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 ]
JADS International creates scent for comic book iconCreate a fragrance that smells heroic with a touch of villainy — that's what Andrew Levine's Lutherville company set out to do. Continue reading at Baltimore Sun
[ Baltimore Sun | 2013-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Craig Chappelow has written about how leaders can be more successful. But he'd crack One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest before the latest business book any day. Here's why he thinks you should, too. Read any good leadership books lately? Me either. It seems like popular books about leadership... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In order to better gauge social media success, and help usher foot traffic into bookstores, SIBA has launched the marketing initiative, "Code Read.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-06-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bestselling crime writer Peter James is fundraising for The Reading Agency as he publicises his... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Celebrities including actor Rupert Everett [pictured] will read to children in London’s... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Patricia van Rhijin, director at CIDCLI, discussed the problems getting Mexican children's books published in the US. American publishers are 'so square,' she says. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), today invited the world's press to attend the 66th World Newspaper Congress and 21st World Editors Forum, to be held in Torino, Italy, from 9 to 11 June 2014. The invitation wa ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Atlantic Books has signed a non-fiction book detailing the crimes of a nurse dubbed “The... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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England footballer Frank Lampard has become a champion of The Reading Agency’s Summer... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For the first time in a long time some optimism is returning to the publishing industry. Circulation numbers and revenues were decimated by the rise of the internet and while the future for print still looks shaky, the companies behind newspapers and ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Some see Amazon's Kindle Worlds fan fiction publishing platform as a great marketing move, while others are wary of Amazon's ownership of ideas. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pearson has revealed “significant changes” to its organisational structure and... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin and W H Smith have partnered for a new summer reading campaign, which will raise money... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The digital publishing platform will let fans write, publish, and sell the stories they've written based on popular books, TV shows, and more. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon's taken a number of steps to bring different types of content to the Kindle Store, and it's now venturing into an area that has a long history with the internet: fan fiction. The company's today announced Kindle Worlds, a new publishing platform that promises to pay writers royalties for... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-05-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Despite the lack of a publisher and censorship issues, pirated copies of "Fifty Shades of Grey" are proving popular at Chinese online bookstores. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The growth in children’s digital reading is an “opportunity for publishers rather... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dotdotdot imagines its users as one big book discussion group, with everyone wielding the same highlighter. Instapaper and Readability have both found success offering a simple, core interaction: save an article online to read somewhere else later. With both you can also follow what friends... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When Granada Books opens in downtown Santa Barbara, Calif., next month, it will operate on a hybrid model with a for-profit bookstore and a not-for-profit event series, Pomegranate Arts. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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More than half of the pupils taking part in the National Literacy Trust's Premier League... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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