Bookseller who transformed the perception of sports writing and set up the William Hill Sports Book awardJohn Gaustad, who has died aged 68, was a quietly spoken New Zealander who revolutionised the British sports books industry. In 1985 he opened Sportspages, a small shop in Caxton Walk, off Charing Cross Road in London; and for two decades it played an extraordinary role – part-conventional bookshop, part-social club, part-shrine – that transformed the perception of sports writing within publishing. Though Sportspages itself has gone, Gaustad’s other brainchild, the William Hill Sports Book award, lives on as testament to his vision.Born in Wellington, John was the son of Robert, an accountant, and his wife, Nancy (nee Bennett), a legal secretary. He travelled to Britain in 1974, with a philosophy degree from the Victoria University of Wellington, where he had worked in the bookshop. That experience helped him get jobs at Dillons in London and Heffers in Cambridge, where he began to think about the possibilities of niche bookselling. He settled on sport.A good sports book was a good book that happened to be about sport Related: Guardian writers nominated for William Hill Sports Book of the Year award Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2016-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with:
#small shop
#good book
Longtime Time Inc. executive John Squires, last seen running the magazine industry's version of Hulu, has a new gig: He's at Akademos, a Connecticut-based company that runs digital bookstores for small and mid-sized colleges. Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2011-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#magazine industry
WH Smiths non-executive board director John Barton has stood down after 12 years of service. He will be replaced by Jeff Harris, currently chairman of both Cookson Group plc and Filtrona plc, on 10th June 2011. W H Smith's chairman, Walker Boyd, said: "On behalf of the board, I would like to... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#significant contribution
#good wishes
Written By: Katie Allen Publication Date: Wed, 09/03/2011 - 08:39 John Murray has acquired a title by the c.e.o. of Google after a seven-publisher auction. M.d. Roland Phillips acquired UK and Commonwealth rights in a "major" deal to Empire of the Mind: The Dawn of the Techno-Political Age.... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#seven-publisher auction
#claire roberts
#eric schmidt
#jared cohen
John P. Loughlin, EVP and GM of Hearst Magazines, kicked off DMA's Circulation Marketing Day at the Time Inc. Conference Center in New York City as keynote speaker. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#hearst magazines
#keynote speaker
Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Mon, 28/02/2011 - 16:12 Strong sales in its UK campus stores have helped John Smith & Son to report a sales increase of 3.1% in its latest trading results. The academic and specialist bookseller reported sales were up from £39.3m to £40.5m for... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#sales increase
#total sales
#john smith