By encouraging the young to publish fan fiction, story-sharing startup Movellas is tackling English children's low literacy levelsLiteracy levels among English young adults compare poorly with those in other industrialised countries, according to an OECD survey last autumn which ranked England a "must try harder" 22nd out of 24 in tests for literacy.Turning this around is a challenge that appeals to Movellas, an online story-sharing startup. Taking to heart the maxim that "reading for pleasure" is vital to a child's educational attainment, the company's founders believe that encouraging young people to write about their passions and share those stories with others can have a positive effect on literacy.In other words, if your daughter's writing One Direction fan fiction on her phone, she could be on her way to an A* at English GCSE. Or, at the very least, a book deal. "Movellian" Emily Baker's 1D-inspired Loving the Band was snapped up by Penguin. Helen Hiorns's The Name on Your Wrist was published by Random House after she won the inaugural young movellist of the year, sponsored by Sony and judged by children's laureate Malorie Blackman.High-profile success stories can help build its user base (200,000 and growing), but Movellas does more than sell the dream of literary fame.When surveyed, 50% of respondents said Movellas had made them enjoy reading more; 70% enjoyed writing more. Importantly, 20% of its users get free school meals (about the national average). Only 25%... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2014-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with:
#national average
#team working
#fan fiction
By encouraging the young to publish fan fiction, story-sharing startup Movellas is tackling English children's low literacy levelsLiteracy levels among English young adults compare poorly with those in other industrialised countries, according to an OECD survey last autumn which ranked England a... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#national average
#team working
#fan fiction
‘The Vixen’ offers an illuminating reflection on the slippery nature of truth in America, then and now. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-07-06 15:13:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#francine prose
Looking to get that novel you've been plugging away at in your "spare time" published with ease? Well, Evernote now offers an option for doing just that, thanks to a partnership with FastPencil. The note-taking and productivity repository allows you... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2014-07-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#published books
#spare time
If we are fortunate, then this past week may come to be seen as a turning point: the victory of president-elect Joe Biden; the announcement of a potential vaccine; the lifting of the most severe Covid-19 restrictions in Wales; and the moment at which the industry found its voice and declared... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-12 20:45:59 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#past week
#turning point
Amazon is sunsetting the Kindle Oasis. This decision means there will be no models of the ereader remaining with physical buttons for turning pages. "Once current inventory of Kindle Oasis sells out online and in stores, we will not restock the device," Amazon rep Devon Corvasce told The Verge.... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2024-10-16 21:35:39 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#kindle
#kindle paperwhite
#color ereader
#current inventory
#turning pages
#decision means
#physical buttons
#kindle oasis
Amazon's latest version of its popular Kindle Paperwhite has arrived, marking the sixth iteration if you're keeping score at home. The new model is the thinnest Paperwhite yet and has a refreshed 7-inch screen that's a touch larger than the previous model's 6.8-inch display. It also has the... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2024-10-16 13:00:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#kindle
#high contrast
#graphic novels
#front light
Creators including Michael Deforge, Lemony Snicket, and Tillie Walden have partnered with the independent San Francisco–based comics publisher and comics shop Silver Sprocket on one-of-a-kind prints to support a new fundraising effort. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-10-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#fundraising effort
#tillie walden
#lemony snicket
Forty years after the publication of Leaving the Land, Pulitzer Prize finalist Douglas Unger returns with his fifth novel, Dream City, an excoriating tale of hope, greed, and betrayal in Las Vegas. C.D. Reinhart is Unger’s fatally flawed protagonist, a failed actor bent on self-improvement who... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2024-10-08 11:05:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#pulitzer prize
#electric literature
#las vegas
#forty years
We’re celebrating our 15th birthday, which makes us about as old as Poe would have been in literary magazine years. In honor of this glorious milestone, we’re throwing a party! Join our esteemed hosts, Emma Copley Eisenberg, Vanessa Chan, Deesha Philyaw, and Clare Sestanovich, as well as EL... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2024-09-06 11:15:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#literary magazine
#electric literature
#deesha philyaw
Threshing Pain and Passion through Poetry: Gjekë Marinaj’s Teach Me How to Whisper, by James Manteith Book Reviews [email protected] Wed, 08/28/2024 - 14:10 Gjekë Marinaj’s Teach Me How to Whisper: Horses and Other Poems, co-translated by the... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2024-08-28 19:10:47 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#anthology
Cookbook author and TV personality Sandra Lee is a co-host and judge on a new Netflix competition series called “Blue Ribbon Baking Championship" out Friday Continue reading at ABC News
[ ABC News | 2024-08-08 14:54:47 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#cookbook
#cookbook author
#fresh ideas
Her novels and short stories often explored the lives of willful women who loved men who were crass, unfaithful or already married. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2024-07-29 02:48:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#short stories
Books with short chapters, Christmas in July Reads, YA book out this week, and much more on Book Riot today. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-07-16 00:08:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#ya book
As the world’s largest independent seller of new and used books, ThriftBooks is known to customers as the place to purchase affordable books and locate hard-to-find titles. But the online retailer also plays another important role: helping libraries raise significant funds from unneeded books.... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-07-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#libraries
#important role
#online retailer
Panelists from She Writes Press, Microcosm Publishing, Kickstarter, and Cake Creative spoke to the Independent Book Publishers Association's theme of 'Rise and Disrupt' at its annual conference last weekend. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#writes press
#microcosm publishing
#annual conference
#publishers association's
The books will be released sequentially, starting with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, with a full cast of yet-to-be-named actors and a ‘groundbreaking new soundscape’New audiobooks of all seven titles in JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series will be released exclusively on Audible in late... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-04-25 16:37:29 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#amazon-owned audible
#full cast
#jk rowling
#iconic stories
#joint statement
#pottermore publishing
#ebook publisher
#stephen fry
#sit alongside
#harry potter
Journalist Sasha Vasilyuk’s debut novel Your Presence Is Mandatory is a poignant look at the reverberating effects of war through the story of a Ukrainian World War II veteran’s struggle to hide a damaging secret for the sake of his family. Vasilyuk’s book begins with death—the first chapter... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2024-04-25 11:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#electric literature
#debut novel
The former Disney executive Ben Sherwood and Joanna Coles, the former Hearst content chief, are being given a minority stake in the digital tabloid. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2024-04-15 13:00:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#daily beast
#joanna coles
#minority stake
#hearst
Simon & Schuster appears to be thriving as it turns 100, a book restorer reveals the surprising secrets of her work, and more news. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-04-11 13:56:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#schuster
The milestone comes after a particularly turbulent period, when the publisher was put up for sale and bought by a private equity firm. Since then, investments have boosted morale and helped it grow. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2024-04-10 15:26:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#turbulent period
#schuster