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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When the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books unveiled its list of participating authors on Tuesday, the event caused a stir among local booksellers who immediately noticed the list featured buy links to Amazon. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Presenter says she has been heavily involved in development of new five-part series about Britain's landscapeCountryfile presenter Julia Bradbury is quitting the BBC Sunday evening show and has signed up to join a rival ITV show.Bradbury has presented Countryfile for nearly five years, helping... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Special World Book Night copies of '12 Years a Slave' will be made available to schools. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a federal courtroom in Manhattan, attorneys for Apple in its ebook price-fixing case are offering up lessons in creative legal maneuvering. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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News UK extends digital sport offering beyond Premier League and Champions League football, with BT retaining TV rightsSun and Times publisher News UK has snapped up the online and mobile clip rights to Aviva Premiership rugby, bolstering its online sports content following its aquisition of... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Haven't finished a book since college? Between work, family, and social lives, trying to find time to read can be more effort than relaxing hobby. Here's how to make more time for your favorite page-turners.Reading is one of the most pleasurable activities out there. On a scale of human... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2014-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fran Hauser and John Cantarella, two top digital executives at Time Inc., are leaving the company ahead of its spinoff, each said this week.Ms. Hauser has spent 10 years with the publisher, rising to digital president of Time Inc.'s Style and Entertainment Group, which included People,... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2014-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Leicester Mercury down 14.4% on the year while rival titles belonging to Johnston Press and Trinity Mirror also sufferSeveral Local World flagship evening regional newspapers suffered double digit year-on-year circulation falls, according to the latest ABC figures.Many of its regional rivals... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers put out some very curious books on strange topics, as exhibited by this year's shortlist for the Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Gawker's new Recruits program will gauge prospective writers not on the writing itself, but rather what kind of traffic that writing generates. That's a uniquely digital spin on the idea of the internship, which is the traditional way that publications find and mold new hires. But instead of... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2014-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With ebooks and print-on-demand, readers never again have to want for a much loved, long forgotten, or previously unpublished book from a cherished writer. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nominees for the 34th annual L.A. Times Book Prizes have been announced and include five finalists for the graphic novel prize. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fifty titles in 10 categories are in contention for the awards, which will be revealed in April. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This year's New York International Toy Fair was characterized by steady traffic on the show floor, key customers roaming the aisles of the Javits Center, orders being written, and meetings being accomplished. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Valentine's Day: Many bookstores have embraced the holiday in manners both touching and funny. Two bookstores celebrated Valentine's Day by offering to set up customers on a 'blind date' with a book. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Critics of the merger worry Comcast will have unmatched bargaining power in dealing with media companies, essentially turning Comcast into a gatekeeper able to toll digital media companies for faster access to its network. The post Will the Comcast-Time Warner Cable Merger Hurt Publishers?... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2014-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New data suggests that the borrowing of erotic fiction from UK public libraries has leapt by 500%, in what is being called the 'Fifty Shades' effect. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2014-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google announced a new partnership with comScore today that it said will improve its ability to tell brand marketers about their digital campaigns. Google touted a new measurement tool—available to DoubleClick advertisers and publishers—that will deliver real-time data about who is seeing ads... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2014-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Interactive Advertising Bureau primarily exists to help grow the pie of digital advertising dollars. So, as it kicks off its annual leadership meeting this week, it's focusing on where that growth is expected to occur: mobile.Today, the IAB -- along with a group of publishers including AOL,... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2014-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Literary scout Simone Garzella looks at what's selling in the the Arabic book market how the region continues to evolve amidst some troubled times. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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