Orwell estate hits back at Amazon's corporate 'doublespeak'

Internet retailer accused of using tactics from Orwell's 1984 in war of words with the publisher HachetteRepresentatives of George Orwell have described Amazon's selective quoting of the Nineteen Eighty-Four author as "dystopian and shameless" and "as close as one can get to the Ministry of Truth and its doublespeak".Amazon turned to Orwell for support in its long-running and public clash over ebook terms with the publisher Hachette at the weekend, comparing their battle over ebook pricing ("We want lower ebook prices. Hachette does not") to the fight Penguin had when it introduced cheap paperbacks in the 1930s. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-08-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #publisher hachette #ebook terms #ebook pricing

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Hodder pulls back on Keenan memoir

Hodder has said it has "decided not to further distribute…in its current form"... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #current form


Wall Street Beat: VC money pours back into Internet companies

Venture capitalists poured more money into Internet companies last year than they have since the dot-com bust, according to a survey published Friday.Internet companies in the U.S. took in US$7.1 billion from VCs in 1,059 deals in 2013, the highest level of Internet investment in terms of... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2014-01-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #strong year #internet companies #highest level #thomson reuters #highest percentage


From page to screen and back again

Movie tie-ins for '12 Years a Slave,' 'Philomena,' 'The Wolf of Wall Street' and other films give their namesake books — including one from 1853 — a second life. The memoir "12 Years A Slave" was published in 1853, a year after Harriet Beecher Stowe's classic, "Uncle Tom's Cabin."     Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2014-01-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #movie tie-ins #wall street


Smith: Quercus hit by 'lack of visibility'

Quercus c.e.o. Mark Smith has blamed a "lack of visibility" for the company's... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #quercus hit #mark smith


Patrick Carman's 'Half Nelson' proposal: for each Amazon purchase, buy a book at an independent bookstore

'39 Clues' author Patrick Carman says he knows Amazon is a convenient option, but suggests buying a book from an independent bookstore each time you buy from Amazon. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #independent bookstore


DBW 2014: Amazon, Subscription and the Book Business

In a morning session entirely devoted to Amazon.com, author Brad Stone and consultant Joe Esposito looked back over the history of Amazon's growth (and remorseless tactics) before looking ahead to its next round of competitive targets. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book business #morning session


Mystery over Amazon's 'revolutionary V1 product'

A communication from Amazon's Kindle New Initiatives team has said KNI is working on "a... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Maverick backs bedtime story app

A new story reading app will launch later this month with nine picture books from publisher... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #picture books


Retail in Seattle: In the Shadow of Amazon

On the surface, Seattle might seem like a tough area to ply the independent bookselling trade. Yet many Seattle booksellers are upbeat about the prospects ahead. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Key to hit books discovered, study claims

Academic Yejin Choi says her algorithm can predict 'highly successful literature' with 84% accuracyAuthors, publishers and literary critics struggling to unlock the secrets of successful writing can breathe a sigh of relief, after a computer science professor has announced an algorithm that can... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #extremely successful #real readers #human consciousness


Uncle the elephant joins brave march of children's classics back into print

JP Martin's much-loved but unavailable stories have been recovered for the rest of us by one courageous readerLet joy be unconfined! Almost seven years ago, I bewailed the loss of Uncle, the wealthy, purple-clad elephant with the BA whose surreal adventures, superbly illustrated by Quentin... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #long haul #pippi longstocking


Polar vortex takes us back to the coldest story in American literature (+video)

The unnamed protagonist in Jack London's 'To Build a Fire' gets into trouble while hiking in the frozen Yukon with his dog. Widely considered to be London’s best short story, 'To Build a Fire' captures the cold with painful accuracy. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #jack london #coldest story #unnamed protagonist #frozen yukon #widely considered #short story #painful accuracy


Polar vortex takes us back to the coldest story in American literature

The unnamed protagonist in Jack London's 'To Build a Fire' gets into trouble while hiking in the frozen Yukon with his dog. Widely considered to be London’s best short story, 'To Build a Fire' captures the cold with painful accuracy. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #jack london #coldest story #american literature #unnamed protagonist #frozen yukon #widely considered #short story #painful accuracy


Independent bookstores, Amazon all report successful holiday season

Many independent bookstores reported holiday sales as good or better than last year's, while Amazon called the 2013 holiday season its best ever. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-01-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #independent bookstores


"Sales decline" hits DC Thomson performance

Publisher DC Thomson has reported a decline in profits, blamed mainly on losses in its book... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-01-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Conan Doyle Estate Says Sherlock Not Free Yet

Attorneys for the estate say the "complete" characters remain under copyright, and say they are exploring an appeal. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Storms hit some Christmas trade

The bad weather and flooding hit Christmas and post-Christmas trade for some, but many... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-12-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon 'sold close to 40m items on Cyber Monday'

Amazon has said it took orders for more than 36.8 million items worldwide on Cyber Monday (2nd... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-12-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A Very Merry Christmas at Amazon

Amazon.com is calling this one of its best Christmas shopping seasons ever after more than 1 million consumers signed up for Amazon Prime, the online retailer’s free unlimited 2-day shipping deal, the week before Christmas. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-12-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #amazon prime #merry christmas #online retailer


HMH Has Hit With Scratch, Sniff Wine

A "grocery" as opposed to a "luxury" is how Houghton Mifflin Harcourt refers to wine on the cover of its inventive, playful, and now popular, new book, The Essential Scratch & Sniff Guide to Becoming a Wine Expert. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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