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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HarperCollins will acquire the trade division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for $349 million.

Only three months after the high-profile merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster, The New York Times reported earlier this morning that HarperCollins, one of publishing’s “Big Five,” will acquire Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books and Media—Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s trade... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-03-29 14:25:08 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #trade division #$349 million #simon schuster #revenue fell #trade publishing #penguin random house #houghton mifflin harcourt


NEA to Give $135 Million to Arts Organizations

The American Rescue Plan includes $135 million in new funding for the National Endowment for the Arts to help arts organizations hard hit by the pandemic. Of the funding, 60% will be administered directly by the National Endowment for the Arts, with 40% channeled through state and regional... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-03-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #arts organizations #national endowment


For 20 million felons, the punishment never stops

Reuben Jonathan Miller describes the dehumanizing web of restrictions they face outside prison. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-03-05 13:00:00 UTC ]
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How to count half a million lost lives?

Last March, amid the myriad upheavals and uncertainties that marked early pandemic life, various scientists and public health officials started to model out how many cases and deaths we might be looking at in the long run, and the press, unsurprisingly, took great interest in their work. A team... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2021-02-23 13:34:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #racial discrimination #barack obama #bruce springsteen #muslim voices #police brutality #ava duvernay #audiobook #printing press


Tribune agrees to purchase by hedge fund for $630 million

Newspaper publisher Tribune has agreed to be sold to Alden Global Capital, a hedge fund known for cutting costs and eliminating newsroom jobs, in a deal valued at $630 billion Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2021-02-17 00:40:46 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hedge fund #cutting costs #deal valued


What a $5.5 million Super Bowl ad can buy in digital media

For example, in terms of Big Game spending, $5.5 million for a 30-second ad could cover the cost of 275 million impressions on YouTube. The post What a $5.5 million Super Bowl ad can buy in digital media appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2021-02-05 05:01:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital media


What a $5.5 million Super Bowl ad can buy in digital media

For example, in terms of Big Game spending, $5.5 million for a 30-second ad could cover the cost of 275 million impressions on YouTube. The post What a $5.5 million Super Bowl ad can buy in digital media appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2021-02-05 05:01:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital media


Wattpad has been sold to Naver, Korea’s leading internet platform, for $600 million.

Some news for self-published writers: this week, Publishers Weekly reported that Naver, Korea’s leading internet platform, is acquiring Wattpad for over $600 million in cash and stock. For those who aren’t among the 90 million people that used Wattpad in 2020, or who don’t have any fanfiction... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-22 18:51:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #$600 million #self-published writers #publishers weekly


The Millions Top Ten: December 2020

In the final month of 2020, we retired two books to our Hall of Fame: one from a debut author and the other from a two-time veteran. The post The Millions Top Ten: December 2020 appeared first on The Millions. Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2021-01-20 11:00:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #debut author


40+ YA Book Cover Artists and Designers to Follow on Instagram

Love YA book covers? You'll want to follow these YA book cover artists and designers on Instagram for a peek behind the scenes. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-01-11 11:33:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ya book


Wiley Buys Open Access Publisher for $298 Million

John Wiley has expanded its presence in the open access field with the acquisition of Hindawi, a London-based scientific research publisher of more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific, technical, and medical journals. Wiley paid $298 million for Hindawi, which had 2020 revenue of $40 million. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-01-06 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #john wiley #$40 million


The Cold Millions by Jess Walter, Read by a Full Cast

Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile’s editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. We keep our daily episodes short and sweet, with audiobook clips to give you a sample of our featured listens. Narrator Edoardo Ballerini anchors a full-cast performance of The Cold Millions, a story that... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-12-28 09:00:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #cold millions #jess walter #full cast #editors recommend #audiobook listening #audiobook clips #featured listens #takes place #early 1900s #audiobook


Baltimore-based lending software company to be acquired by Netherlands firm for $280 million

Baltimore tech company eOriginal is set to be acquired by Netherlands-based Wolters Kluwer for about $280 million, the information and software firm announced in a news release Thursday. Continue reading at Baltimore Sun

[ Baltimore Sun | 2020-12-10 22:23:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #wolters kluwer


Duckworth bags 'honest' account of motherhood after 40

Duckworth Books has acquired The Secret Diary of a New Mum (Aged 43 1/4) by Cari Rosen.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-10 10:52:11 UTC ]
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Election Night Coverage Draws 56.9 Million Viewers Across 21 Networks

The 2020 presidential race between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden has yet to be decided--but the Nielsen numbers are in. Editor's note: According to updated data from Nielsen, 56.9 million total viewers watched prime time coverage of election night 2020 across 21... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2020-11-04 22:15:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #nielsen


‘The Cold Millions,’ Jess Walter’s celebration of forgotten heroes, is one of the most captivating novels of the year

What might have been an earnest historical novel about the labor movement is transformed by Walter’s irresistible voice and characters. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-10-29 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #jess walter #cold millions


Why Djuna Barnes Withdrew Into Total Seclusion the Last 40 Years of Her Life

Welcome to part two of the first episode of our new original podcast, Lit Century: 100 Years, 100 Books. Combining literary analysis with an in-depth look at historical context, hosts Sandra Newman and Catherine Nichols choose one book for each year of the 20th century, and—along with special... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-10-20 08:51:44 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #20th century #deep dive #literary hub


Killing millions from behind their desks

Dan Gretton offers a cautionary tale of bureaucratic slaughter past and present. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-09-25 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Artist Relief Distributes $13.5 Million in Pandemic Grants

The funding initiative, created to assist artists suffering under the pandemic, has distributed more than $13.5 million in emergency grants to more than 2,700 individuals since it was launched in April. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-09-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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$3.2 million worth of rare stolen books have been found under a house in rural Romania.

When a group of thieves stole $3.2 million worth of rare books from a London warehouse in 2017, including seminal scientific texts by Isaac Newton and Galileo, they shocked the antiquarian book world and inspired a number of theories about what had happened. Who would target such rare... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-09-18 17:44:04 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #rare books #book world