'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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GraphicAudio Celebrates 10 Years

Listening to an audiobook is, by its very nature, a sensory experience—and for the past decade, GraphicAudio, an imprint of the Bethesda, Md.–based Cutting Corp., has been targeting listeners’ senses in a big way. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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NAL To Publish 'Lost' Ayn Rand Novel

'Ideal,' the first Ayn Rand novel to be released since 1957's 'Atlas Shrugged,' is set to be published by Penguin Random House imprint NAL on July 7, 2015. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publicity Campaign Calls on Booksellers to End Novel

Booksellers are usually tasked with selling books but, in a twist this holiday season, they’ve been invited to write the ending to one. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Zoe Sugg's Girl Online is fastest selling book of the year

YouTube star Zoella’s first book sells 78,000 copies in its first week, the highest first week’s sales of a new author ever! Girl Online, the first novel by Zoe Sugg AKA “Zoella” has pushed Jeff Kinney’s newest Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul off the top of the chart as the fastest selling... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Quercus launches Christmas book-giving campaign

Quercus has launched a Christmas campaign to celebrate the joy of giving and receiving books. As part of the Greatest Gift campaign, 15 key bloggers and BookTubers will upload a post explaining why they think books are the greatest gift to give. Each Greatest Gift “blog tour partner” will also... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Daunt: 'Waterstones could break even this financial year'

Waterstones will “break even” this year if the retailer has a good Christmas, according to its m.d James Daunt. In an interview with the Guardian, the Waterstones boss said the chain’s intention was to eradicate its losses by the end of its financial year. “We are heading towards break-even in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Miniaturist named Waterstones Book of the Year

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton has been named as the Waterstones Book of the Year. Burton's debut novel, published by Picador, beat a shortlist that also included Man Booker Prize winner The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Samuel Johnson Prize winner H is for Hawk. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Miniaturist novel wins book prize

Jessie Burton's The Miniaturist, a debut novel inspired by a dollhouse in Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, is named Waterstones Book of the Year. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2014-12-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Big Rights Deals for Barcelona Author’s Debut Novel

The 26 rights deals for Milena Busquets' short debut novel have raised eyebrows — but looking at the author's passion and personal history, it makes sense The post Big Rights Deals for Barcelona Author’s Debut Novel appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-12-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Same-day delivery from SelfMadeHero

Graphic novel publisher SelfMadeHero is attempting to beat Amazon's delivery promises by offering free same-day delivery across central London. The independent publisher will offer the service for two weeks from 1st December, with orders placed before 2p.m. on Monday to Friday delivered the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publisher selfmadehero #same-day delivery #beat amazon #central london #independent publisher #1st december


Poisoned Pen: 25 Years of Innovation

Fifteen years ago, at the start of the millennium, PW named Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale, Ariz., one of 11 innovative businesses destined to influence publishing in the 21st century. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Third winning year for Walliams at National Book Awards

David Walliams’ Awful Auntie (HarperCollins Children’s) has been named Children’s Book of the Year at the Specsavers National Book Awards, making it the third time in a row the author has won the honour. The awards, presented today (26th November) at a ceremony at the Foreign Office in London... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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30 Years of Iconic Criterion Covers Collected in One Beautiful Book

Criterion Designs is a beautiful book that captures 30 years of iconic movie covers. The post 30 Years of Iconic Criterion Covers Collected in One Beautiful Book appeared first on WIRED. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2014-11-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kinney submits to Day's chart-topper

The penultimate book in Sylvia Day's Crossfire erotica quintet has ended Jeff Kinney's two-week run at the summit of the UK Official Top 50 by a matter of just 221 copies, while Lynda Bellingham's just-released novel joined her memoir in the top 50.   Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iBooks Bestsellers: Day Hits #1

Sylvia Day’s 'Captivated By You' jumped seven spots to hit #1 on Apple’s iBooks bestseller list, for the week ended November 24. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lepucki Moves to Crown for Second Novel

The 'California' author has sold her sophomore novel, 'Woman No. 17,' to Lindsay Sagnette at Crown. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Remote e-lending pilot project reveals half-year trends

Remote ebook lending in libraries leads to a "significant" increase in borrowing, but not to an increase in book buying, according to interim trends noted at the six-month stage of a year-long pilot project. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Caravéo launches writing competition at Skylark

Amber Caravéo, former editorial director at Orion Children’s Books, is launching a competition for unpublished writers at her new agency, with judges from Puffin, Orion and Macmillan Children’s Books. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Perseus Caps Eventful Year with Strong Results

In the fiscal year ended September 30, the Perseus Books Group had strong financial results, CEO David Steinberger wrote to employees in his letter reviewing the last 12 months. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Townsend's work will be 'championed' for years

Penguin Random House will “nurture, protect and champion” Sue Townsend’s work for years to come, c.e.o. Tom Weldon has said. Speaking at an event to celebrate the late writer’s life and work at The British Library, Weldon made the promise to Townsend’s family, who were in attendance. He also... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #tom weldon #late writer #british library