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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A new bi-monthly magazine, World News Publishing Focus, has just been launched by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) to provide members and other readers with a professional international publication focused on the ind ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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According to Fortune, the media giant is meeting with a reps from Meredith--but nothing's been confirmed. Could Time Warner be following in the steps of News Corp. and considering spinning off its publishing division? According to a report by Fortune (a Time Inc. publication), the media... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's publisher Chicken House and the Times are on the way to choosing the title that... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The fate of the independent sales representative may be inextricably linked to that of the independent bookstore. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Time Warner Inc. said Wednesday that net income grew 51% in the last three months of 2012 even as revenue was largely unchanged. Rising fees from cable and satellite companies and higher ad revenue at the TV networks offset revenue declines at its movie studio and magazine businesses.Net income... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2013-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Time Inc., the publisher of magazines including Time and Sports Illustrated, has begun eliminating about 6% of its head count—nearly 500 jobs—in the biggest round of cuts at the company since 2008."With the significant and ongoing changes in our industry, we must continue to transform our... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2013-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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From corporate consolidation to book discoverability, to how books are produced and bought, to the proliferation of new devices to read them on, this year’s Digital Book World was a whirlwind tour of the industry’s changing landscape. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-01-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Looking back on this week's Digital Book World conference, we distill the event into three key ideas: price innovation, discoverability and authenticity. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-01-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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School libraries will be celebrating National Libraries Day with a Guinness World Record attempt... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Now that Rupert Murdoch is spinning off News Corp.’s publishing properties into a separate company, media observers have identified the Los Angeles Times as a likely target for acquisition. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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From Clay Foster, chairman and CEO of Journal Inc. and publisher of the Daily Journal: Today’s paper is the culmination of months of planning and hard work to go live on a new printing press. In challenging economic times this was not an e ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Maurie Perl, the longtime chief spokeswoman at Condé Nast, is hanging it up after 21 years at the company. For 12 years, Perl built and oversaw the PR machine of the publishing company, reporting to parent Advance Publications Chairman Si Newhouse and then-Condé Nast CEO Steve Florio, who since... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2013-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishing is doing all it can to convince people to buy books and read, but still 47% of Americans don't. It's time to try something radical: let's start with men. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-01-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Time Inc. has named Martha Nelson as editor-in-chief of the media company. The company said Tuesday that Ms. Nelson is the first woman in the company's 90-year history to hold the role. She has worked for Time Inc. for 20 years and has been editorial director since 2010. She will assume the top... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2012-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Newspaper publishing vendors and professionals convene in Frankfurt for education, networking, and business opportunities Publishers, journalists, production vendors, and techies from every corner of the digital market met in Frankfurt, Germany, ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The New York Times has partnered with Byliner and Vook to publish original ebooks between 10,000 and 20,000 words and designed to be read in one sitting. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The New York Times is getting into the ebooks business through partnerships with digital publishers Byliner and Vook. The Times will up to 12 original e-singles through Byliner on a variety of topics including culture, sports, business, science, and health. The first Byliner title, "Snow Fall:... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2012-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Cairo leg of the Edinburgh World Writers Conference has been cancelled due to the violent... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers Weekly faces controversy after naming 'Fifty Shades of Grey' author E L James 'Publishing Person of the Year' for 2012. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Plympton—a startup publisher of serialized digital fiction—was created as 'a nimble alternative to the major publishers and online markets,' as the founders explain. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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