How Julia Donaldson conquered the world, one rhyme at a time

She published her first book in her 40s and became the biggest selling author of the past decade in any genre – The Gruffalo alone has sold 13m copies. How did this former busker make it so big?The room where the children’s author Julia Donaldson writes – the heart of her vast picture book empire – is down a winding staircase, in the cellar of her grand white house in Steyning, West Sussex. Her desk looks out on the street at knee height. “I’m thinking of writing a book about legs,” Donaldson said, as she showed me around the house this summer. Children from the nearby school often wave in at her as they pass. Donaldson is well known in Steyning, due to her frequent signings at the local bookshop. She and her husband, Malcolm, a retired paediatrician, recently bought the local post office to save it from closure. But elsewhere she can walk the pavement without being recognised. “I got a letter the other day for Jacqueline Wilson,” Donaldson told me. “It said: ‘You’re my favourite author!’”If you are not someone who spends much time with young children, you may only be dimly aware of Donaldson’s work – although you will probably be familiar with her most famous creation, the Gruffalo. If you have children, however, you will know her as a cultural juggernaut whose influence among children is perhaps only surpassed by the works of Disney and CBeebies. Donaldson, who is 72, has written more than 210 books: chiefly picture books, but also poetry, plays, a 60-part phonics... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2020-12-17 06:00:31 UTC ]
News tagged with: #local bookshop #recently bought #jacqueline wilson #favourite author #famous creation #ladybird heard #picture book

Other Publishing stories related to: 'How Julia Donaldson conquered the world, one rhyme at a time'

Collins 'will not be replaced' at Sunday Times

Robert Collins, deputy literary editor of the Sunday Times, is to leave his role this week, and... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sunday times

Will digital eat the children's media world? 'It's totally going to happen!'

But that doesn't necessarily mean printed books and linear television will die out by 2020, suggest expertsAre these the best of times or the worst of times for the children's entertainment industry? A panel session at the Children's Media Conference explored the question, concluding... well, it... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #printed books #entertainment industry #panel session #book publishers

World Book Night U.S. is coming to an end, says organization

According to staff, World Book Night U.S. will be suspended due to lack of money. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

World Book Night Suspends Operations

After a three year effort, World Book Night officials said this morning they are suspending its operations. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Paul Pope Revisits 'Escapo,' this Time in Full Color

Cartoonist Paul Pope is dipping back into his archives to reissue his 1999 work 'Escapo' in a new hardcover edition from Z2 Comics that will be in full color for the first time and offer a wealth of supplementary material. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hardcover edition

Time Incs M Scott Havens: We want to build the next LinkedIn or Facebook

Digital chief on rethinking the rules of journalism, shaking off the magazine group tag, and developing innovationM Scott Havens, senior vice president of digital at newly independent Time Inc is not a man to pussyfoot around journalistic conventions. We have to rethink the old church and state... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital chief #scott havens #sports illustrated

Sportswriter Simon Barnes leaves The Times after 32 years

Simon Barnes, The Times's award-winning chief sportswriter, is leaving the newspaper after 32 years. He claims the publisher can no longer afford his wages, according to a Sports Journalists' Association report. The report cites Barnes's email message to Mark Avery in which he wrote:"I have no... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #simon barnes #longer afford

The World's 56 Largest Book Publishers, 2014

International wheeling and dealing has had little impact on the standing of the world's largest publishers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #largest publishers

29 KBA Users Among the World’s Best Newspaper Printers

This year media firms from all over the world with a total of 165 newspaper titles competed in WAN-IFRA&rsquo;s (World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers) global quality competition. For 20 years the competition has been carried out at ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2014-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #world association

Time Inc. Sells Off Its Mexican Magazines to Concentrate on U.S. and U.K.

Time Inc., the owner of People, Time and Sports Illustrated, said Thursday that it had sold Grupo Editorial Expansin, Mexico's second-largest magazine publisher, to the Latin-American private equity firm Southern Cross Group.Terms of the deal were not disclosed.When Time Inc. bought Grupo in... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2014-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mexican magazines #sports illustrated #international expansion #key element #growth strategy #major presence

'The Silkworm' is now available on Amazon – but the shipping time keeps changing

J.K. Rowling's bestseller 'The Silkworm' – previously unavailable to Amazon customers – can now be ordered, although shipping time is still slow. 'The Silkworm' is published by Hachette, with whom Amazon is currently involved in a dispute. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #amazon customers

Introducing Your Publishing World Cup “Dream Team”

Who would you have on a book business World Cup dream team? Who would you place up front? On the bench? As manager We humbly submit our own selections. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Book World To Close Two Wisconsin Stores

Book World, a regional chain of 48 bookstores located in small towns and cities in five Midwestern states, is closing two Wisconsin outlets this summer. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book world #small towns

Are Digital Distractions Monopolizing Reading Time?

Books do furnish a room, but according to many in the publishing industry, the fear is that emails, online video texts and tweets will prevent them being read. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-06-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishing industry

Inside Google's World Cup Newsroom

Google is turning its search trends into Twitter-friendly viral content, just in time for the World Cup.Inside a San Francisco office building, Google is trying its latest experiment: original sports journalism. When the 2014 World Cup began, Google unveiled a World Cup Trends Newsroom to turn... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2014-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #world cup #data scientists #multiple languages #search results

FutureBook Hack: "You can make the world a better place"

Hackers at the first ever FutureBook Hack need to come up with ideas that will work in the real... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-06-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #futurebook hack

Former Time Warner Cable CEO and industry leader Glenn Britt dies

Glenn Britt, a former chairman and chief executive of Time Warner Cable and a leader in the pay-television industry for many years, died of cancer Wednesday at his New York City home at the age of 65. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2014-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Can Narcissus Bring Digital Self-Publishing to the Arab World?

The Italian ebook self-publishing platform Narcissus has launched in Arabic, but finds authors in the Arab world face a steep digital learning curve. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #arab world