Karl Sabbagh says small publishers face with huge obstacles with selling books and even letting anyone know they exist; plus a descendant of Dr Miles Marley sets the record straightWith reference to your leader on literary fiction (28 December), as a small publisher we are faced with huge obstacles in the way of selling our books or even letting anyone know our titles exist, however good they are. Last year we published an excellent novel called To the Lake, by a Russian writer, Yana Vagner. This had sold over 100,000 copies in Russia, and is being made into a TV series there. It has won prizes throughout Europe, and been translated into half a dozen languages, with sales outside Russia running into tens of thousands. We paid an advance to the author, a fee to a translator, and typesetting, cover design and printing costs, a total of about £9,000. We sent at least 50 copies out to major periodicals, newspapers and broadcast media in the hope of getting reviews, but there were none. The one thing we couldn’t afford was advertising, at a cost of £1,000 or so for a quarter page in a literary journal and far more in widely selling newspapers. So far, we have sold 64 copies. Can anyone wonder why we don’t publish more such books?Karl SabbaghManaging director, Skyscraper Publications• Dr Christopher Goulding (Letters, 26 December) may regard Barry West’s “theory” about Dickens’ use of the name Marley as tenuous; in our family we regard it as long-established fact. I am a... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2017-12-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Michael Smerconish's "Talk" is the first novel acquired by the Kennebunkport, Maine-based publisher. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In one of his longest shareholder letters, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos gave readers a “tour” of 21 Amazon initiatives. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Chatto & Windus has acquired a “genre-blending non-fiction” book by Lauren Elkin... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A visit to the Gwanghwamun branch of Kyobo, Korea’s largest bookstore chain, provides many clues to the country’s present book market. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Veteran author Christian Jennings offers tips, techniques and strategies on how to write a good non-fiction proposal for submission. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Check out the top-10 hardcover fiction titles on the PW 2013 fiction bestseller chart; it resembles the decade-old list from 2003. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reports from the Association of American Publishers on ebook sales suggest that the industry is maturing and growth will plateau soon. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Our annual collection of sales numbers for books sold in the last calendar year provides a granular portrait of the book business. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie wins the US National Critics Book Prize for her novel Americanah. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2014-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Is there lingering sexism in the world of books and art galleries? Many female novelists have ardently argued that their novels haven’t received the laurels and attention of Great Male Novelists, but they have not been able to deftly, subtly attack the larger problem the way Siri Hustvedt does... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2014-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Igloo Books aims to up its adult non-fiction output by 40% over the course of 2014. The... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Two Iraqi novelists, two Moroccans, one Syrian author and one Egyptian author have been... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Acquiring editors face a daunting task when it comes to Christian and inspirational fiction: find gifted writers with strong voices presenting distinctive stories to lure readers looking for familiar yet unique, similar yet special books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The UK Fiction Uncovered promotion has secured £80K for 2 years of £5k grants from the Jerwood Charitable Foundation and is now open to self-published authors. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Someone really ought to weave a tale about selling Christian and inspirational fiction: the overcrowded market, the distracted readers, and the rewards for those who overcome the odds. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fiction Uncovered, the annual prize highlighting works by British writers, is to be renamed the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Aurum Publishing Group has appointed Rachel Williams as publisher of a new non-fiction imprint,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Innovative and energetic publishers such as And Other Stories and Dalkey Archive are finding new routes to a committed audience"We were dreaming of freedom; we woke up in capitalism," is Slovenian writer Drago Jančar's wry comment at the launch of Dalkey Archive's anthology of short stories,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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I had the luck to have two books published by Tom Rosenthal. He combined the sharpest of editorial eyes and a penetrating critical intelligence with warm encouragement and support. Working with him, I got to know and love an exceptional personality. But, as I discovered, beneath his powerful,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Projects you “desperately want to publish” but that you also can’t imagine “sliding comfortably between those two stiff pieces of cardboard” is how Farrar, Straus & Giroux senior editor Sean McDonald described FSG Originals, the publisher’s paperback line. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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