In her 20s, she set up her own company, publishing everyone from James Ellroy to the Worst Witch series, and changing Britain for the better, book by book There is a revealing story Margaret Busby tells, about the first novel she published. A family friend had bumped into a former US serviceman called Sam Greenlee. Greenlee said he had written a novel, rejected by 40 American publishers, a satirical thriller about the first African American man hired by the CIA but given a very visible non-job (the point being it was only to improve the CIA’s image). The man keeps his head down, learns about guerrilla warfare, then quits to become a freedom fighter in Chicago. Busby took it on, borrowing money so Greenlee could stay in London while the book was edited and, when it was about to be published, in 1969, she sent it to the Observer.The paper refused it – it didn’t extract fiction and certainly not black power novels. Busby sent it back, insisting the paper was wrong. It ran an extract, and The Spook Who Sat By the Door was translated into six languages and turned into a film. When this “parable of institutional racism”, as the New York Times described the film, opened in 1973, newspapers wondered if it would start race warfare. It closed early under FBI pressure, and was not reissued until 2004, then, nearly a decade later, added to the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2020-10-22 05:00:17 UTC ]
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Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Tue, 15/02/2011 - 08:53 Publishers' demands for control of pricing in Borders' closing sales are delaying its impending bankruptcy ruling. Reuters reports the retailer is in discussions with liquidators over a plan to close around 20 of its 650... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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By Joe Wilcox, Betanews Somebody call the cops -- eh, antitrust authorities. Apple's subscription plan is here, and it's as bad for many, if not most, publishers as rumored. The first of several key sentences from Apple's press announcement: "Publishers may no longer provide links in their apps... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2011-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Tue, 15/02/2011 - 08:49 The Book Hive in Norwich has been voted the best bookshop in Britain, according to a Daily Telegraph survey. More than 18,000 people voted across 10 categories in a bid to find the best small shops in Britain. The awards,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As Meghan O'Rourke reported here last week, VIDA, an organization for women writers, has released a tally of male and female bylines for the 2010 run of 14 high-end, literary-oriented magazines. Despite a couple of relatively bright spots (the New York Times Book Review surprisingly being one),... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2011-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 10/02/2011 - 16:00 The National Maritime Museum is looking to publish its "unrivalled" archive of images. The London-based museum has appointed the Creative Rights Agency to pursue publishing opportunities and also seek product licensees for the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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European publishers have added their voice to the chorus of criticism of Apples plans for iPad newspaper subscriptions. Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2011-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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By Joe Wilcox, Betanews Apple's approach to magazine and newspaper subscriptions and third-party ebook sales stink of the kind of practices that got Microsoft into trouble with trustbusters on two continents during the late 1990s and early 2000s. A year ago, publishers embraced iPad as the... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2011-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams and Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Fri, 04/02/2011 - 12:19 The transition to the agency model could be halted as publishers outside of the new terms could wait as much as a year for an Office of Fair Trading investigation into ebook pricing to be completed. The... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Fri, 04/02/2011 - 09:01 Publishers are being warned to check their Google Books data online as thousands of titles have been mistakenly attributed to publisher BPR. Independent UK publisher Childrens Story Publishers spotted the mistake after its... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Bloomsbury is to publish the memoir of Mohamed ElBaradei, the leading opponent to Egypt's President Mubarak, two months early as clashes continue between the president's supporters and those demanding regime change in Cairo. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Benedicte Page Picador senior editor Sam Humphreys is to join Profile as publisher for imprint Serpent's Tail, leaving Pan Macmillan after nine years. Former publisher Pete Ayrton now takes the role of editor-at-large. Humphreys, the editor who acquired Emma Donoghue's hit novel... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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On February 15, Open Road Integrated Media will publish the first childrens titles in its author branded program: seven ebooks by Newbery Medal and National Book Award winner Virginia Hamilton, who died in 2002. Among the ebooks on the list are Newbery and NBA winner M.C. Higgins, the Great. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Lisa Campbell Waterstone's is cutting orders it makes on new titles from March to reduce its number of returns. The book retailer contacted suppliers this week asking them to reduce initial orders by about 20%. Publishers were asked to cancel existing pre-orders so that new orders... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In two acquisitions this month, Fry Communications, a leading publication printer, has added to the array of services it offers customers. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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That might be the best news yet, as long as publishers remember why they went into bankruptcy in the first place. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ten years ago, as the prospect of monetizing Web sites started becoming a reality for publishers, different departments butted heads over prime real estate: editorial wanted it for content; sales wanted it for advertising; marketing wanted it for promotion. Today, as the emphasis shifts away... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers are launching iPhone and iPad apps on a daily basis (unless you're Bonnier, then it seems almost hourly). Many are coming from the usual suspects with deep pockets--Hearst, Conde Nast, Time Inc. etc. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-01-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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