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 ]
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Time Inc. shares fell, marring the first day of trading after a spinoff from Time Warner Inc., on concern that the company's singular focus on magazines will hinder growth prospects as demand for... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2014-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The just-concluded Asian Festival Children’s Content (AFCC), which ran from May 30 to June 4 in Singapore, hosted around 100 speakers from 16 different countries. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Shares in newly spun-off Time Inc - publisher of magazines including Time, People and Fortune - plunge 4% after being spun off from parent company Time Warner. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2014-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As convenient as ebooks may be, lending them to friends is a headache; copyright woes notwithstanding, it's simply hard to show what you have on offer. Vodafone Romania just made things a bit easier, though. Its new Digital Library Wallpaper gives... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2014-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This coming August marks 10 years since David Mitchell’s groundbreaking novel, Cloud Atlas, was published to great acclaim. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With a byline long familiar to readers of the New York Times sports pages, Harvey Araton is also the author of six critically acclaimed nonfiction sports books, most recently the New York Times bestseller Driving Mr. Yogi: Yogi Berra, Ron Guidry and Baseball’s Greatest Gift. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It all began, Emily St. John Mandel says, when she “thought it would be interesting to write about the life of an actor. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reservoir Square Books, which will publish titles that cover a range of general interest subjects, will release its first list in fall 2015. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Abrams continues to add to its adult-skewing publishing program tied to Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Julia Roller remembers when she spent uninterrupted, significant time in prayer and Bible study and was able to practice spiritual disciplines as part of her routine. That was before the arrival of a baby boy who didn’t sleep much. And then another. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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People who create content need to be protected, Harriet Harman told The Publishers Association... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-05-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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World Book Night U.S., an ambitious nonprofit campaign to promote reading throughout the country, is reporting stronger-than-ever media attention for its just-finished April 2014 push. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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English PEN in partnership with Foyles has launched a new website which celebrates contemporary... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Time Home Entertainment, the book publishing arm of Time Inc., is moving the U.S. sales and marketing of its trade list to sister company Time Warner Retail Sales and Marketing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ahead of Time Inc.'s impending spin-off later this quarter, Time Warner announced the makeup of the 10-member board that will oversee the publishing giant once it officially goes public on its own. Time Inc. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2014-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a recent Simpsons episode, a Japanese tourist moves in with Comic Book Guy, infuriating her father, who exclaims: “Daughter, you are coming back to Japan; there are 87 old people who need you to take care of them!” Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2014-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Boston-based Beacon Press, the area’s oldest small press, is marking its 160th anniversary this year with a new tag line, “Igniting Hearts and Minds,” and a new colophon that hearkens back to early last century. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Comics artists Gene Luen Yang and Ulli Lust have been awarded L.A. Times Book Prizes for Young Adult Literature and Graphic Novels respectively for 2013. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The spirit of literary camaraderie makes itself known at the 19th L.A. Times Festival of Books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mabel Normand, who came to fame at Mack Sennett's Keystone Studios, was one of the top comedy stars of the silent era. Besides appearing in several shorts with Charlie Chaplin and Fatty Arbuckle, Normand also wrote, produced and directed these slapstick comedies. She's the subject of "Mabel and... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2014-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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