How Minecraft has bewitched 40 million of us

The worldwide domination of Markus Persson's building-blocks game is a triumph for the power of human imaginationA funny thing happened on the way to this column. Browsing idly through the Publishers Weekly site, I came on the list of the Nielsen bestselling books of 2014 (so far) in the US. The Top 20 list was dominated by "young adult" fiction, books such as Divergent by Veronica Roth and John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, plus the usual movie tie-ins. At No 9 ,there's a religious book, Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence by missionary Sarah Young. At No 11 is Heaven is for Real ("A little boy's astounding story of his trip to Heaven and back").Two slots further down there's a "junior novelisation" of the Disney film, Frozen. At No 15 is an "activity book", complete with 50 stickers, based on the same film. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-08-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #young adult #veronica roth #john green #jesus calling #activity book

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Facebook offers millions to music industry to avert copyright crisis

Facebook is said to be offering hundreds of millions of dollars to music publishers and record labels to avoid having to take down user-generated videos that feature copyrighted music. Bloomberg cites "people familiar with the matter" as saying Facebook's payments will allow for the legal use of... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2017-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #people familiar #record labels #music publishers #music industry


Tiger Who Came to Tea hits million-copy milestone

Print sales of Judith Kerr's The Tiger Who Came to Tea have surpassed one million sold mark ahead of its 50th anniversary next year. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #judith kerr #print sales


Intel's 8th-gen Core CPUs could boost laptop performance by 40 percent

Updated to add details of the rumored black Surface Book based on the 8th-generation Core chips, as well as Intel’s desktop processors.For the first time, Intel’s upcoming 8th-generation Core CPUs will feature quad-core processors aimed at ultrabooks, offering performance as much as 40 percent... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2017-08-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #previous generation #add details #ll run


ANA Pushes $50 Million Digital Media Pilot to Combat 'Ad-Tech Tax'

After years of complaining about digital media fraud, brand safety and other problems, the Association of National Advertisers hopes to do something about it, starting a six-month pilot with what it hopes will be 35 marketers and more than $50 million in spending for 30 premium online... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2017-08-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #ad fraud #ad inventory #ad-tech companies #$50 million


B&N Education Buys Student Brands for $58.5 Million

Barnes & Noble Education has acquired Student Brands, a direct-to-student subscription-based writing skills service, for $58.5 million. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-08-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Microsoft is giving away millions of free ebooks covering Windows 10, Office, Azure, and more

Microsoft’s annual ebook giveaway sees the company offering vast amounts of guides for free. These are high-quality titles covering pretty much every Microsoft product or service you care to think of. There are millions of Microsoft ebooks up for grabs, and you can download as many -- or as few... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2017-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #limited time


Jack Black and Samira Wiley to narrate Minecraft audiobook

Penguin Random House is recording two editions of its Minecraft novel's audiobook - one narrated by actor Jack Black and the other by actress Samira Wiley - to reflect the fact that its protagonist is "gender neutral".  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #gender neutral


Library supply deals worth millions awarded

Accreditations for significant library supply contracts worth millions of pounds have been awarded, with Blackwell’s, Dawson and the JS Group among the winners. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Former Paramount Pictures head sells Malibu Colony home for $18 million

Veteran Hollywood executive Jonathan Dolgen, who formerly headed Paramount Pictures, has sold his home in Malibu for $18 million. The buyer was Chris Columbus, director of such films as “Home Alone,” “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” The English traditional-style home... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #harry potter #$18 million


Industry Notes: South Korea’s Ridibooks Raises $20 Million; Quarto Distributes Zest Books

Characterized as South Korea's largest ebook service, Ridibooks' parent company raises funds. And Quarto Group Takes on Zest Books distribution. The post Industry Notes: South Korea’s Ridibooks Raises $20 Million; Quarto Distributes Zest Books appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-06-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #south korea


Graphic Novels Publisher NBM Turns 40

The indie comics publisher, founded in 1976 by a Syracuse University student, has helped shape the contemporary literary comics landscape. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #helped shape


Get 'Learning Python' ebook ($40 value) FREE

Python is an open source, versatile, and powerful programming language. Learning Python, from Packt Publishing, will teach you how to master it, and code like a professional. It’s well written, easy to follow, and lays a good foundation for those who are interested in digging deeper. Starting... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2017-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #limited time #book takes #data science #web apps #packt publishing #open source #ebook $40


Argentina's Book Market Fell 40% in 2016

Numbers released today, at the Buenos Aires International Book Fair, highlight the dire state of Argentina's publishing sector. Many feel the drop is tied to government policies instituted by the country's president, Mauricio Macri, who took office in 2015. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PRH bewitched by social media magician's middle-grade novel

Penguin Random House Children’s Publishers will publish social media magician Zach King’s first middle-grade book with an accompanying augmented reality app. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #middle-grade book


Amazon profits up 40% in first quarter

Amazon has reported its eighth profitable quarter, with profit up 40%, to $724m (£560.8m) in the first three months of the year. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fate of the Furious breaks Star Wars box office record with $700 million opening

Star Wars, Harry Potter or indeed the almost century-old comic book legends Batman and Superman may have sprung from a rich creative well, but in a stunning twist all of them have been banished to the box office naughty step. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2017-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The $100 million wall: Digital media’s scale struggles

For venture-backed digital publishers, getting to $100 million in annual revenue is the holy grail, but one few will achieve. The post The $100 million wall: Digital media’s scale struggles appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #holy grail #annual revenue #$100 million


PRH Opts to Publish $65 Million Obama Books Globally

The pair of books that Penguin Random House recently bought by Barack and Michelle Obama, for a reported $65 million, will be released globally by the publisher. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #released globally #michelle obama


The Obamas' Book Deals Spark $65 Million Mystery

If Penguin Random House really spent the rumored $65 million to acquire books by the former president and first lady, Barack and Michelle Obama, how could the publisher recoup its outlay? It might not be that hard. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #michelle obama #acquire books


Hour Media Group Acquires Emmis Magazines for $6.5 Million

Personnel changes hit Los Angeles Magazine as new owners lay off publisher, EIC. The post Hour Media Group Acquires Emmis Magazines for $6.5 Million appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2017-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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