Richard Desmond: ‘I hate to admit this, but I’ve never actually hit anyone’

He’s not a thug, he doesn’t trust his celebrity friends, and he’s definitely not a pornographer. Over a cigar delivered on a silver platter, the self-appointed king of Express Newspapers lays into scruffy booksellers and sets the record straightRichard Desmond held a party at Claridge’s in Mayfair this week to launch his autobiography. “Everybody” was there – “Jacob Rothschild came, Katie Price came, Barbara Windsor came. It was a whole cross-section of everybody. Lovely.” One person who was not there for long, though, was the man from Waterstones staffing the book stand.“I walk in, and I see this bloke, this scruffy bloke. He’s in like a real old sweater with holes in it, jeans with holes in.” Desmond’s nose wrinkles. “I said to him, ‘Look, mate, you’ve got lords and ladies coming here, and international celebrities, and my friends and family. I don’t really want to see you look like that. Have you got a suit?’ ‘No.’ ‘Would you go out and get a suit?’ ‘No.’ I said, ‘Well then, mate, fuck off.’ I got one of my advertising girls to sell the books instead.” He turns to his PR. “Was I harsh?” The PR demurs respectfully. “Oh no, it was about principle.” It all worked out for the best, Desmond agrees happily, because the man “learned a lesson”, will tell everyone, “Oh, this guy was so aggressive to me, he threatened to kill me,” and thus “another myth” about the media tycoon’s violent temper will be born. “Well, that’s the point.” Related: A reading from the Book of Desmond:... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #katie price #media tycoon #richard created

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Richard Desmond: ‘I hate to admit this, but I’ve never actually hit anyone’'


Richard Desmond: ‘I hate to admit this, but I’ve never actually hit anyone’

He’s not a thug, he doesn’t trust his celebrity friends, and he’s definitely not a pornographer. Over a cigar delivered on a silver platter, the self-appointed king of Express Newspapers lays into scruffy booksellers and sets the record straightRichard Desmond held a party at Claridge’s in... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #katie price #media tycoon #richard created


Hitting the Books: Meet Richard Arkwright, the world's first tech titan

You didn't actually believe all those founder's myths about tech billionaires like Bezos, Jobs and Musk pulling themselves up by their bootstraps from some suburban American garage, did you? In reality, our corporate kings have been running the same playbook since the 18th century when... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-09-11 20:50:45 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #company insists #independent contractors #endemic culture #automating cloth-making #founders aim #artificial intelligence


Hitting the Books: Meet Richard Akrwright, the world's first tech titan

You didn't actually believe all those founder's myths about tech billionaires like Bezos, Jobs and Musk pulling themselves up by their bootstraps from some suburban American garage, did you? In reality, our corporate kings have been running the same playbook since the 18th century when... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-09-10 14:30:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #company insists #independent contractors #endemic culture #automating cloth-making #founders aim #artificial intelligence


Cosy crime, cookbooks and a surprise hit: what we’ve really read in the pandemic

It was a chance to finally get around to Tolstoy or Proust, but the charts tell a different story. Which books did we actually turn to in the lockdowns? • Let us know in the comments what you were reading Back in spring 2020, when it became clear that coronavirus wasn’t going away, book lovers... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-12-11 09:00:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #lost time #diana evans #richard osman #mrs hinch #david walliams #jk rowling #joe wicks #sally rooney #normal people #reni eddo-lodge #longer talking #white people #harry potter #bestseller lists #audiobook


The Best Book You've Never Read is 'The Easter Parade' by Richard Yates

"I think 'The Easter Parade' is an inadvertent feminist classic, a woman’s book in the best possible meaning of that fraught term." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #richard yates


Richard Charkin: ‘We’ve Allowed Our Industry To Become Over-Complicated’

'We cling on to the idea that the UK is so different from all the other countries.' And change, says Bloomsbury's Richard Charkin, is a new constant. The post Richard Charkin: ‘We’ve Allowed Our Industry To Become Over-Complicated’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-08-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #richard charkin


