London Book Fair 2013

Special link: London Book Fair 2013

Monday, October 31, 2011

Odyl helps authors and publishers connect with readers on Facebook

Odyl helps authors and publishers engage and grow their audiences using Facebook, transforming their passionate readers into vocal evangelists. Our audience development platform enables authors to tap into Facebook's 900 million members, and to reap the benefits of Facebook's amazing sharing capabilities

Susan Hill launches "Not World Book Night" on Twitter

The Guardian has the Not the Booker prize – now one of this year's Man Booker prize judges, Susan Hill, has come up with Not World Book Night. The novelist was not a supporter of last year's initial event, when one million books were given away, telling the Guardian at the time that she was "totally against" the free handouts because "one of my publishers has had to spend £40,000 on printing books to give away which is £40,000 he cannot now use to publish and promote new authors", and throwing her support behind novelist Nicola Morgan's alternative suggestion: to buy a book and pass it on

Red House Children's Book Award 2012 shortlist

The shortlist for the Red House Children's Book Award 2012 is as follows:

Books for Younger Children

* Rollo and Ruff and the Little Fluffy Bird by Mick Inkpen, published by Hodder
* Don't Worry Douglas! by David Melling, published by Hodder
* Peely Wally by Kali Stileman, published by Red Fox
* Scruffy Bear and the Six White Mice by Chris Wormell, published by Jonathan Cape

Books for Younger Readers

* One Dog and His Boy by Eva Ibbotson, published by Marion Lloyd Books
* Sky Hawk by Gill Lewis, published by Oxford University Press
* The Brilliant World of Tom Gates by Liz Pichon, published by Scholastic

Books for Older Readers

* Grace by Morris Gleitzman, published by Puffin
* A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, published by Walker
* My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher, published by Orion

Charles Foran wins Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction

Charles Foran is the winner of the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction

Saturday, October 29, 2011

David Annandale signing The Valedictorians in Winnipeg

McNally Robinson Booksellers & Ravenstone Books present David Annandale signing The Valedictorians on November 5

2011 William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award shortlist

The shortlist for the 2011 William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award has been announced:

* Among The Fans: From Ashes to the Arrows, a Year of Watching the Watchers by Patrick Collins (Wisden Sports Writing)

* Into The Arena: The World of the Spanish Bullfight by Alexander Fiske-Harrison (Profile Books)

* The Ghost Runner: The Tragedy of the Man They Couldn't Stop by Bill Jones (Mainstream Publishing)

* Engage : The Fall and Rise of Matt Hampson by Paul Kimmage (Simon & Schuster)

* Racing Through The Dark: The Fall and Rise of David Millar by David Millar (Orion)

* A Life Too Short: The Tragedy of Robert Enke by Ronald Reng (Yellow Jersey Press)

* 32 Programmes by Dave Roberts (Bantam Press)

The Bookseller FutureBook2011 Conference

The Bookseller FutureBook2011 Conference - 5 December 2011 - London, UK

S&S bags Lynda Bellingham in two-book fiction deal

Actress and "Loose Women" co-presenter Lynda Bellingham has signed a two-book deal with Simon & Schuster to write commercial women's fiction

Friday, October 28, 2011

The HW Fisher Best First Biography Prize winner

The winner of this year's £5,000 HW Fisher Best First Biography Prize was Matthew Hollis for Now All Roads Lead to France: The Last Years of Edward Thomas, published by Faber. Speaking on behalf of the judges, Michael Prodger said: 'Matthew Hollis's Now All Roads Lead to France is not just an account of one of the First World War's less starry poets but of two worlds. The first is the febrile poetry world of the time, full of arguments, striving and intense friendships; the second is the world of creativity inside Thomas's head and just how the poems came about and were crafted. Hollis depicts both with extraordinary insight and in prose that is in the very best sense poetic.'

Nancy Miller named E-I-C at Bloomsbury USA

Nancy Miller has been promoted from executive editor at Bloomsbury to editor-in-chief at Bloomsbury USA. Miller, who is not replacing anyone, has been at Bloomsbury since 2009. She will now be reporting to Bloomsbury USA publishing director George Gibson, and has worked for, among other houses, HarperCollins and Random House

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Occupy Wall Street: The Book

Occupy Wall Street: The BookOR Books will release a 200-page first draft of a history entitled Occupying Wall Street: The Inside Story of an Action That Changed America as soon as December 17, using volunteers from the movement's Education and Empowerment Committee, and including work by both "sympathetic writers and people who are active in the occupation," OR co-founder Colin Robinson told New York

2012 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature finalists

Finalists for the $50,000 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, which was created to "acquaint readers to the rich diversity of South Asia's myriad language traditions," are:

* Bharathipura by U.R. Ananthamurthy
* A Street in Srinagar by Chandrakanta
* Monkey-man by Usha K.R
* Chinaman by Shehan Karunatilaka
* The Thing About Thugs by Tabish Khair
* The Story that Must Not Be Told by Kavery Nambisan

