'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"

British fashion recognises ‘tastemaker’ behind Dazed & Confused magazine

Jefferson Hack, who co-founded the influential 90s journal, has empowered raft of new designers, says industry“I don’t think there’s been a tougher time in fashion since I’ve been doing this,” says the tastemaker and independent publisher Jefferson Hack, who co-founded Dazed & Confused... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-07-16 17:05:13 UTC ]
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The 25 Most Significant New York City Novels From the Last 100 Years

Four writers and one bookseller gathered over Zoom to make a list devoted to fiction in which the city is more than mere setting. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-06-22 09:08:54 UTC ]
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How Big Can the Fall Regional Bookselling Conferences Get?

Executive directors at regional bookseller associations across the country believe that conditions are right for big turnouts at their in-person fall shows. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-06-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Interview with an Indie Press: Dzanc Books

Dzanc Books—a nonprofit independent publisher based in Ann Arbor, Michigan—was once described by one of its authors as publishing the “books that don’t want to be movies.” In addition to pursuing this mission with an eclectic mix of publications—including those by Roy Kesey, Laura van den Berg,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-05-27 08:50:00 UTC ]
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ABA to Debut Virtual Children's Conference

The American Booksellers Association is launching a Virtual Children’s Institute on July 13; the daylong digital event includes online education sessions, bookseller idea exchanges, and keynote speeches. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-05-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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8 Literary Friendships Told Through Letters

In 1995, I left the Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle to teach English in Vietnam. Around that time, my friend and fellow bookseller Janet Brown traveled to Thailand to teach as well. There was no email then, and overseas phone calls were a luxury. So we wrote to one another, meditating on the... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2022-04-28 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble is finally offering an audiobook service

Barnes & Noble finally has a direct answer to Amazon's purchase of Audible. The bookseller has launched a B&N Audiobooks service in the US that lets you either buy recordings or pay $15 per month for a subscription that offers one recurring monthly credit. You'll have access to more than... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-04-07 16:21:47 UTC ]
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PM Press Decamps for Binghamton

Radical independent publisher PM Press has bought a 17,000-square-foot warehouse in Binghamton, N.Y., and no longer calls Oakland, CA, its home base. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-03-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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This Week's Bestsellers: March 14, 2022

Tessa Bailey lands at #3 on our trade paperback list with her latest rom-com, 'Hook, Line, and Sinker." Plus V.E. Schwab's YA fantasy novel 'Gallant' is #2 on our children's fiction list, and a trio of March book club picks claim their spots on our hardcover fiction list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-03-11 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Eighty-year-old study of British slave trade is back in the bestsellers list

Capitalism and Slavery, by the future first prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago Eric Williams, argues that the abolition of slavery was motivated by economic, not moral, concernsA book of unpalatable truths about Britain’s slave trade has become a UK bestseller, almost 80 years after author... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-03-02 13:59:03 UTC ]
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Everything Old Is New Again (Maybe?) (shelftalker)

In which a bookseller appreciates the return of old rhythms from a pre-pandemic past. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-02-17 13:30:00 UTC ]
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This Week's Bestsellers: February 14, 2021

Nobel laureate Olga Tokarczuk lands at #15 on our hardcover fiction list with 'The Books of Jacob,' translated by Jennifer Croft. Plus 'I Must Betray You,' the latest YA historical novel by Ruta Sepetys, is #10 on our children's fiction list, and a pair of celeb book club picks make their debuts. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-02-11 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The beloved Gaza bookstore destroyed by an Israeli airstrike will open again next week.

A brief but happy update: The Bookseller has reported that Samir Mansour Bookshop, the largest bookstore in Gaza, will reopen next week after being destroyed by an Israeli airstrike last May. The reopening was made possible by a GoFundMe campaign led by human rights lawyers Mahvish Rukhsana and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-02-07 16:07:29 UTC ]
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Kate Clanchy’s controversial memoir reissued by independent publisher

Swift Press has acquired Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me after its author and original publisher Picador ‘parted company’ last month following widespread criticism of the bookAn independent publisher, Swift Press, has acquired Kate Clanchy’s Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-02-01 10:50:18 UTC ]
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Centenary recording of Ulysses to be read by Eddie Izzard, Margaret Atwood and others

More than 100 writers, artists, comedians and musicians will voice James Joyce’s seminal novel in celebration of its publication a century agoOne hundred years ago, in February 1922, Sylvia Beach, owner of the Paris bookshop Shakespeare and Company, published James Joyce’s Ulysses, in full, for... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-01-20 09:30:55 UTC ]
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In Defense of Recommending Books You Haven’t Read

Whether you're talking to a bookseller or watching a TikTok, you may be getting a rec from someone who hasn't read the book. And that's okay. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-01-05 11:37:00 UTC ]
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Galley Beggar pays tribute to author Uschi Gatward

Independent publisher Galley Beggar has paid tribute to author Uschi Gatward, who has died following a battle with cancer. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-05 01:03:10 UTC ]
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Ben McFall, ‘the Heart of the Strand,’ Is Dead at 73

He was the longest-tenured bookseller in the history of New York’s most storied bookstore, and he perpetuated its bohemian character. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-12-30 23:42:37 UTC ]
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Survey says: the Booker is the most important literary prize in the world.

An interesting dispatch from prize world: as The Bookseller reported, a new international survey conducted by Nielsen Book shows publishers, writers, booksellers and media consider the Booker Prize the “most important” literary prize. The Booker’s status isn’t completely out of left field, but... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-12-23 20:28:47 UTC ]
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