'It’s been a rollercoaster': how indie publishers survived - and thrived - in 2020

When lockdown came in March, many small presses feared they would go out of business. But then came an outpouring of support from the publicThe best books from indie publishers in 2020Six months ago, independent publishers Jacaranda and Knights Of were warning publicly that their income had fallen to almost zero. They weren’t the only small publishers struggling. With bookshops and distributors closing, a survey from the Bookseller at the time found that almost 60% of small publishers feared closure by the autumn. No bookshops meant no knowledgeable, passionate booksellers pressing new books they loved on to customers; no events and no travel meant that crucial avenues for introducing new writers had disappeared.The stars had been looking very happily aligned for Oneworld in March. The independent publisher had three of its biggest books scheduled for the month – a novel from Women’s prize winner Tayari Jones, Silver Sparrow; a new thriller from the bestselling crime author Will Dean, Black River; and Damien Love’s novel for older children, Monstrous Devices. It had printed point-of-sale materials, invested in marketing, advertising, printing.With the resurgence of Black Lives Matter came attention to our fiction list, with nearly every title selling out in June Related: The best books of 2020 to support indie publishers this Christmas Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2020-12-16 08:00:30 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "'It’s been a rollercoaster': how indie publishers survived - and thrived - in 2020"


Blackwell's drops click and collect in almost all stores as lockdown hits

Blackwell's is the latest bookseller to announce it has closed its stores during the new lockdown and will not be offering click and collect, with the exception of its Oxford branch. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-06 09:24:14 UTC ]
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2020: an indie publisher's A-Z

As a new independent publisher launching our first list in 2020, here at BAD PRESS iNK the year has been, well let’s just go with… a learning experience. So what have we learnt? In fact we’ve learnt a whole alphabet full: A is for Authors, and a need to recruit hustlers up for the sales... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-29 01:23:40 UTC ]
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Penned in the Margins bags Acts of Resistance

Independent publisher Penned in the Margins has acquired an "inspirational" creative non-fiction book by writer and arts professional Amber Massie-Blomfield. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-21 22:14:34 UTC ]
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The Bookseller's Tale by Martin Latham review – a literary celebration

Latham, a bookseller for 35 years, has put together a heady mix of history, philosophy, anecdotes and entertaining factsWhat most people know about the American librarian Melvil Dewey is his phenomenal classification technique, the Dewey decimal system, which is still used in 135 countries. Less... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-12-19 09:00:45 UTC ]
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Fungi and local authors prove Christmas hits for indies

A non-fiction work about fungi and books with local interest are among the top-selling titles for indies ahead of Christmas, The Bookseller has been told.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-17 16:31:47 UTC ]
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'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... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-12-17 15:22:04 UTC ]
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'It’s been a rollercoaster': how indie publishers survived - and thrived - in 2020

When lockdown came in March, many small presses feared they would go out of business. But then came an outpouring of support from the publicThe best books from indie publishers in 2020Six months ago, independent publishers Jacaranda and Knights Of were warning publicly that their income had... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-12-16 08:00:30 UTC ]
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BA and Bookshop.org respond to bookseller criticism

The Booksellers Association and Bookshop.org have responded to criticism following the launch of the online website in the UK in November. The criticism, which is focused on how effective the website will be at supporting independent bookshops and the BA's role in facilitating the launch, came... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-04 19:10:54 UTC ]
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This Week's Bestsellers: December 7, 2020

Ernest Cline has the #2 book in the country with 'Ready Player Two.' Charles Yu won the National Book Award for Fiction and Holly Black's book reaches #5 on our children’s fiction list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-12-04 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Generational shift in the Covid-challenged Bookseller 150

The Bookseller's 12th annual list of the industry's most influential people reveals a spate of pandemic heroes. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-03 23:15:34 UTC ]
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Rachel Piercey & Freya Hartas | 'We wanted the seasons to be accurately represented'

Poetry and woodland creatures, along with a dose of nostalgia and a nod to Jill Barklem’s Brambly Hedge books, all feature in the big search-and-find spring release from the new independent publisher Magic Cat, which brought together poet Rachel Piercey (above right) and illustrator Freya Hartas... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-03 15:11:53 UTC ]
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Let an Indie Bookseller Pick the Best Book Subscription for You

Missing the recommendations of your favorite independent booksellers? Let a bookseller choose your next read through these subscription boxes. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-12-02 11:38:00 UTC ]
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Major publishing fairs BookExpo and BookCon to 'retire' after pandemic cancellations

BookExpo, the largest bookseller trade show in the U.S., and its consumer-facing sibling BookCon have been indefinitely canceled because of the pandemic. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-12-01 20:30:11 UTC ]
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Viking pre-empts debut from former bookseller Ben Hinshaw

The debut novel from former Daunt Books bookseller Ben Hinshaw will be published by Viking in spring 2022.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-25 14:18:40 UTC ]
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Casagrande joins Comma Press as editor-at-large

Journalist and translator Orsola Casagrande has joined independent publisher Comma Press as editor-at-large. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-24 19:39:58 UTC ]
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Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops by Shaun Bythell review – virtuosic venting

Pantomime misanthropy is tempered with bursts of sweetness in the secondhand bookseller’s latest dispatches from WigtownThere’s a moment in the first season of the short-lived but influential sitcom Black Books in which an elderly customer appears with a box of attractive old editions of... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-11-11 09:00:33 UTC ]
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The Bookseller survey: working during a second lockdown

With most of the British Isles going back into lockdown over the past few weeks, The Bookseller is inviting people from across the trade to share their thoughts and experiences. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-09 01:38:36 UTC ]
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A narrow path through

As I wrote back in March, the enforced closing of bookshop doors is a terrible story for the editor of The Bookseller to report: it’s a gut-punch, and if you were on social media last Saturday at around 6.30 p.m.—when the Prime Minister announced the decision to shut non-essential retail in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-05 23:57:12 UTC ]
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Jacaranda launches online book festival

Independent publisher and bookseller Jacaranda is to launch an online book festival in December, celebrating a new wave of black British authors.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-05 08:45:44 UTC ]
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Saraband launches 'food bank book bundles' for Trussell Trust

Manchester-based independent publisher Saraband is to launch "food bank book bundles" as part of their online shop, in partnership with the Trussell Trust. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-04 02:51:37 UTC ]
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