The Canongate Books boss on the success of Letters Live, performances of notable correspondence by leading lights of stage and screenJamie Byng, 46, son of the 8th Earl of Strafford, grew up in Hampshire and studied at the University of Edinburgh. After graduating he joined Canongate Books as an intern and bought out the struggling Edinburgh publishing house two years later, aged just 25. His successes include the UK publication of Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, which won the Man Booker prize in 2002 and sold more than 3m copies. In 2013 he set up Letters Live, “a celebration of the enduring power of literary correspondence” based in part on Shaun Usher’s Letters of Note books. Letters Live returns to London’s Freemasons’ Hall on Thursday 10 March.How did Letters Live come about?In 2013 we published two books about letters on the same day. One was Simon Garfield’s To the Letter, which is a history of letter-writing. The other, Letters of Note, grew out of Shaun Usher’s website, which compiles great correspondence throughout history. We decided to promote both books by getting people to read out letters in a live setting. Nick Cave had a letter in Shaun’s book and he’s a good friend, so it was very straightforward to call him up and say “How’s about it?” Gillian Anderson went totally nuts for a Katharine Hepburn letter to Spencer Tracy. Everyone I asked who was around – Benedict Cumberbatch, Matt Berry, Neil Gaiman, Bruce Robinson – said yes. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2016-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with:
#nick cave
#good friend
#gillian anderson
#benedict cumberbatch
#neil gaiman
The Reading Agency has unveiled the covers for its 2022 Quick Reads titles, written by the likes of Paula Hawkins, Graham Norton and Alex Wheatle. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-09 07:14:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#alex wheatle
#graham norton
#paula hawkins
#reading agency
Our critic’s picks include a new edition of “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and a biography of Whistler. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-12-02 14:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#hidden gems
You will scare yourself silly with these chilling horror books published by an indie press. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-01-10 11:33:18 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#book published
#indie press
#read harder
Read Harder Challenge participants, and anyone looking for broader reading horizons, we've got your recommendations for the YA nonfiction book task. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-12-04 11:32:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#nonfiction book
#read harder
You can make your reading experience *even better* with these great book reading accessories. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-11-15 11:38:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#book reading
#great book
Books are about people. Reading while you’re around them is a useful reminder of that. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2019-09-20 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#read books
YA-themed books will feature on this year's suggested reading lists to celebrate National Poetry Day on 3rd October. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-22 22:42:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#3rd october
One in three parents say regular reading with their children slips in the summer holidays, according to a Reading Agency survey ahead of this year's Summer Reading Challenge. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-12 00:23:25 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#summer holidays
Facebook cofounder Chris Hughes has harsh words about Facebook and its founder. Thursday morning, the New York Times published an op-ed by Facebook cofounder Chris Hughes that pulled no punches. Hughes’s message was right there in the headline: “It’s time to break up Facebook.”Read Full Story Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2019-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#thursday morning
#harsh words
Devised as a highly participatory hub of more than 2,500 events, the Sharjah Children's Reading Festival opens in the coming UNESCO World Book Capital. The post Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival: ‘Making Reading a Lifelong Habit’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#making reading
#reading festival
#sharjah children
Scholastic's biennial Kids & Family Reading Report finds American families are reading books aloud to their children more often. The post Scholastic’s New ‘Kids & Family Reading’ Report: Reading Aloud Is Up appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#reading aloud
#post scholastic
The Reading Agency is planning an evaluation of the Summer Reading Challenge after receiving an award of £120,000 from Arts Council England. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#reading agency
Former President Obama is out of office but he’s keeping up on politics and social issues with the books he’s reading. Obama shared a list of books he's been reading on Facebook on Saturday. The list is long on intellectual nonfiction and short on anything that could be described as a beach read.... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#beach read
#social issues
#president obama
#beach reads
The Reading Agency is hoping to maintain participant numbers in this year’s Summer Reading Challenge, the theme of which is The Beano. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#reading agency
Just launched this month, Croatia's 'free reading zone', funded by government and private donors, is intended to offer thousands of free ebooks to residents and visitors. The post Naming Itself a Free Reading Zone, Zagreb Launches ‘Croatia Reads’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#free ebooks
Read On. Get On. is to campaign for a new measurement of primary school children’s reading, as part of plans to get all children enjoying reading by 2025. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |
The Reading Agency is launching a project to provide reading activities for older people thanks to a £2.1m grant from the Big Lottery Fund. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#older people
#reading agency
Around 27% of people fear reading could become a “forgotten pleasure” according to new research commissioned to mark the 10th anniversary of Galaxy Quick Reads. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#10th anniversary
#research commissioned
The number of children in the UK who took part in The Reading Agency’s Summer Reading Challenge this year was down 2.8% on last year’s figure. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#reading agency
Quick Reads is set to become one of the The Reading Agency’s programmes after the two charities have decided to work together. Cathy Rentzenbrink, project director of Quick Reads, told The Bookseller she is very excited about the partnership. “All the work we now do will have a greater impact.... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with:
#made sense
#bigger impact
#project director
#cathy rentzenbrink
#quick reads
#reading agency