Nobel prize winners and stocking fillers – 65 years in the murky waters of London publishing

Ernest Hecht set up Souvenir Press from his bedroom in 1951. Now, following the death of Lord Weidenfeld, he is the last of the group of remarkable Jewish émigrés who transformed postwar British publishingA 65th birthday is a milestone but – now the official retirement age has been abolished – not that big a deal. A medium to large company celebrating 65 years in business is just looking for cheap publicity. But a one-man band of a company that has lasted 65 years? It’s a business in which it’s now thought only sprawling megacorps can possibly survive.And yet, still swimming merrily in the murky waters of London publishing, there amid the whales, sharks and giant squid, is this totally improbable tiddler: Souvenir Press, founded in 1951 by 21-year-old Ernest Hecht in his bedroom in Bayswater, London; still run in 2016 by 86-year-old Ernest Hecht OBE from his charmingly dotty HQ opposite the British Museum, where it has been for the past 42 years. It is an extraordinary story, to put it mildly. Related: Jewish community mark 75th anniversary of Kindertransport Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2016-04-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #lord weidenfeld #ernest hecht #british museum #extraordinary story

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Motion to chair Forward Prize

Publication Date: Tue, 19/04/2011 - 08:35 Andrew Motion is to chair the judging panel for the Forward Prizes for Poetry 2011, as the awards celebrate their 20th year. The former poet laureate will be joined on the judging panel by historian Antonia Fraser, assistant books editor at the Daily... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #poet laureate #judging panel #forward prizes #awards celebrate #20th year


Social Traffic Worth Less to Publishers Than Search

There’s no question that social media is becoming an increasingly important source of traffic for Web publishers, from articles and videos being shared among friends on Facebook to users following individual reporters on Twitter. But it turns out that social media referrals may be worth less to... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2011-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tor pushes for China Miéville ‘year’

Written By: Katie Allen Publication Date: Fri, 15/04/2011 - 14:59 Tor is to rejacket three-times Arthur C Clarke Award-winning novelist China Miéville to coincide with publication of his latest novel, Embassytown, in hardback. The new look, on supermatt paper, is being rolled out across eight... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Advocate Chooses DTI's Cloud Publishing Platform to Future-Proof Operations

The Advocate, a Baton Rouge, Louisiana newspaper owned by the Manship family is managing its content publishing infrastructure with DTI ContentPublisher and DTI Cloud. Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2011-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #baton rouge


Campaigners says publishers 'not interested' in library fight

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Wed, 13/04/2011 - 11:06 Library campaigner Tim Coates called on publishers to get involved in the fight to save public libraries, warning that the 500 currently threatened with closure will be followed by many more without action to protect the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #public libraries #london borough


Tynt Offers Tracking Tools for Publishers

A San Francisco-based company called Tynt is determined to allow publishers the opportunity to take full advantage of copy and paste user action. Already used by 600,000 publishers, the company released the Tynt’s Publisher Tools set in early February. The currently free suite of four tools... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mehta hails publishing after lifetime award

Written By: Felicity Wood Publication Date: Wed, 13/04/2011 - 14:00 Sonny Mehta, editor-in-chief of Alfred A Knopf, has said publishing's editorial, marketing and publicity standards would guarantee the sector's relevance, as he was awarded the eighth LBF Lifetime Achievement Award in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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LBF: Territoriality "key" for UK publishers

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Tue, 12/04/2011 - 09:28 Controlling world English-language rights is key to taking advantage of the global book economy for UK publishers, delegates have been told. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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LBF: Change needed, but publishing still vital

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Tue, 12/04/2011 - 09:29 Profile m.d. Andrew Franklin has dismissed self-publishing as irrelevant in a heated debate on the relevance of publishers. The discussion, held at yesterday's London Book Fair, was between Franklin, Bloomsbury's executive... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PA backs publisher admission over piracy costs

Written By: Philip Jones and Graeme Neill Publication Date: Tue, 12/04/2011 - 09:15 Publishers are having to spend more money to keep up with the pace of piracy, the chief executive of the PA has said, as robust debates over piracy affecting royalty rates dominated the first day of London Book... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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London Book Fair 2011: Keeping An Open Mind

In 2001, 81% of publishers were already preparing for the coming ebook (BML research March 2001). Indeed they thought it would come quickly, with half predicting ebooks would deliver more than 10% of total book income by 2006. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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London Book Fair 2011: Going Global

In 2009, the number of self-published books released in the US exceeded the number of new titles from conventional publishers for the first time in history. Now, a similar pattern is emerging overseas. Until recently, costly transatlantic shipping, different trim sizes and business models, and... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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London Book Fair 2011: What's Cooking In Content Services?

E-books, mobile apps and e-learning modules are hot. That's the conclusion from a quick survey of 18 content services vendors operating in India. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Agents Keeping Foreign Publishers on Digital Leash

As the London Book Fair goes through its annual run this week, American agents are trying to figure out the best way to sell digital rights to foreign publishers in markets that are far behind the U.S. in ebook sales. Even though many international publishers are just starting to dabble in... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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London Book Fair 2011: An Evolutionary Phase

This year's London Book Fair is taking place at a time of unique change. The shift from the printed word to the downloaded text is accelerating; chains and standalone bookstores are closing down around the world; and the very future of the book "entity" is being challenged by commentators and... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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London Book Fair 2011: Selling Rights in Russia

With Russia the market focus country at the Fair, Russian publishers will be at Earls Court in force and there will be many associated literary and cultural events. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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London Book Fair 2011: Social Networking for Bookworms

Until recently, reading a book had resisted technological advances, but like everything else, this has started to evolve and now we are embracing technology. Books are now more easily available in electronic format and sharing your opinion about a title – print or ebook – is more popular. So... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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London Book Fair 2011: On Representing Yeltsin

It doesn't seem so long ago that we used to gawp at the occasional postage stamps that would appear on a letter from the USSR: oversized, bright images extolling the successes of Communist endeavour. Soviet books in contrast were distinctly drab affairs whose covers would have appealed to few in... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Specific Media appoints UK publisher services director

Ad network Specific Media has appointed Fox Networks Group's Graeme Lynch as its new UK publisher services director. Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2011-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Arabic to be focus of Harvill Secker translators' prize

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Mon, 11/04/2011 - 11:53 Arabic will be the focus language of this year's Harvill Secker Young Translators' Prize. The award, in its second year, will ask entrants to translate the short story Layl Qouti by Egyptian writer Mansoura Ez Eldin to be in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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