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’'


Children still prefer reading physical books, finds Scholastic

The number of children who have read an ebook has almost doubled since 2010 but children still... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Audiobooks.com drops all-you-can-listen-to book plan

When Audiobooks.com launched a year ago, the service’s distinguishing factor was that it provided unlimited audiobook listening for a flat $25 monthly fee. On Monday, the company changed course and switched to a two-tier pricing model for a specific number of books. Audiobooks.com now charges... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2013-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book catalog #pricing options


Hairy Bikers knock Jamie off top spot

The Hairy Bikers have toppled fellow celebrity chef Jamie Oliver from the summit of the official... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hairy bikers


Ether for Authors: Can’t See the Reading for the Devices

Porter Anderson curates the best web clips for authors, including Random House's Facebook success, male vs. female genre writing, self-publishing success in the UK and more. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Jamie holds firm at number one in charts

Jamie Oliver's Jamie's 15-minute Meals (Michael Joseph) has retained pole position atop... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #jamie oliver


Number of Americans reading digitally increases

Nearly a quarter of Americans have read ebooks in the past year, with the number of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Jamie Oliver tops Christmas chart

Jamie Oliver tops the Christmas book chart for a third year in a row, with his latest cook book . Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2012-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Jamie Oliver takes third consecutive Xmas number one

TV chef Jamie Oliver has scored his third book trade Christmas number one in a row, and his fifth... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Jamie Oliver increases his lead on rivals

Jamie Oliver has retained pole position at the top of the official book charts and has increased... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #jamie oliver


In China, 25 Million People Use Only Their Cell Phones to Read Books

Mobile reading may revive entire genres of literature, such as mid-length novels and poems, which have fallen out of favor. Continue reading at The Atlantic

[ The Atlantic | 2012-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #cell phones #read books #mobile reading


How We Cook (and Read)

Saveur magazine's James Oseland discusses inspirations for both print and digital media Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-11-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Now, With E-books, Your Prof Knows Exactly What You Read

CourseSmart has introduced an analytics program that allows professors to monitor how pages read, notations and more for their student's e-textbooks. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-11-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pages read


Sony's Wonderbook platform augments reading experience

Sony is to develop a range of augmented reality titles on its Wonderbook platform as part of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


E-readers make easy reading on the move

E-readers are devices for reading electronic books, or ebooks. Here's a rundown of their basic features: Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2012-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Sharjah: What Happens When Rulers Take Reading Seriously

Is there an argument to be made in favor of state intervention in the book trade? If the growth of the book trade in Sharjah is any evidence, the answer is yes. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-11-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book trade


Kindle Share of E-book Reading at 55%

At the end of June, Amazon’s Kindle family of reading devices was used to read ebooks by 55% of ebook buyers, according to figures compiled by Bowker Market Research. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-11-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #e-book reading #reading devices #read ebooks #ebook buyers


Use FSS Google Books to download titles for offline reading

Google Books is great at helping you find interesting reads, and makes it easy to view them online from just about any device. The service isn’t quite as versatile when it comes to letting you download local copies in a format of your choice, unfortunately, but that’s where FSS Google Books... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2012-11-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #google books #service isn


John Lennon Letters app launched

Weidenfeld & Nicolson and Haymarket Network are launching an app of The John Lennon Letters... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #weidenfeld nicolson


60% of Young Americans Use Libraries, 83% Read a Book This Year

According to a study released recently by the Pew Research Center, 60% of Americans aged 16-29 still use their public library, and 83% read a book in the past year. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-11-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #young americans #public library


Survey: Have You Ever Read an Enhanced E-Book?

We asked our readers two years ago if they had read an enhanced ebook. Over half of survey respondents had not. Now, we're asking again. Take our survey and tell us if you've read an enhanced ebook. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #survey respondents #ve read #enhanced e-book #enhanced ebook