The winner will be announced January 21 at the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival

2011 ReLit Awards winners (Canada)

Winners of the 2011 ReLit Awards, which honor the best new work released by independent publishers in Canada, are:

* Novel: Blood Relatives by Craig Francis Power (Pedlar Press)
* Poetry: Sweet by Dani Couture (Pedlar Press)
* Short Story: Ravenna Gets by Tony Burgess (Anvil Press)

Kobo to become a publisher (Canada)

Canadian-based e-book seller Kobo is following in Amazon's footsteps and creating a publishing arm that will deal directly with authors

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

2011 Booker Prize Foundation University Initiative

13,000 copies of Man Booker Prize shortlisted titles have been distributed to students beginning university this autumn. The authors of the featured books will visit five universities before the end of the year to take part in a combination of workshops, lectures and reading groups. The universities taking part this autumn are: Newcastle; Hull; Stirling; Birkbeck and St Andrews

Craig Taylor - The Londoners

Craig Taylor will be talking about his new book The Londoners - the days and nights of London now. Perspectives from the people of London. From the woman who is the voice of London Underground to the director of a Bethnal Green funeral parlour, and many in between. Craig has painted a vivid, epic and wholly fresh portrait of 21st century London.

Join us at Chipping Barnet Library on Saturday 19th November at 2.30pm
Please phone 020 8359 4040 or email ruth.newman@barnet.gov.uk to book your free place.

ruth.newman@barnet.gov.uk
02083594040

HarperCollins buys Newmarket Press

HarperCollins has acquired the rights to the majority of the titles published by Newmarket Press, the independent New York City publisher started in 1981 by Esther Margolis

Macmillan Children's buys Birthright trilogy

Macmillan Children's Books has acquired a new trilogy called Birthright by Elsewhere author Gabrielle Zevin, who was previously published by Bloomsbury

Taiwanese publisher hits record with Jobs' biography

A Taiwanese publishing house has hit record results after it launched China's translation of Apple giant Steve Jobs' biography written by Walter Isaacson. Commonwealth Publishing Group released the book in Taiwan yesterday morning (October 24th), with more than 9,000 pre-orders made in just one day, equivalent to six orders per minute. In the last 19 days, more than 90,000 pre-orders of the translation were made across Asia, as its release came ahead of schedule to fall in line with its English-language launch in the UK and the US

Herman Cain spent over $100,000 of donor's money buying copies of his OWN book

Daily Mail: "Herman Cain may have based presidential bid around his 9-9-9 tax plan, but some of his other numbers may not be adding up. Financial filings show that the GOP candidate has used over $100,000 of donor's money to buy copies of booklets that his own company profits from. Mr Cain is the sole owner of a corporation called T.H.E. New Voice, Inc., which sells self-published booklets, DVDs and videos chronicling the pizza magnate's rise to fame"

World Book Night titles unveiled (UK)

Pride and Prejudice and The Alchemist are among the 25 titles that will be given away on World Book Night in 2012. One million books will be distributed at venues including hostels, pubs and hospitals in a bid to boost reading. Now in its second year, the event will move from March to 23 April, marking both Unesco's International Day Of The Book and Shakespeare's birthday. Some 20,000 members of the public will be chosen to give away copies of their favourite title from the list

Monday, October 24, 2011

Interview with Fauzia Burke, President, FSB Associates

In this exclusive interview for Digital Book World, Rich Fahle of Astral Road Media interviews Fauzia Burke, who discusses online book marketing, improving discoverability, her new program Amplify, and building better publicity relationships.

PA Bulletin 24th October 2011 (UK)

PA Bulletin 24th October 2011, from The Publishers Association, UK, is now available online #publisher #publishing

Friday, October 21, 2011

TS Eliot prize 2011 shortlist (UK)

The shortlist for the TS Eliot prize 2011 has been announced:

* Black Cat Bone by John Burnside
* The Bees by Carol Ann Duffy
* Profit and Loss by Leontia Flynn
* Night by David Harsent
* Armour by John Kinsella
* Grace by Esther Morgan
* Tippoo Sultan's Incredible White-Man-Eating Tiger Toy-Machine!!! by Daljit Nagra
* November by Sean O'Brien
* Farmer's Cross by Bernard O'Donoghue
* Memorial by Alice Oswald

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Writeidea Reading Festival 2011 (UK)

This is the third year of Writeidea - East London's free reading festival - and it is now established as a highlight in the cultural calendar in the capital. In contrast to many other literary festivals across the country, all our events are free, as we think that everyone should have the opportunity to meet and engage with our best writers and hear them talking about their work - 11 - 19 November - London, UK

Galaxy National Book Awards 2011 shortlist categories

The shortlist categories for the Galaxy National Book Awards 2011 have been announced

Piri Thomas, Latin American poet and novelist, dead at age 83

Piri Thomas, a Latin American poet and novelist who gave lyrical voice to the "gente" of New York City's barrios, has died. He was 83

