best respected literary festival in the world", according to its director. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Through First to Read, members will have the chance to get advance reading copies of Penguin Books before they are published. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookExpo America's Middle Grade Buzz Books panels previewed five titles editors are most excited about publishing this fall. Expect them to get a big push in bookstores. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jeanenne Ray, Senior Marketing Manager at Wiley, will speak at the Reaching Readers conference about how publishers can build strong readers communities. Here is a sneak preview of her talk. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Free Comic Book Day will be held on May 4 and will give comic book fans a chance to receive free comic books including issues from series like 'Superman' and 'Walking Dead'. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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L.A. Times Festival of Books: Joyce Carol Oates, Carol Burnett, Lemony Snicket and Jamaica Kincaid are among the 500 authors appearing at this weekend's festival for readers of all ages.Since background-check legislation was voted down in the Senate on Thursday, Adam Winkler, author of... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A preview of the 50th Bologna Book Fair includes the TOC Bologna program, Sweden as the Guest of Honor Country, and a list of award winners recognized during the fair. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The extra focus publishers have started to put on producing beautiful hardbacks has borne fruit,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reader's Digest UK will no longer produce or sell books, following a restructuring of the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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German book chains Weltbild and Hugendubel have reacted swiftly to Amazon's announcement... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-09-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In the market for a new e-reader? One could certainly do worse than Sony's Reader line. The company's been packing features onto its devices, and the already leaked latest entry is no different, with upgrades over its predecessor, packed into a newly redesigned body with bigger, better looking... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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World Book Night founder Jamie Byng spoke about the "need" for stories as the 2012... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Duchess of Cornwall, Stephen Fry and actor William Rycroft are among those gearing up to hand... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The new study by Book Industry Study Group says ebook consumers are buying more books – both print and electronic – but they’re buying mostly online and via in-app purchasing. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The share of adults in the United States who own tablet computers nearly doubled from 10% to 19% between mid-December and early January and the same surge in growth also applied to ebook readers, which also jumped from 10% to 19% over the same time ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cheap new e-readers are expected to be one of the hottest gifts this holiday season. But new owners of Kindles and Nooks may be in for sticker shock on Christmas morning: The price gap between the print and e-versions of some top sellers has now narrowed to within a few dollars -- and in some... Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2011-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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There are almost as many ebook surveys as there are digital conferences. Two new surveys released last week provided more information, one on the impact digital readers have had on consumers' reading and book-buying habits, while a second examined the impact of digital publishing on the industry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-09-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Thu, 01/09/2011 - 08:51 Readers will be able to download the ebook of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone for free with the limited edition model of the new Sony Reader. Further details have emerged about the Reader, which is set to go on sale in... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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