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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When Audible founder Don Katz launched the Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX) platform in May 2011, he said one of the main goals was to help increase the number of audiobooks released into the market. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Last month marked the one-year anniversary of the formation of the Readium Foundation (Readium.org), an independent nonprofit launched in March 2013 with the objective of developing commercial-grade open source publishing technology software. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A new graphic novel memoir by Jimmy Gownley reveals the 'secret origin' of his comics career Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Berkley Prime Crime made its debut 20 years ago, releasing 40 mass market cozy mystery paperbacks in 1994. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Be focused, passionate, careful and imaginative, and don't compromise, Canongate m.d. and... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Public Library Association President Carolyn Anthony faces a dilemma. “There’s so much I’m looking forward to that it’s hard to know where to start,” she says, when asked for her perspective on the division’s upcoming biennial conference, set for March 11–15 in Indianapolis, Ind. “I look forward... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Got growth problems? Here's one way to solve it: advertising.Growth is a top-of-mind concern for Twitter and it appears app install ads are part of the strategy. In this case, a beautiful, magazine-like placement running in Flipboard this week for its six-second looping video app Vine.Digital ad... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2014-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Poet William Stafford was fêted February 7 in a grand celebration through Portland, Oregon’s Literary Arts organization on the 100th anniversary of his birth. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The PC business isn’t the only one Sony will abandon. The electronics giant is also closing the books on its North American ebook efforts.“Wait,” you’re probably saying after reading that sentence: “Sony was making an ebook effort in North America?”And you know, that’s pretty hurtful.Still, you... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2014-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nearly half your life runs on your habits. The Power of Habit author Charles Duhigg shares how to find the most important--and most toxic ones--and turn those patterns for the better.New York Times business reporter Charles Duhigg deconstructed the habits that run much of the lives of people and... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2014-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An Australian publisher has acquired the global rights to turn the TV drama into romance novels. Continue reading at The Sydney Morning Herald
[ The Sydney Morning Herald | 2013-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It's tough to make everyone happy. Can Facebook reconcile its high-minded design ideals with the interests of users and publishers? Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2013-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fans of Rupert Murdoch's musings on Twitter can now share his thoughts with their friends this festive season. No, the Times isn't publishing a Christmas supplement compiling its owner's thoughts – New York artist Michelle Vaughan has produced letterpress cards featuring a selection of his... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2013-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Folio Prize is to launch a two-day fiction festival in March just ahead of the announcement... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nine publishing pros at The Bookseller's Futurebook conference offered their big ideas for the industry, which included publishing faster and publishing less. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-11-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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To support Indies First, scores of authors will be working in indie bookstores on Small Business Saturday. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A literary talent show is about to be aired in Italy, but is television the right place to nurture literary talent?Jonny Geller, agent and joint CEO, Curtis BrownAn X Factor for books is about to launch on Italian TV – it had to be Italian, didn't it? – and you can imagine the literati running... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2013-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Our weekly round-up of web buzz looks at Italy's RCS Libri / Rizzoli Lab effort in co-publishing; self-publishing in Germany; author contracts; and more. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-11-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books in Browsers showcased several, new big ideas for digital publishing, including 'Network Tense,' 'Collaborative Architecture,' 'Book Hacks' and more. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Colleen McCullough is back with a family saga, while Louis Nowra exposes the underbelly of Kings Cross. Our round-up of this week's best book reviews. Continue reading at The Sydney Morning Herald
[ The Sydney Morning Herald | 2013-10-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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