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’"

The Greatest Novelist You Haven’t Read

It is one of the eccentricities of American publishing that James Salter has not been widely embraced as a great writer. His books are as good as those of post-war novelists like John Updike, Philip Roth, Richard Ford, and critics have often said so, and yet he is nowhere near as beloved or... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2013-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #sounds terrible #richard ford #philip roth #john updike #widely embraced

Pay as you read site hoping to raise $50,000

A start-up is hoping to create a new digital publishing platform for independent authors that... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #independent authors #raise $50

'Send to Kindle', and read it later

Last night something strange caught my attention, nearly enough to post a late-day story. Then this morning I got a little email nudge from Amazon PR, and thought: "Yeah. Why not?" The timing and broader ecosystem implications are interesting for service "Send to Kindle". Just as Google whacks... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2013-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #ebook reader

Amazon's Kindle Gets Exclusive Role In New PTA Family Reading Program

Amazon's got a new Kindle promotion vehicle, thanks to the National PTA, which wants to boost kids' reading with their families. Amazon's Kindle is the exclusive sponsor of the new Family Reading Experience program that the National PTA wants to roll out across the U.S. to boost kids' reading... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2013-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #rival apple #real books #huge library #great means #picture books

Killing the “Pay First, Read Later” E-bookselling Model

The download first, pay-as-you-read ebook sales model from Total Boox in Israel promises a superior consumer experience by minimizing the uncertainty of book buying. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #book buying #total boox

Will Pay-as-You-Read Allow Publishers to Charge More for Ebooks?

By minimizing the risk of buying a bad book, pay-as-you-read business models could translate into higher prices and higher quality content, but will it drive more sales? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #higher prices

Quarter of adults 'have barely read a book in past six months'

A quarter of UK adults—more than 12 million people—have only picked up a book to read... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Hearst's David Carey on How People Are Still Reading Magazines. Really!

Despite what you have read, probably online, print isn't dead insists the magazine exec, speaking at D: Dive Into Media. Hearst's digital subscriptions are also up to 900,000. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2013-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #digital subscriptions #print isn #david carey

Egmont UK launches reading research project

Egmont UK has commissioned a new research programme as part of a wider initiative by the company... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #egmont uk

Turning Tide: As E-reading Catches On, Boys Gain on Girls

More children are going digital, according to Scholastic's latest study, and the percentage of boys reading passionately and for fun is up, while girls are down. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-01-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #latest study

Publishing cheer for interesting reads

Which writers (apart from EL James and Suzanne Collins) are dominating the best-selling book lists? Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2013-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #suzanne collins #el james

Read for My School competition launches today

The National Schools Reading competition has launched today, with up to 200,000 children in years... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #launched today

Libraries 'fundamental' says Hurd, as TRA celebrates Reading Challenge rise

More young people than ever are getting involved in reading schemes at their local libraries,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #local libraries

Kobo claims 20% of global e-reading market

Kobo increased its global e-ink device sales by 150% in December, making it the "biggest... Continue reading at The Bookseller

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

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 | All news stories tagged with: #pricing options #book catalog

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 |