The publishers' year: hits and misses of 2013

Publishers choose their books of the year, and the ones that got awayRobin Robertson Deputy publishing director, Jonathan CapeThe book that made my year: Many years ago, I was sitting in Blake's bar in Enniskillen with John McGahern and he recommended an American novel from the 60s, written by John Williams: a book called Stoner. I thought it was astonishing, and I passed it to vintage, who brought it out in 2003 with John's introduction. Like so many great books, it promptly disappeared, again – only to come back this year, miraculously, and succeed.Our book that deserved to do better: Chamber Music by Tom Benn. It's the late 1990s, in the middle of the drug wars on the estates of Manchester, and complicated antihero Bane is pitched against a Yardie called Hagfish, whose weapon of choice is a Komodo dragon. Tom Benn – still only 26 – is writing these amazing dialogue-driven noir literary thrillers that, as the blurb says, "do for low-life Manchester what Trainspotting did for Leith", and no one is paying attention.I wish I'd published: Cormac McCarthy, as usual. Even a screenplay by Cormac McCarthy, like The Counsellor (Picador).Alexandra Pringle Editor-in-chief, BloomsburyThe book that made my year: In a year that included fiction by George Saunders, Aminatta Forna, Colum McCann, Jhumpa Lahiri, Margaret Atwood, Elizabeth Gilbert and Khaled Hosseini, how can I choose? But perhaps in the end it will be 21-year-old Samantha Shannon's debut The Bone Season, which hit the... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #annie proulx #eimear mcbride

Other news stories related to: "The publishers' year: hits and misses of 2013"


News Publishing Co. Files Chapter 11 Reorganization

News Publishing Co., parent corporation of the Rome News-Tribune, Calhoun Times, Walker County Messenger, Catoosa County News, Cedartown Standard and Rockmart Journal, has filed a petition for Chapter 11 reorganization. Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-01-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #news publishing


Touch Publishing Platform Onswipe Now Reaching 10M Monthly Active Users On iOS

Onswipe, a startup that helps publishers build websites optimized for iPads and other touchscreen devices, is closing out what sounds like a big year. Content published through the Onswipe platform reached 44 million unique visitors over the course o ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-01-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #big year #touchscreen devices


My New Year’s Resolution is to Dump Amazon, And Why I’ll Fail

For long-time ebook buyers indoctrinated in Amazon's convenient ecosystem, trying to make the switch to a competitor can lead to frustration and disappointment. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-01-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Print book sales soar to three-year high

Sales of printed books soared to a three-year high in the UK last week as shoppers flooded the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #three-year high


Bookshop numbers halved in seven years, says research

Bookshops in the UK have halved in seven years, while consumers spent £261 million on e-... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


News Corp. Says Publishing Unit Lost Money

The media conglomerate, which plans to separate its entertainment businesses from its publishing businesses into two separate listed stocks next year, said the publishing company would have reported a net loss of $2.08 billion in the year through June 30 if it had been a stand-alone company. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2012-12-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #net loss #publishing businesses #entertainment businesses #media conglomerate


News Corp publishing loses $2.1bn

News Corporation said its publishing wing, which is set to be split off as a separate business, incurred losses of $2.1bn in the last financial year. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2012-12-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #financial year #separate business #publishing wing #news corporation


Faber co-publishes interactive '39 Steps'

Faber has teamed up with publishers from different sectors to create an interactive version of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #interactive version


World Publishing Expo Brings New Ideas, New Orders

Newspaper publishing vendors and professionals convene in Frankfurt for education, networking, and business opportunities Publishers, journalists, production vendors, and techies from every corner of the digital market met in Frankfurt, Germany, ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #business opportunities


Publishers Lunch Opens “Bookateria” Book Discovery Site with Random House

Bookateria, a new book discovery and sales site, features titles that are being discussed, reviewed and recommended by those in the industry and the media. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #book discovery #random house


The War Between Publishers and Libraries Over Ebooks: An Overview

At the heart of the debate between publishers and libraries over ebook pricing and lending is a simple question: do libraries increase book sales or cannibalize them? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-12-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #simple question #ebook pricing


Kearney among 2013 Man Booker judges

The full panel of Man Booker Prize judges has been announced, with BBC broadcaster  Martha... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Children's publishers ready Christmas digital strategies

Children's publishers' digital Christmas strategies are already being unwrapped, with... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


You Have Two, Maybe Three Years...

At a small, invitation-only meeting convened late last month in the Netherlands by the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA), I joined some 25 key thinkers, primarily from Europe and the U.S., for an exhausting, engrossing three days of debate. But after many hours of... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #local pubs #international federation


Crossrail hits Foyles profits

Foyles' annual profit has dived by 25%, hit by the continuing disruption from the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Apps For Everyone: 29th Street Publishing Helps Writers Get Paid

29th Street Publishing sees no reason why selling subscriptions shouldn’t be as easy as blogging. At a time when print magazines such as Newsweek and tablet publications like The Daily are shuttering, the team at 29th Street Publishing is betting on the future of magazines for iPad and... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2012-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #selling subscriptions #independent publishing #print magazines


Amazon wins EU ebook pricing battle with Apple and major book publishers

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 ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #favored nation #striking deals #hachette livre #lagardere sca #most-favored nation #major publishers #european union


Publishing Personalities Advise on Designing the Bookshop of the Future

Foyles asked for advice on designing the bookshop of the future and several notable publishing personalities shared their ideas with Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Bonus for Fifty Shades US publisher

Random House publishers are to reward employees with a $5,000 (£3,103) bonus partly owing to the success of EL James's erotic trilogy, Fifty Shades of Grey. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2012-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #el james #fifty shades


Magazines ramp up publishing in 2012

Magazine publishers are still tightening their belts three years after the nightmare of the advertising recession shook the industry to its toes. But the itch to launch new magazines shows no sign of going away. In 2012, veteran publishers and novice entrepreneurs launched a total of 195 print... Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2012-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #higher costs #advertising revenue #transition period #martha stewart #american artist #du jour #upscale men