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 ]
Lantana Publishing’s evolution has been remarkable—and rapid. Founder Alice Curry explains to Tom Tivnan why the list has refused to compromise on its inclusive ethos. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A rise in selling prices has seen Nielsen BookScan's Total Consumer Market grow again in the first half of 2017, underpinned by strength in depth. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rightwinger said his book – self-published after he was dropped by Simon & Schuster – had sold 100,000 copies, but data shows fewer than 20,000 salesRightwing controversialist Milo Yiannopoulos has branded reported low sales of his new book “fake news” after official figures revealed the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-07-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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W H Smith is selling seven exclusive short stories from writers including Jeffrey Archer, James Patterson and Jodi Picoult to celebrate its 225th anniversary. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Paddington Bear creator Michael Bond died at home yesterday aged 91 following a short illness, his publisher has said. Described as “a giant of children’s literature” by HarperCollins, which published him for over 60 years, Bond's first book, A Bear Called Paddington, was released in 1958.... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In his keynote at Frankfurt's The Markets, the arch-agent Andrew Wylie will address the forces of nationalism: 'The publishing world is in opposition.' The post Andrew Wylie and the Internationalist Imperative: ‘A Profound Moral Question’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-06-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mostly Books in Abingdon has been sold to new owner Sarah Dennis, who has held a “long ambition” to run her own book business. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Michael Mosley and Tanya Borowski’s The Clever Guts Diet (Short) has bowel’d into the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, selling 19,302 copies for £101,156 according to Nielsen BookScan's Total Consumer Market, and denying Paula Hawkins’ Into the Water (Doubleday) a third week at the top. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A precocious young Irish writer whose début was at the heart of a seven-way auction has produced a novel that belies its creator’s years, reckons Alice O’Keeffe. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Paula Hawkins’ Into the Water (Doubleday) has held the UK Official Top 50 number one spot for a second week running, according to Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bonnier Zaffre has acquired two women’s fiction titles from debut author Asia Mackay, who was a runner-up in the Richard & Judy "Search for a Bestseller" competition. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sarah Perry and Clare Mackintosh have joined the likes of Jodi Picoult and Robert Harris on this summer’s Richard and Judy Book Club list with W H Smith. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bernard Cornwell is to publish a new title with HarperCollins set in the Elizabethan period in a "dramatic new departure" for the author. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Matt Forbeck’s Star Wars: Rogue One (Egmont) has knocked Lee Child’s Night School (Bantam) off the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, shifting a stellar 57,949 copies according to Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lee Child has tussled his way into the Official UK Top 50 number one spot for a 16th time, with Night School (Bantam) shifting 36,151 copies for £144,387, according to Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Carly Blake from Templar Publishing tells us all about her role as managing editor. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-04-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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W H Smith is celebrating its 225th anniversary year with a classic ‘yellowback’ book collection similar to the ones sold in the mid-1800s by the retailer. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Walliams’ Blob (HarperCollins Children's) has conquered the UK Official Top 50 number one spot for a third week running, selling 56,015 copies, according to Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Walliams has racked up the best single week of sales ever for a (single) World Book Day title, with Blob (HarperCollins Children's) soaring 449% in volume week on week to shift 103,571 copies, according to Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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