On eve of Costa awards, experts warn that top books prizes are harming fiction

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 ]
News tagged with: #curtis brown #costa book #literary fiction #major houses #diverse voices #predominantly white

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Stark warnings of library 'emergency'; hopes for new review

Industry figures have voiced hopes for the latest government-commissioned review into the library... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #industry figures


Book Deals: Week of February 24, 2014

Laurens gets seven figures from Mira and more in this week's notable book deals. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Read EPUB books in your browser

Rudi Lehnert asked if there’s a way to open and read .epub books in a browser. Most of the ebooks I read are in the .epub format, primarily because I’m allergic to Digital Rights Management. (An .epub can have DRM, but they usually don’t.) A handful of e-tailers sell unprotected .epub books,... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2014-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #epub format #public domain #project gutenberg


Apple Wants to Move E-book Damages Trial

Apple is looking to escape from New York. In a filing this week, Apple attorneys argue that Judge Denise Cote does not have jurisdiction to oversee its upcoming damages trial. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Should More Top Authors Give Back to Indie Bookstores?

Love him or hate him, you can't fault James Patterson for his generosity, as he's giving some $1 million of his money back to independent bookstores. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #indie bookstores #$1 million #independent bookstores


Neknominate needs health warnings on Twitter and Facebook, say councils

Local Government Association calls on websites to highlight dangers of drinking game linked to several deathsTwitter and Facebook should introduce warnings about the drinking game neknominate, which has been linked to several deaths, councils have said. The Local Government Association (LGA),... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Anne Frank books vandalised in Japan

More than 100 copies of Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl have been vandalised in public libraries in Japan's capital Tokyo, library officials say. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2014-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #anne frank #young girl #public libraries


Poo books make odd title shortlist

How To Poo On A Date and The Origin of Faeces make the Diagram Prize shortlist for the oddest book title of the year. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2014-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW Picks: Books of the Week, February 24, 2014

This week, Lorrie Moore's first collection in 15 years, the award-winning novel that was rejected by over 60 publishers, and what neuroscience can tell us about joy and anger. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #lorrie moore


2014 PubWest Design Awards Call for Entries

The prize is divided into 20 print categories, and three additional ebook categories. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Wonderful World of Book Titles

Publishers put out some very curious books on strange topics, as exhibited by this year's shortlist for the Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #wonderful world #book titles #publishers put #diagram prize


New Releases on Top in January

A handful of new titles topped the bestseller lists in the international markets at the start of 2014. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Diagram Prize reveals oddest titles of 2014

Working class cats, South African trouts and pies as biography are all some of the topics up for... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Igloo looks to grow adult non-fiction list

Igloo Books aims to up its adult non-fiction output by 40% over the course of 2014. The... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Graphic Arts Books Buys Companion Press

In a deal that adds 27 titles to its backlist, Graphic Arts Books has acquired the trade books and publishing rights of Companion Press. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #trade books #publishing rights


Fallout Continues from Penguin Books India Debacle

One week after news broke that Penguin Books India had recalled and destroyed Wendy Doniger’s "The Hindus" the negative fall out continues. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Heron Books signs TV scientist

Heron Books, an imprint of Quercus Books, has bought a new title about evolution by Professor... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Borribles, once infamous children's books, reissued for 21st-century readers

Considered too inflammatory to publish in the wake of 1980s UK riots, these tales of anarchic runaways are to be re-released as ebooksMichael de Larrabeiti's classic stories of anarchic, pointy-eared street children the Borribles, which were judged to be so lawless in the 1980s that their... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #big city #making good


Iain Banks's final book – of poetry – to be published in 2015

Collection will include work by Banks's friend Ken MacLeod and will come out on the anniversary of his death in FebruaryThe final work by Iain Banks – a collection of poetry by the late author – will be released next February, his publisher has announced.Banks died last June, two months after... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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First Carla Furstenberg Cohen Lit Prize Winners Revealed

Anthony Marra and David Finkel were the winners of the inaugural prize, established in Cohen's memory. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #anthony marra #david finkel #inaugural prize