An important riposte to digital culture, these essays by the Italian publisher and author argue that a publisher’s list is a literary work in its own rightThis collection of essays by the Italian author and publisher Roberto Calasso, translated by Richard Dixon, is a paean to publishing. Calasso argues that the art of the publisher lies in nurturing a distinctive literary vision. Publishers like Kurt Wolff, who published authors such as Kafka and Robert Walser, understood that being a publisher was not just about marketing books but creating a “form”: all the books produced by a publisher are part of a “self-sufficient composition”. Blurbs, covers, layout, paper, typeface: all serve “to give form to a plurality of books as though they were the chapters of a single book”. In effect, the list of a publisher becomes a literary work in itself. But in an age of corporate mergers and digitisation, this is an endangered ideal.In part, these essays are memoirs of Calasso’s own experience creating the Biblioteca Adelphi and of the authors and publishers he has known. But what makes this slim text memorable is his sheer passion for books – not digital texts but physical objects, in which every part is designed to enhance the experience of reading. An important and timely book. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2016-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Industry figures have voiced hopes for the latest government-commissioned review into the library... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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WhatsApp, Facebook's bold $19 billion acquisition, may be best known as a cross-platform instant messaging service for smartphones. But it could become an invaluable distribution tool for publishers.The post Do publishers need a WhatsApp strategy? appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2014-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Much bandwidth has been consumed discussing the effects of Facebook's recent algorithm change to favor sites offering "high quality" content. It's been said to hurt viral sites like Upworthy -- a notion the site's founders have denied -- while rewarding other publishers including Mental... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2014-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hodder & Stoughton imprint Yellow Kite is to publish blogger Ella Woodward’s cookbook... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Although Rolando Hinojosa has won numerous awards during his distinguished career, including the 1976 Premio Casa de las Americas, he is especially excited, and humbled, to be named the recipient of the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award, which he will receive March 13 at the National Book... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Melville House has signed a memoir from Jón Gnarr, the absurdist comedian who founded a... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Since Valve released the first stable version of Steam for Linux a year ago, the number of Linux-supported games has grown more than fivefold.Valve's digital game distribution service now hosts 333 games for Linux, compared to 60 games last February. (Strangely, Steam's store page claims that... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2014-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A handful of big-shot professionals have long had the freedom to express themselves through LinkedIn's blogging platform, but most careerists have had to sit on the sidelines. Starting today, though, just about everyone can have their voices heard --... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2014-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nominees for the 34th annual L.A. Times Book Prizes have been announced and include five finalists for the graphic novel prize. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fifty titles in 10 categories are in contention for the awards, which will be revealed in April. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The dividend figure, which is not final, appears in a document related to Tribune's purchase in December of a group of TV stations. In spinning off its publishing business, Tribune Co. will pick up a dividend that could be about $325 million from the new public company, which would consist of... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2014-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cornerstone has signed a four-book deal with Kindle self-published author Tracy Bloom. Jenny... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a deal that adds 27 titles to its backlist, Graphic Arts Books has acquired the trade books and publishing rights of Companion Press. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When it comes to online publishing, building an audience organically with compelling content and monetizing it successfully with ads from big-name brands is extremely hard work. Luckily, there's a much easier way to make money: Arbitrage.The post Tricks of the trade: How to game the publishing... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2014-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tezuka Productions and Digital Manga, Inc. have announced a deal to translate and digitally publish hundreds of volumes of manga by revered manga and anime creator Osamu Tezuka. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Twelve German online news publishers have taken a 50 percent stake in collecting society VG Media, with the aim of receiving compensation from search engines that republish parts of news articles.Joining collecting society VG Media is the publishers’ first step toward collecting compensation... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2014-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The first three titles to be released will be I Love Lucy, The Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, and The Disney Parks. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The mobile Web experience has improved significantly over the past few years as publishers have come to the realization that this smartphone and tablet thing isn't going away. But there are still some responsive design holdouts. The post These top publishers are still mobile Web holdouts... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2014-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This year's New York International Toy Fair was characterized by steady traffic on the show floor, key customers roaming the aisles of the Javits Center, orders being written, and meetings being accomplished. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Collection will include work by Banks's friend Ken MacLeod and will come out on the anniversary of his death in FebruaryThe final work by Iain Banks – a collection of poetry by the late author – will be released next February, his publisher has announced.Banks died last June, two months after... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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