Last week, Ruth Rendell claimed that reading novels is a dying art. Sadly, she might have a pointNo one can say precisely why John Williams's novel Stoner has become a bestseller almost 50 years after its first publication. After all, plenty of books, "forgotten" or otherwise, are recommended by word of mouth and yet most will not go on to sell more than a few hundred copies. And it's hard to know in what ways, if any, its story – a young man falls in love with literature and thus a new world is revealed to him – might have touched people. Many of those who rushed to buy it will not yet have got around to opening it and some will never read it. Stoner will languish on their shelves, its spine unbroken, just like Jung Chang's Wild Swans, the non-fiction hit of 1992.But still, it has given us something to think about, this dusting down of so plangent and substantial a novel. On Radio 4 last week, Ruth Rendell, the novelist and Labour peer, suggested that Stoner is a book for our times, her argument being that we live in an age when reading is for most an alien pastime, just as it is to William Stoner until he has an epiphany. (Asked to elucidate a poem by a professor, he is unable to say anything except: "It means... it means..." and yet, in this moment, everything changes; the verse, whether he understands it or not, has touched him on some powerfully deep level.) "We are told that it isn't happening," said Rendell. "But it is. Reading is no longer something that everybody... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2014-01-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
The new YouTube channel encourages readers to upload a video of themselves sharing a paragraph from a favorite book. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Can a blockbuster based on the Good Book pull off a miracle? Not when it's up against giant sharks . . Continue reading at The Sydney Morning Herald
[ The Sydney Morning Herald | 2013-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It’s not news that mobile has become a strategic imperative for publishers. Smartphone ownership has now crossed the 50-percent mark in the U.S., according to the Pew Research Center, while mobile users are reporting significantly higher content consumption levels across the board. But... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2013-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury is promoting its forthcoming title Crown of Midnight by creating a digital story... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As the nation's geeks and nerds pack away their spandex and cardboard cosplay costumes (until October's New York Comic-Con of course) staff writer and office comic book aficionado Sam Thielman explains who should be TV's next smash hit superheroes. Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2013-07-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Bookshop Band write songs inspired by the books of visiting authors like The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry's Rachel Joyce. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishing Perspectives will again publish print editions during the Frankfurt Book Fair. We’re looking for interesting stories that can both inform and delight. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Despite concerns about consolidation among publishing houses, sales of the top 10 companies accounted for 55% of revenue of the 50 publishers that are on the list for both 2012 and 2011, down from 57% in 2011. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Bookseller is to run a category preview on First World War titles in the issue of 13th... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jamie Camplin at Thames & Hudson has acquired world rights in Legacy: The Story of The Face... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Serve up creamy chicken kebabs and a chilled cucumber avocado potage with mustard. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Brazil has been a complicated marketplace for brands in recent weeks, but it's not stopping companies from getting ready for the FIFA 2014 World Cup. For instance, Young Hollywood and Momentum Entertainment Group today are announcing their partnership to create a digital channel that will focus... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2013-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jim Hilt, managing director of Barnes & Noble's European ebook business, said the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Some of the brightest children from disadvantaged backgrounds can have reading levels two and... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Print media is dying; some may argue it is already dead. With the launch of the iPad and the current industry trend of tablet media consumption, consumers don’t want to clutter their homes with stacks of paper magazines and newspapers. Not to mention, there is the trend of "going green" which is... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2013-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Reading Agency is to receive a £1m donation from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. The gift... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Developed by Democrasoft, a software developer specializing in collaboration and engagement, a WeJIT is “a way to make books better by embedding interactivity that allows readers to connect and collaborate in a customized online social experience that is engaging and fun,” Democrasoft CEO... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Teachers have a strong desire to teach reading for pleasure but feel frustrated by a restrictive... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon's Kindle Worlds platform has opened in the US, with its guidelines advising that it is... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Come on now, why are you wasting your time here, when you could be reading some Gossip Girl fan fic? Roughly a month after announcing its licensed character publishing platform, Amazon has taken the wraps off of Kindle Worlds. The site currently offers up 50-plus commissioned stories based on... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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