POLITICO Bookshelf

POLITICO has taken its second step into the book business with the launch of an online bookstore, in partnership with Random House, of political books curated by POLITICO's editors. "POLITICO Bookshelf" will be operated by Random House featuring books on current events, politics, history and biography

Authors to get sales data online from 3 big publishers

Three major publishers, Simon & Schuster, Hachette and Random House in the US, will allow their authors to access book sales data directly online, a move that appeared to challenge Amazon and its continued efforts to woo authors

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2012 nominees

184 candidates from 66 countries are nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2012. This was revealed at the Frankfurt Book Fair on October 13 2011. Over one hundred expert organisations from all over the world have nominated the candidates. The recipient or recipients of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award will be announced on March 20th 2012

Knopf back to press on Barnes's Booker winner

With the news last night that the 2011 Man Booker Prize has gone to The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes, the U.S. publisher of the title, Knopf, has gone back to press for an additional 40,000 copies, bringing total copies in print to 76,000

Interview with Kevin Smokler, Author and Consultant, Byliner

In this exclusive interview for Digital Book World, Rich Fahle of Astral Road Media interviews Kevin Smokler, former VP of Byliner, who discusses short form publishing, new reading experiences, and speed to market for ebooks

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Naomi Wolf arrested at Occupy Wall Street

It’s not just the stars who are joining the Occupy Wall Street movement: feminist author Naomi Wolf was arrested on Tuesday night when she joined protesters at an event in downtown New York that Governor Cuomo was attending. While the others were demonstrating against Cuomo's refusal to reinstate the "millionaires tax," the bestselling author of The Beauty Myth reportedly told the crowd they didn't need a permit to use a megaphone. Police had said that protesters couldn't be outside the event without a street-activities permit

The Fourth Brook Green Book Festival 2011 (UK)

The Fourth Brook Green Book Festival 2011 sponsored by Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Brook Green. The aim of the Festival is to bring together West London writers and local people - 17-21 October, 2011

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Julian Barnes wins Man Booker Prize 2011

Julian Barnes has been named the winner of this year's £50,000 Man Booker Prize for Fiction for The Sense of an Ending, published by Jonathan Cape. London-based Barnes has been the bookies' favourite to win since the shortlist announcement on 6 September. The source of the description of the prize as 'posh bingo', Barnes has been shortlisted three times in the past for Arthur and George (2005), England, England (1998) and Flaubert's Parrot (1984)

Robert Darnton on eBooks, Google Books, DPLA...

Robert Darnton, historian and director of the university library at Harvard, talks about books, ebooks, the Google Books settlement, and the promise of the Digital Public Library of America

Man Booker Prize live on BBC News Channel 9.30-10pm tonight

Tonight's Man Booker Prize ceremony will be live on the BBC News Channel, BBC World News and online from 2130 - 2200 BST tonight, Tuesday 18 October 2011

Novelist Catherine Fisher named young people's laureate (Wales)

A writer from Newport is to be named Wales' first Young People's Laureate later. Catherine Fisher, a former primary school teacher and archaeologist, is an award-winning author of fantasy novels for children. She will be asked to inspire young people to read and be involved in creative writing. Her appointment by writers' body Literature Wales will be unveiled by singer Charlotte Church later

Javier Moro wins Premio Planeta award

Spanish writer Javier Moro has received this year's Premio Planeta award, the most prestigious prize for novels in Spanish. Moro, 57, scooped the prize Saturday for "El imperio eres tu" (The Empire, it's you), which is based on the life of Brazil's first Emperor Dom Pedro I (1798-1834), who backed the nationalist cause against imperial power Portugal

Rabindranath Maharaj wins 2011 Toronto Book Awards

Rabindranath Maharaj is the recipient of the 2011 Toronto Book Award for his novel The Amazing Absorbing Boy. The announcement was made at an awards gala held on October 13 at the Toronto Reference Library. Established by Toronto City Council in 1974, the Toronto Book Awards honour authors of books of literary or artistic merit that are evocative of Toronto

Monday, October 17, 2011

The Global eBook Market: Current Conditions & Future Projections

This research report will discuss the current state of the ebook market as well as provide guidance on what the future looks like. The report is presented by country and will consist of the primary report covering Europe as well as follow-up supplements adding coverage of the rest of the world. The initial release will be in mid-October at TOC Frankfurt and the supplements will be delivered later in 2011 and early 2012

Bedford Square Books launches with six titles

Bedford Square Books, the new e-book and Print on Demand venture coming from the Ed Victor Literary Agency, has gone live with all six launch titles now available to the public. In addition, Ed Victor confirmed that the company will publish its first original work, a novel by entrepreneur Louise Fennell, wife of jewellery designer, Theo. Fennell's debut novel, Dead Rich, is a contemporary black comedy. It will be published on February 8 2012 in e-book and POD formats

