Hatchet Job of the Year shortlist - 2013's most negative reviews in quotes

Tasters of the reviews competing for the annual prize that recognises 'the angriest, funniest, most trenchant book review of the past 12 months'News: Hatchet Job of the Year award draws and quarters shortlistCraig Brown on Distant Intimacy: A Friendship in the Age of the Internet by Frederic Raphael and Joseph Epstein in the Daily Mail"A few years ago Raphael emailed Epstein with the suggestion that 'there might be some fun, not to mention $$$' in emailing each other for a year, then publishing the results. And so they get going, each of them dutifully delivering between 1,500 to 1,800 words a week, every week for a year. The first thing to be said about their exchanges is how extraordinarily unpleasant they are [...] Anyone unfamiliar with the literary world will, I think, be astonished at the ease with which these grand old men of letters turn into queeny old hairdressers, furiously bitching about their younger, prettier or more highly regarded rivals.Rachel Cooke on Strictly Ann: The Autobiography by Ann Widdecombe in the Observer"When Ann Widdecombe appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2010, the judges were not complimentary, describing her variously as "a dancing hippo", "a Dalek in drag" and "the Ark Royal". [...] Is Widdecombe's writing any better than her dancing? No. About the best you can say for her prose is that it is accurate. Her grammar is fine – Ann is a stickler for grammar – and her anecdotes make sense in that they have a beginning, a middle and an end.... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #paul theroux

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Camden campaigners to try for library judicial review

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Mon, 17/10/2011 - 10:14 Camden library campaigners have become the latest group to apply for judicial review over library closures. The Camden Public Library User Group has instructed solicitors Bindmans to lodge an application for judicial review,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #latest group #judicial review #library closures #law firm


Little, Brown brings forward Jobs biography

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 07/10/2011 - 08:25 Little, Brown is to be bring forward publication of Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography by Walter Isaacson, publishing now on 24th October. The biography was written by Isaacson based on conversations with Apple-founder... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #exclusive biography #steve jobs #walter isaacson #24th october #5th october #originally scheduled #21st november


Digital sales 'could be 15%' by year's end

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 07/10/2011 - 14:39 Independent publishers are predicting that ebook sales may make up as much as 15% of their total sales by the end of 2011, as FutureBook's Digital Census reveals that a quarter of UK publishers now have ebook sales which... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital sales #ebook sales #total sales #uk publishers #kindle fire


Book Business Has Big Hopes for Biography of Steve Jobs

Industry experts said the biography of Steve Jobs could easily sell millions of copies in print, audio and ebook editions. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book business #steve jobs #industry experts #ebook editions


Steve Jobs Biography Arrives in October, a Month Early

Steve Jobs's death has prompted Simon & Schuster to move up the publication date for his much-anticipated biography by Walter Issacson. The CBS-owned publishing unit has moved up the release date for "Steve Jobs" from Nov. 21 to Oct. 24. Not surprisingly, preorders for the book are... Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #steve jobs #release date


Roth on Wellcome Trust shortlist

Written By: Katie Allen Publication Date: Thu, 06/10/2011 - 08:45 Philip Roth’s tale of a polio epidemic has been shortlisted for the £25,000 Wellcome Trust Book Prize, with a six-strong shortlist that sees four novels in the running. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #six-strong shortlist


Fortune Releases Steve Jobs History E-Book

"All About Steve: The Story of Steve Jobs and Apple from the Pages of Fortune" has been released on Amazon as a Kindle book. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #steve jobs #kindle book


Future sets aside £4.9m for job cuts and unused property

Magazine publisher Future expects to pay out up to £4.9m to cover redundancies and unused property, according to a trading update released today. Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2011-09-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #job cuts


"Eye-opening" shortlist revealed for Royal Society prize

Publication Date: Tue, 27/09/2011 - 08:30 Titles on words, waves and the periodic table have made it through to the final six for the Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books, described as an "intensely rewarding and eye-opening" shortlist by the judges. Guy Deutscher’s Through the Language... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #shortlist revealed #periodic table #science books #william hill #disappearing spoon


Strong showing for Faber on First Biography Prize shortlist

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 26/09/2011 - 08:35 Faber has scored three of the shortlisted titles for the £5,000 HW Fisher Best First Biography Prize, with books from Bloomsbury, Northumbria Press and Yale University Press making up the rest of the selection. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #strong showing #shortlisted titles #biography prize


2011 Man Booker shortlist most popular ever

Written By: Philip Stone Publication Date: Fri, 23/09/2011 - 08:10 Sales of the six novels in contention for the 2011 Man Booker Prize have totalled 37,500 copies across all print editions since the shortlist was announced, making it the most popular Booker shortlist since records began. Sales... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #print editions #records began #carol birch


Turkey to be LBF Market Focus 2013

Publication Date: Tue, 20/09/2011 - 08:33 Turkey is to be the the Market Focus partner of London Book Fair 2013. The announcement was made last night (19th September) at an official signing event attended by Turkish Ministry Of Culture and Tourism general director of libraries and publications,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #british council #public events


Lizzie Kershaw leaves Hearst after 29 years

Lizzie Kershaw, executive group publishing director of Hearst's Women's Interest Group, is leaving the UK publisher in the midst of a restructure after 29 years service. Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2011-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #uk publisher


Six on "stimulating" business book shortlist

Publication Date: Thu, 15/09/2011 - 08:45 Titles exploring the rise and fall of the American dollar, the boom in cities and the economics of poverty have been shortlisted for the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #american dollar


Sales surge for Man Booker shortlist books

Written By: Tom Tivnan Publication Date: Tue, 13/09/2011 - 16:30 A D Miller and Carol Birch's novels are the big winners of the Man Booker Prize shortlist so far, with sales across the six books surging 290% by volume on last week. The six books on the list shifted 18,496 copies for the week... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sales surge #carol birch #big winners


Hollinghurst misses Booker shortlist

Written By: Katie Allen Publication Date: Tue, 06/09/2011 - 11:18 Previous Man Booker Prize for Fiction winner Alan Hollinghurst has missed the shortlist for this year’s prize, which includes two debuts—Stephen Kelman and A D Miller— and a wealth of titles from indies. Bookies’ favourite and... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bookies favourite #six-strong list #major publishers


Barnes favourite ahead of Booker shortlisting

Written By: Charlotte Williams, Lisa Campbell and Philip Stone Publication Date: Mon, 05/09/2011 - 14:00 William Hill has now named Julian Barnes as favourite to win the Man Booker prize, with the three-times shortlisted author overtaking previous winner Alan Hollinghurst ahead of tomorrow's... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #charlotte williams #lisa campbell #kindle sales


Kay wins Scottish Book of the Year award

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Fri, 26/08/2011 - 14:34 Jackie Kay has won the £30,000 Scottish Book of the Year award for her autobiography Red Dust Road (Picador). The award, which is run by Creative Scotland, was presented to Kay by Dame Jenni Murray today (26th August) at an... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #creative scotland


Tracking 20 Years of Bookstore Chains

The bookstore chain landscape has undergone seismic shifts over the past 20 years and will enter the fall with approximately 1,100 fewer stores than dotted the country in 1991. Just as it is today, Barnes & Noble was the country's largest bookstore chain 20 years ago, closely trailed by... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-08-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bookstore chains #barnes noble


Jobs' biography to include shock resignation

Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Thu, 25/08/2011 - 07:10 Apple c.e.o. Steve Jobs' authorised biography, which is published by Little, Brown this November, is set to include the story of Jobs' shock resignation from the technology company on Wednesday night. The book, written by... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #steve jobs #authorised biography #21st november #technology company #wednesday night #simon schuster #final chapter