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 ]
In a shift, American readers have become more interested in books about mental health than about diet and exercise, according to data released by bookstore chain Barnes & Noble. The data, collected around the New Year's season, seems to indicate that readers' annual resolutions are focusing... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-01-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble will discount more than 100 books at 50% off from today until December 24 in stores and December 25 online, provided supplies last. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-12-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Judge John G. Koeltl said the former B&N CEO is free to seek a dismissal of Barnes & Noble’s counterclaim against him, but suggested it was a waste of time and effort. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House said that first-day sales for Michelle Obama's memoir "represent the largest single-day sales total for any book published in 2018" by the publisher, while Barnes & Noble said 'Becoming' had the biggest first week of sales at the chain so far this year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-11-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At a 20-minute initial conference, lawyers for Demos Parneros portrayed the fired CEO as a respected executive who is now "unhirable" after being wrongly dismissed for alleged sexual harassment. Lawyers for Barnes & Noble said they have "a different view of the facts." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'The Wall Street Journal' reported that the company rumored to be near an acquisition of Barnes & Noble this spring was British retailer W.H. Smith. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sixty-eight small presses will be descending on Central London's Conway Hall in the second week of November, for the 17th edition of the Small Publishers' Fair. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-10-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble is now seeking damages from recently fired CEO Demos Parneros for breaching his fiduciary duties, including derailing the sale of the company so he could retain his job as B&N's CEO. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-10-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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2018 is the year people wanted to read about politics. Barnes & Noble reported a 57% surge in sales of political books compared with last year. The sales spike was driven by books that have been selling like wildfire all year long, from Michael Wolff’s "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Saying it has received interest from multiple parties about making an offer for the company, Barnes & Noble has created a formal review process to evaluate the retailer’s strategic alternatives. Among the parties interested in making an offer for B&N is its founder and chairman Len Riggio. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble's latest prototype store, opening in Columbia, Maryland, today, offers a smaller footprint, contemporary design touches, and booksellers equipped with tablets. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After reporting disappointing Q1 results on Thursday, Barnes & Noble saw its stock price jump on Friday following a new investment by Richard Schottenfeld, the head of an eponymous investment firm that took a 5.58% stake in the book chain in July. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-09-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble Inc. began its new fiscal year with disappointing results as the turnaround promised by its recently ousted chief proves elusive. Same-store sales at the book and gift seller slipped... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2018-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble’s sales fell 6.9% in the quarter ended July 28, compared to the same period last year. The company did note, however, that the sales trend improved in each month of the quarter. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble was on the cusp of being sold to another book retailer in June before the deal fell through, it has been revealed. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A late-summer standoff has flared with the US publishing industry's largest–and longest-struggling–brick-and-mortar retail chain. Its former CEO is suing for defamation. The company, in response, alleges sexual harassment. The post Barnes & Noble’s Former CEO, Demos Parneros, Launches... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-08-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Small publishers in Russia see a book market unfairly dominated by large publishing groups and their control over the country's major bookselling chains. The post Russian Independent Booksellers and Publishers Say Big Players’ Partnerships Hurt Business appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-08-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Schottenfeld Management Corp. has acquired over 4.1 million shares of Barnes & Noble and says in a filing that it has already talked to the retailer about actions it can take to improve shareholder value. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-07-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble has launched a nationwide program, "Kids' Book Hangout," intended to give young readers ages 6-12 a space to talk about books in its stores while playing games and activities. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Neither Barnes & Noble nor the spun-off Barnes & Noble Education have done terribly well in 2018. (Amazon, however, is doing just fine.) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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