Philip Pullman leads writers condemning 'pernicious' book discounts

His Dark Materials novelist says today’s steep price cuts devalue authors’ work and cheapen the experience of readingWith more than two months to go before Philip Pullman’s long-awaited new novel from the world of His Dark Materials is published, pre-orders have sent La Belle Sauvage flying up bestseller lists. But with booksellers already slashing the cover price in half, the award-winning author has spoken out about how cheap books devalue the experience of reading, and called for an end to the “pernicious” doctrine of “market fundamentalism” if literary culture is to survive.Pullman is president of the Society of Authors, which is launching a campaign for publishers to stop damaging authors’ earnings by discounting bulk sales to book clubs and supermarkets, and has slammed the cut-price culture in his trade. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2017-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]

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Behind the Swedish Bestseller, 'Quicksand'

The crime novel, about a shooting in a Stockholm school, has been dominating the bestseller lists in its home country all summer and has sold in 23 territories to date. Its editor thinks it has benefited from critical praise and unusually strong publisher support. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Over 2,000' stores to mark National Bookshop Day

Over 2,000 bookshops are preparing to celebrate the UK’s inaugural Bookshop Day on Saturday 8th October with events and book clubs, according to The Booksellers Association. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Obituary: Joyce Carol Thomas

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-08-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Why Book Clubs Matter in the Age of Tablets

The importance of book clubs to the bottom line has rebounded alongside print books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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Freemasons award £40k grant to create 'touch and see' book clubs

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[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Voyeur's Motel by Gay Talese – digested read

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[ The Guardian | 2016-07-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This Week's Bestsellers: May 30, 2016

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Report: Subscription Discounts Drive Down Newsstand Sales

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[ Folio Magazine | 2016-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Behind the Spanish Bestseller, 'All My Futures Are With You'

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‘Mein Kampf,’ ‘The Defector’ Tops in Germany

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cosmopolitan magazine overtakes Glamour in battle of glossies

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[ The Guardian | 2016-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Donald Trump, Flat Earthers, and Men in Book Clubs

Good afternoon! There’s nothing more exciting, in journalism, than when reality confounds your expectations in ways that make you feel genuinely afraid for the future of the world. That’s what’s happening in the Republican primary race, where pundits who dismissed Donald Trump as a clown are... Continue reading at Slate

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International Bestsellers: Nobel Laureate Alexievich Tops Swedish List

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Winners and losers: publishers pick the 2015 books they loved, missed and envied

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Television takes on film in the next chapter of book adaptations

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-11-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Oprah Winfrey takes stake in Weight Watchers as company refocuses on wellness

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