The crisis in non-fiction publishing

When it comes to high-calibre non-fiction, risk-averse trade publishing houses are producing too many copycat ‘smart thinking’ books that promise more than they deliver. But praise should be given to the university pressesAmid the ambient wails of doom about the publishing industry, I’d like to enter a note of encouragement. The mainstream may be getting dumber by the day, but we are living in what looks like a golden age of publishing for, of all people, the university presses.At the moment, I don’t think there’s a trade publishing house producing high-calibre, serious non-fiction of the quality and variety of Yale University Press; and snapping at its heels are Harvard, Oxford, Princeton, Cambridge and Chicago. As the literary editor of a middlebrow news magazine I’m finding ever more of the reviews I commission are from such presses. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "The crisis in non-fiction publishing"


Knowledge Ages Quickly, as Shown by This Ad That Grew Mold on a Classic Marketing Book

There's still much to be learned from books written by the great minds of advertising's golden age, but it's hard to deny that almost any advice printed to the page quickly becomes dated in today's digitally driven world. To illustrate that point, and boost turnout at an upcoming IdeasFirst... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2018-04-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Publishing in the Baltic Region 2018: An Introduction to Publishing in Latvia

Regardless of the market's limited size, given a national population of only 1.9 million, the standards of the publishing industry in Latvia remain very high. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Amid Sexual Harassment Allegations, PRH Drops An Apologetic Dashner

Following a sexual harassment scandal that has embroiled the children's sector of the publishing industry for the past week, James Dashner, author of the bestselling Maze Runner series, has been dropped by his publisher. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Sales Rep Legend Ted Heinecken Dies at 84

Ted Heinecken, who was regarded as a senior statesman of the publishing industry, with a career in publishing that spanned 58 years, 52 of them spent as a publisher's rep calling on stores in the Midwest, died in Chicago on Saturday. He was 84 years old. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Robyn Karney obituary

Robyn Karney, who has died of cancer aged 77, was a writer on film and a literary editor. She had comprehensive knowledge of the cinema, and in the early 1980s edited the popular Octopus Books series of Hollywood studio histories. She co-wrote the Bloomsbury Foreign Film Guide (1988, with Ronald... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


WI13: Junot Diaz Urges Booksellers to Walk the Talk on Diversity

During his Winter Institute 13 keynote address, author Junot Diaz delivered a blistering political statement urging the publishing industry to "stop talking about diversity and start decolonizing our shelves." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-01-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Searle speaks about demise of Freight Books

Adrian Searle has spoken out for the first time since leaving Freight Books, calling the demise of the publisher a "personal tragedy" but not one which he thinks should "preclude him from future involvement in the publishing industry". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Creative Access calls for publishing mentors

Diversity social enterprise Creative Access is launching a new mentoring scheme and is seeking volunteers from the publishing industry. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Publishers have 'huge opportunity' in content marketing says Chowney

There is “huge opportunity” for the publishing industry to make money out of content marketing, an industry predicted to grow to $413bn (£305bn) by 2021. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Meredith says Koch brothers will not have control after helping finance Time acquisition

Magazine publisher and broadcast company Meredith Corp. is acquiring Time Inc. in a deal valued at $2.8 billion as it seeks to adapt to the publishing industry’s challenge of migrating from print to the digital age. The Des Moines-based company said Sunday it would pay $18.50 a share for New... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Crain’s New York Business Names Mary Kramer Group Publisher | People On the Move

The Atlantic.com taps a new deputy editor, Esquire names new literary editor, and more... The post Crain’s New York Business Names Mary Kramer Group Publisher | People On the Move appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2017-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The UK’s Second ‘Inclusivity Conference’ Grapples With Diversity Issues

Told that the publishing industry 'has a responsibility to be a beacon of inclusivity,' delegates to the UK's diversity conference look at challenges. The post The UK’s Second ‘Inclusivity Conference’ Grapples With Diversity Issues appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Real Value Of 'Comp Titles' Is Broader Than You Think

Comp titles, known in the publishing industry interchangeably as “comparative” or “competitive” titles, are a wonky industry Continue reading at HuffPost

[ HuffPost | 2017-11-06 15:15:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Welsh-language novels 'enjoying golden age' despite reported sales decline

Despite news this week that sales had fallen dramatically, the Welsh Books Council’s chief says that the sector is showing real growthThe head of the Welsh Books Council (WBC) has hailed a “golden age for the Welsh-language novel” despite reports of a dramatic decline in sales.BBC Cymru Fyw... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-11-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Frankfurt Book Fair 2017: Macron, Merkel Speak of a Europe United by Culture

The two leaders touched on not only the power of culture to hold Europe together, but also on some issues within the publishing industry, including copyright and digitization. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Not-So-Glossy Future of Magazines

Magazines still line classic newsstands like this one in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Mass. But the publishing industry has faded. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2017-09-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Academic Publishing in China 2017: Types of Chinese Universities

References to Project 211, Project 985, and C9 frequently crop up during conversations with Chinese universities and university presses. As a matter of fact, Chinese universities are divided into three types: Project 211, Project 985, and ordinary university. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Publishing Industry Knows ‘Winter Is Coming.’ Here’s How It Can Move Forward

Graydon Carter, 25 years. Robbie Myers, 17 years. Cindi Leive, 16 years. Nancy Gibbs, 4 years as editor in chief and 28 more at the company. All four major magazine editors, at Vanity Fair, Elle, Glamour and Time, respectively, have stepped down from their positions within the month of... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-09-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Book trade network for LGBTQ+ people launches

Pride in Publishing (PiP), a brand-new networking group for LGBTQ+ people in the industry, has launched in order to create a way for queer members of the publishing industry to meet up, connect with others and find peer support. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Tick review – a beacon of bizarreness in a relatively normal superhero universe

Dressed as a 6ft 4in blue insect, Peter Serafinowicz’s superhero is a throwback to the Golden Age of Comic Books – but with everything just a fraction offWhat is it? A superhero series, because Lord knows, we need another one of those at the moment.Why you’ll love it: As superhero series go,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-08-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this