John le Carré regrets the removal of resale price maintenance on books

David Cornwell, better known by his pen name John le CarrĂ©, laments the removal of retail price maintenance on books and regrets lending his support to the campaign for its abolition. He made the admission in his keynote address at German publisher Ullstein’s grand 50th birthday party in Berlin last Sunday, where he was guest of honor at the invitation of Siv Bublitz, Ullstein Publisher & CEO. The speech, delivered in impeccable German, concluded with a paean of praise for German publishing and for the respect it is accorded in Germany

Boualem Sansal scoops German book prize

Internationally acclaimed Algerian author Boualem Sansal on Sunday received the annual German Book Trade Peace Prize and said that people everywhere were rising up against dictatorship. Sansal, 62, received the award for his open criticism of the regime in Algeria and his drive for "freedom of speech, culture and religion" in his native country, said Gottfried Honnefelder, president of the organisation

Interview with Brian Murray, CEO of HarperCollins

In this exclusive interview for Digital Book World, Rich Fahle of Astral Road Media interviews Brian Murray, CEO of HarperCollins Publishing, who discusses ROI, library ebook lending, and the pace of innovation in book publishing

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Lost CS Forester book "The Pursued" to be published

The Pursued - a crime novel written in 1935 by Horatio Hornblower creator CS Forester that was thought lost - is to be published for the first time. It was lost after the English author decided not to publish it so he could concentrate on a follow-up to the first Hornblower novel, The Happy Return. But a copy of the text surfaced at an auction in London in 2003 when it was bought by enthusiasts

The 2011 CWA Ellis Peters Historical Award shortlist

The Crime Writers' Association has announced the shortlist for this year's prestigious Ellis Peters Historical Award. The six books on the shortlist are:

* Rory Clements Prince (John Murray)
* Sam Eastland The Red Coffin (Faber & Faber)
* Gordon Ferris The Hanging Shed (Corvus)
* Andrew Martin The Somme Stations (Faber & Faber)
* RN Morris The Cleansing Flames (Faber & Faber)
* Imogen Robertson Island of Bones (Headline)

CWA chair Peter James said: "Historical fiction remains as popular as ever and has seen the creation of some of crime writing’s most enduring characters. This year's books continue that fine tradition."

The winner will be announced on November 30 at the Athenaeum in London, UK

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Man Booker Prize shortlisted authors on BBC Today programme

The winner of the 2011 Man Booker Prize will be announced on Tuesday 18th October. In the run up to the award, BBC Radio 4's Today programme is previewing the six shortlisted novels

Andy Warhol's children's book illustrations

Before there were Marilyns and Campbell's cans, there were neon-colored cats and pearl-bedecked birds. Andy Warhol illustrated several children's books in the 1950s as part of Doubleday's Best In Children's Book series before leaving the publishing world behind, and lately they've been back in the public eye

Friday, October 14, 2011

ACCESS announces advanced, platform-independent eBook reader that supports the EPUB 3 standard

ACCESS CO., LTD. has announced the availability of NetFront™ BookReader v1.0 EPUB Edition, a new, platform-independent eBook reader that features support for EPUB® 3, the latest version of the distribution and interchange format for digital publications and documents developed and maintained by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF)

The Penguin Podcast: Rob Brydon's Small Man in a Book

In this special podcast, TV personality Rob Brydon reads an extract from his autobiography, Small Man in a Book. Before his much-loved performances in shows including The Trip, Gavin and Stacey, Human Remains and Marion and Geoff, Rob Brydon had a difficult ascent to fame. In this extract, he discusses his college years and the trials and tribulations of starting your career

WHSmith to launch e-book readers (UK)

WHSmith, the UK newsagent and bookseller, is to launch a range of e-book readers in partnership with a Canadian company called Kobo

Interview with Sarah Wendell, author and book blogger

In this exclusive interview for Digital Book World, Rich Fahle of Astral Road Media interviews Sarah Wendell, who discusses the romance reading community, DRM, the possibilities of ebooks, and library lending of ebooks

Thursday, October 13, 2011

IDW Publishing library comes to comiXology

IDW Publishing and comiXology have partnered to make the publisher's complete library available digitally across all comiXology platforms - iOS, the Android and the Web

Google Books returns to the Annual Boston Book Festival

From Inside Google Books: Bostonian bookworms curious about ebooks and the latest talented writers are in for a treat this Saturday, October 15 at the third annual Boston Book Festival – a free one-day event celebrating books and authors that's expected to attract more than 30,000 people. We'll be there hosting a Google eBooks Petting Zoo inside the main Boston Book Festival tent at Copley Square, as well as sponsoring two panel discussions

National Book Awards 2011 finalists

Winners of the National Book Awards 2011 will be announced November 16 in New York City. This year's shortlisted titles are:

Fiction:
* The Tiger's Wife by TĂ©a Obrecht (Random House)
* The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka (Knopf)
* Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward (Bloomsbury USA)
* The Sojourn by Andrew Krivak (Bellevue Literary Press)
* Binocular Vision by Edith Pearlman (Lookout Books)

