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 ]
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Calling it 'a truly essential organization for making our marketplace work,' Canadian publishers say they'll honor the Access Copyright revenue collection agency, which is under sustained attack from the education sector. The post Beleaguered Access Copyright, Turning 30, Is Honored by Canadian... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rosie Revere, Engineer, a bestselling picture book about a girl who dreams of becoming an engineer, will be turned into a series of chapter books this autumn by the publisher Abrams. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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YA novelist Sarah J Maas is to write her first series for adults, set to be published by Bloomsbury in late 2019. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Stockbridge branch to open under Waterstones name rather than appearing independent Waterstones has backtracked on plans to open one of its new unbranded stores in a district of Edinburgh that is already home to an independent bookshop – following an outcry that included criticism from figures... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The white suit-and-white hat–wearing Wolfe made his name as a literary journalist and found bestselling success with such books as 'The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test,' 'Bonfire of the Vanities,' and the NBA-winning 'The Right Stuff.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-05-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Playwright Roger Hall, 79, has updated the script - and books - of his 1999 off-beat romantic comedy The Book Club for a 2018 audience and a season at Takapuna's PumpHouse Theatre Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2018-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Once an anomaly in author contracts, morality clauses are becoming a standard tool for publishers looking to protect themselves against misbehaving authors. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-04-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Former FBI Director James Comey's memoir, out Tuesday, joins a long list of juicy tomes by Washington power players. Beyond settling scores, the best can offer real insight into the inner workings of government. Here are some classics of the genre. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2018-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Yassmin Abdel-Magied, an Australian author and Muslim activist who was slated to speak at the PEN World Voices festival in New York this month, has been deported from the U.S. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tessa Dunlop's latest offering is a deeply personal and moving celebration of women and the last 100 years of British history. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Liv Tyler, Daisy Lowe and Stella McCartney attended the book launch of meditation expert Bob Roth. The event took place at the Wellington Arch in Hyde Park on Monday evening (26th February) to celebrate Strength in Stillness: The Power of Transcendental Meditation (Simon & Schuster UK) by... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Activists have interrupted Francisco Cantú's tour for his buzzed-about new book 'The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border,' after descending upon a reading the author did in San Francisco. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Two years of growth were ended in 2017, with print sales dropping to an all-time low. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Stressing 'the centuries-old interface between the Christian West and the Arab and Islamic world,' this year's PROSE / Hawkins winner is the Arcadian Library Online, an ongoing digitization project of Bloomsbury. The post The 2018 PROSE Awards Are Led by Bloomsbury’s Arcadian Library Online... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-02-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury beat out more than 550 books, journals and digital products across 51 subject categories to take home this year's R.R. Hawkins Award. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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These are the Facebook execs using Twitter to promote the social network and attack its critics. The post The Facebook execs who turn to Twitter for publisher charm offensive appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2018-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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I know there are some people done with their holiday shopping; I am not one of them. If you, like me, still have some gifts to get, this newsletter may be able to help you. (Your friends and family like books, right?) I’m L.A. Times books editor Carolyn Kellogg with this week’s newsletter. YOUR... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-12-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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"When I arrived, nothing was broken. We had all the raw materials -- strong brands and great journalists -- but it felt like a bowl of spaghetti." The post Hearst Magazines UK CEO James Wildman: ‘The media world is turning into a messy place’ appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2017-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bestselling crime author Minette Walters’ return - and defection to historical fiction - gave her comms team a new set of challenges. Miriam Robinson reports. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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On the 10th anniversary of Kindle, VP of Kindle content David Naggar looks back on the development and impact of Amazon's ebook ecosystem on book publishing. The post With Amazon Kindle Now Turning 10, David Naggar Says Content Is Prime appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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