Faber & Faber: by Toby Faber review – the untold story of a publishing giant

They turned down Ulysses and Animal Farm, but still shaped 20th‑century literatureAll publishing houses have archives, but for anyone interested in 20th-century literature the archive of Faber & Faber is a fabled treasure house. This is the firm that was, as Toby Faber puts it, “midwife at the birth of modernism”. In 1924 Faber’s grandfather, Geoffrey Faber, aspiring poet and fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, had been installed as chairman of the Scientific Press, recently inherited by another All Souls fellow, Maurice Gwyer. It published mostly books and journals for nurses. Geoffrey Faber renamed it and started making it into a literary publisher. Within his first year he had installed TS Eliot as a fellow director and acquired his backlist.The firm would go on to publish Ezra Pound, WH Auden and James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake. Then Robert Lowell, Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughes, Philip Larkin, Seamus Heaney: a poetry list to beat all others. Academics have always itched to get into the Faber archive, to get at the letters and memos that record how this 20th-century canon was made. Toby Faber has rights of entry. He has given us a highly selective anthology rather than a narrative: his book is made up of extracts from original documents (mostly letters, but also memos, board minutes and blurbs), with spare comments from himself.Faber & Faber allowed The Bodley Head to get Ulysses; “Feebler and Fumbler”, Joyce called the firm Related: Lord of the Flies? ‘Rubbish’.... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2019-06-20 11:00:08 UTC ]
News tagged with: #ted hughes #philip larkin #seamus heaney #bodley head #anthology #publishing houses

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Faber & Faber: by Toby Faber review – the untold story of a publishing giant'


Publisher Reach on Facebook Is Down 42%

Publishers who have noticed their overall reach on Facebook has dramatically declined over the past few months can at least have peace of mind that they're not alone. According to an analysis by SocialFlow, publishers on Facebook have experienced a rapid decline in overall reach during the... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2016-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #limited number #diverse range #dark art #page views #media companies


Could Publishers and Agents Agree on a Flat Royalty Rate?

The idea that publishers could offer a single royalty rate across book formats has become a topic of discussion, though insiders say the problem will be ebooks. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #agents agree #book formats


'Biggest-selling' self-published book of 2016 lands Amazon deal

Self-published author Adam Croft has been snapped up for a publishing deal by Amazon imprint Thomas & Mercer after releasing what he says is the biggest-selling book by a self-published author in 2016. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #self-published book #publishing deal #self-published author


How Dynamic Is Your Publishing? A Cloudy Moment in Content Management

'Twenty-eight percent told us they don't know if they're ready' for digital publishing in the next two years, says Mark Gross, whose Data Conversion Laboratory sponsor the 'dynamic publishing' study. The post How Dynamic Is Your Publishing? A Cloudy Moment in Content Management appeared first on... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital publishing #content management


From paying the bills, to £2,000 a day: making a killing from self-publishing

Her Last Tomorrow, Adam Croft’s latest DIY thriller, lifted his bedroom business into the sales stratosphere. He talks about paying off his mortgage in weeks and why he’s fine with publishers being ‘sniffy’“Could you murder your wife to save your daughter?” That’s the hook for a novel that has... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book deal #long time


Piatkus to publish two by Ashley Antoinette

Piatkus has struck a deal for a novel and its sequel with New York Times bestselling author Ashley Antoinette. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Publishers’ Facebook videos are shared 7 times more than links

Publishers are addicted to the video format on Facebook, and it's easy to see why: they get much higher engagement on video posts than they do on article links, according to an analysis of NewsWhip data. The problem is that publishers have less ability to monetize the video they post to... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #video posts #facebook videos


Publishers on Facebook Live: The good, the bad and the bitchy

Brands may still be treading lightly, but publishers have been going all-in on Facebook Live. So much so that it’s becoming impossible to scroll through your Facebook feed without coming across a live video stream involving some wacky science experiment or a celebrity Q&A. But not all videos... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #post publishers #facebook live #facebook feed #created equal


The story of EE has been turned into a book

Nothing says summer like lying on a beach and getting stuck into a good book. But what to read? A 19th century classic, or perhaps Murakami's latest surrealist tale? What about the fascinating story of how mobile provider EE came to be? Well, look no... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2016-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #good book #fascinating story


Brought to book: when publishers go to court

A writer has just won a legal battle with Marvel and DC, but how do publishers usually fare in the courts?A writer scored a significant victory over publishers this week, when comic book giants Marvel and DC – who had tried to block Graham Jules from using “superhero” in the title of his... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #lady chatterley


Mitchell Beazley to publish sherry and tapas book

Mitchell Beazley, part of the Octopus Publishing Group, has commissioned a new book from cookery writer and broadcaster, Kay Plunkett-Hogge. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mitchell beazley #cookery writer


Unbound to publish Jonathan Coe fable

Crowdfunding platform Unbound is launching The Broken Mirror, a collaboration between award-winning and bestselling English novelist Jonathan Coe and the Italian artist Chiara Coccorese. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Publishers Green Network relaunches with WWF

The Publishers Green Network (PGN) will relaunch with a special keynote to be delivered by the c.e.o. of the World Wide Fund for Nature. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


‘Experiences and Story’: PRH’s Dan Franklin on ‘Strata’ of Innovation

'Ebooks are essentially Web sites in wrappers. So what happens if you take the wrappers off?' One answer lies in the layered reading world of Strata, a digital storytelling project from Penguin Random House and a host of collaborators led by Dan Franklin. The post ‘Experiences and Story’: PRH’s... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #innovation appeared #dan franklin


Independent Publishers Bet on Hot Audiobook Market

The thriving digital audiobook market is adding to small and medium-sized publishers' bottom lines. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #medium-sized publishers #bottom lines


Macmillan US acquires self-publishing platform Pronoun

Macmillan Publishers in the US has acquired NYC-based self-publishing platform Pronoun for an undisclosed sum. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #macmillan publishers


Publishers Move to Cash In On Digital Audiobook Boom

With sales of digital audiobooks soaring, publishers are racing to produce more titles and find innovative new marketing methods. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishers move


The Sprint to Print: INscribe Introduces INdemand for Publishers

'Our ebook sales have been going up, not down,' says INscribe's Larry Norton. And the 'micro-publishers' who are scrappy enough to make that happen also want a fast, easier path into print. The post The Sprint to Print: INscribe Introduces INdemand for Publishers appeared first on Publishing... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishers appeared #ebook sales


Macmillan Buys Self-Publishing Platform Pronoun

The soup to nuts self-publishing platform originally founded as Vook will become a Macmillan company, and Pronoun's staff, of about 20, will be retained and relocated to Macmillan's New York City headquarters in the Flatiron Building. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #flatiron building


Self-publish and be sneered at?

Clare Christian on how attitudes towards self-published authors and books need to change. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #self-published authors