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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A federal appeals court on Monday threw out the approval of a class of authors in a long-running lawsuit against Google Inc. over its efforts to electronically scan millions of books from public and university libraries in order to make them available online. Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2013-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A question hangs over Apple Inc.'s ebooks trial: Why is Apple fighting the U.S. Department of Justice when the book publishers the agency also sued chose to settle? Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2013-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers, intellectual property owners, app and game developers, and other licensing executives are wrestling with how to monetize digital content and distribution, as well as how to use digital media to spur purchases of licensed books and products, synergize physical and digital to sell more... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Developed by Democrasoft, a software developer specializing in collaboration and engagement, a WeJIT is “a way to make books better by embedding interactivity that allows readers to connect and collaborate in a customized online social experience that is engaging and fun,” Democrasoft CEO... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ros Barber's The Marlowe Papers, a novel written entirely in verse, wins the annual Desmond Elliott Prize for best debut novel. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Ros Barber recalls the early hostile reaction she received for her award-winning debut novel in which playwright Christopher Marlowe is credited as the true author of Shakespeare's plays. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Young people have been put off buying from Amazon after recent revelation's about the company... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Daunt Books imprint is to begin publishing original fiction, in an "exciting development... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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During the annual meeting of the bookstore company, CEO Heather Reisman said 'the new Indigo will be a global company.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Templar is launching a new imprint this autumn with a list of colouring-in books for all ages.... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Startup Crowd the Book launched in March, is using selective, online marketing to try and 'create a wildfire around great books published by small presses.' Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin has secured deals in 25 languages for Sally Green's YA debut Half Bad within 13 weeks... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The future of book publishing is increasingly digital -- and increasingly tilted towards genre fiction. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2013-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The French government announced a plan to introduce a law to stop Amazon from offering discounts and free delivery for books, citing it as "unfair" competitive practice. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Justice Department’s ebook price fixing trial – alleging that Apple conspired to raise ebook prices – is scheduled to end this week. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Nick Harkaway has called for authors to be offered a greater share of royalties from e-... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publisher John Blake has signed world rights to a new title about the life of Nelson Mandela [... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jennie Bristow, associate fellow at the University of Kent, says grown-ups read children's books because they feel 'disenchanted with adult culture'. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The "Korea Times" compares the Seoul International Book Fair to Tokyo's International Book Fair, and finds it sorely lacking. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Among the curiosities for sale at last week's Seoul International Book Fair were Borges-themed beach gear and tiny hand-bound artists books from a tiny Irish island. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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