The truth about book prizes, why Amazon is like an old-fashioned library and how much famous writers really earned from their journalism …Periodically, signs go up saying that Grub Street is closed to through traffic. Observers speculate that the street is being redeveloped as gentrification forces the former inhabitants to move out, or else that the closure may be due to the expansion of the neighbouring university’s English department. Older heads are shaken in what had been the local pub but is now a coffee’n’crafts shop: there used to be more life in the place, they mourn, when bohemian writers could dash off a review against the clock to pay for their round. Even if Grub Street is eventually reopened, it will never be the same again, and anyway it will probably have been renamed “Creatives Crescent”.Such cliches and exaggerations are characteristic of this genre of lament. Like most keening for the good old days, these threnodies are not pieces of dispassionate historical analysis: they are attempts to compensate for so much that is disagreeable about one’s own time by inventing a more or less idealised version of the past. Still, it is worth wondering why “Grub Street” should be the form taken by paradise lost in this case. After all, the street originally so named in London (it was real before it was metaphorical) came to be the home of that kind of “grub” defined by the OED as “a person of mean abilities; a dull industrious drudge; a literary hack”. Even allowing... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2016-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
As real estate prices soar in traditional artistic and cultural hubs such as Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco, writers are looking toward smaller cities with cheaper rent. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Analysis of book reviews on Goodreads has revealed some intriguing patterns concerning authorship and the popularity of reviews among peers, reports Robert Blincoe. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The verdict is in for "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child", with reviewers hailing the two-part play "a dazzling duel of light and dark" (the Guardian), "a triumph" (the Telegraph), and "a magical experience tailor made for the stage, filled to the brim with fan service" (the Independent). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The public may be less than thrilled to see Japan's latest major book prizes awarded to people who are 'not TV talent or celebrities," commentators say, but that is 'as it should be.' The post Japan’s Akutagawa and Naoki Prizes Go to ‘Exclusively Literary People’ appeared first on Publishing... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Orion Fiction’s senior commissioning editor Jemima Forrester is moving to David Higham Associates to become a literary agent. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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What do the US presidential candidate, Victoria Beckham, Zoella, Julian Assange and Tony Blair have in common? Issues with their ‘silent’ partnersOne of the first lessons of politics is never annoy your ghostwriter. Donald Trump is the latest to learn this, and is now sending a “cease and... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cheryl Taylor, controller of CBBC, answers five questions before the channel's two-day ‘Awesome Authors’ event this weekend. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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We interviewed Sarah Taylor, group marketing manager at Troubador Publishing Group about her role. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-14 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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Frances Hardinge, AF Harrold, Emily Gravett and Alex T Smith have been revealed as the winners of the 2016 UKLA Book Awards. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Weidenfeld & Nicolson, the publishers behind the first UK edition of Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (1959), is publishing a new book by Publishers Marketplace news editor Sarah Weinman about the abduction and tragic life of Sally Horner, thought to be the real-life inspiration for Lolita. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Studio Lambert has optioned TV rights to Scilly Police Sergeant Colin Taylor’s memoir after a “hard-fought” auction between six publishers. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Buffalo, N.Y., literary center distinguished itself from the beginning by putting an emphasis on working with young people. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Literary agent Carolyn Whitaker has died, aged 79, following a long battle with cancer. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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UK writer Russell Jones has been shortlisted for the $50,000 (£37,990) Half the World Global Literati Award for his unpublished YA novel The Talkers. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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MIRA Books, the fiction imprint of Harlequin Books, has announced the launch of a new literary fiction line, Park Row Books. Inaugural titles are slated to publish in summer 2017. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-07-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Would you rather get your news directly from publishers or from your Facebook friends?If you've been feeling like Facebook is clogging up your News Feed with too many dispiriting news stories and not enough cute baby pictures, this one's for you: The social network is tweaking its algorithm yet... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2016-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The 'overt threat of toxic masculinity' and 'the vapid promises of politicians and religion' in the other: South Africa's Sunday Times Literature Awards. The post South Africa’s Sunday Times Literary Awards Go to Gqola, Sithole appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Windows 10 is a great desktop operating system, and for the most part, OEMs have manufactured some solid hardware to showcase it. Respectable companies like HP and Dell have done Microsoft proud with some truly satisfying touch-friendly laptops. Unfortunately, Microsoft has been a bit deficient... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2016-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This year’s haemorrhaging of literary journalists from the national newspapers has been described as “heartbreaking” for the book industry, and has renewed the spotlight on the long-running problem of dwindling review space. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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