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 ]
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The May sunshine led to a 3.4% total sales increase last month, according to the British Retail... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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US pop star Katy Perry will become the latest celebrity to be depicted in the biography comic book Fame series, publisher Bluewater Productions says. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2012-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sony has decided to join the web-based shopping party, launching an online reader store for its e-inked devices and companion apps. Any e-Books purchased will arrive ready-to-read on the Reader app or other suitably wireless device, with titles also working on any Adobe DRM-supported apps and... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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J.K. Rowling's 'Book of Spells' will allow players to wave wands and cast spells using Wonderbook technology. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Publishing and long-running book-maker Avalon now has more in common than rhyme schemes. The pair have struck up a deal to publish over 3,00 titles from the publisher's back-catalogue, broaching its romance, mystery and western genres. It'll be the first time that these books will be... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The romance with the printed word shows no signs of abating. Despite the rapid growth in ebook sales in recent years, print book output in 2011 grew by 6%, to 347,178 titles, compared to the prior year. The preliminary numbers released Tuesday by bibliographic database Bowker are "the most... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2012-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A look into two of New Zealand's darker tales have made the shortlist for this year's New Zealand Post Book Awards. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2012-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wattpad, a booming ebook community site, hosts five million stories, with 500,000 added per month. Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2012-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Authors Guild is encouraging its 8,500 members to submit comments against the proposed settlement between the Department of Justice and three large publishers. The settlement, the guild argues, will only benefit Amazon. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2012-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sony unveils a Harry Potter-based book, part-written by JK Rowling, as the first Wonderbook title for its Playstation console. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2012-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Many in the book world are eager to discover if Oprah's book club – after a two-year hiatus and now on the lower-profile OWN network – will still draw readers in massive numbers. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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British journalist Richard Lloyd Parry skillfully goes beyond the headlines in the 2000 disappearance of fellow Brit Lucie Blackman in Tokyo. It is a dark, unforgettable ride.People Who Eat Darkness Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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To listen to the Audio Book Club discussion of Are You My Mother?, click the arrow on the player below. Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2012-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Some classic public domain books for the Nook appear to be stripped of any mention of the word "Kindle," no matter what the context, resulting in some odd reading.One blogger recently discovered that his downloaded 99-cent Nook version of War and Peace, ported by Superior Formatting Publishing... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2012-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Everyone! Check under your chairs! It's a...new book club from Oprah! Yep, the former queen of daytime TV is revamping her famed literary organization for the 21st century. Winfrey says she was so taken by Cheryl Strayed's Wild, that she absolutely had to get back on the book peddling bandwagon.... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After two years, Oprah Winfrey's highly influential book club is being revived, with "Wild," by Cheryl Strayed, as the first selection. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2012-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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According to the calendar, it may not be summer for a few more weeks, but tell that to booksellers, who launched their summer selling season on Memorial Day. One week in and many independents are anticipating an up summer. A mild winter and a strong first quarter contributed to a number of... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A New York-based software company is taking e-reading to a whole new nonlinear level. Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2012-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In response to a Justice Department lawsuit, the two book publishers denied any price fixing for ebooks and accuse Amazon of engaging in anticompetitive behavior. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2012-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Galaxy may discontinue its sponsorship of the National Book Awards, with the award’s... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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