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 ]
The government has relaxed the prison book ban, but said inmates can only receive parcels from four named booksellers – Waterstones, Blackwell’s, Foyles or WH Smith. The prison book ban was relaxed from 31st January, The Bookseller understands, following a High Court ruling that the ban,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As the cultural debate over the film American Sniper continues to swirl, the book on which it is based held the top three spots on the print bestseller list last week, according to Nielsen BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The self-help and graphic novels categories had the fastest growth in print book unit sales among adult segments in 2014, posting gains of 15% and 13%, respectively, compared to the previous year, at outlets that report to Nielsen BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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WH Smith has released its interim results covering the Christmas period, revealing that group sales were down 2% like-for-like. As usual, WH Smith Travel performed better than its High Street stores, with like-for-like sales up 2% and total sales up 7%, with particular improvements at large... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A publishing group’s managing editor has said 90pc of revenue made by its flagship title comes from print. Tom Thomson, managing editor of the Herald & Times group, made the claim about Glasgow daily The Herald while speaki ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's books dominated the top of the US book charts in 2014, Nielsen BookScan's full-year statistics have revealed. Seven children's titles hit the number one spot last year and claimed pole position for 39 of the 52 weeks ending 28th December. This included an unbroken run of 15 weeks... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In the three-week shopping season that began Thanksgiving week, Jeff Kinney's newest installment in the Wimpy Kid series has sold more than 535,000 print copies at outlets that report to Nielsen BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As the Christmas rush got underway, the US book market surged again last week with print volumes increasing by 26% week on week. Overall, just over 20m book sales registered through Nielsen BookScan in the seven days ending 7th December. Jeff Kinney's The Long Haul (Amulet), enjoys another... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-12 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 2014, and what they portend for 2015 Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book sales in the US jumped 23% week on week in the seven days ending 30th November as 15.8 million print books registered through Nielsen BookScan. It follows two consecutive weeks of volume growth above 5%. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Print unit sales rose 5% in the week ended November 30, 2014 compared to Thanksgiving week in 2013 at outlets that report to Nielsen BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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YouTube sensation Zoe Sugg has eclipsed superstars such J K Rowling, Dan Brown and E L James to record the biggest first week sale for a début since records began. Sugg, known as Zoella on her fashion and beauty vlog, which has over five million subscribers, shifted 78,109 copies of her Young... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With unit sales of print books up about 2% in the first 47 weeks of 2014, year over year, at outlets that report to Nielsen BookScan, the industry is poised to post its first increase in print sales since 2008. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Along with Brian Murray, PW's Publishing Person of the Year, we honor these notable people who changed the publishing world in 2014. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Booksellers are predicting that a Picador novel by a little-known Japanese writer will prove a left-field Christmas bestseller. The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide, translated by Eric Selland, sold over 16,200 in paperback in its first six and a half weeks since publication at the end of September... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Faber Children’s is set to publish a cookbook and two children’s fiction titles from Sophie Thompson, actor and winner of this year’s Celebrity Masterchef. Commissioning editor Alice Swan said when she received a manuscript about a boy who could talk to animals, she didn’t realise who the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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YouTuber Alfie Deyes is to write two more books for Blink Publishing, including a sequel to his bestselling debut The Pointless Book. The sequel to The Pointless Book, which has sold more than 100,000 copies through Nielsen BookScan, will be published in April 2015. This will be followed by a... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Julia Donaldson has bested fellow bestsellers J K Rowling, Jamie Oliver and Dan Brown to become the only author to record annual sales of over £10m in five consecutive years. The Gruffalo creator sold almost £239,000 last week through Nielsen BookScan's Total Consumer Market, to bring her tally... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a rare move for the publishing world, Land Rover has sponsored "An Ice Cream War" novelist William Boyd's new short fiction and turned it in into a gorgeous interactive campaign. The post Land Rover commissions novelist William Boyd’s latest appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2014-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jeff Kinney's newest Wimpy Kid title has débuted at number one, knocking David Walliams' Awful Auntie from the top of the UK Official Top 50 after a run of six consecutive weeks. The Long Haul (Puffin), the ninth of Kinney's books featuring hapless middle schooler Greg Heffley, sold 59,315... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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