Nonfiction:
* The Convert: A Tale of Exile and Extremism by Deborah Baker (Graywolf)
* Love and Capital: Karl and Jenny Marx and the Birth of a Revolution by Mary
* Gabriel (Little, Brown)
* The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt (Norton)
* Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention by Manning Marable (Viking)
* Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie, A Tale of Love and Fallout by Lauren Redniss (It Books)

Poetry:
* Head Off & Split by Nikky Finney (TriQuarterly)
* The Chameleon Couch by Yusef Komunyakaa (FSG)
* Double Shadow by Carl Phillips (FSG)
* Tonight No Poetry Will Serve: Poems 2007-2010 by Adrienne Rich (Norton)
* Devotions by Bruce Smith (University of Chicago Press)

Young People's Literature:
* My Name Is Not Easy by Debby Dahl Edwardson (Marshall Cavendish)
* Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai (HarperCollins)
* Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy by Albert Marrin (Knopf Books for Young Readers)
* Chime by Franny Billingsley (Dial Books)
* Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt (Clarion Books)
* Shine by Lauren Myracle (Amulet Books)

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

75th Governor General’s Literary Awards finalists (Canada)

The Canada Council for the Arts has announced the 68 finalists for the 2011 Governor General's Literary Awards. The GGs, Canada's national book awards celebrate the excellence of Canadian writers, illustrators and translators. The English and French awards are in the categories of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, children's literature (text and illustration) and translation

Book Review: London Unfurled By Matteo Pericoli

Have you ever held a book that is seven times your height? London Unfurled is a remarkable, accordion-style object (book is perhaps the wrong word) containing an even more remarkable panorama. Artist Matteo Pericoli has painstakingly drawn the Thames riverscape, on both north and south banks, between Hammersmith and Greenwich. It's all here; every building, bridge, pier, chimney, steeple. The Shard looms out of the page, half-built. The angles shift and warp, depending on the artist's choice of vantage point

Anne Rice is signing books at Foyles Charing Cross Road (UK)

Internationally bestselling author, creator of the vampire Lestat in Interview with the Vampire and an inspiration to current favourites such as such as Charlaine Harris and Stephanie Meyer, Anne Rice has created some of the most memorable and chilling stories in the history of horror writing. Anne returns to the UK for the first time in over a decade to sign copies of her books exclusively in London for Foyles on October 15, 2011

Jarvis Cocker to be Faber and Faber editor-at-large

Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker has been appointed editor-at-large with book publisher Faber and Faber. The singer will work in a "broad commissioning role" with Faber's publishing and editorial directors. Cocker follows in the footsteps of The Who guitarist Pete Townshend, who was appointed the role at the publisher in the 1980s

Natasha Kaplinsky joins Orange Prize jury (UK)

Natasha Kaplinsky joins Orange Prize jury (UK)Newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky and BBC Radio 5 live host Victoria Derbyshire are to join the judging panel for the 2012 Orange Prize for Fiction. The jury, chaired by bestselling author Joanna Trollope, will also include writer Lisa Appignanesi and broadcaster Natalie Haynes. The £30,000 annual prize recognises the work of fiction written in the English language by women. The winner will be announced on 30 May next year

Barnes & Noble yanks Kindle exclusive comics from its shelves

Don't share with Barnes & Noble, and you'll face the book behemoth's wrath. One week after DC Comics handed over exclusive digital rights for some of its comic books to Amazon, B&N fired back by yanking physical copies of those books off its store shelves. Barnes & Noble said it is following its usual proceedure for dealing with publishers that release digital versions of their books but withhold those e-books from B&N - CNN

Maney Publishing partners with the European Medical Writers Association

Maney Publishing has announced a new publishing arrangement with the European Medical Writers Association to relaunch its journal in 2012. EMWA has been publishing The Write Stuff since 1998. The title will change to Medical Writing from Volume 21, to reflect more clearly the interests of the journal's authors and readership. The re-launch will take place at the EMWA conference in London on 3–4 November 2011

A Google chat with Nobel Peace Prize-winner Leymah Gbowee

Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee stopped by Google to discuss her new memoir, Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War (Beast Books, 2011)

Interview with Melanie Notkin, author and founder, Savvy Auntie

In this exclusive interview for Digital Book World, Rich Fahle of Astral Road Media interviews Melanie Notkin, author and Founder of Savvy Auntie, who discusses niches, marketing, and communicating with your audience through social media

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

ALPSP Fundamentals of eProduction

Whether your production facility remains in-house or you have an outsourced arrangement, a knowledge of underlying technologies and associated jargon is essential. This course explains the current, common technologies used within the production workflow:- manuscript submission systems; file delivery mechanisms (such as FTP); PDF and PDF-X; use of SGML and XML for online products. A portion of the day will be dedicated to a 'clinic' where delegates are invited to bring along specific problems for discussion - 22 November 2011 - London, UK

