John Hitchin obituary

My father, John Hitchin, who has died aged 88, was a marketing and publicity specialist in the publishing industry who spent three decades with Penguin Books, where he was responsible for a number of innovations, including the first paperback gift set and the first display “dump” bin. As Penguin’s development director in the early 1970s he also launched the Puffin school book club and persuaded Sainsbury’s to start selling books.John initially trained in retail at Harrods, becoming the haberdashery department manager there before joining Penguin in 1959. He started in Penguin’s publicity department, becoming the company’s first European representative (under Allen Lane), and then publicity manager in 1962, after which he was its first educational marketing manager, in which role he launched the Penguin Education division. It was after he became development director in 1973 that John launched the Puffin school book club. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2021-10-28 19:33:32 UTC ]

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Rewriting Roald Dahl - podcast

The latest editions of the author’s books for children have had extensive edits made to update the language for modern sensibilities. Lucy Knight and David Baddiel take a closer lookNew editions of the works of the bestselling children’s author Road Dahl caused an international outcry last week... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-02-27 03:00:38 UTC ]
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Roald Dahl publisher announces unaltered 16-book ‘classics collection’

Series will be released alongside controversially amended versions to leave readers ‘free to choose which version they prefer’A collection of Roald Dahl’s books with unaltered text is to be published after a row over changes made to novels including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-02-24 13:26:39 UTC ]
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This Week's Bestsellers: February 27, 2023

'When I Talk to God, I Talk About You' by 'This Is Us' star Chrissy Metz and her partner, Nashville songwriter Bradley Collins, debuts at #11 on our picture book list. Plus Sarah J. Maas's YA hit 'Throne of Glass' gets an adult makeover, and Susan Cain's newly minted Oprah's Book Club pick,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-24 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The Week in Libraries: February 24, 2023

Amid criticism, Puffin revises its plan to soften some of the language in Roald Dahl's classic works; North Dakota passes a new law that wou ban sexually explicit materials in public libraries; and Library Futures releases a policy paper on digital ownership. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-24 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Underpaid and Overworked: A Look at Salaries and Benefits in Publishing

On paper, the publishing industry seems glamorous. But this façade belies the deep problems that persist, and one of them is the low pay. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-02-23 11:36:00 UTC ]
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Publisher of Roald Dahl books in French has ‘no plans’ for rewrite

Gallimard says it will not be following English example and making any changes to the textsThe French publishers of Roald Dahl have ruled out any changes to the late British author’s translated books after it emerged that English editions were being rewritten for modern audiences.Gallimard said... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-02-21 17:50:05 UTC ]
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Literary giants have thoughts on the new edits to Roald Dahl’s works.

The news has rumbled through Giant Country that Puffin has been editing out words like “fat,” “crazy,” and “ugly” from new editions of Roald Dahl’s works. The Daily Telegraph reported that some of the changes achieved a more gender-neutral feel—boys and girls have become “children,” mothers and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-02-21 15:13:52 UTC ]
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Roald Dahl rewrites: edited language in books criticised as ‘absurd censorship’

Author Salman Rushdie among those angry after some passages relating to weight, gender, mental health and race were rewrittenCritics are accusing the British publisher of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s books of censorship after it removed colourful language from works such as Charlie and the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-02-20 04:05:42 UTC ]
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This Week's Bestsellers: February 20, 2023

Heather Gay, one of the 'Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,' makes her debut with the memoir 'Bad Mormon,' the #1 book in the Mountain region of the U.S. Plus two February book club picks hit our lists: 'Someone Else’s Shoes' by Jojo Moyes and Sadeqa Johnson’s 'The House of Eve.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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What books hate most in readers.

Yesterday morning, The Washington Post’s Ron Charles published a summary of “what readers hate most in books“—the result, Charles tells us, of asking the readers of the Post’s Book Club newsletter to write in with their pet peeves. “The responses were a tsunami of bile,” Charles writes.... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-02-09 16:26:13 UTC ]
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Book Club Picks for February 2023

Debut novels by Jessica George, Monica Heisey, and Leanor Shearer get the book club treatment from Jenna Hager, 'Marie Claire,' and 'Good Morning America.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Publishers Face a Challenging Year Ahead

Following a down year for print book sales, NPD Group's publishing industry analyst, Kristen McLean, predicts that 2023 will be a year of transition for the publishing industry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-27 05:00:00 UTC ]
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My Boyfriend Won’t Say Why He Hates His Family, but I Don’t Think They’re That Bad

Talking about punishing parents, backstabbing besties, and book club breakups with guest Hugh Ryan Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2023-01-24 20:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital Book World: Startups Are Entering 'A New Age'

DBW's final day looked at a recent study of publishing industry startups and found that innovation takes all forms, from wildly successful ideas that took time to take off, like Audible, to cutting edge innovations, like blockchain book retailing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-18 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital Book World: Startups Are Entering 'A New Age'

DBW's final day looked at a recent study of publishing industry startups and found that innovation takes all forms, from wildly successful ideas that took time to take off, like Audible, to cutting edge innovations, like blockchain book retailing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-18 05:00:00 UTC ]
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This Week's Bestsellers: January 16, 2023

Holly Black has the #6 book in the country with the YA high fantasy 'The Stolen Heir.' Plus adult romance author Talia Hibbert makes the move to YA with 'Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute,' and January book club picks hit the bestseller lists. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-13 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Spellbound: why ‘witch lit’ is the hottest new genre on our bookshelves

Vampires and ghosts have long haunted popular fiction, but now a string of new releases is focusing on marginalised women with hidden powersSomeone, or something, shadowy has put a strong spell on popular literature aimed at women, once cheekily labelled “chick lit”. This perky genre, packaged... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-08 12:00:47 UTC ]
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Book club helps inmates at this Ontario women's prison connect and communicate

Book Club for Inmates, a program run in federal penitentiaries, is having a big impact on inmates at Grand Valley Institution for Women in Kitchener, Ont., helping them develop great discussions and open up about their own lives. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2023-01-03 11:00:00 UTC ]
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How This ‘Book Club’ Takes Erotica to Unexpected Locations

The so-called Perverted Book Club is hosting readings in surprising locations across New York. Look out, Sbarro. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-12-22 17:00:10 UTC ]
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October Was a Rough Month for Publishing Industry Sales

With sales in the adult books and children’s/young adult categories falling 16.4% and 9.9%, respectively, total industry sales dropped 9.3% in October from a year ago for the 1,370 publishers that report results to AAP’s StatShot program. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
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