'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 ]
News tagged with: #print run #allison busby #wonderful time #independent publisher

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Total Moblie Ad Spend Almost Doubled Last Year

Mobile may be next frontier for publishing, but readers have migrated to the platform faster than advertisers—that gap could be closing though. Global mobile advertising revenue nearly doubled in 2013, totaling $19.3 billion, according to a report from the Intera Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2014-08-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Virtual Book Festivals Run By Major Publishers Take Off in UK

HarperCollins UK's June virtual Romance Festival was a success; this week SF publisher Gollancz is hosting a festival combining online Q&As with real life events. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #harpercollins uk #major publishers


There Are More Scented Ads in Magazines this Year

Magazines have been more fragrant than usual this year. During the first six months of 2014, magazines ran 17 more perfume and cologne ads with scent strips than they did a year earlier, good for a 10% increase, according to a report from analytics firm MediaRadar.The report, which looked at 177... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2014-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ad pages #10% increase #ralph lauren


Author Lindsey Kelk on Participating in a Virtual Book Festival

Lindsey Kelk a the bestselling British Chick-Lit author and participated in HarperCollins' virtual Romance Festival. Here she reflects on the experience. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New Patrick Ness novel out next August

The next book from YA author Patrick Ness, The Rest of Us Just Live Here, will be published by... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Florida Bookstore Day will be held this November

The celebration echoes California Bookstore Day, which was held for the first time this past May. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Florida Bookstore Day Set for November

The brainchild of Tiffany Razzano, founder of Wordier Than Thou, the inaugural event will include at least 30 bookstores across the state. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hundreds queue for new Murakami novel

Hundreds of people queued at bookshops which staged midnight events or early openings for the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-08-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Marlboro Boy And Fat Ronald: The Brand-Jamming Art Of Ron English

Ron English, famous for his colorful statements on consumer culture, talks about reverse shoplifting, and making marketing even more egregious.Portland artist Ron English has spent his career lampooning some of America's top brands, and he's got the cease-and-desist letters to prove it.... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2014-08-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Self-publishing becomes larger focus at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair

The Frankfurt Book Fair will organize a two-day self-publishing and author program at the 2014 fair this year, aimed at an international audience. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin prepares double edition of Ali Smith novel

Penguin imprint Hamish Hamilton is publishing Ali Smith's Man Booker longlisted How To Be... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Creating an Indie Bookstore Day

Ever since California booksellers paved the way to boost sales and promote the “shop local” message with California Bookstore Day last May, other booksellers have been trying to figure out a way to replicate their success. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Julian Gough funds writing trip on Kickstarter

Author Julian Gough is using Kickstarter to part-fund a writing research trip to Las Vegas. The... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google and Barnes & Noble come together to offer same-day shipping

Customers in certain areas of New York City and Los Angeles can now get same-day shipping on Barnes & Noble products. Will it help the book retailer? Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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B&N Partners With Google for Same-Day Delivery

The bookselling chain is partnering with Google's new shopping service, Google Shopping, to offer same-day delivery in three U.S. cities. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google, Barnes & Noble team up for same-day book deliveries

Google and Barnes & Noble, taking on their mutual rival Amazon.com, have paired up to offer same-day delivery of books purchased online. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2014-08-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble looks to Google to rival Amazon's same-day book deliveries

Need that yoga for dogs book yesterday? You can now get it "today" at least from Barnes & Noble, who have joined Amazon with same-day book deliveries. It's enlisting an odd partner for the service: Google, one if its competitors in the ebook space.... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2014-08-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New York’s Kinokuniya Adds U.S. Comics, Graphic Novels

The Japanese bookstore chain is adding western comics and graphic novels at its New York City store with plans to also host events and add related pop culture merchandise. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #graphic novels #host events


Inspired by John Green, bookstores celebrate Esther Day

Esther Day is celebrated on Aug. 3, the birthday of teenager Esther Earl, with whom 'The Fault in Our Stars' author Green became acquainted before she died in 2010. Earl suggested the holiday center on 'the kinds of love that are too often overlooked in our culture: love among friends and... Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-08-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Orion marks 10 years of Paver's Chronicles

Orion Children’s is celebrating 10 years of Michelle Paver’s Chronicles of Ancient... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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