As publishers vie to persuade us to pack their titles for the holidays, we chart the evolution of the ’beach read’Summer reads, beach reads, holiday reads … at this time of year, the publishing world works itself into a sweat trying to force its novels into our carry-on luggage, or over the ether on to our Kindles. There are more books sold in the summer than during any other season: the well-established publishing calendar tends to see hardbacks released in the autumn to be given as gifts at Christmas, then repackaged as paperbacks in late spring. As Donna Harrington-Lueker sets out in her history of the beach read, Books for Idle Hours, the summer publishing rush is at least a century old, and has typically aimed “airy and froth-like” books on “young ladies” (the quote is from an 1888 work on summer books by Arlo Bates). The summer fiction market is changing, though, with more and more “serious”, “literary” novels showing up where once there were only thrillers and crime novels, bonkbusters and romances. So it is that Normal People by Sally Rooney is currently piled high on the tables of WH Smith’s Travel alongside Lee Child, Jodi Picoult and Bernard Cornwell.I’m aware of how contentious and porous discussions of genre can be. Generic labels, though, are the terms that booksellers and publishers think in and for literary novels, the chances of summer success are still relatively slim. Tom Tivnan, managing editor of the Bookseller, points to Nielsen BookScan data that... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2019-07-14 07:00:23 UTC ]
Heather Morris’ The Tattooist of Auschwitz (Zaffre) has secured a fourth non-consecutive week in the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, selling 17,106 copies through Nielsen BookScan’s TCM—a bump of 11% in volume week on week. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Heather Morris’ The Tattooist of Auschwitz (Zaffre) has returned to the UK Official Top 50 number one spot for a third non-consecutive week, selling 15,369 copies through Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amanda Ridout, former managing director of Head of Zeus and a prominent figure in the U.K. publishing world, has launched a new publishing house, Boldwood Books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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WH Smith has reported a “strong trading performance” for Christmas trading, with total sales up 6%. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-01-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bluemoose Books has revealed it will only publish female writers in 2020, with co-owner Kevin Duffy lamenting how “women over a certain age are overlooked in the publishing world”. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-01-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sally Rooney’s Normal People is the critics’ choice for book of the year, with eight publications including it in their end-of-year reviews. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW takes a look back at some of the library stories that captivated the publishing world in 2018, and what they portend for 2019. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sally Rooney's "astounding" love story Normal People (Faber & Faber) has been named Waterstones' Book of the Year 2018. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Normal People, the Irish author's second novel, is named the year's best book by the UK chain. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2018-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Women writers have excelled at the An Post Irish Book Awards, taking home the majority of awards for the first time, with authors such as Sally Rooney, Liz Nugent and Emilie Pine among the winning authors. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HQ has acquired the debut novel Love & Other Things to Live For, described as being perfect for fans of Sally Rooney and Dolly Alderton, by film-maker Louise Leverett. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Heather Morris’ The Tattooist of Auschwitz (Zaffre) has swiped the UK Official Top 50 number one spot from Zoe Sugg’s Cordially Invited (Hodder & Stoughton), selling 25,567 copies through Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales of the Man Booker Prize titles dropped at the longlist stage have signfiicantly outsold its shortlist, according to Nielsen Bookscan, with Belinda Bauer's Snap (Bantam) shifting almost three times the total of the entire shortlist's sales. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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NEW YORK — Over 40 up-and-coming publishing professionals were honored at Folio:’s Rising Stars Awards Luncheon at the New York Hilton Midtown on Tuesday. The Rising Star Honorees are individuals who are making their mark and disrupting the status quo of magazine media, even in the early stages... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2018-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Robert Galbraith has held the Official Top 50 number one spot for a second week running, with Lethal White (Sphere) selling 15,244 copies through Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Robert Galbraith’s fourth Cormoran Strike title Lethal White (Sphere) has proved deadly to Bob Woodward’s Fear (S&S), striking the UK Official Top 50 number one spot in its first three days on sale through Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-09-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Despite the heatwave and the World Cup in Russia, the UK print market sold 42 million books for £344.2m between the first week of June and the third week of August, via Nielsen BookScan's TCM. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-09-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ella Mills' Deliciously Ella: The Plant-Based Cookbook (Yellow Kite) has ousted Dan Brown's Origin (Bantam) from the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, according to Nielsen BookScan's Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sally Rooney’s upcoming novel Normal People is set to be adapted for television by BBC Three. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wales and the West is emerging as the area with the fastest-growing book sales of 2018 so far, according to fresh statistics from Nielsen BookScan. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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