'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 ]

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The best gifts for book lovers in 2023

If there’s a book lover on your holiday list, consider yourself lucky. There’s a huge range of gifts you can give them — and you don’t even need to know what’s next up on their to-be-read list. I’m a former bookseller with an abiding fiction habit who now tests... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-11-16 16:00:47 UTC ]
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Kali Fajardo-Anstine in Praise of Willa Cather and the American Southwest

I first heard of Willa Cather as a teenage bookseller in North Denver, at a new, used, rare, and antiquarian bookshop that had once been a mechanic’s garage. At the bookstore, there was an entire section of Cather’s famous works, which I had labeled meticulously with colored markers on scraps of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-11-14 10:00:45 UTC ]
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Sharjah Publishers Conference Introduces New Format

The round-table workshops that proved highly successful in the Sharjah Bookseller Conference now are part of the Sharjah Publishers Conference. The post Sharjah Publishers Conference Introduces New Format appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-10-28 02:14:24 UTC ]
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Bigger Trade Shows, More Nontraditional Booksellers

This year’s regional bookseller shows were upbeat and exciting gatherings, where both traditional and nontraditional booksellers networked, met authors, and discovered the hottest new releases. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Pioneering Bookseller Hillel Stavis Dies at 78

WordsWorth Books founder Stavis, a leader in computerized inventory and online selling and cofounder of the WordStock inventory and POS system, died on October 20. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Attendees Were Motoring at Heartland Fall Forum 2023

Almost 300 booksellers from the Midwest Indie Bookseller and Great Lakes Indie Bookseller associations gathered together at Heartland Fall Forum in Detroit last week to network, meet authors, and discover great books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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No Book Left Behind, by Alice-Catherine Carls

No Book Left Behind, by Alice-Catherine Carls Essay [email protected] Mon, 10/09/2023 - 15:35 Photo by Alexander Grey / UnsplashWelcome news to those of us in the “Flyover Zone”: our reading habits are healthy and well served. The Jackson Madison... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2023-10-09 20:35:50 UTC ]
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Craig Popelars Leaves Tin House, Masie Cochran Named Interim Publisher

Portland, Ore.–based independent publisher Tin House Books announced that publisher Craig Popelars has stepped down. Editorial director Masie Cochran has been appointed interim publisher. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
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PNBA's Fall Tradeshow Wraps Up with Stories and Candid Advice

The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association concluded its Fall Tradeshow in Portland, Ore., with an author breakfast and bookseller education programming. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The Changeling Brings a Genre-Bending Fable of Family to the Screen

Victor LaValle’s 2017 literary horror novel, The Changeling, contains another book at its center: Maurice Sendak’s children’s tale Outside Over There. In Sendak’s story, goblins steal a neglected baby while “Papa is away at sea,” replacing her with a child made of ice. In LaValle’s novel, rare... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-07 08:37:37 UTC ]
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US National Book Foundation: Paul Yamazaki Wins the Literarian Award

For more than 50 years a bookseller at City Lights, San Francisco's Paul Yamazaki is the National Book Foundation's Literarian Award winner. The post US National Book Foundation: Paul Yamazaki Wins the Literarian Award appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-09-06 22:16:49 UTC ]
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The quintessential California bookseller behind City Lights gets his moment

Van Nuys native Paul Yamazaki, a longtime veteran of San Francisco landmark City Lights, will receive a lifetime honor at the National Book Awards next month. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-09-06 14:00:49 UTC ]
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This Week's Bestsellers: September 4, 2023

TikTok phenom Mercury Stardust has the #1 book in the country with the home maintenance manual 'Safe and Sound.' Plus Adalyn Grace's YA fantasy 'Foxglove' takes the #1 spot on our children's fiction list, and Max Miller's 'Tasting History' returns to our hardcover nonfiction list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Can Short Stories Boost Financial Literacy?

The Principal Foundation and the Center for Fiction are teaming up with French independent publisher Short Édition on a short story contest meant to entice readers to consider the almighty dollar through “the universal art form of storytelling.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Lit Hub Weekly: August 21-25, 2023

“Whatever has been invented, Le Guin teaches us, can be reinvented.” John Plotz revisits Earthsea. | Lit Hub Criticism Moeen Farrokhi on writing and humiliation under Iranian censorship: “I began to question the very act of writing itself.” | Lit Hub Memoir “No one needs my opinion about books.”... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-08-26 10:30:54 UTC ]
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Booksellers Predict The Big Books of Fall 2023

Every fall season, bookseller enthusiasm builds for certain subjects, and novels—notably high-stakes historical fiction and immersive work in translation—are extra hot for 2023. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Lit Hub Daily: August 23, 2023

“No one needs my opinion about books.” Longtime indie bookseller Josh Cook against the cultural authoritarianism of “good taste.” | Lit Hub Criticism When folk went mainstream: On Harry Everett Smith and the cultural paradigm shift that his Anthology of American Folk Music. | Lit Hub Music... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-08-23 10:30:23 UTC ]
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This Week's Bestsellers: August 14, 2023

Pulitzer finalist and Parnassus Books owner Ann Patchett has the #2 book in the country with 'Tom Lake.' Plus 'Unreasonable Hospitality' by Will Guidara gets a boost from its cameo on 'The Bear,' and Rachel Griffin’s 'Bring Me Your Midnight' brings romantasy to our children’s fiction list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-11 04:00:00 UTC ]
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British Independent Publisher HopeRoad Opens Fundraising Appeal

London's 13-year-old HopeRoad Publishing, focused on Caribbean, African, and Asian work, announces it's having cash-flow struggles. The post British Independent Publisher HopeRoad Opens Fundraising Appeal appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-07-28 17:14:45 UTC ]
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This Week's Bestsellers: July 31, 2023

Serena Valentino lands at #2 on our children’s fiction list with 'Fire and Fate,' the 10th volume in her Villains series for Disney. Plus erotica writer Chuck Tingle makes his traditional publishing debut, and YA author Chloe Gong steps into the adult world. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-07-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
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