Richard Desmond's firm in £25m loss after price cuts and digital investment

Northern & Shell puts 2015 losses down to cutting prices of Star and Express titles and significant investment in digital publishingRichard Desmond’s Northern & Shell fell to a £25m loss last year after embarking on costly tabloid price cuts and boosting investment in digital... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #cutting prices #significant investment #digital publishing #daily express #sunday express #pre-tax loss


Media Monkey: Richard Desmond, Simon Heffer, Chris Evans

The unknown Jesse Norman, Murdoch’s parallel universe and a hint of tension between Sarah Montague and James Naughtie• When Richard Desmond has an autobiography to promote, the treatment of the press baron by his Northern & Shell empire is increasingly reminiscent of the cult of personality... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #front page #daily express #real deal


A reading from the Book of Desmond: and lo, Richard created the Beckhams

Media mogul Richard Desmond’s typically self-effacing new autobiography shows how he took virtual unknowns David and Victoria and made it all OK!A rival emerges to the claim that Al Gore invented the internet. It turns out that Richard Desmond invented the Beckhams. Please adjust your records... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #richard created #real deal


Richard Desmonds magazines OK!, New and Star suffer big circulation falls

Northern and Shells Star reports 19% drop in print sales the biggest faller in the womens weekly market Continue reading... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-08-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #print sales #biggest faller


Richard Desmond's Star magazine enters top ten for women's weeklies

Bauer's Closer, Hearst's Best and IPC's Now, and OK! all record double-digit falls, year on yearRichard Desmond's Star magazine has jumped into the top 10 biggest sellers in the women's weeklies market, after reporting a 16.5% sales surge in the second half of 2013.But there were double digit... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #latest report #digital editions #exact replica #cover price


Richard Desmond appoints Barclays to explore sale of Channel 5

Process at a very early stage and follows owner taking soundings from television rivals including ITVRichard Desmond has appointed Barclays to advise on a possible sale of Channel 5, after turning the loss making Big Brother broadcaster into a profitable operation.The process is understood to be... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #extreme fishing #fireman sam #thomas friends


Sam Adams | 'I just wanted to write and I’ve done so whenever I’ve had the opportunity'

For more than half a century, Sam Adams’ eclectic output has made him a stalwart of Wales’ literary scene. He discusses his latest novel Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-16 01:59:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #literary scene


Richard Charkin on Looking Forward to Frankfurt

Richard Charkin cheerfully anticipates the 2024 Frankfurter Buchmesse: 'Of all the world's great book fairs, none can compare.' The post Richard Charkin on Looking Forward to Frankfurt appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-09-30 18:11:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #great book #richard charkin #frankfurt appeared


Richard Price’s True Grit

After decades of writing raw and unflinching novels, screenplays, and scripts for television, the author is still curious and eager to learn—just don’t ask him how he feels about his process. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-09-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #true grit #richard price


New California law will force companies to admit you don't own digital content

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB 2426, a new law that requires digital marketplaces to make clearer to customers when they are only purchasing a license to access media. The law will not apply to cases of permanent offline downloads, only to the all-too-common situation of buying... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-09-26 20:30:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ebooks #libraries #busy week #modern age #online storefront


Academic Publishers Hit with Antitrust Suit over Peer Review

The suit accuses six major publishers of establishing a cartel through its international trade association, STM, and using the peer review process to "unlawfully divert billions of taxpayer dollars every year from science to the Publisher Defendants.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-09-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #major publishers #peer review #antitrust suit


Emmys Ratings Bear Fruit, Hit Nearly 6.9M Viewers After Record Low

Thanks to the new Emmys ratings, ABC was the big winner Sunday night. According to Nielsen numbers, the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on ABC scored its highest ratings in three years, reaching 6.87 million average viewers. (ADWEEK) The evening ceremony at the Peacock... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2024-09-17 11:59:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #nielsen #highest ratings #nielsen numbers #emmys ratings #record low #abc scored


Emmys Ratings Bear Fruit, Hit Nearly 6.9 Million Viewers After Record Low

Thanks to the new Emmys ratings, ABC was the big winner on Sunday night. According to Nielsen numbers, the 76th Emmys on ABC scored its highest ratings in three years. The latest iteration of the awards show, hosted by father-and-son duo Eugene Levy and Dan Levy, reached... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2024-09-16 22:53:47 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #nielsen #latest iteration #sunday night #big winner #record low