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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Brain Food: McDonald's to Push Kids' Books in Happy Meals

McDonald's just might become the country's largest children's book publisher for the month of November.The chain, which typically offers toys in its kids meals, will package four original children's books carrying a nutritional message Nov. 1 through Nov. 14 with its Happy Meals, the beginning... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2013-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bilton Twitter Book -- Co-Founder Jack Dorsey Almost Went to Facebook (And More!)

An excerpt from a forthcoming book on the birth of Twitter reveals surprising new details about the company's founders. Some not-so-pretty. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2013-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2013: What Is a Publisher Now?

The publishing industry is in the midst of a rapid, tech-fueled period of change, but what does that change mean for the future of the business? That was the question posed to an opening panel at the 2013 Frankfurt Book Fair: What Is a Publisher Now? Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2013: Debut From Joshua Ferris’s Wife Draws Buzz, Along With Co-Authored Iraq War Novel

Two more books drawing buzz at the fair include a debut novel by Joshua Ferris's wife, and a co-authored book about friendship and the Iraq war. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2013: 'We Have to Get this Right,' Says Dohle

The CEO of the recently merged mega-publisher Markus Dohle addressed a range of subjects. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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VIDEO: Children on their favourite books

To celebrate Children's Book Week, the charity Booktrust has compiled a list of 100 books that they say every child should read by the age of 14. BBC News asked some children what they thought. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2013-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Terézia Mora Wins the 2013 German Book Prize

On Monday evening, the jury of the German Book Prize announced Terézia Mora as the 2013 winner for her novel, Das Ungeheuer. Mora will receive at 25,000 euro prize. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt 2013: CONTEC Opens 'Good Mood' Frankfurt Book Fair

The popular Tools of Change is no more, but in its place a more intimate digital conference--CONTEC--kicked off what Frankfurt v-p of conferences and entertainment & media Holger Volland said was going to be “a good mood” Frankfurt Book Fair. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2013: The Digital Spotlight

Read the complete Frankfurt Book Fair 2013 Digital Spotlight in this Scribd reader Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Karten Nabs Two Big Buzz Books Pre-Frankfurt

In separate deals with agents at William Morris Endeavor, HarperCollins's Terry Karten acquired North American rights to two of the big buzz books drawing attention leading into the Frankfurt Book Fair. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hashtags to Use and Follow This Week at The Frankfurt Book Fair

Whether following from abroad or tweeting from the conferences, here are the essential hashtags for The Frankfurt Book Fair. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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National Book Awards hopes to make a splash on 'Morning Joe'

The National Book Awards in recent years has been working to raise its profile and increase books' cultural impact. Now it's taking another step toward extending its reach. The National Book Foundation, which administers the prizes, will announce Monday that the 2013 awards ceremony and benefit... Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2013-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple Files Expected Appeal of E-Book Injunction

"Apple also hereby appeals from any and all orders and rulings that were adverse to it." Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2013-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Religion Update Fall 2013: Books on Buddhism

As the Buddhist community in America continues to grow, and readers who are not necessarily Buddhist are drawn to Buddhist ideas and practices, publishers have found success promoting translated classic titles along with general, concise introductions that can both appeal to a general audience... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Big date coming up? Try reading a good book before you go

A recent study done by New York's New School for Social Research found that, after reading literary fiction, participants displayed more social perception and empathy. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2013: Working the Digital Content Space

Uncertainty is one big obstacle holding publishers back from outsourcing their distribution, observes CEO Gareth Cuddy of ePubDirect. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Run, Brother, Run' author David Berg discusses his brother's murder – a crime made famous for the wrong reasons

Berg's memoir chronicles the death of his brother and the aftereffects of the crime. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair: rights preview 2

The second of two previews of agents' hotlists on the eve of the Frankfurt Book Fair. WME... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2013: The Publisher: Innovator or Traditionalist?

There is no denying that the past decade has seen some mighty changes within the publishing industry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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October’s Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

This month's recipients of starred reviews from BlueInk include a novel about a schizophrenic New Yorker who believes he is Beethoven and a timely look at profiteering in American medicine. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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