American Libraries launches E-Content blog

Keeping up with the many varieties of digital content - and how libraries can offer them to their patrons - just got easier. American Libraries has launched an "E-Content" blog that provides information on e-books, e-readers, e-journals, databases, digital libraries, digital repositories, and other e-content issues. The blog complements the new section on e-content that appears in the weekly e-newsletter American Libraries Direct and focuses on similar issues

Gomorrah author Roberto Saviano wins Pen/Pinter International writer of courage award

Gomorrah author Roberto Saviano wins courage awardAn Italian author who has been in hiding since writing an expose about the Naples mafia has won the Pen/Pinter International writer of courage award. Roberto Saviano's 2006 book Gomorrah explores the vast reach and corruption of the Camorra. Mr Saviano, 32, has lived under constant police protection since death threats were issued against him by the mafia in 2006. He is sharing the prize with British playwright Sir David Hare. The Pen/Pinter Prize was established by the writers' charity Pen in 2009 in memory of British playwright Harold Pinter

Wexford is me, Ruth Rendell confesses

Wexford is me, Ruth Rendell confessesAuthor Ruth Rendell has admitted that her famous creation, Ch Insp Reginald Wexford, is based on her. Appearing at The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival, she said: "However you look at it, he is me." Rendell, made a peer in 1997, said she gave Wexford many of her habits as well as her hatred of corporal punishment and a memory for birthdays. She also paid tribute to the late actor George Baker who played Wexford on TV series The Ruth Rendell Mysteries. The 80-year-old, from West Lavington, Wiltshire, died of pneumonia on Friday following a recent stroke. "Where would Wexford have been without George?" Rendell said

Monday, October 10, 2011

International Festival of Authors (Ontario, Canada)

The International Festival of Authors brings together the best writers of contemporary world literature for 12 days of readings, interviews, lectures, round table discussions, and public book signings each October. The IFOA presents a number of special events including readings by Scotiabank Giller Prize, Governor General's Literary Awards, and Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize finalists, as well as the awarding of the Harbourfront Festival Prize. IFOA Ontario, the festival's touring programme, now stops in 17 locations across the province

A talk on illustrator and novelist Mervyn Peake

Mervyn Peake author of the three celebrated Gormenghast books, was one of the most multi-talented artists of the 20th Century. Painter,novelist,author of children's books and nonsense verse, war artist, post and dramatist, he also illustrated such classic works as Treasure Island, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Ancient Mariner, Grimm's Household Tales and Bleak House. A man of extraordinary vision and artistic creations are unforgettable, and his influence felt to this day - 11 October 2011 - London, UK

Maney editorial board member wins Nobel Prize

Dr Jules A Hoffmann, Editorial Board member for the Maney journal Pathogens and Global Health, has jointly won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2011

PA Bulletin 10th October 2011 (UK)

PA Bulletin 10th October 2011, from The Publishers Association, UK, is now available online #publisher #publishing

Barry Eisler's 'detachment' from 'legacy' publishing

Thriller writer Barry Eisler has turned his back on traditional publishing - or as he calls it, legacy publishing. His latest book, The Detachment, was released as an e-book in September. It comes out in paperback in October. Both versions are published by Amazon

Sunday, October 9, 2011

The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival 2011

Cheltenham Festival of Literature - a long-established literary festival with upwards of 400 speakers

Last three CWA Dagger winners announced

The winners of the last three CWA Daggers were revealed at the Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards held this evening at London's Grosvenor House Hotel. You can watch the ceremony next Tuesday, 11 October, on ITV3, along with the Film and TV Daggers.

The winners are:
The CWA Gold Dagger: Tom Franklin Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter (Macmillan)
The CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger: Steve Hamilton The Lock Artist (Orion)
The CWA John Creasey Dagger: S.J. Watson Before I Go To Sleep (Doubleday)

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Publishing Innovation Awards

The Publishing Innovation Awards honor the most innovative ebooks, enhanced ebooks, and book apps in 14 categories. It is the mission of the PIAs to highlight excellent publishers/authors, encourage new thinking, and improve the reading experience in the digital age. Deadline: November 1, 2011

The 2011 Wellcome Trust Book Prize shortlist

The shortlist for The 2011 Wellcome Trust Book Prize has been announced:

Fiction

* Turn of Mind - Alice LaPlante
* Nemesis - Philip Roth
* My Dear I Wanted to Tell You - Louisa Young
* State of Wonder - Ann Patchett

Non-fiction

* The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer - Siddhartha Mukherjee
* The Two Kinds of Decay - Sarah Manguso

British Fantasy Award winner returns prize

Sam Stone hands back award after criticism of judging process

Google launches UK eBooks store

Google eBooks has launched its e-bookstore in the UK

Thursday, October 6, 2011

PocketMags: digital magazines for iPad, iPhone, Android, PC and Mac

Launched in February 2011, PocketMags is a 'digital newsstand where consumers can purchase single issues and subscriptions to a wide range of magazines from across the globe. A single purchase on Pocketmags gives readers access to their digital edition(s) on various devices including PC & Mac computers, iPad, iPhone and Android devices

