Category: publishing

What’s happened to Random House? “The flagship imprint of the world’s largest publishing company is suffering an identity crisis. Staff turnover and a difficult marketplace for literary books are pushing Random House away from its highbrow heritage and toward the lowbrow commercialism that marks most of its competitors. And at the same time that it’s shedding its literary distinctiveness, it has yet to enlist the sort of blockbuster author, such as John Grisham, who can be relied on to keep a commercial publisher in the black.”

Many of the best young cartoonists are moving out of newspapers and on to the web. “In many ways the migration of comic strips to the internet is a sound business decision. Reacting to the twin pressures of rising newsprint costs and dwindling readerships, newspaper publishers over the years have drastically reduced the space devoted to strips. As a result, most strips today run at about half the page size that Little Orphan Annie did 50 years ago. The diminishing importance of comic strips, combined with a reluctance to recognize new talent, has resulted in a whole generation of cartoonists who see newspapers as a fading relic. Since 2000, dozens of young cartoonists have used the web as a self-syndication scheme.”

“If the “Harry Potter” books stand as the essential popular read for young people, then “The Da Vinci Code” has captured the crown for grown-ups. A word-of-mouth sensation from the moment it came out, Brown’s controversial mix of storytelling and speculation remains high on best-seller lists even as it begins its third year since publication. Twenty-five million books, in 44 languages, are in print worldwide and no end is in sight. Booksellers expect “The Da Vinci Code” to remain a best-seller well into 2005.”

The literary supplements of two of Israel’s largest publications have undergone a generational change. “Coincidentally or not, the literary supplements of the two mass-circulation dailies – Yedioth Ahronoth and Maariv – are undergoing significant changes. Two months ago the veteran editor of the supplement in Yedioth retired after 39 years. He was replaced by his deputy of the past 20 years. At Maariv, the veteran editor of the literary supplement, Talma Admon, has been dismissed and Dana Elazar-Halevi has been appointed as her replacement.”

The mayor of Nezahualcoyotl, Mexico, has “ordered all 1,100 members of the municipal police to read at least one book a month or forfeit their chance of promotion. ‘We believe reading will improve their vocabulary and their writing skills, help them express themselves, order their ideas and communicate with the public. Reading will make them better police officers and better people’.”

Enough of these tracts about there being too many books published and too few classics, writes Robert McCrum. “In an age of rampant capitalism, in the middle of a colossal information-technology revolution unparalleled since Gutenberg, it would be surprising if there was not a colossal overproduction. No more classics? Possibly the hyperactivity of the marketplace makes good books harder to detect, but there’s no evidence that good books are missing their audiences or that writers today are any worse, or any better, than 50, even 100 years ago.”

“After three years of near silence about the attacks of Sept. 11, the literary world has begun to grapple with the meanings and consequences of the worst terrorist attack ever to happen on American soil. A half-dozen novels that use 9/11 and its aftermath as central elements of their plot or setting, from some of the most acclaimed literary novelists and the most respected publishing houses, are being released later this year. A similar number have already made their way into bookstores in the last few months.”

Scotland’s authors are proposing to break away from the Scottish Arts Council and are asking the Scottish Executive to start a special funding board just for literature. The move follows a dismal year for the Arts Council, and a similar breakaway request from Scotland’s four largest performing arts groups.

What were the top-selling books in the world last year? Well, at Amazon, at least, Harry Postter tops the list in the UK, Franca and Japan. Dan Brown takes the top spot in Germany and Canada, while in the US it was Jon Stewart. Here’s a list of the top ten lists for each country…

Have UK schools forgotten to teach the joy of reading in their zeal to improve test scores? “Reading has always been seen as a source of considerable pleasure for many. This is important, but perhaps has been forgotten by some schools in their pursuit of higher tests results that will improve their position in the league tables. You will find no pleasure in books if you cannot read, but it is equally possible to be able to read and derive little pleasure.”