Do celebrity book blurbs 'blackmail' readers?

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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Religion Book Deals: March 2017

HarperOne takes rights to multiple books by bestselling author Fr. James Martin, Paraclete signs its first fiction title in over a decade, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Six Books on Spiritual Lessons Learned from Animals

Dogs are known as a man’s best friend, but new books coming from religion publishers are exploring how animals can also offer a deeper understanding of spirituality. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jamie Oliver 'can't wait' to publish 5-ingredient book in autumn

Michael Joseph is publishing a new cookbook from Jamie Oliver, Jamie’s Quick & Easy 5-Ingredient Food, this autumn to tie in with an eight-part primetime TV series on Channel 4 of the same name. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New York Review of Books editor Robert B Silvers dies

The exacting editor of the high-brow magazine was a legend on the New York literary scene. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2017-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Seventh Emily Windsnap book coming next year

Liz Kessler is set to release the seventh instalment of her middle grade series Emily Windsnapp next year. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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International Hot Book Properties, Week of March 20, 2017

A work by a Colombian author becomes one of the hot novels of London Book Fair; the Mediterranean 'The Girl on the Train' piques the interest of European publishers; and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The fall and rise of physical book sales worldwide – in data

The effect of ebooks on sales of paper books has not been as drastic as expected – it seems that other, more unpredictable factors have a greater influence on how and what we readNielsen, which tracks book sales in several countries, released 2016 figures to coincide with this week’s London Book... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's Books in China 2017: Xinjiang Juvenile Publishing House

This year marked the 60th anniversary of Xinjiang Juvenile Publishing House, which is located in Xinjiang, a province that makes up one-sixth of China’s total land area and borders eight countries, including Afghanistan, India, Kazakhstan, and Russia. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's Books in China 2017: A Gallery of Hot Titles from China

The titles Chinese publishers are bringing to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in April run the gamut from downright whimsical to outrageously adventurous. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Staff Pick: 'The Art of American Book Covers: 1875-1930' by Richard Minsky

Reviews editor Everett Jones recommends 'The Art of American Book Covers: 1875-1930' by Richard Minsky, focusing on the stamped hardcovers that were prominent before the dominance of dust jackets. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's Books in China 2017: Jieli Publishing House

This 27-year-old publisher (“a veritable young man in the industry,” says editor-in-chief Bai Bing) is less concerned with generating more new titles than publishing quality content for children. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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London Book Fair 2017: Publishers Keep Calm and Carry On

Despite political uncertainty on both sides of the Atlantic, this year's London Book Fair was a busy, buoyant event. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's Books in China 2017: Hunan Juvenile & Children’s Publishing House

Striving to uphold its stated mission to be “a kid’s best friend,” Hunan Juvenile & Children’s Publishing House has been on a 35-year journey to assemble the best children’s materials from near and far. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bologna Children's Book Fair Preview, 2017

This year's Bologna Children's Book Fair promises to be a colorful mashup of art, commerce, and technology. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's Books in China 2017: A Quick Survey of Bestselling Titles in China

A survey on what is selling in the market based on sales from bricks-and-mortar operations and online portals plus a look at a dozen major publishers’ revenues have revealed some of the bestselling titles in 2016 in China. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's Books in China 2017: Juvenile & Children’s Publishing House

Established in 1952, Juvenile & Children’s Publishing House was China’s first professional children’s publisher and is part of the much larger Shanghai Century Publishing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's Laureate Chris Riddell up for book prize

Children's Laureate Chris Riddell could win the Kate Greenaway illustration medal for a fourth time. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2017-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children’s Books in China 2017: 21st Century Publishing Group

Voted Best Children’s Publisher in Asia at the 2015 Bologna Children’s Book Fair, 21st Century Publishing Group has come a long way in its 32 years. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Orwell Prize for Books longlists Alderman and Matar

PRH authors Naomi Alderman and Hisham Matar have been longlisted for this year's Orwell Prize for Books, a £3,000 prize celebrating "the most compelling" political writing of 2016. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's Books in China 2017: Juvenile & Children Reading Experience Wonderland: A New Business Model

Located in Beijing’s central business district, the two-story Juvenile & Children Reading Experience Wonderland is a full-fledged subsidiary of China Children’s Press & Publication Group. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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