The West Port Book Festival (Scotland)

The West Port Book Festival - 13-16 October, 2011 - Edinburgh, Scotland

The DSC South Asian Literature Festival (UK)

The DSC South Asian Literature Festival offers a unique platform for South Asian storytelling, combining the written word with rich imagery, film, music, performance and art across two weeks in October. The Festival aims to generate interest and discussion about the themes and literary heritage of the subcontinent, reach out to new audiences across the UK, and present an unmatched platform for established and emerging voices alike - 7-24 October, 2011 - UK

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Bookboon.com

Bookboon.com originates from Denmark, out of Ventus Publishing, established in 1988. Ever since it was founded, the company has focused on publishing education related books for business professionals and students

Interview with Jason Allen Ashlock of Movable Type Literary Group

In this exclusive interview for Digital Book World, Rich Fahle of Astral Road Media interviews Jason Allen Ashlock, who discusses the future of the book and how to realize new digital formats that compliment and improve the content and narrative

Wimbledon Bookfest (UK)

The Wimbledon Bookfest is now in its fifth year. It was started in 2006 by Tony Kane and Fiona Razvi, who wanted to raise cultural activity and awareness in Wimbledon. Working in the local media they were meeting many writers and authors, and had strong connections with the arts environment in the area. A team was formed with representatives from the arts and publishing sectors, including Polka Theatre, New Wimbledon Theatre, Merton Council, Wimbledon Guild, local bookshops and Time & Leisure magazine. A charity, Wimbledon Arts, was formed and a trust set up. Books were chosen as a vehicle for the arts with long terms plans of a more broad arts festival in the future. The team is almost entirely volunteer-based. We have only a small amount of admin support. The festival has grown, and we now have a specialised team of considerable size, and we have developed many community partnerships - 1-9 October, 2011, UK

BBC Bookof the week: "Arguably" by Christopher Hitchens

A selection of the polemical journalist's essays. Read by Roger Allam

Maney Publishing celebrates landmark at Frankfurt Book Fair 2011

Maney Publishing has announced it will showcase a selection of prestigious books and journal titles at the Frankfurt Book Fair, 12-16 October 2011 to mark publishing its 100th journal this year

The 12th annual Litquake festival (USA)

Litquake seeks to foster interest in literature for people of all ages, perpetuate a sense of literary community, and provide a vibrant forum for Bay Area writing as a complement to the city's music, film, and cultural festivals. Litquake is a project of the Litquake Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit registered in the state of California - October 7-15, 2011

Canadian book review compares "The Rogue" to "The Lies of Sarah Palin," and recommends them both

The Immoral Minority: "Given the circus-like atmosphere surrounding The Rogue, it would be easy to write it off as tawdry entertainment before moving on to Dunn's more authoritative tome. But that would be a mistake. Because within this book are scores of devastating anecdotes from people who speak on the record, as well as documented revelations about the extent of Palin's religious extremism"

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

DBW Insights: Maureen Johnson, author of The Name of the Star

In this exclusive interview, Maureen Johnson, bestselling author of the just published The Name of the Star, discusses researching her novels, twitter, and author branding

The 2011 Scotiabank Giller Prize shortlist

The shortlist for the The 2011 Scotiabank Giller Prize has been announced:

* David Bezmozgis, The Free World (HarperCollins Canada)
* Lynn Coady, The Antagonist (House of Anansi Press)
* Patrick DeWitt, The Sisters Brothers (House of Anansi Press)
* Esi Edugyan, Half-Blood Blues (Thomas Allen Publishers)
* Zsuzsi Gartner, Better Living Through Plastic Explosives (Hamish Hamilton Canada)
* Michael Ondaatje, The Cat's Table (McClelland & Stewart)

Semantic Web: A Publisher’s Survival Guide

As we move into the next phase of the web, huge opportunities await publishers for communicating via the internet. Enriched content, new discovery paths and interactive data are all ways of enhancing the research process and adding value to content. We examine what the semantic web means and address the key questions associated with the practicalities of implementing a semantic web strategy - 13/10/2011 - Frankfurt

Springer and the Korean Physical Society sign co-publishing agreement

Springer and the Korean Physical Society will collaborate to publish the society's official publication, the Journal of the Korean Physical Society, beginning in 2012. It is dedicated to disseminating and publishing significant and original research results in all branches of physics from scientists based in Korea and around the world

The official 2011 Frankfurt Book Fair App launches

Navigating around the Frankfurt Book Fair was made that little bit easier today as the fair's new official app, Frankfurt Book Fair App - Book Fair to Go, was launched courtesy of Publishing Technology. The app is now available for free download on Apple iPhone® and Google Android™ devices. Frankfurt Book Fair, 12-16 October, is the largest event in the publishing calendar and brings publishers, booksellers, agents, authors and other delegates from across the globe together under one roof. The Book Fair's 2011 app, developed by Eyeled, has been designed to make life easier for delegates, helping them to navigate around the show with ease, familiarise themselves with all participating exhibitors, keep up-to-speed with the events programme and plan their time accordingly

