'I've never felt less festive': the art of writing Christmas novels, 365 days a year

Drinking sherry, bingeing Downton Abbey ... how authors keep up the spirit of the season, even when writing during heatwaves and a nightmarish ChristmasChristmas novels are not a new phenomenon. Charles Dickens sold out of his first print run of A Christmas Carol in days in December 1843, while Agatha Christie played on seasonal stresses with titles including The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding in 1923 and Hercule Poirot’s Christmas in 1938. But these days, there are acres of festive crime and rags-to-riches romances under the mistletoe to choose from. All tastes are catered for, whether it’s a love of trains (Edward Marston’s Victorian railway detective story A Christmas Railway Mystery), religion (Unlikely Santa: An Amish Christmas Story) or even festive erotica. Ebook retailer Smashwords stocks romance titles including The Old Dragon of the Mountain’s Christmas, and the inventive-sounding A Cyborg’s Old Terran Christmas. (“Interstellar bride Nell and her three children are forced to enter space-sleep capsules in the hope of surviving a calamity. She wakes over 700 years later on a ship of cyborg warriors. In this strange environment, Nell can’t imagine what their future will hold, but she is determined to keep her promise and make Christmas for her children.”)It may sound futuristic, but it is part of a long tradition beloved by readers. As Christina Storey at Allison & Busby, an independent publisher whose titles this year range from Anna Jacobs’ Christmas in... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2020-12-17 15:22:04 UTC ]
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New Jonathan Franzen novel Purity due out next autumn

‘Multigenerational American epic’ from the author of The Corrections and Freedom set for September 2015 publicationThe American contingent may have missed out on this year’s Man Booker prize, but next year could be a different story after it was announced that a new novel by Jonathan Franzen, a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-11-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Scholastic UK to publish new Selznick novel

Scholastic UK will next year publish The Marvels, the new children’s title from American author and illustrator Brian Selznick. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lish novel to Oneworld

Oneworld has signed a novel by Atticus Lish, the son of editor and writer Gordon Lish, in a deal with Karolina Sutton at Curtis Brown. Editorial director for fiction Rosalind Porter acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, in Preparation for the Next Life, from Sutton, on behalf... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dan Brown on the Writing Life as a Global Megaseller

What's it like to sell over 200 million books worldwide? Dan Brown speaks with Publishing Perspectives about his writing life in the wake of enormous success. The post Dan Brown on the Writing Life as a Global Megaseller appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Looking for a 'sweet, charming' novel? Try Charlie Lovett's 'First Impressions'

Lovett's novel follows both 'Pride and Prejudice' writer Jane Austen and contemporary character Sophie, who works in a bookstore. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-11-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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National Readathon Day will take place this January

Groups including the publisher Penguin Random House and the National Book Foundation encourage bibliophiles to read between 12 and 4 p.m. on Jan. 24 and to raise money for the event. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-11-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bertelsmann revenues 'highest for seven years'

Bertelsmann has reported its highest revenues in seven years, at €11.82bn for the first nine months of 2014, up 4.3% year-on-year from €11.33bn, with the formation of Penguin Random House among factors contributing "significantly" to the increase. Operating EBITDA was €1.48bn to the end of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Donaldson hits £10m for a record-breaking fifth straight year

Julia Donaldson has bested fellow bestsellers J K Rowling, Jamie Oliver and Dan Brown to become the only author to record annual sales of over £10m in five consecutive years. The Gruffalo creator sold almost £239,000 last week through Nielsen BookScan's Total Consumer Market, to bring her tally... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Julia Donaldson makes record £10m sales five years in a row

The author of The Gruffalo earned more than JK Rowling and Dan Brown in UK, making her the fourth biggest-selling writer in British historyA dancing chorus of giants and snails, witches and Gruffalos have propelled Julia Donaldson into uncharted territory, as the former childrens laureate... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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EUP history wins Saltire Book of the Year

A book about the history of Scottish towns has won £10,000 after being named Saltire Book of the Year. The Scottish Town in the Age of Enlightenment 1740-1820 (Edinburgh University Press), written by historians Bob Harris and Charles McKean of Dundee University, was awarded the top prize at the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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What If Novels Were Treated Like Business Books?

After attending the FT Business Book of the Year ceremony in London, Roger Tagholm wonders, what if novels had subtitles like business books do? The post What If Novels Were Treated Like Business Books? appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sainsbury’s Finalists for Ebooks of the Year

The UK retail chain Sainsbury's has opened voting for its "ebooks of the year" prize, with several international names shortlisted. The post Sainsbury’s Finalists for Ebooks of the Year appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Piketty named FT/McKinsey Business Book of the Year

Thomas Piketty's Capital in the Twenty-First Century has triumphed at the Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Awards. Piketty's book, a nearly 700-page exploration of economic processes that concentrate wealth and build inequalities, was chosen as the winner of the £30,000... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Guardian Publisher Gives His 700 Newspaper Staff a Pre-Christmas Bonus

Ray Tindle, the newspaper publisher who likes to reward his staff, is to pay a "chairman's bonus" to his company's 700 staff ahead of Christmas.  At the top level, full-time employees will get £400 each. The minimum pay ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2014-11-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Film deal for Caitlin Moran novel

Newly formed production company Monumental Pictures has acquired the film rights to Caitlin Moran’s novel How to Build a Girl (Ebury Press). Moran and John Niven will adapt the book for the big screen, with Film 4 backing the project. Moran’s debut novel follows teenager Johanna Morrigan, who... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Smyth leaves Cheltenham festival

Sarah Smyth has stepped down from her role as artistic director of The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival.   Smyth joined Cheltenham Literature Festival as Festival organiser in 1995 and was promoted to Festival director ahead of the Festival’s 50th anniversary in 1999.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Piketty Takes 2014 'FT,' McKinsey & Co Business Book of the Year Award

The prize, which comes with a £30,000 purse, was presented to Thomas Piketty’s editor, Harvard's Ian Malcolm, at a ceremony in London on November 11. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Christmas Creep: Pushing Black Friday Up

It’s not just Amazon that is testing how early shoppers are willing to get serious about Christmas. B&N is launching Discovery Weekend, the weekend before Thanksgiving. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Photo Mania: Comic Arts Brooklyn 2014

Organized by Brooklyn independent comics bookstore Desert Island, Comic Arts Brooklyn, aka CAB, held its annual festival of indie and self-published comics at the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Williamsburg, Brooklyn Nov. 8-9. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Paul Kingsnorths The Wake: a novel approach to Old English

Prize-winning fiction set in 11th century and using innovative language gains critical success after rejection by mainstream publishersOf the 120 reader reviews on Amazon for Paul Kingsnorths debut novel The Wake, most are either adoring five stars hailing one of the most unexpectedly exciting... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-11-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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