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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Independent publisher Barrington Stoke is adapting short story "The Pavee and the Buffer Girl" by the late writer Siobhan Dowd into a graphic novel. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jessie Burton is to pen her first children’s book following success with adults titles The Miniaturist and The Muse. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Spate of openings of ‘destination’ stores as owners offer drinks, performances and crafts to tempt customers away from Amazon It’s children’s story hour at the Book Nook in Hove and the owner, Vanessa Lewis, is doing a reading of Julia Donaldson’s rhyming picture book The Detective Dog. Related:... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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“It really allows us to create a lot more video,” said Sean Holzman, of Bonnier, which has announced a partnership with Wibbitz. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2016-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Two leading trade bodies in the book industry are turning towards lobbying the UK competition authorities over Amazon as opposed to the European Commission following Brexit. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A comic-artist-by-day come super-villain-wrestler-by-night has been helping inspire the youth of Auckland. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2016-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Grove has already gone back to press on the anniversary edition of Jacqueline Susann's bestselling novel. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The line up for the tenth annual Wimbledon BookFest has been announced, boasting headliners poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy, former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, cookery writer Ella Mills and multi-award winning novelist Kate Atkinson in her only UK event this year. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Roald Dahl's Matilda may have her own stage show but Australian author Jacqueline Harvey's Alice-Miranda character has snaffled her first animated international television series. Continue reading at The Sydney Morning Herald
[ The Sydney Morning Herald | 2016-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Five artists illustrated the App Store review guidelines.One of the more unusual things to come out of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference this year is a lovely comic interpretation of Apple's app review guidelines.Read Full Story Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2016-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Alvarez discusses how writing poetry helped her through a period of intense grief in her life. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nothing says summer like lying on a beach and getting stuck into a good book. But what to read? A 19th century classic, or perhaps Murakami's latest surrealist tale? What about the fascinating story of how mobile provider EE came to be? Well, look no... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2016-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Following Joseph Andras’s surprise decision to turn down the Goncourt first novel prize, it’s time to weigh up the pros and cons of rejecting a literary awardTwo days after Joseph Andras’s De Nos Frères Blessés (which had not been on the shortlist of four) was astonishingly announced as the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-05-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Seattle start-up, which just launched its platform, wants to be the go-to digital audiobook site for indies. Even with the support of the Big Five, it's still not clear how much of a difference it will make for its 85 partner bookstores. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It’s been more than 21 years since Fauzia Burke opened her own online book marketing consulting business, FSB Associates, after working at both Henry Holt and Wiley in-house. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In the face of common pressures, traditionally competitive publishers have realized they can command more weight against the dominance of Facebook and Google by collaborating. The latest example is national newspaper Trinity Mirror and specialist magazine group Dennis. Trinity Mirror will cherry... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2016-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Back in 1996, the idea of print-on-demand book publishing was new, a process made possible by improved digital printing technologies. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The writer Jane Smiley, center, at a reading of her book “Twenty Yawns” at Bank Street Bookstore in Manhattan last month. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2016-05-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reviews editor Alex Crowley recommends 'Ghetto: The Invention of a Place, the History of an Idea' by Mitchell Duneiera, a history of how the study of what came to be known as “the ghetto” in large part created the phenomenon itself. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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People desire excellence. We want to be healthier, well-liked, and successful. So we soak up articles instructing us how to get promoted, be more productive, and become better liked. We read books like Charles Duhigg's recent Smarter Faster Better in order to learn what science can tell us about... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2016-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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