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 ]
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HC to publish Christie's Grand Tour

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Thu, 22/09/2011 - 08:50 HarperCollins is publishing a collection of letters and photographs by Agatha Christie from a year-long trip she took around the world in a new book lined up for next year. The publisher signed a worldwide deal with Christie's... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #worldwide deal #publisher signed #agatha christie


Simon & Schuster to publish Country Life titles

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Thu, 22/09/2011 - 08:48 Simon & Schuster has signed a deal with Country Life magazine to publish a new series of tie-in books, beginning this autumn with Curious Observations: A Country Miscellany. The book will comprise writings, articles and... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Assange autobiography to be published tomorrow

Written By: Katie Allen Publication Date: Wed, 21/09/2011 - 12:09 Canongate is to publish the "unauthorised" memoirs of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange tomorrow (22nd September), despite his attempts to cancel the contract he signed with the publisher for his autobiography. Julian Assange:... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #sold rights #scottish indie #part manifesto #julian assange #published tomorrow #unauthorised autobiography


Somerset library campaigners hit fundraising goal

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 21/09/2011 - 12:30 Campaigners against library closures in Somerset have reached its initial target in fundraising for the forthcoming legal review. Earlier this year, 11 closures in the region were announced with six to shut in October and five... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Leap in trade publishers' ebook production

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Wed, 21/09/2011 - 09:06 One in five publishers is now generating more than 10% of their revenues from ebooks, with Amazon slowly decreasing in importance even as the giant e-tailer's revenues from ebooks continue to grow. The numbers are revealed in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Turkey to be LBF Market Focus 2013

Publication Date: Tue, 20/09/2011 - 08:33 Turkey is to be the the Market Focus partner of London Book Fair 2013. The announcement was made last night (19th September) at an official signing event attended by Turkish Ministry Of Culture and Tourism general director of libraries and publications,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin to publish Neil Young memoir

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Tue, 20/09/2011 - 14:40 Neil Young has become the latest rock legend to sell his autobiography, with Viking buying UK rights to the former Buffalo Springfield guitarist's life story. Publishing director Tony Lacey acquired the title, currently... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In E-Books, Publishing Houses Have a Rival in News Sites

Swiftly and at little cost, newspapers, magazines and sites like The Huffington Post are publishing their own version of ebooks. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lizzie Kershaw leaves Hearst after 29 years

Lizzie Kershaw, executive group publishing director of Hearst's Women's Interest Group, is leaving the UK publisher in the midst of a restructure after 29 years service. Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2011-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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River Publishing appoints new commercial director

Jacquie Duckworth, former associate publisher of Conde Nast's Easy Living, has joined River Publishing as commercial director. Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2011-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Condé Nast Publisher Moves: Kremins to Condé Nast Traveler, Myers to Brides, Bloom to Lucky

This story appears first on FOLIO: sister publication, minonline. Today (Sept. 16), Condé Nast CEO Chuck Townsend and president Bob Sauerberg announced the shuffling of these executives: Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-09-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Daunt's flat rate discount "could hit author royalties"

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Fri, 16/09/2011 - 08:31 Waterstone’s proposed higher discount, flat rate terms for publishers, put forward in exchange for scrapping promotion fees, could hit author royalties, according to agents and the Society of Authors. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Canadian Publishing 2011: Challenges and Changes

This year Canadian publishers face a triple challenge—tough economic conditions, the first big surge of ebook sales, and a dramatic shift in strategy at Indigo Books & Music, Canada’s largest book retailer. But, as is often said, no one goes into publishing unless he or she is an optimist,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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AA Publishing expands into narrative travel

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 16/09/2011 - 16:15 Travel guide and maps specialist AA Publishing is moving into narrative travel writing for the first time, with publisher Helen Brocklehurst acquiring several titles in the area. The publisher also plans to publish in new... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google Rolls Out New Tools for Publishers

Today on the official Google blog, VP of display advertising Neal Mohan announced the launch of two new tools aimed at helping publishers manage ads and maximize revenue. “Before now, it’s been difficult for publishers to manage all their video and mobile ad space from a single ad server—the... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2011-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers rally to support Blackwell

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Fri, 16/09/2011 - 08:30 Publishers have heeded warnings that academic booksellers had "months to survive" by offering greater support during this year's academic season, the m.d. of Blackwell has reported. David Prescott said publishers have been... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #physical window #promotional discounting #supporting stockholding #campus bookseller #high street #david prescott #academic season #heeded warnings #academic booksellers #support blackwell


Publishers rally to support Blackwell's

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Fri, 16/09/2011 - 08:30 Publishers have heeded warnings that academic booksellers had "months to survive" by offering greater support during this year's academic season, the m.d. of Blackwell's has reported. David Prescott said publishers have been... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #physical window #promotional discounting #supporting stockholding #campus bookseller #high street #david prescott #academic season #heeded warnings #academic booksellers #support blackwell


Canadian Publishing 2011: The British Columbia Alternative

It is, in many ways, a world away from Canada’s book publishing center in Toronto. But even three time zones, several mountain ranges, and vast forests away, the West Coast is home to Canada’s second-largest concentration of English-language publishers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Canadian Publishing 2011: BookRiff Set for Launch

The long awaited launch of BookRiff, the system that promises to let people mix and match content from various sources to create their own book, is now slated for the end of September. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Canadian Publishing 2011: Distribution After the Fall of Fenn

February’s news that the distributor H.B. Fenn and Company had filed for bankruptcy sent shock waves throughout the industry, and while the fallout has dissipated some, the industry is still examining what lessons can be drawn from Fenn’s demise. Although Fenn had few Canadian clients, its... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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