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 ]

Other news stories related to: "Philip Pullman leads writers condemning 'pernicious' book discounts"


January Religion Bestsellers: 'Jesus (Still) Calling'; No One Leaves 'The Shack'

Popular pastors' inspirational advice, devotionals, and novels packed with romance, suspense -- or both -- lead January's bestseller lists. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Pamela Butchart | 'Funny books can break down some of the barriers of children believing 'books aren’t for me''

Award-winning author and schoolteacher Pamela Butchart is set to go stratospheric in 2018, with a World book Day title and a Secret Seven revamp in the pipeline. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Obituary: Julius Lester

Award-winning author, educator, activist, and musician Julius Lester, known for a body of work focused on African-American culture, as well as for his fierce advocacy for books for black children by black creators, died on January 18 at the age of 78. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-01-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Books trend for 2018

By all accounts, the Hulu series “The Handmaid’s Tale” was a huge success in 2017. Counterintuitively, the Margaret Atwood novel it was based on has been a constant on bestseller lists. Hadn’t people gotten the story from watching the show? Apparently not. In fact, this was the case for a number... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-01-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


David Walliams's Bad Dad beats Jamie Oliver to Christmas No 1

Children’s novel about a boy trying to break his father out of prison sells more than 60,000 copies in a week to secure top slot in festive book chartsDavid Walliams’s tale of a boy trying to break his father out of prison, Bad Dad, has beaten Jamie Oliver’s latest recipe collection to the top... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Philip Pullman's La Belle Sauvage tops Waterstones Book of the Year list

Philip Pullman's return to the world of His Dark Materials is a hit with bookshop staff. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2017-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


In China: Bookselling Trends and OpenBook’s Bestseller Lists for October

China bestsellers: As publisher-owned bookstores are on the rise, so are "shared bookstores" where customers are allowed to borrow books. The post In China: Bookselling Trends and OpenBook’s Bestseller Lists for October appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Does Anybody Know What a Bestseller Is?

There are more bestseller lists than ever—and the consequences for publishing remain unclear. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-11-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Pullman reveals ill health delayed La Belle Sauvage

Philip Pullman has revealed ill health delayed his writing of the much-anticipated La Belle Sauvage, released today (Thursday 19th October). He also said The Book of Dust trilogy was “darker” than His Dark Materials because he feels “more cynical and closer to despair” than he did 22 years ago. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Book of Dust, Volume 1

You should not use the word love lightly. Love, about a person, means that every inch of them delights you, even the parts that also cause you pain or terror. It means you care about their flourishing; their way of seeing is dear to you; you want to stroke their hair and serve them cocoa; their... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2017-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Super Thursday: with 500 new books out today, what should you read?

New books from Mary Berry, Dan Brown and Dawn French are out, as part of the mass launch that marks the start of the Christmas season – and there’s another 250 on the way. Here are 10 titles in the running for No 1More than 500 glossy new hardbacks are set to arrive on the shelves of the UK’s... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


OpenBook’s China Bestseller Lists for August 2017: Delivery Races

As we roll out this month's bestseller lists from China, the country's second-largest e-retailer, JD.com, is holding a competition to engineer book delivery by drones. The post OpenBook’s China Bestseller Lists for August 2017: Delivery Races appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Ad Age Wake-Up Call: A PR Firm Gets Punished, While the Daily News Gets Sold

Good morning. Welcome to Ad Age's Wake-Up Call, our daily roundup of advertising, marketing and digital-related news. What people are talking about today: The New York Daily News, or "New York's Hometown Newspaper" as the slogan goes, has been sold to Chicago-based publishing company Tronc. The... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2017-09-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Claiming Liberal Bias, Pub Drops Association with 'NYT' Bestseller Lists

Marji Ross, president of the conservative press Regnery Publishing, sent a letter to her authors saying the paper "prioritizes liberal-themed books over conservative books." For this reason, the bonus structure in her house's contracts will now rely on a different list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-09-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


On Bestseller Lists in India: ‘Which One Should You Trust?’

From Scroll.in: Consumers in India are presented, as in other countries with sometimes conflicting bestselling book lists. The post On Bestseller Lists in India: ‘Which One Should You Trust?’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-08-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


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... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Lauren Child on being the new children’s laureate

Award-winning author and illustrator Lauren Child has been named as the next Waterstones Children’s Laureate, an honour she says she “wasn’t expecting”. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Amazon Publishing Books Faring Better on Amazon's New Bestseller Lists

Four Amazon Publishing titles, which drew poor BookScan print sales numbers, are among the top 20 fiction bestsellers on the latest iteration of the e-tailer's new weekly bestseller list, bolstered by sales in non-print formats. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Oliver Jeffers turns to non-fiction

Award-winning author and illustrator Oliver Jeffers is publishing a new book with HarperCollins at the end of this year and has signed a new two-book deal with the publisher for future publishing. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Amazon Charts ranks books by what people are actually reading

Bestseller lists like the one at the New York Times measure a book's success by how many copies its sold. What it doesn't do is tell you how many of those books are being read, nor how fast. Amazon Charts aims to fix this problem with a new, weekly b... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2017-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this