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 price-fixing case turns out well for Amazon but unsettles many others in the industry.Publishing insiders worry that a decisive court ruling benefiting retailer Amazon.com Inc. will undermine an industry already struggling with the transition to ebooks. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-09-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Eli Horowitz does not think of himself as someone who “fetishizes the book.” But he’s also seen what books become, in digital form, and has not always been impressed. A former managing editor and publisher at McSweeney’s, Horowitz describes much of what he has seen in the digital revolution in... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-09-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Retailers say the summer’s mixed weather is giving book sales a lift, with Nielsen BookScan... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When Erin Morgenstern’s first novel, The Night Circus, debuted last September, PW predicted in a starred review that this magical tale was destined for bestsellerdom. The hardcover went on to sell 167,000 copies through the outlets tracked by Nielsen BookScan, and the paperback, which was... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The front page of the New York Times Book Review has always been—and continues to be—a much coveted spot for authors and publishers alike. But just how much does a Book Review cover affect a book’s sales in today’s publishing climate—does the revered paper publication still move units in the... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Data gathered by Nielsen BookScan for The Daily Beast show many of the same titles are popular in American cities – but exceptions include 'Heaven Is For Real' and 'The Great Gatsby.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Customers will be encouraged to invest more time in trialling e-readers with WH Smith's new... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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WH Smith has reported a 3% rise in group profit year-on-year for the six months to 29th February... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers need to emerge from the shadow of Nielsen BookScan and use their own judgement while... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rowan Pelling, former editor of Erotic Review and Telegraph Review, and Tom Tivnan, features editor for The Bookseller, discuss the rise in popularity of ebooks particularly in genres such as erotica. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2012-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Many in the publishing world were convinced that Ms. Knox's story would be a huge best seller, overcoming concerns that she may not be a sympathetic figure to some of the public. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2012-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nearly a quarter of all books sold on Hive since October have been digital, Gardners has revealed... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Print sales are in retreat in almost all markets across the world tracked by Nielsen BookScan,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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W H Smith is to promote cross- over young adult (YA) titles more directly to adults via a new... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers have reported ebook sales surging by up to 355% post-Christmas, as Nielsen BookScan... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The top three fiction titles in Germany were all debuts in October, led by In Times of Fading Light, which recently won the 2011 German Book Prize and is set for publication in the U.S. by Graywolf Press in fall 2013. Umberto Ecos newest book, The Prague Cemetery, which debuted at #3, is newly... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-11-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 10/11/2011 - 09:44 Total group sales at W H Smith have dropped by 3% in the last 10 weeks, with like-for-like sales down by 6% in comparison to last year. This morning (10th November) the company reported in its interim financial results for the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 31/10/2011 - 08:20 The first official sales charts including ebook sales data have been published in the Wall Street Journal this weekend, with Nielsen BookScan now supplying ebook sales reports to the US paper. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Benedicte Page, Felicity Wood and Philip Stone Publication Date: Fri, 23/09/2011 - 10:15 A squeeze on consumer spending in supermarkets and the migration to digital are being blamed for the spectacular falls in sales suffered by many of the UKs biggest commercial womens novelists... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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