TV books programmes: if nobody watches them, make better ones

The novelist Robert Harris was right to call the BBC’s lack of a books show a ‘disgrace’. There’s plenty the corporation could do to make a popular literary programme on TVWith injury, there is always a little insult. When a BBC spokesperson, responding to Robert Harris’s complaints at the Costa book of the year ceremony about the absence of a dedicated book show on its television channels, pointed out that the corporation was responsible for introducing readers to books by way of adaptations such as Wolf Hall and The Casual Vacancy, one might feel that Harris’s comments – in which he called the absence of a BBC TV books show an ‘absolute disgrace’ – had been somewhat misunderstood.While Hilary Mantel and JK Rowling, their publishers, agents and the book industry doubtless benefit from book adaptations, the BBC’s motive in putting them on is not altruistic. It does not broadcast these adaptations to benefit poor, garret-bound writers, nor because it thinks the publishing industry is struggling to connect with potential readers, nor because it worries that amid the hubbub of rapid-fire entertainment opportunities, the novel is becoming marginalised. It does it because the best novels - whether classic or contemporary, comic or tragic, philosophical or political or romantic - are masterpieces of narrative and entertainment. The BBC is in the debt of writers of such novels as Parade’s End, Mapp and Lucia, South Riding, Death Comes to Pemberley and The Night Watch for... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #casual vacancy #hilary mantel #jk rowling #publishing industry #potential readers #night watch

Other Publishing stories related to: 'TV books programmes: if nobody watches them, make better ones'


Watch the Books in Browsers IV Live Stream

Tune in to this year's Books in Browsers conference live from San Francisco. Books in Browsers is a summit for the next generation of publishing companies exploring the digital future of reading online. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital future #reading online


Watch Videos from Thursday at the Frankfurt Book Fair

Watch our Frankfurt Book Fair video interviews with Peter Usborne (Usborne Books), Bob Campbell (Wiley), Jamie Byng (Canongate), Richard Nash (Small Demons), and other leading figures in the publishing industry. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #watch videos #leading figures #publishing industry


Watch The ABCs And 123s Come To Life In These Stunning Pop–Up Books

There are tons of bad pop–up books out there, content to merely sprong, jut, accordion, or bulge. French paper engineer and children's book author Marion Bataille does a different kind of pop–up. She has released a trilogy of books that explore the design of the Roman alphabet and Arabic... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2013-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Frankfurt Book Fair 2013: WME, HC Lead the Deal-Making in Active Show

If there a theme emerged from the deal-making at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair, it was the dominance of HarperCollins as a buyer of big books, and of William Morris Endeavor as the seller of those books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #big books


National Book Awards hopes to make a splash on 'Morning Joe'

The National Book Awards in recent years has been working to raise its profile and increase books' cultural impact. Now it's taking another step toward extending its reach. The National Book Foundation, which administers the prizes, will announce Monday that the 2013 awards ceremony and benefit... Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2013-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #marriott marquis #held nov #john lithgow #public eye #sales boost #louise erdrich #hardcover sales #nielsen bookscan


Frankfurt Book Fair 2013: CONTEC Makes Its Debut

In March of this year, following a wonderful day of programming at TOC Bologna, I sat at dinner with a few of our speakers from the day—my friend and CONTEC Frankfurt speaker Paul Rhodes included—and the conversations at that table were simply absorbing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #toc bologna


Paper now making Books in most obvious business move ever

Paper making a Book? That would follow logic. But the Paper we're referring to here is actually an iPad sketchbook app and the book? Why, that'd be a product of Moleskine. An update released today to Paper's popular app adds a new 'Make a Book' service which allows users to self-publish their... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2013-10-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #making books #physical books #end result


Blurb: Making Books in Real Time

Books, including Blurb books, were always kind of after the fact,” said Eileen Gittins, CEO of Blurb, the fast-growing POD self-publishing platform. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-08-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #making books #real time


Morning TV Show “Today” Launches a New Book Club

The Today Show's monthly book club gives publishers new hope for Oprah-like success and features interactive elements like Twitter chats. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book club #today show


New US TV book club features Bone Season

US show "Today: is launching a new book club for the first time in more than ten years. The... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book club #ten years


Does Copyright Make Books Disappear?

A report from the University of Illinois shows that copyright laws have squashed the market for books from the middle of the 20th century. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #copyright laws #20th century


NBCUniversal Taps Lion Forge Comics to Develop Digital Comic Books Based on Beloved 80s TV Shows

NBCUniversal, one of the world’s premier media and entertainment companies, has partnered with digital publisher Lion Forge Comics to develop licensed comic books based on popular TV shows from the 1980s and 90s. Under the agreement license ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #entertainment companies


Making Books Better with WeJITs

Developed by Democrasoft, a software developer specializing in collaboration and engagement, a WeJIT is “a way to make books better by embedding interactivity that allows readers to connect and collaborate in a customized online social experience that is engaging and fun,” Democrasoft CEO... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #making books #make books #phone interview


Book Tokens reveals rewards programme

National Book Tokens is launching a rewards programme for customers and a direct marketing... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #rewards programme #direct marketing


Why Aren’t More Mexican Children’s Books Making it to America?

Patricia van Rhijin, director at CIDCLI, discussed the problems getting Mexican children's books published in the US. American publishers are 'so square,' she says. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mexican children #american publishers


Thatcher, Le Carré and TV stars help book sales rebound

Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl has returned to the summit of the Official UK Top 50 after a week... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #le carr #tv stars #gillian flynn


Lumley joins book festival programme

Actress Joanna Lumley is among the names lined up for the 10th Borders Book Festival in Melrose later this year. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2013-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Nook makes 'free book and magazine offer' to Windows 8 users

On Wednesday, Nook Media -- Barnes & Noble subsidiary -- announced that Windows 8 users can take advantage of a "free book and magazine offer", available for a limited period of time, after installing the Nook app. All that users have to do is download the Nook app -- which is available for... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2013-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #limited period #nook app #popular books #top magazines #includes titles


Facebook Eying Movies, Books, TV as Next Dominant Social Content

Outside of photos and status updates, Facebook's original shareable content was game activity. So-and-so just planted a new crop, etc. Next Facebook rolled out the Like button, and news articles became popular. Then Facebook debuted its Open Graph in fall 2011 so that someone could listen to a... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2013-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #big fish


3 Key Developing Book Markets for Publishers to Watch in 2013

Korea, Indonesia and Turkey are well positioned to take advantage of the growing interesting in developing book markets from Western publishers in coming years. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #western publishers #coming years