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 ]
The UK’s possible exit from the European Union, looking likely to be the subject of a summer referendum, would be a disaster for the book trade, according to industry figures such as Waterstones m.d. James Daunt, Bonnier Publishing c.e.o. Richard Johnson and Alma Books m.d. Alessandro Gallenzi. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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I will start with a declaration: if there is a convincing argument for the UK to leave the European Union, then I have yet to hear it. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The European Union has passed strict new data collection rules that will affect how Facebook, Snapchat and other social media giants do business in the region. "More than 90% of Europeans say they want the same data protection rights across the EU -- and regardless of where their data is... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Political commentators pick apart the legacy of the former PM and his chief of staff, while Fairfax and News Corp staff feel the effects of further budget cutsJust when you thought you’d seen the back of Tony Abbott, the former prime minister is about to be back in the limelight in the form of a... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-11-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Announcement follows heightened pressure on arts minister to reveal plans for new council, to which Tony Abbott promised $6m in December 2014Louise Adler, the prominent Australian publisher and chief executive of Melbourne University Press, has been appointed inaugural chair of the Book Council... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-09-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fairfax and Warren Mundine have reached an out-of-court settlement over ‘inflammatory allegations’ Mundine says were made against himWarren Mundine says Fairfax Media will apologise to him over an article that claimed a company he had an interest in lobbied for an Indigenous body to drop... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The European Union's anti-antitrust crusade continues with an investigation into Amazon's ebook distribution deals. The post Amazon’s European Woes Continue With New EU Investigation appeared first on WIRED. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2015-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Churchill’s Secret is based on Jonathan Smith’s book set in 1953, when the former prime minister had a strokeSir Michael Gambon is to play Winston Churchill in a new ITV drama about his final years in office opposite Lindsay Duncan as his wife, Clementine.Churchill’s Secret is based on Jonathan... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The European Commission has announced an antitrust competition inquiry into the e-commerce sector in the European Union, as part of 16 initiatives on a digital single market to be delivered by the end of next year. The inquiry “will allow the Commission to identify possible competition concerns... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The European Commission is today (6th May) set to reveal plans for the “digital single market”, to remove barriers to online services across Europe. The plans would mean that customers across the European Union could all access the same digital services and products, including ebooks and... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Octopus Publishing Group has signed world rights in Churchill: The Life - In His Own Words and Pictures. The illustrated history of the prime minister's life draws on unique archive resources, in association with Churchill Heritage Ltd, and written by historian Max Arthur. Editorial director... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Germany and France have put pressure on the European Commission to take a closer look at how big tech companies operate in the European Union, a move which could lead to tougher competition regulation for companies such as Google, Apple, Amazon.com and Facebook.French and German officials asked... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2014-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Former Labour MP and Europe Minister Denis MacShane is writing an assessment of Britain’s relationship with Europe for I B Tauris. The book, titled Brexit, was acquired by Jo Godfrey, senior editor at I B Tauris. ‘Brexit’ is a term coined by MacShane which blends the words 'British' and... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The European Union's highest court has ruled that libraries can digitize books without the permission of copyright holders. The court argues that libraries have the right to provide free information to the public and don't need to obtain licensing if they want to make books available to users... Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-09-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Professor Jean Seaton, the BBCs official historian, has at last agreed a title with it for her volume on the 1974-87 period, due in January. These were years of endless friction with the Thatcher government over reporting of Northern Ireland, the Falklands War and the bombing of Libya, and ended... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The European Union’s top legal advisor ruled on Thursday that laws requiring communications providers to retain all data, even to combat crime, are incompatible with fundamental rights. Advocate General Pedro Cruz Villalón of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) said in a published opinion that... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2013-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A flurry of publishing activity has been prompted by the death of former prime minister... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The European Union has accepted an offer from Apple and four major publishers to reduce pricing restrictions on content offered at Amazon and other book-sellers. After being caught out by the EU, we heard that the offer was likely to be adopted last month, and the commission has now confirmed... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Paul Rigg Publication Date: Fri, 07/10/2011 - 15:11 The Spanish socialists pledge to reduce ebook VAT (IVA) to 4% has been welcomed by the director of the Spanish ebook platform Libranda. The announcement came from Alfredo Rubalcaba, who is the socialists candidate to become prime... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Barbara Casassus Publication Date: Tue, 29/03/2011 - 15:29 French culture minister Frédéric Mitterrand has called for the European Union to regulate ebook prices as soon as possible, and to introduce a reduced rate of VAT on all cultural goods and services, whether they are sold... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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