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 ]
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Reading For a Virtuous Life: PW Talks to Karen Swallow Prior

English professor Karen Swallow Prior draws inspiration from both literature and Christian virtues to encourage readers to learn about themselves and the world. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pat Barker | 'I didn’t read ‘The Iliad’ until I was more than adult'

Pat Barker’s latest novel may be set 4,000 years ago but there are plenty of parallels with modernity. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Calendar Letters: About that Anna March story ...

Regarding “Who Is Anna March?” [July 29] So you think it’s important to use four pages of the Sunday Arts and Books section to write about someone who has never published a book of her own, while at the same time you did not have the space for even one book review? Do you find that acceptable? ... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-08-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fishwick urges public to read Greer's controversial essay On Rape with 'open mind'

Bloomsbury publishing director Michael Fishwick has urged people to read Germaine Greer’s controversial On Rape essay “with an open mind”, saying he hoped it would “provoke debate on this important topic”. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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IKEA 'Reading Rooms' to celebrate Man Booker longlist

IKEA is partnering with the Man Booker Prize to create ‘Reading Rooms’ filled with free novels. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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IKEA and the Man Booker Prize Create Reading Rooms With Free Books

From July 31 to August 5, IKEA Wembley shoppers in London can book slots in its new Reading Room, featuring books on the 2018 Man Booker Prize for Fiction longlist. And they'll get to take their book home free of charge. The post IKEA and the Man Booker Prize Create Reading Rooms With Free Books... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Purcell named winner of £10k Thumping Good Read award

Laura Purcell has won the £10,000 Thumping Good Read Award for her "chilling" novel The Silent Companions (Raven Books). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reflecting Realities: why so surprised? An open letter from a small press

In light of the Reflecting Realities report, Katrina Gutierrez explains how the industry can better support small presses working to increase representation in children's books. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Obama reveals Africa-inspired summer reading list

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Nelson Mandela and Ben Rhodes are among the authors featured on Barack Obama's summer reading list ahead of his trip to Africa. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors Guild Demands South Carolina Police Cease Pressure on School About Reading List

The Authors Guild releases a letter sent to the president of a South Carolina police association: 'Attempts at censorship by law enforcement organizations cannot be tolerated in a democracy.' The post Authors Guild Demands South Carolina Police Cease Pressure on School About Reading List... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At the National Book Foundation’s Translation Panel: ‘The Most Diverse Reading Experience’

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Vote for Fast Company’s summer read

We’ve narrowed it down to four books. Now help us pick the one book we’ll all read this summer! Summer is the perfect time to unplug and lose yourself in a good book. The best books change the way we view the world, how we interact with others, and maybe even the direction of our lives. And... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2018-07-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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YA Novels Prompt Police Objections to Summer Reading List in South Carolina

'The Hate U Give' by Angie Thomas and 'All American Boys' by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely have been challenged on a high school summer reading list by police and other supporters. The post YA Novels Prompt Police Objections to Summer Reading List in South Carolina appeared first on... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Open letter on author earnings

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[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Lynch Writes Open Letter to Donald Trump: “You Are Causing Suffering and Division”

So here we are. In an interview published on Saturday, David Lynch told the Guardian that Donald Trump “could go down as one of the greatest presidents in history.” That fragment, stripped of context and placed in headlines and tweets, stirred outrage among many of Lynch’s fans, but it also... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2018-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reading on demand

Disruptive new streaming technologies have revolutionised the audio and television markets— but did their bookish equivalents miss a trick? Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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MediaLink's Michael Kassan on being 'freaked out' when reading Ken Auletta's 'Frenemies'

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[ Advertising Age | 2018-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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AARP Widens Its Lead as America’s Most-Read Magazine

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[ Folio Magazine | 2018-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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10 Essential Southern Books You Probably Haven’t Read

Nick White, author of 'Sweet and Low,' picks books by Kiese Laymon, Jill McCorkle, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If you rely on a Kindle (or Kindle app) for reading, you probably know that it supports not only ebooks, but also PDFs.In fact, if you've done your homework, you also know that your Kindle (or Kindle app) has its own email address, meaning you can send any PDF straight to your device just by... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2018-06-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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