From Uber driving to huge book deal: Adrian McKinty's life-changing phone call

Despite awards and acclaim for his crime fiction, the impoverished novelist lost his home and was set to quit – then the phone rangIt was1.30 in the morning in Melbourne and Adrian McKinty had just got home after dropping off his last Uber customer of the night at the airport. His phone rang. It was Shane Salerno, agent to authors including Don Winslow, and it was a call that would pull McKinty into “some major league craziness”, ending in a six-figure English-language book deal and, last week, a seven-figure film deal from Paramount for his forthcoming novel The Chain.“Don told me you’ve given up writing,” said Salerno. McKinty, an award-winning crime novelist, had recently blogged about his decision to quit being an author. Beginning with his debut, Dead I May Well Be, written while he taught high school English in Colorado, and continuing with his award-winning series about Northern Irish detective Sean Duffy, McKinty’s books might have won him prizes and great reviews, but they weren’t making him any money. The family moved from the US to Australia in 2008 because McKinty’s wife, author and academic Leah Garrett, was offered a job there. Now the family had been evicted from the home they’d had lived in for eight years, and he was working as an Uber a cab driver (“the world’s worst,” he says now) and bartending in an attempt to actually bring in some cash.When they were evicted from their home, 'I was thinking to myself, "Oh God Adrian, what have you done with your... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2019-07-08 06:00:17 UTC ]
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Hearst Magazines Digital Media Announces Staff Changes

Hearst Magazines Digital Media announced several changes to its roster today. Julie Hocheiser is now site director for Seventeen.com. Hocheiser served previously as the senior web editor for the Hearst Teen Network. Neha Gandhi also joined Seventeen.com as a web editor. Gandhi is the former... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Trade gears up for World Book Day

Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Tue, 22/02/2011 - 15:42 read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Michael O'Mara to publish book on sitcom pioneers

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 21/02/2011 - 08:47 Michael O'Mara has acquired an anthology about the writers of "Hancock's Half Hour" and "Steptoe and Son", dubbed "the fathers of the British sitcom". Commissioning editor Kate Moore bought world rights with Elly James of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Indies could earn as much as 30% from books sold via Gardners' Hive

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Fri, 18/02/2011 - 16:30 Book wholesaler Gardners has begun consulting with independent booksellers over the direction of its consumer website, with one option revealing that booksellers could earn as much as 30% when books are sold at their full RRP.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hearst sets eyes firmly east with Lagardère deal

The decision by the owner of Cosmopolitan to buy Lagardère's international portfolio, and the rights for Elle, reflects the shifting sands of the magazine marketplace. Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2011-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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OverDrive Library E-book Reader Now Optimized for IPad

OverDrive Media Console--the iPhone app that lets users check out and read ebooks from their local libraries--has been upgraded to a universal app optimized for... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Two thriller deals for Headline

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 16/02/2011 - 14:50 Headline fiction publisher at large Martin Fletcher has made two sets of acquisitions, including a debut novel by Cityboy author Geraint Anderson. Fletcher bought UK, Commonwealth, excluding Canada and including ANZ and Europe... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Daily Telegraph votes The Book Hive best indie in Britain

Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Tue, 15/02/2011 - 08:49 The Book Hive in Norwich has been voted the best bookshop in Britain, according to a Daily Telegraph survey. More than 18,000 people voted across 10 categories in a bid to find the best small shops in Britain. The awards,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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RHCB sign development deals for kids titles

Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Mon, 14/02/2011 - 16:10 read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins Children's Books acquires four

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Mon, 14/02/2011 - 17:21 HarperCollins Childrens Books publishing director Helen Mackenzie Smith has bought her first books since joining the publisher from Random House earlier this year. She bought four books by picture author and illustrator Rachel... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors calls for moratorium on library closures

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Fri, 11/02/2011 - 08:28 An open letter to culture secretary Jeremy Hunt and culture minister Ed Vaizey calling for a halt to library closures after the success of last weekend's protests has been signed by high-profile authors including Sarah... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Pitfalls of E-Book Buying: What to Look Out for Before You Purchase

Easy downloads and convenient storage are the chief lures of a virtual library, but ownership has some irritating downsides that require your attention before you hit the ebook purchase button. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Beautiful Books acquires two "major" autumn titles

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 10/02/2011 - 08:00 Beautiful Books has acquired two "major" non-fiction titles for autumn 2011, with one revisiting Orwell's Wigan Pier and another looking at one of the first people to recognise the Young British Artists (YBA). Publisher... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dominic Kingston to leave Macmillan Children's Books

Publication Date: Thu, 10/02/2011 - 07:55 Senior publicity manager Dominic Kingston is to leave Macmillan Children's Books (MCB) at the end of April. Kingston has been with the publisher since 2005, when he joined as publicity manager. Lauren Ace will join the team as publicity manager on 7th... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Debut author wins Waterstone's Children's Book Prize

Publication Date: Wed, 09/02/2011 - 20:05 Debut author Sita Brahmachari has won the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize for her coming-of-age novel about life, death, friendship and love. She was awarded the £5,000 prize this evening [9th February] for Artichoke Hearts, published by Macmillan... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Waterstone coy on bid for book chain

Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Mon, 07/02/2011 - 09:20 Tim Waterstone is reportedly pondering a bid to buy the bookstore he founded in 1982 with HMV billionaire investor Alexander Mamut. In the recent past, Waterstone has distanced himself from a bid saying while he would be... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Harper Changes the Audio Equation

Of the 150 titles on HarperCollins’s spring audio list, only two are being published on CD; the rest are being released as digital downloads. Although CD sales have been declining in the audio market for several years, no major house has moved away this drastically from the format. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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French book sales down 1.5% in 2010

Written By: Barbara Casassus Publication Date: Mon, 07/02/2011 - 08:53 Sales of books in France fell by 1.5% in 2010 or 0.5% without taking account of book price inflation, according to French weekly Livres Hebdo’s indicators. After three years of increase, the decline came as retailing in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hearst walks away from BBC Magazines deal

Hearst Corporation, parent to the National Magazine Company, has confirmed for the first time it is no longer in talks to buy BBC Magazines following its Lagardère move. Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2011-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Will Apple Close the e-Book on Kindle?

Analysis: Apple is modifying its licensing policy, raising doubts that ebooks bought elsewhere will be readable on Apple devices. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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