Indian-Canadian writer Rohinton Mistry wins 2012 Neustadt International Prize for Literature

Indian-Canadian writer Rohinton Mistry wins 2012 Neustadt International Prize for LiteratureAn international jury representing nine countries selected critically acclaimed Indian-Canadian writer Rohinton Mistry as the 2012 laureate of the $50,000 Neustadt International Prize for Literature, sponsored by the University of Oklahoma, the Neustadt family and the international magazine World Literature Today. The choice was made during deliberations September 29 on the OU Norman campus. WLT Executive Director Robert Con Davis-Undiano commented that "the world will quickly discover the excellence of Rohinton Mistry's luminous fiction that the Neustadt jury acknowledged with this choice. Giving the award to Mistry is inspired.' Mistry was born in 1952 in Bombay (now Mumbai). He graduated with a degree in mathematics from the University of Bombay in 1974 and immigrated to Canada with his wife the following year, settling in Toronto

Lifestyle the draw in new chapter for bookshops

Bookstores, printers and distributors had most to fear from the coming e-book revolution and shops may need to diversify and become "cultural department stores" to survive. So says a market analysis commissioned by the federal government's Book Industry Strategy Group to investigate the competitiveness of the book industry as it confronts "paradigmatic change" in the new digital world

Caroline Marks replaces Paulo Lemgruber as CEO of Bookish

Caroline Marks, the general manager of digital parents and lifestyle platforms at Meredith, has been named CEO of Bookish–replacing Paulo Lemgruber as he departs

Monday, October 3, 2011

New service for authors seeking to self-publish E-Books

The Perseus Books Group has created a distribution and marketing service that will allow authors to self-publish their own e-books

Peter James: My favourite independent bookshop: City Books, Hove

Nothing is too much effort for the staff here, City Books, Hove, who champion their favourite authors and coddle all their customers with unswerving dedication

A day in the life of an independent bookshop (UK)

How does Hampshire's One Tree Books thrive while so many independents are struggling?

Wizard fans forced to wait as Harry Potter e-book sales postponed until 2012

Harry Potter fans will have to wait a bit longer to buy the magic tales in electronic form. The creators of the online Potter portal said Friday that the launch of an e-book store has been pushed back to next year

Sunday, October 2, 2011

The Green Carnation Prize Longlist 2011

The Green Carnation Prize Longlist 2011:

* By Nightfall – Michael Cunningham (Fourth Estate)
* The Strange Case of the Composer and his Judge – Patricia Duncker (Bloomsbury)
* The Proof of Love – Catherine Hall (Portobello)
* Red Dust Road – Jackie Kay (Picador)
* The Retribution – Val McDermid (Little Brown)
* Purge – Sofi Oksanen (Atlantic Books)
* There But for The… – Ali Smith (Hamish Hamilton)
* Remembrance of Things I Forgot – Bob Smith (Terrace Books)
* Ever Fallen in Love – Zoe Strachan (Sandstone Press)
* The Empty Family – Colm Toibin (Penguin Books)
* Role Models – John Waters (Beautiful Books)
* Before I Go To Sleep – S.J Watson (Doubleday)
* Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal? – Jeanette Winterson (Jonathan Cape)

Inside Penguin – meet the designers on 6th October

Penguin are setting up a series of live webchats with people working in different roles around the company, to give you an inside glimpse at how the publishing industry works and what we all do

Amazon's grip tightens on the entire book-publishing chain - CNN

Amazon's low-priced bestsellers and Kindle e-reader are famous for changing the book industry. What's not so well known is how deeply Amazon's tentacles reach into all parts of the industry, including its growing interest in inking deals with authors to publish some of the hit books Amazon sells. Booksellers and publishers are crying foul, saying they're being cut out of the chain by an aggressive Goliath. But some authors who have recently signed with Amazon Publishing say the company simply offered them a better, fairer deal than traditional publishers - CNN

Lennoxlove Book Festival 2011 (Scotland)

Lennoxlove Book Festival 2011 - a weekend of entertainment, enlightenment and ideas with a glittering cast of writers and artists, as well as fun events and activities for children. Set in the stunning location of Lennoxlove House, Haddington, East Lothian. Aimed at book lovers of all ages and includes the Knight Frank family festival - 4-6 November 2011

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Video: Making Books (1947) (USA)

Video: Making Books (1947) produced by Encyclopaedia Britannica Films

Guardian Children's Fiction prize shortlist

The shortlist for the Guardian Children's Fiction prize has been announced:

* My Name Is Mina, by David Almond (Hodder) Age: 9+
* Return to Ribblestrop, by Andy Mulligan (Simon & Schuster) Age: 10+
* Moon Pie, by Simon Mason (David Fickling) Age: 10+
* Twilight Robbery, by Frances Hardinge (Macmillan) Age: 11+

The winner will be announced at an event at Kings Place in London on Thursday 10 November