Jamie Byng: ‘Listening to letters being read out is quite something’

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 #spencer tracy #benedict cumberbatch #neil gaiman

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Jamie Byng: ‘Listening to letters being read out is quite something’'


A Muslim Teen Finds Her Voice in Post-9/11 America: Read an Excerpt from HOPE ABLAZE by Sarah Mughal Rana

Read an excerpt of Hope Ablaze by Sarah Mughal Rana, a YA novel about a Muslim girl who writes a protest poem that goes viral, changing her whole life. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-02-21 12:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ya novel


Bring Back the Big, Comfortable Bookstore Reading Chair

This was a regular feature of my childhood, though it feels so long ago and far away, conceptually as well as literally, that I nearly forgot it ever happened: I’d go into town to the mall with my mom, and she’d drop me at the doors of the Borders or Barnes and Noble while she […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-02-19 09:55:59 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bring back #long ago #barnes #bookstore


The Small Bookstore Dedicated To Romance Tells Us Their Favorite Romantic Reads

The Ripped Bodice knows the romance genre inside and out — and they revealed the swoon-worthy books to read right now. Continue reading at HuffPost

[ HuffPost | 2024-02-13 10:45:18 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ripped bodice #bookstore


With the Change of a Letter, Cupid Gets a Makeover

Pratfalls, chaos, and a clumsy, well-intentioned flying piglet have made a bestseller of 'Cupig,' by Flamingo assistant editor Claire Tattersfield and illustrator Rob Sayegh Jr. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-13 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Why Do We Even Read?: Book Censorship News, February 9, 2024

Thanks to algorithms, our digital worlds are created for us, not by us. As a result, libraries are seen by some as scary because they reach an entire community—not just an individual. That, plus this week's book censorship news. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-02-09 12:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #libraries


Your Valentine’s Day reading list needs more than romance novels

Our book reviewers offer up bouquets to unexpected tales of love and affection, from a long marriage to a passion for the movies. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2024-02-08 20:38:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #romance novels #reading list


5 New Books to Read for Black History Month

These books by Black authors include moving explorations of the past, bold visions of the future, and sage advice for the present. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-01 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:


Must-Read Historical Fiction Set in Italy

The best historical fiction set in Italy, like these nine titles, explores the complex and even chaotic history of the country. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-01-18 11:31:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #historical fiction


15 Small Press Books You Should Be Reading This Winter

Solstice has come and gone, but in addition to the returning of the light, we can also herald another excellent small press publishing season. What I love about these titles is the richness of imagination and inquiry, leading to inventive plots in fiction and deep emotional honesty in... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2024-01-15 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #electric literature #small press


Your Guide to Reading More Short Stories and Anthologies

Short stories and anthologies can open up new horizons in reading. If you want to explore more short fiction, here are some tips. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-01-08 11:32:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #short fiction #short stories


What Booksellers Can Teach Us About Reading, Writing and Publishing

My longtime girlfriend is a longtime bookseller. Her relationship with bookselling predates ours three times over. It is a surprisingly taxing career path—one that asks of the body, and of the mind. There are the bad days, where she brings home the classic bookseller gripes: failed hand-sells,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-01-05 09:56:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #longtime bookseller #bad days #bookseller


The First Books You Should Read in 2024

To celebrate the new year, our reviews editors share eight books guaranteed to get your year in reading started on the right foot—err, page. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-04 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


9 New Nonfiction Releases to Read in January

Whether you love pop culture or self-help, are more of a memoir fan, or want to read more about science, there’s something for everyone here. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-01-03 11:33:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #memoir


10 books to add to your reading list in January

Bethanne Patrick recommends 10 new books to kick off 2024, including an alternate Mexican history, memoirs of wildfire seasons and open marriage and more. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-12-29 11:00:49 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #open marriage


18 New Books to Read in January

A look at the Trump-DeSantis rivalry, a witty tribute to “Murder on the Orient Express,” a memoir of open marriage and an epic Swedish novel in verse, among others. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-12-29 10:01:35 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #orient express #open marriage #memoir


Pietsch Touts New Marketing Efforts in Letter to Authors

In his last annual letter to authors as Hachettte Book Group CEO, Michael Pietsch hit on a number of topics, including the publisher’s steps to improve its marketing efforts. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-26 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #annual letter #marketing efforts #book group


The best books we read in 2023

With El Niño slated to drop a warm, wet winter on most of the US in the coming months, everybody’s going to need something good to read while the weather outside is frightful. Engadget’s well-read staff have some suggestions: our favorite books of 2023! We’ve got a phenomenal assortment of... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-12-25 16:30:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #le carr #hay house #book store #literary fiction #science fiction #final book #favorite book #debut novel #manga #books written


Reading James McBride’s ‘The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store’

The Book Review editors MJ Franklin, Joumana Khatib and Elisabeth Egan discuss McBride’s historical novel about fate and community. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-12-22 14:25:14 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book review


The Complicated Experience of Reading a Late Friend’s Novel

In October, I received an email from an editor at Toronto-based Coach House Books. It was a simple request for me to provide a blurb for the book jacket of the latest book by R.M. Vaughan, the brilliantly titled Pervatory. Except there wasn’t anything simple about it: Vaughan, who I referred to... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-12-20 09:49:37 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #late friend #book jacket


20 Must-Read Historical Fiction Books Set in Korea

These books provide us with a deeper understanding of what Korea is beyond what we hear or see in popular culture. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-12-15 11:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #deeper understanding #popular culture #historical fiction