A group of writers are quids in following an experiment to sell a bundle of DRM-free ebooks. Sales of The Humble Bundle, which included works from authors Cory Doctorow, Neil Gaiman and the much-loved xkcd comic strip, have been anything but humble, with over 84,000 bundles sold, earning the authors $1.1 million in sales. What made the experiment so extraordinary was the fact that buyers could choose what they paid for the bundle, and how much of their price went to charity. WIth the average price coming in at $14.18: anyone who paid more than that got extra content included. One user even paid $1,238 for his 13 books which, if bought separately, would cost $157. One of the writers has been left gobsmacked. Lauren Beukes, author of Zoo City, initially saw the concept as a crazy experiment. "I didn't realise there would be over 75,000 of them spending more than a million dollars in two weeks on books!" she said. "This is New York Times bestseller-level sales." The online publishing industry will have been given a real fillip by this - especially authors who choose to publish their own work by themselves. Larger publishing houses and retailers such as Amazon, both of which swear by the draconian DRM, will be looking to see how future bundles, already in the Humble Bundle pipeline, fare. Continue reading at 'Fast Company'
[ Fast Company | 2012-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Camille Whitcher, a 2016 graduate of the Cambridge School of Arts Illustration MA, has won the 2017 Children’s Picture Book Prize, organised by the Stratford-upon-Avon Literary Festival and Brighton-based indie publisher Salariya Book Company Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Novelist Donal Ryan is the latest name forced to seek an income outside books, while children’s writers complain that stars from other media monopolise advancesDespite scoring three bestsellers in five years and a clutch of awards, The Spinning Heart author Donal Ryan has been forced to return... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An Italian memoir about how a hedgehog helped a man through tough times and a French novel set near the Korean DMZ are among the titles picking up new international deals. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As a case of 'pop-up publishing' takes hold in the news sector—and print sells—not everyone agrees there's a takeaway here for books. The post When a Niche-Audience Tabloid Takes Off in the UK, Is It News to Book Publishing? appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A pair of Wellington women with a combined 25 years experience in the children's book world are getting ready to share their passion with a wider audience. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2017-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In this week's episode of KCRW's "Scheer Intelligence," Steve Wasserman, former editor at Yale University Press and the Los Continue reading at HuffPost
[ HuffPost | 2017-02-04 15:51:11 UTC ]
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Transworld is publishing Dare to Dream, a book by Izzy Judd, wife of McFly drummer Harry Judd, telling the personal story of the couple's difficult time trying for a baby and turning to IVF. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Julian Sayarer's book Interstate: Hitchhiking Through the State of a Nation (Arcadia) has been named Travel Book of the Year at the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cornerstone has acquired a new book by Michael Palin documenting the maritime adventures of the HMS Erebus, part of a doomed 19th-century British expedition in northern Canada. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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What books are selling now that Trump is in office? A lot of dystopian fiction, and also 'The Art of the Deal.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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George Orwell’s 1984 (Signet) has rocketed straight to the top of the US chart, in a somewhat turbulent week for the Land of the Free. The edition, published in 1950, sold 25,884 copies—a 479% increase on the previous seven day period and is now overall number one in the US book chart. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Atria nabs a debut novel on the Israeli military draft, Acevedo brings a historical novel to Europa, a journalist’s book on truth under Trump goes to Prometheus Books, and more in this week's notable book deals. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Paula Hawkins' novel The Girl on the Train was borrowed from libraries 200 times a day in 2015/16. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2017-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Canadian authors including Margaret Atwood, Madeleine Thien, Luc Chartrand and Jocelyne Saucier are to travel to Cuba, as are 18 publishers. The post Canada is Guest Country of Honor at 2017 Havana International Book Fair appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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TV presenter Claudia Winkleman is to join author Cathy Rentzenbrink and Amazon's director of books, Dan Mucha, on the judging panel for children's book award Oscar’s Book Prize. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The chain of booksellers has announced its first profit in years – thanks in part to a bold decision to run each branch like a local bookshop Late on Thursday afternoon, would-be wizards across the UK dropped what they were doing to join the professors of Hogwarts for Harry Potter night. At 6pm... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A number of American literary agents have put out a collective open call for submissions by Muslim writers following President Trump’s “travel ban”. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Oxford-based Christian publisher Lion Hudson has made almost two thirds of its staff redundant and submitted a notice of intent to appoint administrators. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This week: new novels from John Darnielle and Viet Thanh Nguyen, plus how medicine changed the end of life. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Once feared as being made redundant in the digital age, the well-traveled book sales reps has become more important than ever. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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