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 ]
News tagged with:
#booker prize
#colin thubron
#celebrity endorsements
#ve failed
Irish startup Writing for Tiny allows users to create personalized books with characters of all sizes and colors. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
On October 18, 2016, The Markets: Global Publishing Summit will showcase seven publishing regions you can’t afford to ignore. Here we offer brief glimpses into each of these markets. The post Snapshots of Seven Vibrant Publishing Markets: Frankfurt Book Fair appeared first on Publishing... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
In response to Sherman Alexie’s decision to cancel an appearance in North Carolina and concerns that more cancellations could follow, the ABA and other book-related groups asked authors not to punish booksellers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#sherman alexie
#north carolina
Foreign rights buyers are turning their attention to the language of Borges and Bolaño — At last! say agents and publishers. The post Rights Rising in the Spanish Language: ‘A Universe in Itself’ at London Book Fair appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#spanish language
'We are a little isolationist,' Ivars Ījabs says to fellow from the Baltics in a session of constructive candor on 'the paradox of the open culture' at London Book Fair. The post Baltic Crossroads at London Book Fair: Writers from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania appeared first on Publishing... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
How pure a play is crowdfunding? As Unbound's John Mitchinson says, "We still decide" which books are taken forward. And #LBF16-goers crowded a session on it. The post ‘The Wisdom of the Crowds’ at London Book Fair appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#john mitchinson
Telling Publishing Perspectives about her 'good, great partnership' with London's Quarto, Sharjah's Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi announces that Kalimat Quarto will begin distribution in early 2017. The post At London Book Fair Thursday: Kalimat & Quarto Announce Joint Imprint appeared first... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#kalimat quarto
Quarto imprints make up over half of the 14-strong shortlist [see below] for this year’s English 4-11 Picture Book Awards, with its Frances Lincoln’s Children’s Books imprint having six books listed while Wide Eyed Editions has two. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#frances lincoln
#books imprint
#books listed
Thriller series Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know sets publishing showcase buzzing, but there’s cash left for a novel from Bake Off’s Nadiya Hussain, a Little Prince sequel and a pride of literary lionsWest London has been filled in the past week with publishers offering first hints about new books... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#nadiya hussain
#past week
#orhan pamuk
France, Australia, US, China, Sudan, Brazil, Poland, New Zealand and more factor into the honors: New Bookstore of the Year category a popular favorite. The post Asia, North and South America, Africa, Europe featured in London Book Fair’s Excellence Awards appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#post asia
#south america
#excellence awards
#year category
Translation funding and robust international attendance at the Sharjah Book Fair's professional program has given rise to more rights deals at the fair. The post Rights Deals Soar at Sharjah Book Fair appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#translation funding
#professional program
#rights deals
Facebook is trying to sweeten the deal for Instant Articles publishers. At its F8 developers conference today. the social network showed off expected new video ads, which can go right into Instant Articles. It also discussed its new branded content policies, which allow publishers to create... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2016-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#video ads
Fourth Estate has bought a title chronicling Premier League outfit Leicester City’s unlikely title challenge. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#fourth estate
The Kindle Oasis is the eighth edition of Amazon's Kindle e-reading devices and is designed to be lighter, thinner and offers a new dual battery system. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#kindle oasis
With a sharp eye for languages 'under-represented in translation' and a huge response to its call at Frankfurt Book Fair for submissions, AmazonCrossing, the new leader in translation publication, arrives at London Book Fair in rapid expansion. The post At London Book Fair: AmazonCrossing in... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#rapid expansion
Civil-rights activist who made headlines last year after her white heritage was exposed says the book will be about people ‘caught between boundary lines of race or culture or ethnicity’Rachel Dolezal, the civil-rights activist who was accused of misrepresenting herself as black last year, has... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#made headlines
#larger issue
Forget your Foyles of London or that Barnes & Noble on New York's Union Square, the top shop sits on Lygon Street, Melbourne. Continue reading at The Sydney Morning Herald
[ The Sydney Morning Herald | 2016-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#barnes noble
#union square
Chiki Sarkar, the former publisher of Penguin Random House India, is launching Juggernaut Books this month. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#chiki sarkar
The International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) is pushing back against Hachette CEO Arnaud Nourry's suggestion that proposed "vast exceptions to copyright law for libraries," would devastate European publishers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#international federation
#pushing back
#copyright law
After years of sales declines in the U.K., the London Book Fair opened Tuesday with U.K. sales on the rise. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#sales declines