The dominance of three honours in the UK can be prohibitively expensive for small publishers, and end up discouraging risk-taking on ‘difficult’ authorsCutting-edge British literary fiction risks being undermined by its growing reliance on a handful of powerful book prizes, a leading literary agent has warned. But the associated costs of entering the biggest awards mean independent publishers willing to take risks on “difficult” works without obvious marketing potential are being shut out of contention.The warnings, from Jonny Geller of Curtis Brown, come as the Costa book of the year judges prepare to announce the shortlist for the £30,000 award. He said: “Literary fiction is under threat in this country due to a combination of factors – reluctance by major houses to take risks; a bottleneck in the distribution chain [and] diverse voices being ignored by a predominantly white, middle-class industry.” Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2017-01-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Wed, 23/11/2011 - 08:00 Usborne has acquired a new crime series for young adults by BAFTA-winning screenwriter Chris Ould. Fiction director Rebecca Hill bought world rights, all languages, from Stephanie Thwaites of Curtis Brown. The first book... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 17/11/2011 - 12:13 Viking has won a title by journalist Ed Caesar about marathon running and the race to beat the two-hour barrier, using research and interviews to be conducted around the world. Viking editorial director Joel Rickett... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For nearly a decade, some say even longer, people in the publishing industry have been decrying the death of the midlist. As the story goes, the industry consolidatedsmaller and midsize publishers were gobbled up and brought together into six large houses that themselves are small pieces of... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-11-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Fri, 28/10/2011 - 10:53 Actress and Loose Women co-presenter Lynda Bellingham has signed a two-book deal with Simon & Schuster to write commercial women's fiction. Publishing director Suzanne Baboneau signed the deal with Gordon Wise at Curtis... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Tue, 18/10/2011 - 15:19 Digital publisher Open Road is launching a new imprint, Iconic E-books, with Erica Jong's Fear of Flying and Alice Walker's The Color Purple to be among its first titles. The Iconic E-Books titles will be those that have... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Wed, 12/10/2011 - 09:02 Pan Macmillan has teamed up with Curtis Brown to release hundreds of out-of-print titles from the agency's list as digital editions. Macmillan Bello will launch 120 titles next month, with a further 400 in 2012. The... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Katie Allen Publication Date: Thu, 06/10/2011 - 15:25 Oneworld has bought a book by a Private Eye journalist that uncovers how Britain has become a tax haven. Commissioning editor Mike Harpley bought UK and Commonwealth rights to Duty Free: How Britains Become a Tax Haven for Big... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 30/09/2011 - 10:51 Faber has acquired a new novel by award-winning Egyptian writer Miral Al-Tahawy. Editorial director Hannah Griffiths acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Elizabeth Sheinkman at Curtis Brown to Al-Tahawy's fourth... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publication Date: Mon, 26/09/2011 - 14:50 Author Jojo Moyes, Hungerford Bookshop owner Emma Milne-White and Hammicks Sharon Murray are to join the judging panels for this years Costa Book Awards. A total of 568 books have been entered for this years awards, with the category shortlists... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Fri, 23/09/2011 - 10:47 Simon & Schuster has bought a memoir by opera star and "Les Miserables" lead Alfie Boe. Non-fiction editor Rory Scarfe bought world rights at auction from Felicity Blunt at Curtis Brown. The book, Alfie, will be published... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales of print books in the major trade categories fell 22.9% in the first six months of 2011 at the houses that report figures to the Association of American Publishers. The declines were greatest among the adult segments, with sales down by more than 20% in the hardcover, trade paperback, and... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 14/09/2011 - 09:25 Hodder has bought a book by the comedian Miranda Hart, looking at "the unexpected pitfalls and horrors of growing up". Publisher Hannah Black bought world rights in a deal with Gordon Wise at Curtis Brown. Is it Just Me? will... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Tue, 13/09/2011 - 08:20 HarperCollins Children's Books has bought a new collection of previously unpublished work and out of print folk tales by The Weirdstone of Brisingamen author Alan Garner for publication this autumn. Editorial director Nick Lake... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 05/08/2011 - 08:30 Pan Macmillan's Macmillan New Writing scheme will continue despite the head of the imprint leaving the company. Will Atkins, who worked at Pan Macmillan for five years and was its editorial director for fiction, has left... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 08/07/2011 - 11:00 Arrow has acquired an autobiography of the spiritualist and healer Helen Parry Jones. Editor Gillian Holmes bought UK and Commonwealth rights from Sheila Crowley at Curtis Brown. The book will tell the story of Parry... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 24/06/2011 - 13:31 Ian Fleming Publications has appointed Jonny Geller and Curtis Brown as the literary agents worldwide for the Ian Fleming James Bond novels as well as future Bond literary works, taking over from Simon Trewin at United... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Tue, 21/06/2011 - 08:20 Faber has acquired two books by Marcel Theroux, with the next novel Strange Bodies about an academic who is asked to authenticate letters written by Samuel Johnson. Editorial director Walter Donohue and publishing... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 25/05/2011 - 09:41 The safeguarding of Waterstone's future will secure the midlist of history and science writing, literary fiction and memoir, the m.d. of Faber has said. Stephen Page, writing in the Guardian, said if the Waterstone's... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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