Is an X Factor for novelists a good idea?

A literary talent show is about to be aired in Italy, but is television the right place to nurture literary talent?Jonny Geller, agent and joint CEO, Curtis BrownAn X Factor for books is about to launch on Italian TV – it had to be Italian, didn't it? – and you can imagine the literati running for cover in horror. It's "reducing the craft to a reality freak show", "further degradation of the cultural value of the word" etc. And yes, the programme [Masterpiece, which broadcasts on Italian channel Rai 3 today, billed as "the first talent show for aspiring writers, competing to... publish their novel with Simon & Schuster"] will probably be vulgar, ill-conceived and wrong-footed. But we need it. We need to allow young people into the secret we have held too closely to our hearts for too long – that books can change your life, that what makes us human is books, that reading is not just for nerds. The National Literacy Trust recently surveyed 35,000 children from 188 schools and one in five is embarrassed to be caught with a book in their hands.On British TV at the moment, there is not one single programme about books or for book lovers. We in publishing bemoan how few people buy books and yet we do nothing to make them feel relevant. In a changing publishing scene where most purchases are made online, where independent bookshops are closing every week and where the chains all feature the same books, we desperately need an entertaining format to ignite the imaginations of... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2013-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #vice versa

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Is an X Factor for novelists a good idea?'


GCSE revamp 'good for competition', say publishers

Publishers say the plan to abolish competing exam boards as GCSEs are scrapped in favour of new... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Good Relaunches, Opens Up About Layoffs

Good founder Ben Goldhirsh shocked media types and set in motion a slew of terrible headline puns (“Bad! Major Editorial Layoffs Hit Good”) when the company laid off the majority of its editorial staff with very little explanation last June. Yet after a quiet summer, Goldhirsh and Good are... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2012-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #generate content #core values


Amazon launches India Kindle Store, swap rupees for good reads

Indian consumers haven't been cut off from Amazon's world of ebook goodies, but their experience is about to get a lot more native with the launch of a local Kindle Store. The prices of over a million books are now available in rupees, and if you're in need of hardware, the latest bare-bones... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-08-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #good reads #million books #kindle app


Some good news for the book business

BookStats, an annual survey that tracks the American publishing industry, finds that, contrary to doomsday predictions, bookstores and paper-and-ink books are still in demand. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book business #annual survey


The Murdoch Factor in News Corp.’s Split Personality

Rupert Murdoch’s move to split News Corp. into entertainment and publishing businesses may unlock the value he seeks. But the big imponderable in that shift could be Murdoch himself and his tainted legacy, say Wharton management professors Lawrence Hrebiniak and John Kimberly. Continue reading at Knowledge@Wharton

[ Knowledge@Wharton | 2012-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #rupert murdoch #publishing businesses


Flipboard Rival: New York Times Deal is Good News for the Media Industry

Publishing giants The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal firmed up exclusive deals with Flipboard and Pulse earlier in the week for exclusive content to go out to these third-party mobile apps, but as one Flipboard rival explains, this news c ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #media industry #exclusive content


Barnsley: News Corp split 'could be good for HC'

News Corp has confirmed reports that the company will be split into separate publishing and... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #confirmed reports


Novelist Russo boycotts ebooks

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Richard Russo says his new work is a "tribute to the printed book" and will not be sold online. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2012-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #printed book #sold online


E L James's husband turns YA novelist

Random House Childrens Publishing is to bring out a young adult novel written by Niall Leonard,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #young adult


E L James' husband turns YA novelist

Random House Children's Publishing is to bring out a young adult novel written by Niall... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #young adult


Oprah's book club return is good news for publishers

Though results aren't what they used to be, sales still spiked for the first pick. Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2012-06-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #good news


Novelist Barry Unsworth dies

Historical novelist Barry Unsworth, who won the Booker Prize in 1992 for his novel about the 18th... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #booker prize


Review: 'When Captain Flint Was Still a Good Man' a strong debut

'When Captain Flint Was Still a Good Man' is the first novel from Nick Dybek, son Stuart Dybek, and centers on a threat to a fishing community's way of life.The title of Nick Dybek's debut novel, "When Captain Flint Was Still a Good Man," hints at transitions to come, and the phrase "was still"... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #good man


Granta looks for Best of Young British Novelists

Granta Magazine has opened submissions for the fourth edition of the Best of Young British... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #granta magazine #fourth edition


A Fluffy Pillow of Banana-y Goodness: The Pie You Need to Serve this Memorial Day BBQ

In "United States of Pie," Adrienne Kane updates a Southern classic, banana cream pie, with a subtly salty crust and a layer of chocolate ganache. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-05-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #southern classic #chocolate ganache


Original Content: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Digs, Meredith Video Studios  DIY-centric programs like Ready, Set, Celebrate (instructions for throwing offbeat soirees like a “We Hate the Kardashians Party”), Craft and Burn (a sort-of-scripted series about a destructive crafting habit) and Extreme Craft Challenge (ever wondered how to... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2012-05-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #wasting time


'The End of Leadership' peddles the idea of an impotent industry

Barbara Kellerman, an academic leadership all-star, argues in her latest book that her own industry — the one that tries to teach leadership — is pointless in an era in which power has shifted from leaders to followers.To anyone who does not make a living peddling leadership courses, it might... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Book review: 'Lives of the Novelists' by John Sutherland

These delightful biographies of 294 authors begin with John Bunyan in the 17th century and ends with Rana Dasgupta, born in 1971.My assignment: Read almost 300 literary biographies in more than 800 pages, all of English-language authors, beginning in the 17th century and ending in the present... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-04-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #reference book #17th century #rana dasgupta #present day


Book review: 'The Idea Factory' by Jon Gertner

A look at AT&T's Bell Labs documents what in its heyday was truly a marvelous innovation machine and focuses on a handful of compelling narratives.For generations of industry research executives, AT&T's Bell Telephone Laboratories served as an inspiration: a warren of youthful scientists... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #nobel prizes #personal computer


S&S secures two from debut 'Picoult' novelist

Simon & Schuster has acquired two books from debut novelist Kimberly McCreight in a "... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ss secures #simon schuster