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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Six Haunting Reads for Halloween 2016

Get in the Halloween spirit this year with tales of supernatural encounters, an illustrated history of witchcraft and the occult, plus more in books slated to publish in October. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC Radio 1's Cairney to speak at Reading Agency event

BBC Radio 1 presenter Gemma Cairney is going to be speaking in conversation with The Reading Agency at The British Library next month. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Prime Members Now Get Unlimited Reading On Any Device, Amazon Announces - Deal Alert

Amazon has just announced one more compelling reason to consider a Prime membership -- "Prime Reading". As a Prime member, you now have unlimited access to over a thousand books, current issue magazines, comics, Kindle Singles, and more. With access from any device – including your phone,... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2016-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Prime subscribers now have free ebooks, magazines and more with Prime Reading

If you have been looking for one more reason to become an Amazon Prime subscriber, the newly launched Prime Reading feature could just be the clincher. Prime Reading gives US subscribers access to a library of free Kindle ebooks, magazines, comics and other publications completely free of... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2016-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon Sweetman: Baby, I was born to read Bruce Springsteen's memoir

OPINION: I start more books than I finish now – as is the way of the working parent, the overzealous music fan, a keen reader with eyes bigger than my, erm, mind… Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2016-09-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Should reading replace prison time?

Reading books 'strengthens the spirit of faith and the will to solve social problems,' says an Iranian judge. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2016-09-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kenya Publishers Association Cites Concern for Reading Culture

'The problem with the Kenyan society is that we read mostly for exams.' The country's publishers say they're troubled by children's lack of a reading habit. The post Kenya Publishers Association Cites Concern for Reading Culture appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Audiobooks Turn More Readers Into Listeners as E-Books Slip

It’s unclear if publishers will bounce back by year’s end, but there are encouraging signs. There have been some prominent best sellers, including “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2016-09-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cupcakes from Jamie T and a trip to Abbey Road: A day in the life of NME’s digital editor

For the latest in Digiday’s Day in the Life series, Charlotte Gunn, digital editor at NME, takes us through an average day. Like many publishers, NME is producing more video content, half of Gunn’s time is spent finessing the video strategy. This includes Facebook Live sessions with bands at... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-09-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google wants to help find your next book to read

It doesn't matter if you've got the biggest or best shop in the world if you can't connect people to the things that they want. It's an issue that Google is hoping to address in its electronic bookstore with the launch of Discover, a new way to show... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2016-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Print or Digital, It's Reading That Matters...

Print books are hanging on, but in a digital age where more books are being published than ever before, why is book reading in decline? Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Three 'gripping reads' shortlisted for Scottish Teenage Book Prize

Titles published by Barrington Stoke, Hot Key Books and Birlinn are on the shortlist for the first Scottish Teenage Book Prize, organised by Scottish Book Trust. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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White House Letter: Lucrative Book Deals Might Finance the Obamas’ Post-White House Life

President Obama on the South Lawn of the White House in July. He could earn as much as $30 million with a two- or three-book contract once his second term ends, said Raphael Sagalyn of the ICM/Sagalyn Literary Agency. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2016-09-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ebook Lending Startup BookBites Tracks Children’s Reading Progress

A platform on which children's can borrow and read ebooks, BookBites integrates visual elements and tracking tools to encourage reading and book discovery. The post Ebook Lending Startup BookBites Tracks Children’s Reading Progress appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-09-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Berlin’s International Literature Festival: Citywide Events, Worldwide Reading

More than 216 authors from more than 30 countries have been engaged for the 2016 edition of Internationales Literaturefestival Berlin, which opens September 7. By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson September 7 through 17 ith issues in freedom of expression driving much of its... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-08-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Subway Reads' gives NYC straphangers free ebook shorts and excerpts

Have you ever been on an NYC subway? If not, let me tell you -- it is often horrible. Air conditioning can be broken, leading to high temperatures. Even worse, some people bring their food below ground, resulting in a stinky train car -- yuck! Don't even get me started on the performers --... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2016-08-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Recommended Reading: The political media machine on Facebook

Inside Facebook's (Totally Insane, Unintentionally Gigantic, Hyperpartisan) Political-Media Machine John Herrman, The New York Times Magazine A barrage of political links, ads and other content has filled up your News Feed over the last few months... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2016-08-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Historical letters to be released by Bloomsbury, Audible and National Archives

Audible, The National Archives and Bloomsbury are to release In Their Own Words, an exclusive collection of largely unpublished letters from throughout history. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Reading Room, Renamed Bookstr, Debuts New Website

Renamed Bookstr, the book discovery and recommendation platform has a new CEO, Sarah Hill, a relaunched website, and plans to release a new app later in September. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon 'Kindle Reading Fund' makes books more available to those without access

The ability to read is something many of us take for granted. At a young age, you probably had tons of books in your homes and schools, enabling you to learn to both read and write. Believe it or not, not everyone has access to books. Isn't that sad? Luckily, Amazon is looking to change this.... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2016-08-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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