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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PW library columnist Sari Feldman on how putting books first has proven to be a winning strategy for her library. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Increasing the number of children and families who enjoy reading is the Holy Grail for BookTrust and the book trade. New research shines a light on why children read (and why others don’t read), and the findings could be transformative, says Diana Gerald. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Representatives of the Publishers Association call on the government to make sure the UK retains its place as ‘the world’s publisher’UK publishing is world leading and a cornerstone of Britain’s cultural and economic influence. The books and journals our authors write have helped shape thoughts... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Readers of Review miss the Guardian’s Saturday poem and information about the number of pages in each book reviewedThe poem Do You Think We’ll Ever Get To See Earth, Sir?, by Sheenagh Pugh, appeared in the Guardian many years ago (The Saturday poem, 25 November 2000). It made such an impression... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-04-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Is there anything Star Trek writers can’t predict? Eight years before the first iPhone was released in 2007, science fiction writer David Gerrold was asked to write a column on the future of computing for a now-defunct magazine called Sm@rt Reseller. His description sounds eerily similar to the... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2018-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A quartet of new and upcoming books extol the virtues of delving into great writing, whether aloud with the family or alone to quietly savor the words. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Taking audiences behind the scenes of the editorial process, publishing house editors at the recent Kbh Reads festival showed how they handle their work—and an author's. The post At Copenhagen’s Literary Festival Kbh Reads, Consumers See and Hear Editors at Work appeared first on Publishing... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Guardian requires a name, address and phone number for all of its letter-writers, points out Dr Monica Threlfall. Nigel Gann, Michael Rundell and Martin Davidson air their thoughts on Cambridge Analytica. And Patrick Cosgrove says just don’t use FacebookWhen democrats fought for free speech,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Man-bear love in Saddam Hussein's romance novel, Vladimir Putin's judo manual, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Susan B. Neuman shares her research into the effect of library programming on parent behavior and engagement. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon has a new way to reel you into Audible now that smart speakers are a big deal: give you a freebie just by asking. As of this week, anyone who's new to Audible can ask an Echo speaker to read a full audiobook at no cost. You don't have to be pi... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2018-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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On the back of the success of his latest book Drawn Out: A Seriously Funny Memoir veteran cartoonist, political journalist and all-round dyslexic polymath Tom Scott will be the subject of a "roast" on Sunday where a group of writers, theatre makers and Wellington personalities will haul the... Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2018-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'We want a new library of 100 great books by women' says Hay Festival founder Peter Florence, as Cambridge University Press opens this year's selection of free-to-read International Women's Day content. The post International Women’s Day: Hay Kicks Off #Vote100Books, Cambridge Offers Free... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A new report from Renaissance Learning suggests the reading comprehension of secondary school pupils is falling below that of primary school children because teenagers are not reading challenging enough books. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Only 51% of pre-school children are read to on a daily basis, a “steep decline” from 69% five years ago, Egmont Publishing has revealed. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tapping into the robust audiobook market, Molly Barton announces a key new investor: Boat Rocker Media can leverage Serial Box's content for television and film production. The post Serial Box Has New Funding for Audio Bundling With Reading, as a ‘Publishing Studio’ appeared first on Publishing... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Survey finds proportion of toddlers having story time fell by a fifth in five years The proportion of toddlers being read to every day has dropped by a fifth over the last five years, according to research warning that the decline is a significant threat to child development.The annual... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books about classic Hollywood tend to fall, broadly, into two categories: gossipy memoirs and moderately trashy biographies. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2018-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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MacLehose Press is celebrating turning 10 this year with a 10-month promotion with bookshops and libraries that aims to help readers make fresh discoveries in international fiction. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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