London book fair has shown how upbeat the literary world can be – and how worried our cultural businesses have become at the thought of losing old certaintiesThe mood at this week’s London book fair appeared upbeat, with hotly contested auctions leading to the return of the six-figure publishing deal. Musicians did particularly well, with Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker, Suede’s Brett Anderson and drum’n’bass pioneer Goldie leading the way. Rumours of the death of literary fiction appear exaggerated. A collection of short stories, traditionally regarded as commercial suicide, earned Orange prize winner Lionel Shriver a place at the top of the sales league. The razzmatazz of such deals, however, is only part of the story of the modern books industry.Publishing is a commercial enterprise, and like all businesses it thrives in an atmosphere of certainty that ceased to exist the day the UK voted for Brexit. In a heated opening debate on the impact of the decision to leave the European Union, a succession of leading publishers rounded on the prime minister, Theresa May, for “playing with people’s lives” in her negotiations. The government emissary parried criticism by insisting that ministers were “at the fat end of the funnel”, sucking up information from businesses to understand how best to represent them. The information came fast and furiously, with much of the concern about freedom of movement. We have heard a lot about the fears of the university sector about the drain on research... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2017-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Social media cannot ensure they only publish truths. But what about deliberate falsehoods designed to damage?Are social media companies responsible for the lies their users tell? Both the obvious answers, “yes” and “no”, are clearly wrong. Complete responsibility is a bad idea, and impossible in... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-05-27 17:25:07 UTC ]
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The social media advertising giants of the web have great power. When they admit this, they will come under pressureThe decision by Facebook to ban six prominent figures of the alt-right movement, along with Louis Farrakhan, from both Facebook and its subsidiary Instagram, is a significant... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If they succeed in distracting commuters from their smartphones, short story dispensers will be a welcome addition to the landscapeCan fiction miniatures dispensed through slots lure commuters away from their smartphone apps and social media feeds into the imaginary worlds created by authors... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-04-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Corporate sponsorship needs to steer clear of impinging on artistic freedomsNews that investment managers the Man Group is withdrawing its sponsorship from the Booker prize after 18 years has shocked the literary world. The hedge fund’s decision to move on was linked in the press to novelist... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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These days, most writers cannot afford to live secluded from their public. But when a very private author like Thomas Harris announces a new novel, there’s always special excitementAuthors – at least as far as their relationship with the public goes – fall into several distinct categories. There... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Martin Lewis is suing Facebook. The question is whether companies can be held responsible for the behaviour of their softwareMartin Lewis, the consumer advice and money-saving expert, is suing Facebook in a case that threatens the dominant business model of publishing on the internet. It raises... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The standards by which the internet is controlled need to be open and subject to impartial judiciaries – not left to advertisersThe revelations we publish about how Facebook’s data was used by Cambridge Analytica to subvert the openness of democracy are only the latest examples of a global... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The news that the music weekly will no longer appear in print is unsurprising. Where should we look for the sense of excitement it once offered?It would be silly to mourn the demise of NME, which is closing its print edition after 66 years, maintaining only its painful digital existence. This is... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Stories should come from all parts of society – not just from the well heeled and the middle classLiterary fiction, you might think, is in wonderful health. Book festivals, from Edinburgh and Wigtown in Scotland, to Hay-on-Wye in Wales, to Cheltenham and Bath in England, are flourishing. There... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-12-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It may not prove easy to marry British and Japanese journalistic cultures. But in a global media world this deal makes senseThe Financial Times is one of the best newspapers in the world, not just in Britain. It is quick without being rash, accurate without leaden pedantry, thoughtful without... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-07-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The readiness of juries to defend public interest journalism is good news. But the press should be more transparent about payments to sources for storiesThe case of the Sun journalists charged with paying public officials for information has been a troubling one in many respects. It is, we... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Can a one-size-fits-all, low-price, consumer-dominated sales model support a diverse, innovative, challenging literary output?It is either an existential threat to intellectual freedom or a rustbelt media industry meeting its comeuppance at the hands of disruptive technology. The battle between... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-08-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The director of Tyto Alba describes what her house and other publishers are up to. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'We will have to strengthen our voice,' says a panelist from the UK's Publishers Association on the implications of Brexit for the book industry there. The post ‘Brexit Means Brexit’? UK Publishing Isn’t Fully Convinced appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Full-page letter by Nobel peace laureate called on British people and political leaders to 'stand firmly with the people of Israel'The publisher of the Guardian has defended its decision to run a newspaper advertisement about the conflict in Gaza that called on David Cameron and other political... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The company, which is headquartered in Miramar, Florida, and focuses exclusively on Christian titles, has seen significant growth in the U.S. market over the past quarter-century, with the U.S. now accounting for 52% of its total business, a testament to the growing Spanish-speaking population... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-07-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Small press of the year award shortlists 48 presses that are ‘reaping the rewards from inspirational publishing’, says British book awards chair of judgesSmall presses across the UK and Ireland have had a “year of exceptional sales and profit growth in the face of Brexit and escalating running... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-02-15 09:17:08 UTC ]
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The AAP cited the Venezuelan publisher for exhibiting "tremendous courage and commitment in continuing to publish, even as the social and political environments in Venezuela have deteriorated, causing many others to flee the country,” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-30 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Effective May 2, Ronnen will assume the role of publisher and editorial director of Workman's adult publishing program, all while continuing her role as publisher and editorial director of the Artisan imprint. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-03-03 05:00:00 UTC ]
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