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

Other Publishing stories related to: 'How Minecraft has bewitched 40 million of us'


Petition Asking Poetry Foundation for Millions Gains Support

A Change.org petition has garnered nearly 1,500 signatures asking the Poetry Foundation to dip into its deep pockets to support poets and independent publishers who are struggling economically because of the pandemic. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #poetry foundation #deep pockets #independent publishers


NEA Offering $75 Million to Nonprofits to Save Jobs

The National Endowment for the Arts is now taking applications for $75 million in grants to nonprofit arts organizations to combat job losses related to Covid-19. Grants are fixed at $50,000 for individual nonprofits. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #national endowment #$75 million


James Patterson Leads Group Seeking to Raise Millions for Bookstores

Author James Patterson is spearheading a group that includes Reese Witherspoon, Reese’s Book Club, the Book Industry Charitable Foundation, and the American Booksellers Association in an effort to raise millions of dollars to help save independent bookstores. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book club #american booksellers association #book industry


Coronavirus Aid Package Includes Millions for Libraries, Schools, and the Arts

The package includes $50 million for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for digital inclusion projects, and a hefty $30.8 billion in relief for schools and colleges. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


World Book Day smashes Share a Million Stories target

World Book Day smashed its Share a Million Stories target within 24 hours of the event, with 1,218,230 stories shared by Friday 9th March. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-11 08:50:21 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #world book #book day


Louis Sachar returns to wacky Wayside School more than 40 years after ‘Sideways Stories’

“It was a challenge to see if I still had Wayside School inside me,” the author says. It turns out, he did. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-02-26 13:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sideways stories


Louis Sachar returns to wacky Wayside School more than 40 years after ‘Sideways Stories’

“It was a challenge to see if I still had Wayside School inside me,” the author says. It turns out, he did. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-02-26 13:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sideways stories


Pearson Earned £65 Million In Profits from Its PRH Stake in 2019

Pearson’s 25% stake in Penguin Random House earned the company £65 million in operating profit in 2019. Pearson has sold its 25% share of PRH to Bertelsmann in a deal expected to generated net proceeds of $675 million when the transaction closes. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-02-21 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bertelsmann #pearson #penguin random house


Fans are creating a Harry Potter role-playing game inside 'Minecraft'

There have been some ambitious Minecraft projects before, but this one may win for sheer sophistication. The modding team Floo Network is creating Minecraft School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a Harry Potter-themed role-playing experience inside a Mi... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2020-01-13 18:43:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #harry potter


Book of Lists: Retirement plan payout boosted Mount Sinai CEO's pay above $12 million in 2017

In the Dec. 23 print edition of the Book of Lists, you’ll find hundreds of CEOs, presidents and other top executives listed alongside the organizations they run. Even more business leaders are... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2019-12-23 17:08:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #$12 million #business leaders


'In 24 hours, people gave us £40,000': how readers rescued a small press

Galley Beggar Press was facing ruin after the collapse of The Book People, but the public has supplied Christmas magic of a kind I don’t usually buy intoIf a novelist had submitted a story to my publishing company about someone losing £40,000 one day and then regaining it the next, thanks to the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-12-19 17:31:08 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #small press #phone call #small publisher #book people


Most Investors Don’t Want to Touch Media Anymore. But Axios is Going to Raise Another $20 Million.

A few years ago, investors were eager to throw money at digital media startups. Not anymore. But there are some Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2019-12-16 15:51:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #$20 million #digital media


Bettany wins HQ and Gransnet prize for women writers over 40

Jane Bettany has won HQ and Gransnet's writing prize for unpublished women writers aged over 40.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-06 01:51:32 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #women writers


Scribd Gets $58 Million in New Financing

Scribd said the new investment will be used to support growth and product innovation as well as enhance operations. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-11-25 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #product innovation


A new book for those who don’t want millions, but an answer to their questions

A.C. Grayling’s “The History of Philosophy” delves into the thinkers who explored who we are and what it all means. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-11-20 18:01:32 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Sharjah International Book Fair Draws a Record-Breaking 2.52 Million Visitors

While reporting big attendance numbers, the Sharjah Book Fair this year is most memorable for events affirming its deepening world publishing relationships. The post Sharjah International Book Fair Draws a Record-Breaking 2.52 Million Visitors appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-11-11 08:13:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book fair


This mesmerizing 3D map visualizes millions of scientific studies

The dense, interconnected network charts decades of collaboration and research. Nature, the multidisciplinary scientific journal founded in London in 1869, celebrates its 150th anniversary this week. Known for its innovative approach to publishing original research across all sorts of scientific... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2019-11-11 08:00:45 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #150th anniversary #innovative approach #data visualization #science fiction


Pinch of Nom becomes million-copy bestseller

Kay Featherstone and Kate Allinson's Pinch of Nom (Bluebird) has sold one million copies to date, with last week's 7,067 copies sold pushing it into seven figures through Nielsen BookScan's TCM. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-05 13:55:45 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #nom bluebird #kay featherstone #kate allinson #million copies #nielsen bookscan #nielsen


‘Flowers In the Attic’ Is Still In Bloom At 40

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of V.C. Andrews’s series-launching blockbuster this year, Gallery Books is planning a social media campaign and a new trilogy by Andrew Neiderman, who continued the series after Andrews’s death in 1986. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-11-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #40th anniversary #gallery books


Tattooist of Auschwitz hits million copy milestone

Print sales of The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris have surpassed the one million mark in the UK, nearly two years after publication.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-23 19:47:14 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #million mark #print sales