A keen business mind and real commitment to the publishing industry are vital for a job that is all about selling – shy and retiring types need not apply Gordon Wise has been a literary agent at Curtis Brown for 10 years, and has a wide range of clients, from celebrities like Miranda Hart to novelists such as Armistead Maupin. He is also vice-president of the Association of Authors’ Agents. But becoming an agent wasn’t part of his original career plan and he reached this point via a varied and winding path through the world of books.Wise studied History and English at Edinburgh university, both, he says, “heavy reading” subjects. But his real introduction to books as business came when, as an undergraduate, he won a place on a scholarship programme at the University of Pennsylvania. “I was allowed to work under my visa and I got a part-time job as a bookseller at Barnes & Noble, which had a big downtown bookstore,” he says. The job gave him an insight into publishing and sparked a vocation that would lead him to his current career. “What I enjoyed about publishing was that it is the place where business and creativity meet; you would be working with these wonderfully creative people – the writers – but trying to turn what they have created into something of commercial value.”If you are made an offer straight away, ask for a better offer. If you don't ask, you will never know Related: Small publishers are benefiting from changes in the industry Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2015-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
The founder of Barnes & Noble Inc. has announced that he will retire as executive chairman in September after 45 years with the company. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Forget your Foyles of London or that Barnes & Noble on New York's Union Square, the top shop sits on Lygon Street, Melbourne. Continue reading at The Sydney Morning Herald
[ The Sydney Morning Herald | 2016-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble ceded another battle in the ongoing war with Amazon over digital hearts and minds.The company will end the dedicated Nook app and video store on March 15, which was where you could purchase content for Nook-branded hardware, according to a report in diginomica.Nook digital... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2016-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble will stop selling digital books for its Nook device on 15 March, the firm said on World Book Day. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2016-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes and Noble has revealed plans to launch a new "prototype" store later this year, a US conference has heard. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Republic of Consciousness prize has been launched by novelist Neil Griffiths, who intends to ‘guilt trip’ bestselling authors into contributingThe award-winning novelist Neil Griffiths is launching a new literary prize celebrating the “small presses producing brilliant and brave literary... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dominique Raccah's popular Put Me In the Story line of personalized kids' books from Sourcebooks is picked up by Barnes & Noble. The post Sourcebooks’ ‘Put Me In the Story’: B&N Puts It In the Stores appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Comparable store sales rose 0.6% at Barnes & Noble over the nine-week holiday period that ended January 2, 2016. Excluding sales of Nook products, comp sales were up 1.6%. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-01-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In recent years, as academic history has taken a turn toward the cultural and social, producing more and more works about women, minorities, and everyday life, the kinds of history books you see on the New Releases table at a Barnes & Noble have begun to feel like throwbacks. A quick survey... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2016-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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You could say I have a sentimental attachment to the chain bookstore. Growing up in an intellectually impoverished American suburb, I spent much of my free time in now-defunct locations of Borders and Barnes & Noble. I read garbage, mostly: popular history magazines, Star Trek novelizations,... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2015-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kickstarter, and crowdfunding in general, continues to transform the way small publishers and self-publishers secure funding for all types of book projects. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Total sales fell 4.5% at Barnes & Noble in the second quarter ended Oct. 31, 2015 compared to the same period last year and the net loss from continuing operations rose to $27.2 million from $5.1 million. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With an iOS update expanding ad-blocking's reach, experts say smaller publishers and bloggers have fewer means of survival.As the debate over online ad blocking heats up with the arrival of iOS 9, experts say the biggest casualties of the online ad war may be small publishers and bloggers with... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2015-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Interactive Advertising Bureau elevated its fight against ad blockers on Tuesday, with President-CEO Randall Rothenberg renewing what he called his "cri de coeur" against the practice and showcasing small publishers being hurt by the practice. The organization also said it was taking new... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2015-09-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Although translated books dominate Turkish book sales, a growing audience of readers in Turkey means small publishers still have a chance to compete. The post In Turkey, Small Publishers Have a Chance to Compete appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-09-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In remarks accompanying the release of Barnes & Noble’s first-quarter results for fiscal 2016, executives stressed that future growth for the retailer will involve integrating its retail, website, and Nook operations to allow customers to buy books anytime, anywhere, regardless of format. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-09-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Total revenue at Barnes & Noble fell 1.5% in the first quarter ended August 1, 2015, to $1.2 billion, compared to last year’s first period and the net loss increased to $34.9 million from $28.4 million. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-09-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A timely inquiry today, something for small publishers to consider. As my colleague Philip Jones wrote here at The FutureBook last week, the ebook market "that once was booming is now maturing. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble has completed the separation of its retail operation from its college business. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-08-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble and Book-A-Million have both pronounced that 'Go Set a Watchman' had the largest first day sale of any adult fiction book in the history of both retailers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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