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"

A One-Stop, Web-Based Shop For Comic Book Publishing

Graphicly abandoned their iTunes-like comic book marketplace to develop a full suite of online publishing tools for visual storytellers. As Adrian Tomine has pointed out, the one-time subculture of comics and graphic novels has migrated into the mainstream over the past decade. The... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2012-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Competition or Cooperation? News Publishers Turn to Their Neighbors

Participants at the African Media Leaders Forum in Dakar, Senegal, today heard how twinning partnerships between African newspapers, and newspapers elsewhere, are leading the way to developing successful business strategies and strengthening financia ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

In Corporate Publishing, Are E-books PDF 2.0?

The PDF is firmly entrenched in corporate culture, but as digitally savvy employees push for a sensible way to consume long documents at work the ebook format will take hold. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #ebook format #corporate publishing

A True Princess of the Publishing Industry

Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi founded the Emirates Publishers Association and pushed for it to become a full member of the IPA. Here, she explains it was so important. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-11-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #publishing industry

November Top BlueInk Reviews of Self Published Books

This month's starred reviews of self-published books includes a SF mystery set in dystopia where people live in domed cities and a memoir of Mexican immigration to the US. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-11-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #people live #starred reviews #published books

WBN 2013 titles revealed

A graphic novel from Rebellion and a Quick Reads title are among the chosen World Book Night UK... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Maurice Sendak: “Publishing Is Such an Outrageously Stupid Profession”

The Believer has published an interview with author Maurice Sendak, in which Sendak doesn't hold back his thoughts on the publishing business. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-11-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #hold back #maurice sendak #publishing business

EU regulators to accept Apple and book publishers' offer of cheaper ebooks

According to Reuters, EU regulators look likely to accept an offer from Apple and a handful of publishers, including Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Hachette Livre and Macmillan. The assembled publishers propose that they will allow retailers (including Amazon) to sell ebooks cheaper than... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #hachette livre #eu regulators #book publishers

Carlos Fuentes’s Last Novel to be Published Posthumously

Spanish publishing house Alfaguara will publish Mexican author Carlos Fuentes's last novel, Federico en Su Balcon, posthumously later this week. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #carlos fuentes #published posthumously

In Japan, Kindle May Finally Push Publishers Into E-books

Like Kobo, Amazon's Japan ebookstore is hampered by limited title selection, but the recent launch will motivate publishers to finally digitize their catalogs. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-11-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #recent launch

FastStats: Publishing Industry Statistics You Can Use

There's No Place Like Home The great promise of mobile is that it is… mobile, which is why we hear so much about the potential for reaching audiences anytime and anywhere with stuff like location-based advertising. According to... Continue reading at Publishing Executive

[ Publishing Executive | 2012-11-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Penguin Press title named FT/Goldman Business Book of the Year

Penguin Press title Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power has won the Financial... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-11-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

60% of Young Americans Use Libraries, 83% Read a Book This Year

According to a study released recently by the Pew Research Center, 60% of Americans aged 16-29 still use their public library, and 83% read a book in the past year. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-11-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #public library #young americans

Korea’s Moglue Offers Interactive Publishing Tools for Kids Books

By Dennis Abrams Want to create and publish an interactive children’s book but don’t have a lot of technical expertise? Now there’s help. New York ... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #interactive children #kids books

UK publishers caught up in Sandy chaos

American publishers say they are "carrying on" despite the devastation wreaked by... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-10-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #american publishers

Digital Publishing Demonstrates Its Worth During Hurricane Sandy

The practice of digital journalism was both tested and proved yesterday as Hurricane/Super Storm Sandy bore down on the East Coast during an unforgettable night for millions of Americans. While digital media outlets have been dutifully covering the storm for days, several prominent New... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2012-10-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #wide audience #breaking news #relentless pursuit

Book Awards, the German Self-Publishing Way

Epubli, the Holtzbrinck-owned German self-publishing platform, reflects on its methods and motivations for running a book prize suitable for the 21st century. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-10-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #21st century #german self-publishing #book awards

RH's Wanda and the Alien to hit TV screens

Random House Children's Screen Entertainment has sold its first book-to-screen transfer... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-10-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Paywall Startup Tinypass Adds Metered Subscriptions for Small Publishers

New York-based startup Tinypass, which helps small publishers and content creators charge for content online through existing platforms like Google, is rolling out metered content options to all of its clients. Tinypass, which signed up its first f ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-10-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #existing platforms #content online #small publishers