These uncertain times have seen a renewed interest in serious nonfiction, as people try to make sense of an unstable world• The best ‘brainy’ books of the last 10 yearsThis is a story about a book that just kept selling, catching publishers, booksellers and even its author off guard. In seeking to understand the reasons for the book’s unusually protracted shelf life, we uncover important messages about our moment in history, about the still-vital place of reading in our culture, and about the changing face of publishing.The book is Sapiens, by the Israeli academic Yuval Noah Harari, published in the UK in September 2014. It’s a recondite work of evolutionary history charting the development of humankind through a scholarly examination of our ability to cooperate as a species. Sapiens sold well on publication, particularly when it came out in paperback in the summer of 2015. What’s remarkable about it, though, is that it’s still selling in vast numbers. In its first two and a half years of life, Sapiens sold just over 200,000 copies in the UK. Since 2017, when Harari published Homo Deus, his follow-up, Sapiens has sold a further half million copies, establishing itself firmly at the top of the bestseller lists (and convincingly outselling its sequel). Sapiens has become a publishing phenomenon and its wild success is symptomatic of a broader trend in our book-buying habits: a surge in the popularity of intelligent, challenging nonfiction, often books that are several years... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2018-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
Michel Houllebecq’s latest novel Soumission (Submission) has gone straight to number one in France's bestseller lists, selling 120,000 copies in the week of 5th to 11th January. The novel, set in 2022 and featuring France with a Muslim president, leads the Top 20 GfK/ Livres Hebdo book sales... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This past November, author Laura Hillenbrand published a young adult version of her 2010 bestseller 'Unbroken' (itself still on bestseller lists). The book for younger readers is also selling well, though reviewers disagree on whether it's necessary. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New releases nabbed the top spots on bestseller lists across international markets in October. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales bumps after books are adapted as movies or TV shows are nothing new, but 'Gone Girl' author Flynn and 'Outlander' writer Gabaldon are seeing their older books reappear and hold steady on bestseller lists as well. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-10-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The final installment in Ken Follett’s Century trilogy, Edge of Eternity, landed at the top of two bestseller lists in international markets in September. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Richard Preston's book 'The Hot Zone' was published in 1994 and tells the story of Ebola appearing in a lab in Washington D.C. Now it's back on bestseller lists and it could be adapted as a TV series. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Murakami's novel 'Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage' is still topping US bestseller lists. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-09-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It's no secret that the Valley has a gender problem, a new book explores just how deep discrimination runs and how to fix it.In July, Twitter reported that only 10% of its tech jobs are held by women. This report joins a host of recent demographic disclosures by tech firms, from Google to... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2014-08-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It is 43 years old and was out of print for ages, but the Microsoft mogul's approval has caused a brand new surge in salesName: Business AdventuresAge: 43 Continue reading... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-08-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Girls,' by Denise Kiernan, continues to hold steady on bestseller lists more than a year after its initial publication. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Leslie Jamison’s collection of nonfiction essays about pain, "The Empathy Exams," is hitting a nerve in more ways than one: the April 1 Graywolf Press release is landing on bestseller lists and has gone into a sixth print run. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New titles dominated the top spots on February’s bestseller lists across foreign markets. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HBO's hit new show has catapulted a 100-year-old short-story collection onto the bestseller lists.A collection of strange art nouveau stories by American author Robert W. Chambers, The King in Yellow has gone virtually unread for most of the past century. The first half of the book is made up of... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2014-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Random House imprint Vintage Books announces global sales of erotic thriller which started life as Twilight fan fictionOne-hundred-million copies of EL James's erotic trilogy, Fifty Shades of Grey, have now been sold around the world, her US publisher announced today.More than 27m of the books,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A handful of new titles topped the bestseller lists in the international markets at the start of 2014. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An analysis of the year's bestselling books reveals the clout big publishers have, how fast bestsellers rotate out, and much more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Indies hope to highlight 'books that are a bit quirky and a little bit different' and might be overlooked by chain retailersThe nation's independent bookshops have pooled their collective expertise to identify the best of this year's crop of Christmas books, in a bid to pick out the hidden... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2013-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New titles commandeered the top slots across the bestseller lists in international markets in September. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Big Brother is watching. And people are reading.Big Brother is watching. And people are reading. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Allegations of stockpiling and best-seller list manipulation have rocked the publishing world in South Korea as publishers combat decreasing book sales. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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