Happiness to mindfulness, via wellbeing: how publishing trends grow

From cod to colouring, fashions come and go in books. What do they tell us about our culture, and can we predict what’s next? After the long, wet winter, the season is finally on the turn. I know this partly because the instinct to hunker down in a nest of books is giving way to an urge to purge. As the weak spring sunshine straggles through the dust motes, it inevitably lands on heaps of unsorted books – among them eight volumes of the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook.I’ve written before about my problems with literary decluttering. But who in their right mind would want to keep eight copies of a directory that barely changes from year to year except for the entries that are out of date? Well – sigh! – me. And here’s why. Many volumes ago, I was asked to write an essay on a literary editor’s life for this sturdy compendium of information for people aspiring to a writing career. While extolling the value of making lists, I wrote that it helped to spot the signs of new publishing trends. Related: Book festivals are worth far more than fees | Claire Armitstead Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2016-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]

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How to Write a Roger Federer Think Piece

It has been a bit more than nine years since David Foster Wallace delivered “Federer as Religious Experience,” the Magna Carta of what has become one of the most popular genres in sports journalism: the Roger Federer think piece. The now-classic essay, penned for the short-lived New York Times... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2015-09-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Spoiler alert: this article says why Terry Pratchett review didn’t have a warning | Open door | Claire Armitstead

If we add an alert to one review, what about the others? Readers have different sensitivities; who is to say which details may spoil a book for any one of them?Readers hate spoilers, and one of the sacred duties of the literary editor is to make sure they don’t happen – or if they do, that... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ion Trewin memorial service this autumn

A memorial service for Ion Trewin, who died earlier this year after a battle with cancer, is to be held in the autumn. Trewin, who was literary director  of the Booker Prize Foundation, passed away on 8th April. Formerly literary editor of the Times, Trewin then worked at Weidenfeld &... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The crisis in non-fiction publishing

When it comes to high-calibre non-fiction, risk-averse trade publishing houses are producing too many copycat ‘smart thinking’ books that promise more than they deliver. But praise should be given to the university pressesAmid the ambient wails of doom about the publishing industry, I’d like to... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Freight and Stanza win major Creative Scotland funds

Scottish publishers and book festivals are among the recipients of £2m of funding from Creative Scotland. The arts organisation has awarded grants of between £1,500 and £100,000 to 88 different artists and groups across Scotland, including Freight Books and the Borders Book Festival. Freight... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Guy Who Knows Everything About Comics Finally Made a Graphic Novel

If you've written the book on making comics, what kind of comics do you make? For Scott McCloud, it's an ambitious graphic novel about creativity itself. The post The Guy Who Knows Everything About Comics Finally Made a Graphic Novel appeared first on WIRED. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2015-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Is self-publishing a good idea? I can’t get a deal for the novel I’ve written

I’m worried it will cost too much and don’t know what cover price to chargeEvery week a Guardian Money reader submits a question, and it’s up to you to help him or her out – a selection of the best answers will appear in next Saturday’s paper.This week’s question Continue reading... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-01-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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AUDIO: Is technology killing old loved books?

Josh Spero, author of Second Hand Stories and editor of Spear's Magazine, and the author Erica Wagner, a former literary editor of the Times mull the question of high tech and old books. Continue reading at BBC World

[ BBC World | 2014-10-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Stories Keep Coming: PW Talks with Lauraine Snelling

Novelist Lauraine Snelling has authored 80 books since she began her writing career in 1982, has more than two million books in print, and has just published the first in her fifth historical series set among Norwegian immigrants to North Dakota, where her mother was born and raised: “Strong... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Karl Miller, founding editor of London Review of Books, dies at 83

Literary world praises Miller for his intelligence, wit and literary acumen, and lasting pride in his Scottish rootsKarl Miller, founding editor of the London Review of Books, critic and award-winning author, has died, aged 83.After stints as literary editor of both the Spectator and the New... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-09-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Publishing 101,' a PW Original E-Book

So, you've written your book. Now what? Find out with 'Publishing 101,' a new ebook from 'Publishers Weekly' that offers a no-nonsense perspective on how publishing works, and what writers can do to make their own projects take off. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers Lay Low in Response to Driscoll Drama

Mark Driscoll, who recently weathered plagiarism charges, has made headlines once again, this time for hiring a company that manipulates bestsellers lists. Now the Seattle pastor is stepping back from his writing career to focus on his church. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers Lying Low During Driscoll Drama

Mark Driscoll, who recently weathered plagiarism charges, has made headlines once again, this time for hiring a company that manipulates bestseller lists. Now the Seattle pastor is stepping back from his writing career to focus on his church. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Industry predicts 2014's publishing trends

Emotional women's fiction, yet more psychological crime, talking-point business books and a... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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AUDIO: Morrissey book published as classic

Author of Morrissey Dr Gavin Hopps and former literary editor of The Times Erica Wagner, discuss the decision made by Penguin to classify Morrissey's new autobiography as a classic. Continue reading at BBC World

[ BBC World | 2013-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Yawn, Android beats iPhone and BlackBerry again

By Joe Wilcox, Betanews I know that yesterday Apple CEO Steve Jobs proudly proclaimed 100 million iPhone shipments, which is a darn big number. But iPhone isn't winning the smartphone wars, a story that's getting tired to write (Apple could still win the mobile platform wars). Today, ComScore... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2011-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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