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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American author Kate DiCamillo has taken on the role US ambassador of young people’s... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-01-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The two stories were written in 1958 while the late writer was working at a Detroit-based advertising agency. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-12-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New 'intellectually credible' self-improvement books set to outsell celebrity biographies in 2014Sir Alex Ferguson may have the coveted Christmas number one spot with the record-breaking sales of his memoir, My Autobiography. But not even celebrity memoirs are likely to match the publishing... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2013-12-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Last summer in a used bookstore, I happened on an enormous, bound volume of Life magazine, from July–September 1945. I opened to the very first story in the first issue, July 2, 1945. The headline read: Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2013-12-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Clement Clarke Moore's famous holiday poem re-imagined by a book publisher on a bit of a bender. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-12-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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One might not be able to share an ebook, but it's possible to highlight and annotate them for all to see.There is a moment in The Confessions when Saint Augustine is astonished to find another scholar, Saint Ambrose, reading silently to himself. This quiet encounter 16 centuries ago might be... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2013-12-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The “brands are publishers now” line has become so ubiquitous in digital media that it risks becoming a cliché. While it is often true that companies are increasingly creating their own content, not all that’s published is created equal. Here’s to the brands that took the time and money to... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2013-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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While George Zhu, founder of CN Times Books, the newly launched U.S. subsidiary of Beijing Mediatime Books, is impressed by the “professionalism” of U.S. publishing, he’s also surprised by American inefficiency. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers choose their books of the year, and the ones that got awayRobin Robertson Deputy publishing director, Jonathan CapeThe book that made my year: Many years ago, I was sitting in Blake's bar in Enniskillen with John McGahern and he recommended an American novel from the 60s, written by... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2013-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It can be hard out there for a freelancer. The avalanche of emails, stiff competition, low pay and ignored invoices all make it a real challenge. That’s why Ebyline, a conduit between digital publishers and writers, works to connect tho ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publisher who helped break down legal barriers against pornography dies in Brooklyn after long battle with illness Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2013-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Times Newspapers Limited pays out £14m to departing directors, including chief executive Tom MockridgeThe publisher of the Times and the Sunday Times has reported a pre-tax loss of £24m, as payouts to departing directors hit £14m, according to financial filings for the year to 30 June 2013.Times... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2013-12-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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News Group Newspapers took charges related to the phone-hacking scandal of almost £90m in the year to 30 JuneThe parent company of the Sun and Sun on Sunday has reported a pre-tax loss of £75m in the year to 30 June, after taking charges of almost £90m in relation to the phone-hacking... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2013-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Previously, independent bookstores tended to stay away from marketing self-published authors, but in the age of Amazon, some are embracing local authors no matter how they released their work. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Quercus will publish a fourth book in Stieg Larsson's Millennium series, to be written by... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The 2013 PA International Conference in London lamented the general lack of appreciation for the role of publishers and lauded the revival of indie booksellers. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An outstanding Irish writer of fiction will be chosen to promote Irish literature around the worldAs Ireland becomes the first country to exit the eurozone bailout programme, one of its writers can look forward to a period of prosperity with the creation of a laureateship award worth €150,000... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2013-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Turkish publisher and translator of French writer's Les Exploits d'un Jeune Don Juan accused of corrupting public moralityA publisher and a translator are to go on trial in Istanbul for corrupting public morality – for publishing a book written more than 100 years ago.Les Exploits d'un Jeune Don... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2013-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The books industry still underestimates the disruptive power of Jeff Bezos's awesome ambitionSo Amazon are the bad guys, again. At least according to Harper's Magazine they are. For the former Amazon employee James Marcus, Brad Stone "drops the ball" in his biography of Jeff Bezos, The... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2013-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers across Europe saw a decline in total revenue in 2012, despite a rise in the number of... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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