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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On Toronto’s Queen Street West, there is a nine-year-old independent bookstore that has taken the art of window displays to a whole new level. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As long as technology companies such as Facebook and Twitter exist, publishers will have to navigate relationships with them. This theme pervaded a panel Monday at the 67th World News Media Congress in which industry thought leaders discussed ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Creative distribution strategies and smart data can help brands and publishers deliver the right content to the right person at the right timeRemember the early days of the internet? Searching the net, jumping from one site to the next. Listening to that oddly alluring dial-up modem noise, while... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In collaboration with Reading With Pictures and a number of publishers, the United Nations is planning The Comics Guide to Global Goals, a series of 17 comics that address the world's toughest development problems. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The book trade has abandoned the Liberal Democrats in favour of Labour and the Green Party in the five years since the last election, according to a poll of voting intentions conducted by The Bookseller. Support for libraries and making Amazon pay a fair share of tax are the issues the trade is... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In March 2015, British singer Sam Smith took to Instagram to tell his 3.6 million followers that one woman, Amelia Freer, had changed his life with her book, "Eat. Nourish. Glow.," which he credited with his recent weight loss. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Satanic Verses author refuses to back down after being accused of using ‘McCarthy era’ language in attack on six writers who withdrew from PEN gala over award to satirical magazineSalman Rushdie and Francine Prose have clashed publicly on Facebook over Charlie Hebdo, with the author of The... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Simon Master was both Clark Kent and Superman, passionate about books with a penchant for “career threatening” lunches, and possessed of a wicked and irreverent sense of humour. The comments were made at a memorial service for the former Random House group deputy chairman held last Friday (17th... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Isobel Dixon of the Blake Friedmann Literary Agency has helped bring a wide array of authors to a global audience, including many from South Africa. The post Literary Agent Isobel Dixon’s Passions Span Africa and Beyond appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When the team behind the popular blog Three Many Cooks submitted their cookbook proposal to Ballantine, executive editor Pamela Cannon had a different vision for the project, and a collaborative food memoir was born. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In the new episode of Geek's Guide to the Galaxy, Borderlands Books founder Alan Beatts and Singularity & Co. co-founder Cici James talk crowdfunding. The post Indie Bookstores Turn to Crowdfunding to Stay Alive appeared first on WIRED. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2015-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A 'Business Insider' story is seen by some as Amazon turning up the heat on HarperCollins over sales terms negotiations. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If you’re a publisher, Facebook holds a lot of power. The social media giant is already responsible for directing up to 40 percent of some sites’ traffic, and 75 percent of BuzzFeed’s. Now, according to a report in The N ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Scholastic US has acquired a minority stake in Make Believe Ideas (MBI), a UK-based publisher for children aged 0-5, for an undisclosed sum. The companies will showcase a co-branded series – Early Learners ages 0-5 – at the Bologna Book Fair next week and a global English language release is... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Scholastic will take minority equity stake in MBI and launch a cobranded line of interactive kids ebooks for early learners. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books about the natural world are now huge sellers, tapping into a new appreciation for the countryside and scepticism about material wealthBondage is so last year. Publishers who spent much of the past year in search of the next Fifty Shades of Grey are now seeking to exploit another literary... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sam Husain has fought off the threat of ebooks and online retailers to make Foyles bookshops profitable again. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2015-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Can manga-style versions of classics like ‘Pride and Prejudice’ become the Cliffs Notes of a new generation of readers? Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Launched in 2013, Novl is a community website that was set up to be a central location for the social media activities of authors at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Got books to digitize and plenty of patience? Amazon's Kindle Convert software will let you scan them at home. As spotted by The Ebook Reader, Kindle Convert is a $50 PC application that turns printed pages into Kindle ebooks. It should work with most scanners, provided they support at least... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2015-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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