Big deals signed for study of a 19th-century family of killers, Hell’s Half-Acre, and Murder Isn’t Easy, a mortician’s take on Agatha Christie’s forensics The spectre of true crime was stalking the aisles at this year’s London book fair, with publishers snapping up investigations into past evils in the wake of successes in podcasting and television such as Dirty John, Serial and The Teacher’s Pet.Offers were flying in for former Waterstones bookseller Susan Jonusas’s first book Hell’s Half-Acre, a study of the the Bender family of serial killers in Kansas in 1873. Jonusas, 24, left Waterstones in December to write full-time. “Buried on a homestead seven miles south of the town were 11 bodies in varying states of decay. Further investigation revealed a well containing remains of even more victims. The number of people murdered was estimated at 20,” said Jonusas’s literary agency. “The idea that a family of seemingly respectable homesteaders were capable of operating ‘a human slaughter pen’ appalled and fascinated the nation. But who the Benders really were, why they committed such a vicious killing spree and what became of them when they fled from the law is a mystery that has remained unsolved to this day.” UK rights are still being finalised, with Viking snapping it up for a six-figure deal in the US. Agent Georgina Capel, who was fielding offers for the book, said: “I suspect the true-crime podcast thing is driving the current interest.” Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2019-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This week: a wonderful biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald, plus the controversial novel that inspired last year's hit movie 'Elle.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A new company started by the founder of the remainder house US Media Partners, Tigra Live Animation, has developed an augmented reality program that can animate books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pulitzer-winning poet Tracy K. Smith sells a new collection, a Johns Hopkins prof strikes a deal with Bloomsbury, Gina Apostol sells her latest novel, and more in this week's notable book deals. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Foyles bookshop and Penguin Random House are partnering to run a "takeover" in Foyles’ flagship shop on Charing Cross Road. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books about the bonds of friendship, raising a child with special needs, and the power of teamwork received recognition for “affirming the highest values of the human spirit” during the 2017 Christopher Awards ceremony in New York City on Tuesday, May 16. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bestseller lists like the one at the New York Times measure a book's success by how many copies its sold. What it doesn't do is tell you how many of those books are being read, nor how fast. Amazon Charts aims to fix this problem with a new, weekly b... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2017-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety has recruited a group of book industry professionals--over 130 writers, illustrators, editors and agents--to speak out against gun violence. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury Children’s Books has acquired two Young Adult titles from William Sutcliffe. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Koala Who Could by Rachel Bright and Jim Field has been named the winner of Oscar’s Book Prize 2017. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Octopus imprint Cassell Illustrated has acquired in a "hotly contested" auction the first book from The Festival of the Spoken Nerd, a show that celebrates science, comedy and "unashamed geekiness" with live experiments and audience participation. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kogan Page has bought two books about cyber attacks from a former Guardian editor and a professor. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Little, Brown Book Group is launching a new stand-alone imprint dedicated to inclusivity called Dialogue Books. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Waikato author Catherine Chidgey was the big winner at this year's Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2017-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hay House UK has won the rights to publish Gabrielle Bernstein’s new book The Judgement Detox after a “heated” five-way auction. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The digital revolution was expected to kill traditional publishing. But print books are ever more beautifully designed and lovingly cherishedBooks have always had a fetishistic quality to them, with their dusty secretiveness. Now, though, it feels like we’re living through a special moment in... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-05-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a "hotly contested" auction, Cornerstone has acquired a book of strange-but-true trivia authored by the "QI elves" behind weekly podcast "No Such Thing As A Fish". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A children’s author has described the labelling of her books as “too immature” for certain students as "heart-breaking". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kristina McMorris lands six figures at Sourcebooks, M.O. Walsh sells his sophomore novel, Flatiron buys an SF take on the Bard, and more in this week's notable book deals. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales at Regnery jumped 48.9% in the first quarter ended March 31, largely thanks to the strong sales of David Limbaugh's 'The True Jesus.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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‘The UK’s superb publishing houses and workforce’ lays out their demands for government commitments ahead of the June 8 general election called by Theresa May. By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson ‘A Global Success Story’ n a ringing position statement ahead of the June 8... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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