Editor's Letter: Summer? What summer?

In each issue of Distro, Executive Editor Marc Perton publishes a wrap-up of the week in news. In the US, Labor Day traditionally marks the end of the lazy days of summer, and the beginning of the busy fall season. While this summer was hardly quiet -- it included, you might recall, major product launches from the likes of Motorola, Google, LG, HTC and others -- the fall started with a bang, with Microsoft's surprise announcement on Labor Day that it was buying Nokia's devices and services division for $7 billion. The deal gets Microsoft a guaranteed hardware partner for Windows Phone, and quite possibly a new CEO, as the company has all but admitted that Nokia's Stephen Elop is first in line to replace outgoing CEO Steve Ballmer. It might also be considered a bargain. Just two years ago, Google paid over $12 billion for Motorola; that same year, Microsoft made another expensive telecom acquisition: it bought Skype for $8.5 billion. Before we even had time to digest Microsoft's news, Apple announced -- somewhat anticlimactically -- that it would indeed have a major event next week, where the company is expected to launch an upgraded iPhone 5, as well as a lower-end model, along with lots of new colors. Meanwhile, Amazon announced an upgraded version of the Kindle Paperwhite ebook reader, and Google's Android KitKat became the first operating system with a name licensed from a candy company. And this was all before the week's real news started rolling in from... Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2013-09-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #major event #amazon announced #upgraded version #operating system

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Editor's Letter: Summer? What summer?'


Transworld signs 70-year-old debut author as 'summer lead' title

A debut novel by 70-year-old Anne Youngson has been pre-empted by Transworld and is set to become the publisher's lead fiction title for summer 2018. Transworld editorial director Jane Lawson pre-empted UK and Commonwealth rights including Canada to Meet Me At The Museum, described as "the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #debut author #anne youngson #judith murray #greene heaton


Indie Booksellers Report Solid Summer Sales

Sales were strong across much of the country this past summer, and the attitude going into the fall is positive, according to a survey of more than 15 independent bookstores. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-09-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #past summer


Global Publishing Leaders 2017: De Agostini Editore

Italy’s De Agostini S.p.A. is a family-owned international group, founded in 1901 and controlled by B&D Holding. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #de agostini #bd holding


International Bestsellers: Ferrante Hot this Summer

Norwegian author Maja Lunde’s dystopian tale 'The History of Bees' topped the charts in Germany, while Elena Ferrante claimed the first and third spots on the fiction bestseller list in Sweden. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #international bestsellers


Global Publishing Leaders 2017: Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A

Mondadori operates five trade publishing houses: Edizioni Mondadori, Giulio Einaudi editore, Edizioni Piemme, Sperling & Kupfer (which includes the Frassinelli brand), and Rizolli Libri. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mondadori operates #edizioni mondadori #edizioni piemme #sperling kupfer


Cambridge University Press censorship attacks are misguided| Letters

All societies limit free speech in varying detail, writes Roger van Zwanenberg, founder of the radical publisher Zed. The censorship is by the customer – the Chinese government – not CUP, says Jessica LaganI refer to Paul Mason’s important, but mistaken argument about Cambridge University... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-08-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #chinese government #paul mason #chinese authorities #political sensitivities


What Are Book Cover Designers and Editors Earning? The Freelance Reality

Ninety-five percent of freelance pros at the Reedsy Marketplace have worked for the Big Five. Now we know more about what they're making. The post What Are Book Cover Designers and Editors Earning? The Freelance Reality appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-08-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Former Vanity Fair editor's diaries to W&N

Tina Brown, former editor-in-chief of Condé Nast magazine Vanity Fair, is publishing her diaries from eight years in the job with Weidenfeld & Nicolson. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #tina brown


Judith Jones, editor who discovered Julia Child, dead at 93

Judith Jones, a consummate literary editor who helped revolutionize American cuisine by publishing Julia Child and other groundbreaking cookbook authors, worked for decades with John Updike and Anne... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2017-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #judith jones #john updike


'Intimate' Austen letters set for September release

The Bodleian Library's publishing arm is set to release a collection of Jane Austen's letters which will provide "intimate glimpses" into her life after moving to Bath, aged 25. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #september release #bodleian library #publishing arm #jane austen


Wicks dominates print in Amazon Summer Trends report

Joe Wicks has claimed three spots on a ranking of Amazon’s top 10 bestselling print books, in a list dominated by non-fiction and lifestyle titles. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #joe wicks #lifestyle titles


A Momentous Summer for Brazilian-Born Journalist Fernanda Santos

In June, the paperback edition of The Fire Line: The Story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a book about the 2013 Yarnell Fire in Arizona and death of 19 specialty firefighters, arrived on the wings of a Spur prize from the Western Writers of America for Best First Non-Fiction Book. Author... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-07-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #non-fiction book #paperback edition


UK’s visa ban raises spectre of apartheid | Letters

Author Beverley Naidoo condemns the UK’s decision to deny an Iranian artist a visa to attend the Edinburgh festivalThe UK government’s denial of a visa to Ehsan Abdollahi (Iranian artist barred from Edinburgh festival after ‘Kafkaesque’ visa refusal, 21 July) suggests a game of snakes without... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #indie children #personal interest


Meet the Editor: Erroll McDonald

McDonald talks about his 40 years at Random House, where he's edited Toni Morrison, Salman Rushdie, Nicolas Sarkozy, and others. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-07-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #random house #salman rushdie


Christie's 'secret' letters to HarperCollins set to be revealed

The secret history between Agatha Christie and her long-standing publisher, HarperCollins, are being revealed as part of a new exhibition celebrating the company’s 200th anniversary. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #harpercollins set #200th anniversary


Dermot O'Leary takes on Summer Reading Challenge

Libraries are “bracing for a book loan boom” as the Summer Reading Challenge launches this week, headed by presenter Dermot O'Leary. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The lucrative business of science publishing | Letters

Readers discuss the pros and cons of open access to scientific journalsStephen Buranyi’s article on the lucrative business of academic publishing does not go far enough (How Robert Maxwell turned science publishing into a money machine, 27 June). At least academic researchers have access to... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-07-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #full report #scientific publishing #learned societies #university presses


The LA Review of Books and USC undertake a summer publishing workshop

A five-week summer program created by the L.A. Review of Books is currently underway at USC to help people break into the publishing industry. But that industry, despite having some local stars, is centered 3,000 miles away. “We do want to make people job ready," said LARB publisher and editor... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishing industry


Authors turn out for first S&S Summer Party

Authors Emily Clarkson, Sarah Vaughan and Chris Carter were among those who attended the first Simon & Schuster Author Summer Drinks Party. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #authors turn


Redmayne hails 'terrific year' at HarperCollins Summer Party

Charlie Redmayne paid tribute to the veterans of the publishing industry who had passed away in the “brutal” last year at the HarperCollins summer party. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishing industry