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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Glam Media Aiming at Brands with New Model

Glam Media built a big collection of online blogs aimed at women on the premise that by serving up high-quality content, it could appeal to brand advertisers who have shunned lower cost ad networks. The company appears to have had the right idea; launched in 2005, it now claims some 2,500... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2011-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fragmentation threat to Summer Reading scheme

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Wed, 13/07/2011 - 15:35 The Reading Agency has warned library service cutbacks could challenge its Summer Reading Campaign, as it revealed 97% of library authorities will participate in this year's scheme. It will be launched on Monday at the House... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers seek second half upturn to 2011

Written By: The Bookseller News Team Publication Date: Fri, 08/07/2011 - 14:19 Publishers are optimistic about the next six months, despite a number of big ­houses turning in their worst first half-year Nielsen BookScan TCM sales performances for years, with ebook growth already beginning to... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lock, Stock, and Publisher

Booksellers have the industry connections to publish their books just about anywhere, but for some bookstore owners, self-publishing is preferable to going the traditional route. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cinchcast Launches Audio Platform Cloud Solution for Digital Publishers

Cinchcast, whose technology has been used by BlogTalkRadio since 2006, released a cloud-based audio solution for digital publishers. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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French publisher La Martinière joins the iBookstore.

Written By: Barbara Casassus Publication Date: Wed, 06/07/2011 - 07:32 La Martinière is the latest French publisher to sign up to sell ebooks through Apple’s iBookstore. About 150 La Martinière and Seuil titles are available so far, with another 300 expected to follow by the end of the summer,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon to Acquire U.K. Online Book Seller and Publisher

Amazon.com has acquired The Book Depository International, a seven-year old online bookseller based in the UK, which also republishes titles that are no longer in print or poorly available. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-07-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers urged to follow Compass' lead

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 04/07/2011 - 08:36 Pan Macmillan will be offering "enhanced rates" on the titles it publishes under its new digital-only imprint, with agents welcoming the initiative and urging publishers to pursue similar projects. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Global Publishing: Staying Put

With the global economy still struggling to get on a solid footing in 2010, the world’s largest publishers had a mixed performance in the year, although the majority of companies managed to post sales gains in the year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Marie Claire publisher claims new technology boosts newsletter subs 60% in a year

IPC Media claims its email marketing has been "revolutionised" by a new technology platform that has led newsletter subscriptions to increase almost 60% in a single year. Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2011-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Faber to publish Jarvis Cocker's lyrics

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 30/06/2011 - 13:12 Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker is set to publish a book of his song lyrics with Faber. The book, entitled Mother, Brother, Lover: Selected Lyrics, was bought by Faber’s editorial director of fiction, Lee Brackstone, and editor... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Media Decoder: Conrad Black, Still in Prison, Finds Publisher for Memoir

The former newspaper baron, serving out a sentence for fraud and obstruction, will publish "A Matter of Principle" in the fall. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Harvill Secker to publish death row lawyer memoir

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 30/06/2011 - 13:09 Harvill Secker has acquired a non-fiction title about the work of British lawyer Clive Stafford Smith over 25 years to save those on death row in the US. Editor-at-large Rebecca Carter bought UK and Commonwealth rights... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Obama's agents move into e-publishing

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 29/06/2011 - 09:21 The literary agency representing Barack Obama has become the latest to move into ebook publishing but stresses it is not trying to compete with publishers. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sean Holzman Named Chief Brand Development Officer with Bonnier

Bonnier announced that Sean Holzman is now its chief brand development officer, a newly created role in the company. Holzman comes from Source Interlink Media, where he acted as president of the enterprise division. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishing Vet Opens Oakland-based Speakers Bureau

Oakland-based book publicist Lorna Garano has opened an eponymous speakers bureau with business partner Peter Handel, who also has a track record in public relations for Bay Area authors and publishers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cox dubs agents who publish "foxes in hen house"

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Wed, 22/06/2011 - 09:31 Literary agents who publish their clients' work were likened to foxes raiding the hen house at the Publishers Launch London conference held in London yesterday (Tuesday). Peter Cox, agent and founder of the agency Redhammer,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Makinson confident as publishers face digital "flux"

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Wed, 22/06/2011 - 10:10 Publishers will play a bigger and more complicated role, but only if the link between the author and reader is "reconfigured", was among the conclusions from a panel of chief executives at Publishers Launch London. John... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Vintage Publishing launches Nigella ebooks

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 23/06/2011 - 07:26 Vintage Publishing has released the first ebooks from Nigella Lawson, with her Kitchen and Nigella Express books now available in digital format. Lawson's Nigella Quick Collection app has also been updated with 30... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-growth good in Europe, despite increasing US threat

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Tue, 21/06/2011 - 10:13 UK publishers are seeing good growth from ebook sales overseas, particularly in Scandinavia, but they face a looming threat from US ebook companies, which are now setting their sights on English readers in Europe. Though there... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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