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 #benedict cumberbatch #neil gaiman

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

Jojo Moyes steps in to save Quick Reads from closure

Author Jojo Moyes has pledged to save Quick Reads from closure by funding the adult literacy programme for the next three years. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Unbound launches reading club

Unbound has started a reading club offering benefits such as free ebooks, special events and free shipping. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #free shipping #special events #free ebooks

Four Publishing Trade Groups Criticize Google’s Ad Policy Change in Letter to CEO

Announcing its policy change less than a month before GDPR goes into effect, Google has left publishers scrambling to make sense of its new rules. The post Four Publishing Trade Groups Criticize Google’s Ad Policy Change in Letter to CEO appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2018-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #make sense #policy change #ceo appeared

Triangle Interactive Looks to Grow Kids’ Read-Along E-book Market

Targeting a niche in the thriving audiobook market, Triangle Interactive has released an initial list of 1,000 English and Spanish-language children's ebooks from a variety of publishers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-04-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #spanish-language children #e-book market

Authors appeal for Quick Reads to continue

The book trade has reacted with shock and dismay to the “tragedy” that Quick Reads has been scrapped for next year after organisers struggled to find sponsorship. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #book trade #quick reads

Quick Reads scrapped for 2019 after sponsor search fails

The adult literacy campaign Quick Reads is wrapping up after 12 years due to lack of funding, The Bookseller can reveal. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #booksellercan reveal

Getting the reading fix

The loss of quick reads, which is treasured by many, will isolate parents and continue the nation’s literacy lull, argues Baroness Rebuck DBE. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #quick reads

PBS Unveils The Great American Read's 100 Most Loved Books

PBS kicked off 'The Great American Read,' its forthcoming eight-episode documentary on reading in American Culture, by revealing the show’s list of America’s 100 best loved books in front of a lively crowd at the Morgan Library in Midtown Manhattan Friday morning. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #american culture #loved books

Readers Rack Up Pages Read in Free Translations from AmazonCrossing for World Book Day

A fast-updating ticker from Amazon Charts is displaying how many pages have been read in nine prominent translations curated by the editors of AmazonCrossing. These #readtheworld titles can be downloaded free through April 24 in recognition of World Book Day. By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #porter anderson #downloaded free #amazon charts #pages read

An Open Letter to the London-centric Publishing Industry

The Northern Fiction Alliance proposes an eight-point plan to address the issue of regional diversity in publishing. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #regional diversity #eight-point plan #open letter

Libraries Offer Many Services, But Reading Is Foundational

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 ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #putting books

Reading between the lines

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 ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #diana gerald #book trade #holy grail #enjoy reading #children read

Will Self should have a paws for thought about dogs’ value | Brief letters

Dogs’ usefulness to humans | Eric Fraser | Tesco | First female newsreaders | London Book FairWhile dogs might not be considered “productive” in the true sense of the word, I feel Will Self (Out in paperback, Review, 7 April) is failing to recall the extraordinary work they accomplish for... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #extraordinary work

British publishing can still lead the world after Brexit | Letters

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 ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #continuing success #digital age #academic works

More poetry, please. And pagination, too | Letters

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 ]
More news stories like this |

Read this eerily accurate 1999 prediction of the iPhone and the death of privacy

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 ]
More news stories like this |

Reading is a Spiritual Act, Publishers Say

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 ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #great writing

At Copenhagen’s Literary Festival Kbh Reads, Consumers See and Hear Editors at Work

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 ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #editorial process #work appeared

The case for abolishing online anonymity | Letters

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 ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #free speech #cambridge analytica