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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Restaurant software startup raises $5 million

Fairfax restaurant software startup MarginEdge Co. has raised $5 million in fresh funding, the company announced Tuesday. The round was led by Osage Venture Partners with participation from New York-based In Good Company Hospitality. It brings its total funding since MarginEdge's founding in... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2019-10-22 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fresh funding #company continues #recently signed #fairfax


Number of Self-Published Titles Jumped 40% in 2018

The number of books self-published in the U.S.in 2018 jumped 40% over 2017, according to Bowker’s annual survey of the self-publishing market. More than 1.6 million books were self-published last year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-10-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #annual survey #self-publishing market


We’re in a Rough Place in History Right Now: The Millions Interviews Carmen Maria Machado

The award-winning author of ‘Her Body and Other Parties’ on writing fiction for today, the tyranny of genre, and reading outside of our comfort zones. The post We’re in a Rough Place in History Right Now: The Millions Interviews Carmen Maria Machado appeared first on The Millions. Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2019-10-08 16:00:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #writing fiction #comfort zones #award-winning author


Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax of Virginia Sues CBS for Defamation, Seeking $400 Million

He filed the lawsuit in response to interviews on “CBS This Morning” with two women who accused him of sexual misconduct. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2019-09-12 20:59:59 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sexual misconduct #fairfax


Group Nine Media Raises $50 Million from Discovery, Axel Springer

Group Nine Media just raised $50 million from lead investor Discovery Inc. and partner Axel Springer SE, the company announced Monday. The digital media holding company also hinted that acquisitions may be on the horizon with the new increase in funds. Discovery initially invested $100 million... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2019-09-09 14:56:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #axel springer #video content #digital media


17-punt NFL Kickoff Game draws 22 million viewers

Thursday night’s NFL Kickoff Game wasn’t exactly one for the ages, but the 17-punt, 13-point defensive struggle between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears still managed to scare up a three-year ratings high for NBC. According to Nielsen live-plus-same-day data, the Packers’ 10-3 win over... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-09-06 21:11:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #usual suspects #state farm #film studios #bought time #warner bros #real time #good place #nielsen


A robot read 3.5 million books to find we describe women by appearance, and men by virtue.

Researchers have used machine-learning (a reading robot!) to read 3.5 million books published between 1900 and 2008, and tally all the adjectives used to describe men and women. Not surprisingly, women in books are beautiful and men are true-hearted! Yup, when positively described, women (or... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-08-28 13:30:07 UTC ]
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A 40-year account of the evolution of Hispanic print media

After decades of gathering Spanish-language magazines and newspapers in his office—thousands of them—Kirk Whisler started looking around for a more formal place to archive this collection.  Whisler is president of Fallbrook, Calif.-based Latino 247 Media Group, a founding member of the National... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-08-13 13:31:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ad revenue #newspaper industry #late 1970s #south dakota #latest stats #digital edition #print media


Magic in the Mundane: The Millions Interviews Kimberly King Parsons

A good, long talk with the ‘Black Light’ debut author about bodies, secrets, the patriarchy, escaping it, revision, Amy Hempel, and more. The post Magic in the Mundane: The Millions Interviews Kimberly King Parsons appeared first on The Millions. Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2019-08-08 16:00:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #black light #debut author


Future Plc Acquires SmartBrief for $45 to $65 Million

Future plc has acquired Washington, D.C.-based online B2B publisher SmartBrief, the latest move in a string of purchases aimed at expanding the London-based media giant's presence in the U.S. Expected to close on Wednesday, the agreement involves an initial purchase price of $45 million—funded... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2019-07-30 16:09:27 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #greater share #global circulation #market position #b2b sector #digital media


PRH Added £25 Million to Pearson's First Half Earnings

As Pearson continues to overhaul its education operations, the company said its stake in Penguin Random House contributed £25 million to its adjusted operating profit, up from £22 million in the first half of 2018. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-07-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #half earnings #penguin random house #pearson


‘Crawdads’ Tops One Million Print Sales

Delia Owens’s 'Where the Crawdads Sing' is the feel-good publishing story of the year. This is how it got there. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-07-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #crawdads sing #delia owens


First Democratic debate scares up 15.3 million viewers

NBC News’ coverage of the first Democratic presidential debate of the 2020 election cycle may have been short on interpersonal drama, but the two-hour event certainly managed to draw a crowd. According to Nielsen live-plus-same-day data, the debate averaged 15.3 million viewers across NBC, MSNBC... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-06-28 00:20:59 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bernie sanders #nielsen


Half of women over 40 say older women in fiction are clichés, survey finds

Fifty-one percent of women over 40 feel older women in fiction books tend to fall into clichéd roles, according to a new survey.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-27 07:03:41 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #older women #survey finds


Judith Krantz, Whose Tales of Sex and Shopping Sold Millions, Dies at 91

She published her first novel at 50, and her heroines were invariably rich, savvy, ambitious and preternaturally beautiful. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2019-06-24 20:37:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #first novel


City targets illegal $5 million Airbnb ring

City officials are going after a group of landlords, accusing them of operating a ring of illegal short-term rentals that they marketed on popular booking sites including Airbnb, booking.com and... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2019-06-20 17:52:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #city officials #popular book


City targets $5 million illegal Airbnb ring

City officials are going after a group of landlords for operating a ring of illegal short term rentals that they marketed on popular booking sites including Airbnb, Booking.com and Homeaway.com. The... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2019-06-20 17:52:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #city officials #popular book


U.K. Investment Group Acquires Barnes & Noble for $683 Million

It's a new--wait for it--chapter for bookseller Barnes & Noble, which will be acquired by U.K. investment firm Elliott Advisors in an all-cash deal worth $683 million. Barnes & Noble joins a portfolio that also includes U.K. bookseller Waterstones, which Elliott acquired in June 2018.... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2019-06-07 20:03:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #$683 million #bookseller waterstones #operate independently


Barnes & Noble has a buyer—who agreed to pay the $476 million price tag

Beleaguered bookseller Barnes & Noble Inc. has a buyer. Elliott Management Corp. agreed to purchase the chain for $6.50 per share in an all-cash transaction valued about $476 million, plus the assumption of debt, the company said in a statement Friday. Barnes & Noble shares rose as... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-06-07 16:16:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #retail chains #$476 million #$683 million #bloomberg intelligence #—bloomberg news


BookExpo 2019: Philippa Gregory Introduces a Bewitching Series

After years of writing bestselling novels based on historical figures, Philippa Gregory ('Tidelands', Atria, Aug.) turns her attention to a completely fictional one, Alinor, in the first book in the Fairmile series, set in the mid-1600s, about one family’s complex trajectory to success. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-05-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #historical figures #philippa gregory