Categorising fiction may help to sell books, but it says little about how writers write or readers readIn her Reith lecture of 2017, recently published for the first time in a posthumous collection of nonfiction, A Memoir of My Former Self, Hilary Mantel recalled the beginnings of her career as a novelist. It was the 1970s. “In those days historical fiction wasn’t respectable or respected,” she recalled. “It meant historical romance. If you read a brilliant novel like I, Claudius, you didn’t taint it with the genre label, you just thought of it as literature. So, I was shy about naming what I was doing. All the same, I began. I wanted to find a novel I liked, about the French Revolution. I couldn’t, so I started making one.”She made A Place of Greater Safety, an exceptional ensemble portrayal of the revolutionaries Danton, Robespierre and Desmoulins, but although the novel was completed in 1979, it wasn’t published until 1992 – widely rejected, as she later explained, because although she thought the French Revolution was the most interesting thing in the world, the reading public didn’t agree, or publishers had concluded they didn’t. She decided to write a contemporary novel – Every Day Is Mother’s Day – purely to get published; A Place of Greater Safety emerged only when she contributed to a Guardian piece about writers’ unpublished first novels. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2023-11-27 12:30:00 UTC ]
A “dazzling” six-book shortlist has been announced for the £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-04-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For nearly 20 years, Namwali Serpell has been writing “The Old Drift.” If you don’t find that fact alone to be staggering, consider this: The 576-page book blends English with a multitude of Bantu languages spoken in Zambia. Incorporating elements of historical fiction, sci-fi, magical realism,... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As a recipient of the Arts Connects Us Grant I travelled to Ghana and Sierra Leone to meet with writers and publishing professionals working in the field of books for young readers to foster creative and collaborative exchanges between those contacts and publishing professionals and readers in... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2019-03-19 11:10:28 UTC ]
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The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction has unveiled its longlist, as the chair of the judges warns choosing a shortlist “from these corkers is going to be a tough task”. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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They don’t own Whole Foods, but they do sell books! As Groucho Marx once said, outside of a dog, books are man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.Read Full Story Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2018-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In Germany, Turning Point, the finale of Carmen Korn’s Century Trilogy, a historical series about four women in the 20th century, topped the fiction bestseller list in September, and prolific mystery novelist Charlotte Link was in second with The Search, about a missing teen. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In her first work of historical fiction, bestselling author Patti Callahan explores the life and love of Joy Davidman, the wife of C.S. Lewis. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-08-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury has snapped up an "exquisite" novel and a short story collection about flawed masculinity from Benjamin Myers six weeks after he scooped the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction for his book published by Bluemoose Books. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Benjamin Myers has won the £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction with The Gallows Pole, published by small Yorkshire-based independent press Bluemoose Books. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jennifer Egan, Benjamin Myers and Paul Lynch are among the authors shortlisted for the £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The late writer Helen Dunmore, US novelist Jennifer Egan and 29-year-old writer Natasha Pulley are all vying for the £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, with entries up 40% from last year. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An East London bookshop's decision to put a sign in its window highlighting it is "proud" to sell books by authors from so-called "sh*thole" countries, in reference to a remark allegedly made by US president Donald Trump, has been met with a "phenomenal" response from the trade and customers. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How the 95-year-old magazine grew its circulation 10 percent despite reducing print frequency. The post The Big Idea Behind Harvard Business Review’s Record Growth appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2017-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Irish writer Sebastian Barry has won the £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction for a second time for his American epic Days Without End (Faber). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dame Hilary Mantel is to give a series of lectures around the UK which will be broadcast by BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rebecca Gablé, the bestselling author of historical fiction, returned to Germany’s fiction bestseller list in April at #1 with "The Foreign Queen," the second in her new Otto the Great Series. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Faber has three books shortlisted for the £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The downloadable audio site for indie bookstores, Libro.fm, sets opening date; a new Georgia bookstore will sell books by the pound; a Nevada shop announces plans to close; and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tinte & Feder is Amazon Publishing's second German-language imprint, and is to focus on contemporary and historical fiction. First titles out March 7. The post Amazon Publishing’s Newest Imprint Makes Its Debut in Germany appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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What's done to help sell standard books, but not to help sell books in translation? In a telling interview, Chad Post talks about differences in marketing. The post ‘Ghettoizing the Translations’: Chad Post on Marketing Books in Translation appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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