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

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Summer reading: dive into the perfect book

As publishers vie to persuade us to pack their titles for the holidays, we chart the evolution of the ’beach read’Summer reads, beach reads, holiday reads … at this time of year, the publishing world works itself into a sweat trying to force its novels into our carry-on luggage, or over the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-07-14 07:00:23 UTC ]
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Part Love Letter, Part Cookbook

Dedicated to her lover and muse Dieter Roth, Dorothy Iannone’s handwritten cookbook buzzes with recipes and intimate observations. Continue reading at The Paris Review

[ The Paris Review | 2019-07-12 14:00:23 UTC ]
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Are there any actual guilty pleasures on this Politico reading list from DC “heavy hitters”?  

Noted politics-as-sport website Politico has put together a collection of bedside-table reading recommendations from 40 “political heavy hitters,” asking them for serious reads and guilty pleasures. First of all, are there any actual guilty pleasures on this list of books from the likes of Beto... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-07-09 15:27:59 UTC ]
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Documentary Looks For Most Beautiful Bookstore and How To Read More: Critical Linking, July 9, 2019

Awesome daily roundup of the most interesting bookish links from around the web. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2019-07-09 10:30:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #critical linking #bookstore


Cheltenham granted ACE funding to expand reading programme

Cheltenham Festivals has received a grant of £127,608 from Arts Council England to expand its Reading Teachers = Reading Pupils programme over the next three years.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-08 19:49:53 UTC ]
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50 Must-Read Crime Titles from July and August 2019

This list of summer 2019 crime books is sponsored by Amazon Publishing. Robert Dugoni is the New York Times bestselling author of ... Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2019-07-05 10:34:16 UTC ]
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Read the Titles That Inspired the Summer 2019 Anime Season

Looking forward to the summer 2019 anime season? Why don't you check out the manga and light novel series that inspired these new shows! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2019-07-03 10:42:39 UTC ]
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The 10 books to read in July

Just in time for the holiday weekend, a look at the new releases worth picking up. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-07-02 16:58:59 UTC ]
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What Shall I Listen to Next? (shelftalker)

I need the magic of some great new narrators and this year’s standout audiobooks! Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-07-02 11:30:12 UTC ]
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Quiz: What Buzzy 2019 Book Should You Read?

Having trouble keeping up with the latest book buzz? Take this quiz to find out what buzzy 2019 book that has everyone talking is perfect for you. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2019-07-02 10:39:41 UTC ]
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Want Kids to Learn the Joy of Reading? Barbershops and Laundromats Can Help

A movement supported by nonprofit groups and libraries is creating literary spaces in places where children find themselves with time on their hands. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2019-07-02 09:00:13 UTC ]
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10 Books You Should Read This July

Svetlana Alexievich trans. by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, Last Witnesses: An Oral History of the Children of World War II (Random House) If God existed, or had an ear, she might listen the way Svetlana Alexievich does to the stories of her fellow ex-Soviets. This latest book from the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-07-02 08:49:53 UTC ]
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R.F. Kuang, The Nanking Massacre, and Reading Flashbacks

Last year, I read R.F. Kuang’s debut novel The Poppy War. I found myself flung backwards in time to August ... Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2019-06-28 10:41:44 UTC ]
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‘A kind of creeping oppression’: Anne Frank’s haunting newly published letters to her grandmother

A new book, “Anne Frank: The Collected Works,” includes previously unpublished letters Anne Frank wrote to her grandmother as the Nazis made their way across Europe. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-06-25 16:27:15 UTC ]
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Letters to the Editor

Readers respond to recent reviews in the Sunday Book Review about domestic violence, the state of conservatism in America and more. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2019-06-21 18:35:49 UTC ]
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Industry Notes: Serial Box’s Foreign Rights and Amazon’s Summer Reading List

Bookcase Literary Agency is handling international rights sales for Serial Box–which has an ‘Orphan Black’ series coming–and Amazon’s ‘Best So Far’ 2019 list is out for summer reading. By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson Serial Box: New “Orphan Black’ Content Coming iterary... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-06-20 03:26:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #serial box #foreign rights #orphan black #series coming #summer reading #porter anderson #literary agency


Industry Notes: Serial Box’s Foreign Rights and Amazon’s Summer Reading List

Bookcase Literary Agency is handling international rights sales for Serial Box–which has an 'Orphan Black' series coming–and Amazon's 'Best So Far' 2019 list is out for summer reading. The post Industry Notes: Serial Box’s Foreign Rights and Amazon’s Summer Reading List appeared first on... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-06-20 03:26:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #serial box #foreign rights #orphan black #series coming #summer reading #literary agency


A letter to booksellers during Independent Bookshop Week

During Independent Bookshop Week, author Clare Mackintosh pens a letter in praise of bookshops and booksellers. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-19 07:08:54 UTC ]
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First round of Moyes-funded Quick Reads books to be revealed this autumn

The next Quick Reads titles will be announced this autumn and published in February 2020, accompanied by a “high profile media campaign”, a year on since author Jojo Moyes saved it from closure.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-16 20:58:22 UTC ]
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This summer’s buzziest book club read: The Mueller report

The Mueller report can be intimidating. Book clubs have emerged to get Americans to read, and engage over, the divisive publication.  Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2019-06-13 23:27:51 UTC ]
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