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

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


Editor's Letter: Color commentary

In each issue of Distro, Executive Editor Marc Perton publishes a wrap-up of the week in news. There's a very good chance you're reading this on a tablet. Distro is, after all, first and foremost, a tablet magazine. There's also a reasonable chance you're reading this on a computer. Distro... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2013-08-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #simply couldn #barnes noble


Free Jamie cookbook for every UK library

A free copy of Jamie Oliver's latest cookbook, Save With Jamie, is being donated to every... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #jamie oliver #free copy #latest cookbook


Kobo launches new e-reading devices

Kobo has announced a new batch of e-reading devices to launch worldwide. The range includes three... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #kobo launches #e-reading devices #range includes


A Clever Book Kids Need A Flashlight To Read

Remember hiding out reading a book under the covers after you were supposed to be in bed? This brilliant children’s book embraces that tradition. Reading after dark has lost a bit of its wonder. In the era of tablets, there’s no need for kids to rebel in the nerdiest of ways, stashing... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2013-08-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fun twist


Study: Journalism Grads Don't Read Newspapers, Mags, Books

This could be the final blow to paper and ink news: Reporters graduating out of journalism school and headed to work at newspapers and magazines don't read print media, with over seven of 10 choosing digital news and social media websites instead ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #journalism school #digital news


McKearney to step down at The Reading Agency

Miranda McKearney is to step down from her role as director of The Reading Agency in December.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #reading agency


Kindle for Android app updated with library sorting, keeps a watchful eye on remaining read time

Amazon's Android-flavored reading app is offering up a couple more of its own e-reader's features for those with Google-fied devices. Just like folks with Kindles have already encountered, the Kindle for Android app now keeps tabs on time remaining in both chapter and book should pace be of... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2013-08-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mobile software #source link #android app #chief concern #google play


Read 12 Pages of the Swashbuckling Comic Adventures of Delilah Dirk</em>

Tony Cliff's Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant has been delighting audiences online for years?garnering three Eisner nominations in the process?and at the end of August, it hits print as a 168-page full-color paperback from publisher First Second.     Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2013-08-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


What Foreign Novelists are South Koreans Reading?

A poll by Gallup reveals South Korea's favorite foreign novelist was, surprise, French SF author Bernard Werber, followed by Murakami and Hemingway. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Reading Agency to release dyslexia help books

The Reading Agency has partnered with publisher Barrington Stoke to create initiatives that will... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #reading agency


Summer reading and the beauty of serendipity

Oh, the magic of finding a great book through the sheer power of chance! Is the summer the best time for that to happen?   Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-08-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #summer reading #great book


'Parapalooza' YouTube channel features people reading from their favorite titles

The new YouTube channel encourages readers to upload a video of themselves sharing a paragraph from a favorite book. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #favorite titles #favorite book


VIDEO: Music to read books by

The Bookshop Band write songs inspired by the books of visiting authors like The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry's Rachel Joyce. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2013-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #read books #harold fry #rachel joyce


'Committed' B&N hails Get London Reading festival

Jim Hilt, managing director of Barnes &amp; Noble's European ebook business, said the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #barnes noble


Brightest kids from poor backgrounds 'lose out in reading'

Some of the brightest children from disadvantaged backgrounds can have reading levels two and... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #reading levels #disadvantaged backgrounds


£1m donation to The Reading Agency

The Reading Agency is to receive a £1m donation from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. The gift... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #reading agency


Letter campaign for Canongate, signs Simon Garfield

Canongate is to launch a campaign in praise of letter writing, after signing two new books... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Teachers 'frustrated' over Reading for Pleasure

Teachers have a strong desire to teach reading for pleasure but feel frustrated by a restrictive... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Eurocrats “Get Caught Reading”

The Federation of European Publishers captured photos of more than 150 MEPs and heads of European publishers and writers associations posing with their favorite books. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #european publishers


AUDIO: Should adults read children's books?

Jennie Bristow, associate fellow at the University of Kent, says grown-ups read children's books because they feel 'disenchanted with adult culture'. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2013-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |