Sunday Telegraph book deal that compromised a murder trial

Sebastian Faulks gave his former Sunday Telegraph boss, John Thompson, a warm send-off in his tribute yesterday, "A nurturing force in the final days of Fleet Street".It reinforced the picture drawn of Thompson in the more formal Daily Telegraph obituary following Thompson's death, aged 93, on 24 November.Thompson, who edited the Sunday Telegraph for 10 years from 1976, was mild of manner and ran a kindly regime but had "an inner steel", wrote Faulks. This characteristic was necessary, as both Faulks and the obituary pointed out, because of the difficulties he faced in producing a paper in Fleet Street's final days of continual union disputes.Faulks pointed out that it was difficult to know Thompson well because "he was a diffident man who did not invite intimacy." It reminded me of a description of him by Henry Porter as "retiring to the point of joining a trappist order." But Faulks and the Telegraph's obituarist overlooked Thompson's most extraordinary, and disastrous, decision as an editor. In 1978, the Sunday Telegraph negotiated the serialisation of an autobiography by a former Liberal MP, Peter Bessell, who was a chief prosecution witness in the trial of Jeremy Thorpe, his party's leader. Thorpe was accused of conspiring to murder a male model, Norman Scott, who was said to have blackmailed him over their alleged gay relationship.Two months after Thorpe was charged, Thompson agreed a contract with Bessell which stated that he would receive £50,000 for extracts... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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James Frey wins $2m deal for young adult SF novel

Endgame, by the controversial author of A Million Little Pieces, sold in joint publishing and film dealJames Frey, best known for his partially-fabricated memoir A Million Little Pieces, has landed a reported $2m (£1.2m) film deal for his latest novel, a Hunger Games/Battle Royale-esque story... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Adult Books & Authors at Wi9

A comprehensive list of the writers to look for and galleys and finished books available at the ABA conference. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Image Expo 2014: Brubaker, Willingham Ink Deals

Last week, Image Comics presented Image Expo 2014, an innovative single-publisher media event, held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in downtown San Francisco to show off its artists and forthcoming projects. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A Complete List of Children's Books and Authors at Wi9

PW has compiled a list of the children's books and galleys being given away at this year's Winter Institute, along with the buzz about why specific authors are attending. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-Readers Create Boom in US Spanish-Language Books

The Los Angeles Times looks into the growing availability of Spanish-language ebooks and increasing confidence in the US Spanish-speaking market. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Big Hat Books Temporarily Closes

Big Hat Books, Indianapolis' only independent full-service general bookstore selling only new books, is temporarily closing while its owner looks for a new, smaller retail space. The 10-year-old bookstore will be closed for an undetermined length of time. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The First 3-D Printed Book Cover Is Here

A limited edition of Chang-Rae Lee's On Such A Full Sea turns typography into a sculpture.It was only a matter of time: the first 3-D printed book cover has arrived. Published by Riverhead Books on Tuesday, a limited edition of Chang-Rae Lee's novel On Such a Full Sea features a white slipcover... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2014-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Spanish-language books flourish thanks to e-readers

The surging popularity of the Kindle and Nook allows publishers to offer Spanish-language books in the U.S. at far lower prices than for printed copies. For decades, finding Spanish-language books in the U.S. was like tilting at windmills.     Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2014-01-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Small presses release some of the best books around

In 2014, as in years past, it looks as if some of the best new releases will be coming from America's smaller publishers. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-01-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Time-Life Books Gets Set for a Return

Although Time Inc. began publishing books that combined the resources of its Time and Life magazines in 1961, Time-Life Books (T-L Books) was not officially established until 1964. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Telegraph Media Group made record £60m profit last year

The Telegraph Media Group made more than £60m last year, The Guardian can reveal. It is the third successive year that the company has managed to increase its operating profit.TMG is expected to report what amounts to a record figure formally in the spring when it files its accounts for the full... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' Surges in E-Book Sales

Adolf Hitler's anti-Semitic political testament, "Mein Kampf" is surging up electronic book best seller lists, even as sales of the printed version have been stagnant for years.     Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2014-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Key to hit books discovered, study claims

Academic Yejin Choi says her algorithm can predict 'highly successful literature' with 84% accuracyAuthors, publishers and literary critics struggling to unlock the secrets of successful writing can breathe a sigh of relief, after a computer science professor has announced an algorithm that can... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Audio Book Club Plucks The Good Lord Bird

This month, Dan Kois, David Haglund, and Emily Bazelon discuss James McBride’s National Book Award winner for fiction, The Good Lord Bird. The novel makes a farcical cross-dressing comedy of John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry, paints Frederick Douglass as a drunken letch, and generally takes an... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2014-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Holiday Sales for Children's Books Strong at Indies

PW's annual post-Christmas survey of two dozen bookstores across the country didn't turn up any blockbusters on a level with last year's Hunger Games trilogy; instead, shoppers gravitated to a mix of children's books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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James Franco stars in an ambitious book trailer for Gary Shteyngart memoir

The trailer for Gary Shteyngart's memoir 'Little Failure' features James Franco and Rashida Jones. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rome’s Book Fair Reflects a Country Unwilling to Surrender

Italian publishing is struggling, but the recent book fair in Rome offered signs of vitality and reflected a strong commitment to carry on. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Liverpool Echo to get Sunday edition

The Liverpool Echo is to launch a Sunday edition on 19 January. Trinity Mirror's announcement comes soon after its closure of its weekly title, the Liverpool Post.Print sales of the Echo, which publishes from Monday to Saturday, stood at an average of 74,984 copies a day in the first six months... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A Picture Book To Teach Kids Typography

Jeremy Dooley created a new book--and an original font--to tutor tots on typeface.They say necessity is the mother of invention, but new parenthood isn't bad for coming up with new ideas either. "After my son was born, I found that his very simple books started me thinking about a lot of basic... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2014-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Manufacturing Organizations Merge

On the first of the year, the Hardcover Binders International/Library Binding Institute (HBI/LBI) merged with the Book Manufactures’ Institute. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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