People want stories and that means cultivating a publishing ecosystem where big and small can flourishThis week both the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority and the Department of Justice in the US announced investigations into the planned $2.2bn acquisition of the publisher Simon & Schuster by Bertelsmann, which already owns Penguin Random House. The merger, if allowed, would see Bertelsmann have almost one-third of English-language book sales. The move follows a year when a population cocooned at home, reaching for comfort reading, inflated the profits of big publishers. Bloomsbury and Pan Macmillan recently announced that they would be returning furlough payments; HarperCollins did not take them.Many of the UK’s smaller publishers fared rather differently: a Bookseller survey last summer found 60% feared they would cease to exist by autumn. Indies tend not to have the backlists full of household names that, say, a Penguin has; they depend far more on serendipity, on a customer wandering into a shop intending to buy one thing but coming out with something else as well. This happens far less with online shopping; at least one publisher lost up to 90% in sales. Some also found it difficult to qualify for furlough. They took to social media to announce their plight, or to try new selling tactics; some crowdfunded; some received emergency Arts Council England cash. Many were dragged back from the brink, for which we should be grateful. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2021-03-28 17:25:47 UTC ]
Bloomsbury has pledged to work with the Woodland Trust for three years, following a donation the publisher made to sponsor a one-acre grove in Surrey. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-08 18:21:57 UTC ]
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My sister always goes to the same bookshop in Oxfordshire, where she lives. There she seeks out a young bookseller with a shock of black hair from within the stacks. He once recommended her a list of books, and she loved every single one; she’s been returning to him ever since. During lockdown,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-02-08 09:49:32 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury is overhauling the structure of its consumer division executive team in the US, with publishing director Cindy Loh leaving at the end the month. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-08 06:33:51 UTC ]
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Following the restructuring of the consumer division of Bloomsbury USA, publishing director Cindy Loh and two other employees are leaving the publisher. Adrienne Vaughan, Bloomsbury USA executive director and COO, will assume the publishing director duties. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-02-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Bernard Cornwell is bringing back his famous Richard Sharpe character after 15 years' absence, for a new adventure with HarperCollins this autumn. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-03 20:30:31 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury is to publish Sheila Armstrong's debut short story collection How to Gut a Fish, and a first novel, after securing the rights at auction. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-03 17:00:01 UTC ]
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Avon Books has sailed off with The Lighthouse, a “terrifyingly gripping” novel from author and bookseller Fran Dorricott, in a two-book deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-02 20:55:30 UTC ]
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Anne Irish, a leading figure in children's bookselling in America, died on January 26 at age 78; she was among a cadre of women who opened and purchased bookstores in the 1970s and 1980s. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-02-02 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury is to publish Starry Night, Blurry Dreams, a debut collection of graphic poetry by Henn Kim. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-01 14:31:00 UTC ]
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It’s Friday, so why not look at some pictures of beautiful (literature-inspired) dresses that cost as much as pretty nice cars! Designer Kim Jones told British Vogue that his first collection for the luxury fashion house Fendi was inspired by the Bloomsbury Group, specifically Virginia Woolf’s... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-29 16:52:04 UTC ]
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Greene & Heaton rights director Kate Rizzo talks to The Bookseller about her role. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-29 10:34:09 UTC ]
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In a trading update, Bloomsbury has said it expects its annual revenue and profit to be "well ahead" of market expectations for the financial year ending 28th February 2021, although down on 2020's figures. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-29 02:27:52 UTC ]
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A bookseller in Wetherby, West Yorkshire, has launched a crowdfund to donate books to children who receive free school meals. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-28 17:56:42 UTC ]
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HarperCollins Ireland has appointed Catherine Gough from Gill Books as commissioning editor, while in the UK there is a promotion for Avon and HarperFiction marketing director Hannah O'Brien. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-28 15:53:18 UTC ]
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In a six-figure pre-empt, Pan Macmillan has scooped the autobiography of former rugby league player Rob Burrow, an ex-Leeds Rhinos legend diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2019. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-27 00:23:28 UTC ]
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HarperCollins has landed The Queer Bible, a “definitive” essay collection edited by Jack Guinness and featuring contributions from Elton John, Graham Norton, Munroe Bergdorf and Courtney Act among others. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-26 12:47:05 UTC ]
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HarperCollins has acquired Fit For Purpose by NHS general practitioner Dr Richard Pile. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-25 16:59:43 UTC ]
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How one bookseller found herself idiotsplaining a certain bookstore bathroom predicament to the legendary musician Lou Reed. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-01-25 11:34:00 UTC ]
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Louise Allen-Jones Associates (LAJA) has been engaged as UK scout by HarperCollins Holland and is expanding its team with a new appointment. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-24 17:08:24 UTC ]
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Pan Macmillan's sustainability imprint One Boat has triumphed in a nine-publisher auction for A Bigger Picture, billed as “part rousing manifesto, part poignant memoir” from Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-24 15:12:29 UTC ]
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