From Richard Osman and Millie Bobby Brown to the upcoming book by Keanu Reeves, celebrity novels are everywhere. What’s behind the boom? And how do non-famous writers feel about it?I understood that if I was going to do it, I would have to put 100% of myself into it,” says Richard Osman about writing his debut crime novel The Thursday Murder Club, which was an immediate bestseller when it was published in 2020. He had attempted a novel before, but “I wasn’t giving it everything, I had too much on. And this was the first time where I thought: No, I’m able to focus on this for a couple of years now.” Osman’s agent, Juliet Mushens, adds: “He told me he was working on a novel, but he didn’t want to show it to anyone until he finished the whole thing.” When he did, “we did a couple of drafts and submitted it to publishers”. The rest is history: since The Thursday Murder Club was released, Osman has published three further novels and sold more than 10m books worldwide.He is the most successful example of a phenomenon that is more prominent than ever: the celebrity novelist. Of course, famous people have written novels for decades – from Alan Titchmarsh to Ben Elton. And the children’s market has become saturated with celebrities, including David Walliams, Geri Halliwell-Horner, Paul McCartney and Jamie Oliver. But sales of adult fiction by celebrities have remained relatively low, until recently. According to Nielsen BookScan data, in 2018 the Top 100 paperback fiction... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2024-01-13 09:00:12 UTC ]
The Spanish philosopher and poet George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” As a genre, historical fiction allows us to shuttle back in time to stand in the shoes, clogs, chopines, and go-go boots of people—real and imagined—to consider the... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2019-07-15 11:00:13 UTC ]
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As publishers vie to persuade us to pack their titles for the holidays, we chart the evolution of the ’beach read’Summer reads, beach reads, holiday reads … at this time of year, the publishing world works itself into a sweat trying to force its novels into our carry-on luggage, or over the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-07-14 07:00:23 UTC ]
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Businesses and public policy makers are tapping novelists to imagine the path forward. But how much stock should we put in the predictions of storytellers? Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2019-07-12 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Cultural Cross Sections Margaret Randall Children’s choir at the 2014 La Matanza Book Fair / Photo by Mauro Rico / Ministerio de Cultura de la Nación / Flickr When good engineers or scientists emigrate, they are able to continue their work. Novelists... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2019-07-10 21:07:28 UTC ]
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Older generations argue that young people’s insistence on equality in all things – including books – threatens to stifle free speech. But is that always true?I wouldn’t normally air my dirty literary linen in public, but here goes. When I finished writing my novel Putney, about a 13-year-old... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-07-10 10:03:01 UTC ]
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Paul McCartney will narrate the audiobook edition of his upcoming picture book, Hey Grandude! (Puffin), which is inspired by his experiences of being a grandfather. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-04 02:57:43 UTC ]
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The former White House press secretary was taunted with suggested titles for her reported upcoming book about working for Donald Trump. Continue reading at HuffPost
[ HuffPost | 2019-07-02 10:41:02 UTC ]
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The New York Times invited Asian-American authors to choose photos from our archives and write short young-adult fiction inspired by them. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2019-06-28 17:18:37 UTC ]
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Claire Adam has won the £10,000 Desmond Elliott Prize for first-time novelists with her "electrifying" debut Golden Child (Faber). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-18 18:50:22 UTC ]
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Guardian research shows that the top 100 illustrated children’s books last year showed growing marginalisation of female and minority ethnic charactersThe most popular picture books published in 2018 collectively present a white and male-dominated world to children, feature very few BAME (black,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-06-13 05:00:18 UTC ]
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News and Events WLT Norman, Okla. (June 11, 2019) – Robert Con Davis-Undiano, Neustadt Professor and executive director of the World Literature Today organization at the University of Oklahoma, this week announced the names of nine writers to be the jury... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2019-06-10 16:04:37 UTC ]
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Caroline Mickler Ltd has been appointed UK agent to represent the licensing rights for Paul McCartney’s first picture book Hey Grandude! (Puffin), by brand owner MPL Communications. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pinch of Nom (Bluebird) has boomeranged back into the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, with Kay Featherstone and Kate Allinson’s record-breaking slimming cookbook selling 45,198 copies through Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market to defeat E L James’ The Mister (Arrow) after just one week. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E L James' The Mister (Arrow) has scorched into the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, selling 52,674 copies through Nielsen BookScan's TCM. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Instagram sensation Mrs Hinch’s Hinch Yourself Happy (Michael Joseph) has sold 160,302 copies in its first week on sale to sweep straight into the UK Official Top 50 number one, according to Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The exercise book contained English Literature essays written by the former Beatles member. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2019-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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First Second Books, Macmillan’s graphic novel imprint, is launching World Citizen Comics, a line of nonfiction graphic works focused on civic involvement and media literacy, including books for children and teens. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jeff Kinney’s £1 World Book Day title Diary of Greg Heffley’s Best Friend (Puffin) has swiped the UK Official Top 50 number one spot from David Walliams’ Fing (HarperCollins), shifting 72,782 copies through Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Walliams’ Fing (HarperCollins) has claimed the UK Official Top 50 number one for a second week, selling 76,340 copies in its first full week on sale through Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Walliams' Fing (HarperCollins), illustrated by Tony Ross, has barrelled into the UK Official Top 50 number one spot in its first three days on sale, selling 75,862 copies through Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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