The Prose Factory by DJ Taylor review – beware the suggestion that literary life isn’t what it used to be

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 ]

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Udon Turns Literary Classics into Manga Adventure

Can manga-style versions of classics like ‘Pride and Prejudice’ become the Cliffs Notes of a new generation of readers? Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Baker & Taylor Returns to Its Core

Baker & Taylor’s recent decision to divest two business lines was driven by a desire to focus its financial and human resources on its core areas. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #core areas #baker taylor #business lines #human resources


'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up' stays strong on bestseller lists (+video)

'Tidying Up,' which gives readers a one-time solution to de-cluttering their home, has been a mainstay on bestseller lists since its publication. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #life-changing magic #stays strong #one-time solution #bestseller lists


'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up' stays strong on bestseller lists

'Tidying Up,' which gives readers a one-time solution to de-cluttering their home, has been a mainstay on bestseller lists since its publication. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #life-changing magic #stays strong #bestseller lists #one-time solution


Taylor, Waldram and Knight win at PPC awards

Campaigns for The Miniaturist (Picador), H is for Hawk (Jonathan Cape), There’s Something I’ve Been Dying to Tell You (Hodder & Stoughton) and Half Bad (Puffin) were among the winners at the 2015 Publishers Publicity Circle (PPC) Awards. The awards honour publicists in nine categories, and... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ppc awards #50th year #miniaturist picador #hodder stoughton


Reviews of New and Forthcoming Religion and Spirituality Books, February 25, 2015

Benedictine nun Joan Chittister offers salve for the soul; cosmology and theology combine in the theory a God who is consistent with science. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #forthcoming religion #spirituality books


Penguin Little Black Classics review – affordable snippets of great literature

From Homer to Balzac to Darwin to Dickens, these Penguin 80th birthday booklets are where publishing meets public serviceIt was quite overwhelming, to open the box containing all 80 of these booklets – one for each year in the life of Penguin Books. Each is around 60 pages long; each is an... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #penguin books #affordable snippets #great literature


Publishers bypass literary agents to discover bestseller talent

Cutting out the middlemen of the literary world can lead to the discovery of acclaimed authors such as Andrea BennettPublishers are playing literary agents at their own game, seeking out new talent for themselves and cutting out the industry’s powerful middlemen.Executives within HarperCollins,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #literary world #acclaimed authors #jonathan cape #tinder press


Nature journals introduce 'double-blind' review

Science journal Nature and the stable of 17 Nature Research Journals are all to offer the system of peer review known as "double-blind" for article submissions from March, following a trial of the system with two of the journals. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Open Road Creates Warhol-Inspired Factory Imprint

Open Road Intergrated Media has unveiled a new imprint called Factory Books that will feature memoir, biography and cultural criticism about Andy Warhol's New York City-based studio, The Factory. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Octopus to publish Churchill: The Life

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 ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #illustrated history #prime minister #gordon wise #curtis brown


Peru’s Literary Publisher Animal de Invierno Strides Ahead

Founded in 2013, Peru's Animal de Invierno is drawing attention for its bold new fiction titles and literary translations. The post Peru’s Literary Publisher Animal de Invierno Strides Ahead appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #post peru #drawing attention #fiction titles #literary translations


Reviews of New and Forthcoming Spirituality & Religion Books, February 11, 2015

Robert Alter's acclaimed Bible translation has a new volume; Lauren Winner insightfully examines obscure metaphors for God. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #robert alter


Reviews of New and Forthcoming Religion and Spirituality Books, February 11, 2015

Robert Alter's acclaimed Bible translation has a new volume; Lauren Winner insightfully examines obscure metaphors for God. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #forthcoming religion #spirituality books #robert alter


John Green to Wi10 Booksellers: Life Would "Suck Without You"

John Green spoke before Wi10 booksellers Monday afternoon, thanking them for jump-starting his literary career 10 years ago. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Taylor, Knight and Waldram among PPC award nominations

Nominations for this year’s Publishers Publicity Circle (PPC) awards include Sandra Taylor for The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton (Picador), Emma Knight for There’s Something I’ve Been Dying to Tell You by Lynda Bellingham (Hodder & Stoughton), and Ruth Waldram for the award-winning H is for... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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VIDEO: New book 'a major literary event'

Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, will publish a sequel called Go Set a Watchman. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2015-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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On Writers and Writing review – Margaret Atwood on her profession

Drawing on her panoramic reading and her experiences of the authorly life cycle, Atwood surveys her trade with a mix of seriousness and gentle fun“You may find the subject a little peculiar,” warns Margaret Atwood, before she discusses the writer’s relationship with mortality. “It is a little... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #life cycle #publishing industry #works hard


Review of the Year: Authors - A broad spectrum

The robust children’s market in 2014 has been the main theme of The Bookseller’s Review of the Year features, and it is driven home in our look at last year’s bestselling authors. The top 50 writers are once again eclipsed by the shadow of the Gruffalo, with the mighty Julia Donaldson taking... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reviews of New and Forthcoming Religion and Spirituality Books, January 28, 2015

A starred review for the powerful story of forgiving a murderer; eminent historian Garry Wills looks at the Catholic Church under Pope Francis. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #forthcoming religion #spirituality books #starred review #powerful story #catholic church #pope francis