Publish and be branded: the new threat to literature's laboratory

Increasingly fixated on the stars of today, such as Hilary Mantel and JK Rowling, publishers are neglecting the experimenters who could save their industry tomorrow: the mid-list writersThe tickets sold out months ago. Long before the admiring reviews of the stage adaptation of Hilary Mantel's novels Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies hit the press at the end of last week, theatre-goers were in no doubt they wanted to see six hours of blazing Tudor intrigue.A £7m BBC adaptation beckons, with the actor Mark Rylance teaming up with Peter Kosminsky, director of The Government Inspector.The runaway success of Mantel's story could be seen as a heartwarming tale for the book industry, but it comes at a time when many insiders worry such a tale will become increasingly rare as talented authors find it ever harder break through.Authors with middling sales – like Mantel, before she led Thomas Cromwell up the bestseller list – are getting less care and attention from large publishers, with readers ever-more fixated on fantasy blockbusters, it is said.For HarperCollins, the publishing giant behind 4th Estate, the imprint that publishes Mantel, bestselling authors have become more important than ever. Charlie Redmayne, chief executive of HarperCollins, recently described Mantel as one of several writers, along with Michael Morpurgo and JK Rowling, "who have transcended being an author and are brands in their own right".He added: "In a digital world, they are going to create a huge... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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UK audiobook downloads up 17% last year, Publishers Association data shows

Audiobooks are fast becoming ‘a major route to market for consumers of books’, the trade body saysThe number of UK audiobook downloads increased by 17% between 2022 and 2023, according to new data from the Publishers Association (PA).Revenue from audiobooks rose 24% across the same period to... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-05-07 15:28:43 UTC ]
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What Latin American Literature Can Teach the Current Leaders of Latin America

Daniel Noboa, the president of Ecuador, might have saved himself a lot of trouble, if he had only read more Latin American literature. Perhaps he would not have ordered the police to storm the Mexican embassy to arrest former Vice President Jorge Glas, who had been granted asylum there. That... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-05-06 08:58:43 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster Acquires Dutch Publisher Veen Bosch & Keuning

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-06 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Ryo Yamaguchi Named Publisher at Copper Canyon Press

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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AANHPI consumers want better brand representation, Nielsen reports

As companies around the country roll out plans to honor May as Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a new report out Wednesday suggests members of those communities are paying more attention than ever to representation Continue reading at ABC News

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Met police to pay ‘five-figure sum’ to French publisher arrested under anti-terror laws

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[ The Guardian | 2024-04-29 06:00:25 UTC ]
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Verso and other publishers are offering free ebooks in solidarity with pro-Palestine campus protests.

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[ Literrary Hub | 2024-04-26 15:56:47 UTC ]
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How Book Publishers Can Combat Misinformation

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The independent publisher making a business of celebrity book imprints

Independent publisher Zando's highest-visibility imprints are its collabs with celebrities, which are part of its mission to change the institutional racism that has plagued American publishing from its start. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-04-24 18:02:25 UTC ]
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Rebel Wilson memoir to be published in UK with Sacha Baron Cohen passages redacted

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Want to Start an Indie Press? These Publishers Have Some Suggestions

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Entangled Publishing Soars

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