'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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Chicago will be home to an Independent Bookstore Day

Nine indie stores so far have teamed up to hold a Chicago Independent Bookstore Day this July. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Self-publishing boom lifts sales by 79% in a year

18m titles bought by readers in 2013, to a value of £300m, as print sales' decline continuesSelf-published books' share of the UK market grew by 79% in 2013, with 18m self-published books bought by UK readers last year, according to new statistics.With print sales falling by 10% last year, and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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4 Brands Bet on Social and Mobile to Boost Father’s Day Campaigns

Marketers are gung-ho on playing up photo-sharing and social media this year to tap into the power of dad, as seen in Father’s Day campaigns from Ace Hardware, Craftsman, Dremel and O2X. You may not expect dads to be receptive about posting touchy-feely streams of pictures on social media, but... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2014-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #music downloads #youtube videos #digital platforms


Brooklyn Book Festival Unveils 2014 Author Lineup

Authors Paul Pope, Colson Whitehead and Roz Chast are among more than 100 literary figures presenting at the 9th annual Brooklyn Book Festival, slated for September 21, 2014 at the Brooklyn Borough Hall and Plaza. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tracking Amazon: '10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse' Bests 'Hard Choices'

After J.J. Smith's appearance on the "Steve Harvey Show," the author's "10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse," published in February, moved from #42 to #2 on Amazon's bestseller list, pushing Hillary Clinton's memoir down to #3. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children’s Books Ireland Awards: “Hagwitch” Takes Book of the Year

At its annual awards ceremony, Children’s Books Ireland honored, among numerous others, Mary-Louise Fitzpatrick's "Hagwitch" as Book of the Year. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Literary Agent Q&A: Lora Fountain on Graphic Novels and France

Lora Fountain, a literary agent based in Paris, talks about the challenges of selling graphic novel translations in an increasingly digital and competitive marketplace. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Chicago Indies Schedule July 12 Bookstore Day

Two months after California's Bookstore Day on May 3 proved to be an overwhelming success, Chicago indie booksellers are organizing their own bookstore day, scheduled for July 12. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Twenty Years Later, Landmark Digital Lawsuit Concludes

Known as “Freelance,” the case settles claims by freelance writers arising from the the 2001 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Tasini case. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Time Inc. Shares Slip Nearly 1% on First Day of Trading

Shares in Time Inc., owner of People, Sports Illustrated and Time magazines, were off nearly 1% to $23.30 Monday, its first day of trading as a public company.The company's share price had tumbled about 4% after trading began but regained much of the lost ground during the afternoon.Time Inc. is... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2014-06-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Nowhere Men voted Sports Book of the Year

Century’s The Nowhere Men: The Unknown Story of Football’s True Talent Spotters has... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-06-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Time Inc. falls in first day of trading

Time Inc. shares fell, marring the first day of trading after a spinoff from Time Warner Inc., on concern that the company's singular focus on magazines will hinder growth prospects as demand for... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2014-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HC's digital festival fires social media

HarperCollins' digital Romance Festival, held this weekend, notched up over six thousand... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital Publishing and the Art of Achieving Audience Loyalty

Newspaper and magazine publishers have always been rather more than pure media companies. Look back a hundred years and you’ll find a multiplicity of reader promotions and clubs designed to keep readers loyal. Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2014-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Game of Thrones': Will the book series stretch to eight novels?

George R.R. Martin's editor recently said that she 'begin[s] to wonder]' if Martin's story can be wrapped up in seven books.  Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Byliner, an Online Publisher of Long-Form Writing, Seeks Partners

Byliner, a company that publishes long, literary journalism and fiction online and as ebooks, told its contributors Tuesday that it has been struggling and is seeking partners to ensure its future. The company started in 2011 with some fanfare. It ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2014-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lawrence novel to Freight Books

Freight Books has acquired rights to a debut novel by Scottish food writer Sue Lawrence. Adrian... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dynamite Inks Graphic Novel Deals with Five Novelists

Dynamite Entertainment has agreements to publish graphic novel adaptations based on the books and characters of acclaimed novelists Brandon Sanderson, Dean Koontz, Patricia Briggs, Jim Butcher and the late Ernest Tidyman, author of the Shaft novels. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Korea’s JR Comics Debuts Chinese Graphic Novels in US

Korean publisher JR Comics debuted its popular graphic novel series based on classic Chinese adventure stories at BookExpo America last week. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2014: David Mitchell: Six Worlds, One New Novel

This coming August marks 10 years since David Mitchell’s groundbreaking novel, Cloud Atlas, was published to great acclaim. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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