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 ]
A local virtual book club strengthens the local literary scene, cultivates a diverse community, and celebrates the power of stories and books. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-05-06 10:32:17 UTC ]
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April 2020 found the publishing industry entering a period of unexpected change as bookshops closed and the focus turned to digital sales. The COVID-19 lockdown has forced writers to re-evaluate the future in this difficult time. As a narrative psychologist and fiction writer, I am interested... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-05 04:49:45 UTC ]
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Publishing industry sales rose 3.5% in the first two months of 2020 over the same period in 2019, according to data supplied to the AAP by 1,361 publishers for the organization’s StatShot report. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Could the coronavirus crisis and the UK lockdown be offering the publishing industry a glimpse into a world without bookshops? Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-30 02:18:22 UTC ]
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Here's how to join a book club online, some etiquette tips to follow, and some examples of online book clubs meeting right now. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-04-28 10:35:48 UTC ]
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Publishing industry sales had a nice start to 2020, rising 3.5% through February, according to AAP's StatShot program. Sales of adult books were up 2.9%, and sales in the children/young adult rose 6.3%. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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In a joint statement released to mark World Book Day, leaders of three organizations serving the publishing industry issued a cry to support the country’s booksellers as they struggle to survive the Covid-19 pandemic. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The #1 book in the country is ‘Magnolia Table, Vol. 2’ by Joanna Gaines, who held a shelter-in-place “book signing” on launch day. Plus Oprah Book Club pick ‘Hidden Valley Road’ by Robert Kolker lands at #5 in hardcover fiction, and Marie Kondo helps readers find the ‘Joy of Work’—at home. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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As quarantine continues, we’re all noticing that we respond to lockdown differently. While many spend each day providing care, food and other necessities, those of us privileged enough to be 'stuck at home' are seeing our friends’ and family members’ behaviour change under the new... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2020-04-17 15:42:05 UTC ]
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Bluemoose Books founder Kevin Duffy has called on the publishing industry to rally behind its smaller presses at this time of crisis and to establish a fund to help independent publishers survive what Duffy said had been a 90% reduction in revenue as a result of the lockdown. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-14 17:49:26 UTC ]
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A book club for people who don't like book clubs, founded in 2012 in San Francisco and now boasting six chapters in L.A. County, has moved online. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-04-10 14:00:07 UTC ]
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In a virtual meet-up, "Almost Home" author Fanny Singer and mother and famed chef Alice Waters join book club readers April 21 for a kitchen conversation. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-04-07 20:33:16 UTC ]
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On today’s CBS This Morning, Oprah Winfrey announced her April book club selection: Robert Kolker’s Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family. Kolker book is a work of narrative nonfiction—with elements of biography, reportage, and scientific investigation—about the life of a... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-07 14:36:54 UTC ]
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Puffin has launched a series of online activities for children, in response to the national closure of schools. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-03 04:40:39 UTC ]
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For the first time, a spate of new and forthcoming titles written by people with disabilities across the United States suggests that the publishing industry may finally be amplifying their voices and stories. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Kate Elizabeth Russell’s publication experience has been the best of times and the worst of times. Here’s why. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-04-02 09:00:01 UTC ]
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Author James Patterson is spearheading a group that includes Reese Witherspoon, Reese’s Book Club, the Book Industry Charitable Foundation, and the American Booksellers Association in an effort to raise millions of dollars to help save independent bookstores. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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There’s been a rapid rise in submissions from would-be authors since the coronavirus outbreak. If you’re dusting off your manuscript, here are some things to keep in mindIf you’re one of those people who always said they would write a novel if only they had the time: this is your moment. As more... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-03-26 16:00:31 UTC ]
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A lot has happened since I wrote to you last week about the rapid spread of COVID-19, its impact on all of us in publishing and our continued commitment to serve you. As I stated then, Folio: will keep our promise to seek out positive stories on how our community can get through this... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2020-03-26 13:00:37 UTC ]
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Pages & Co author Anna James has created an online and interactive middle-grade book club called The Bookwanderers Club, supported by her publisher HarperCollins Children's Books. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-26 10:05:59 UTC ]
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