Category: publishing

And really, was it necessary to include a revolving “3D Annex” that shows the location of the bathroom?

“What does seem a mystery of Hogwartian proportions is the lack of Harry Potter. JK Rowling fails to make it into the top twenty of the most borrowed children’s authors, only managing to appear in 96th place.”

“Roald Dahl books are no longer the most popular in comparison to thriller and romance novels involving vampires and wizards.”

“There’s a big anxiety among biographers these days – the Wikipedia anxiety. The worry is that, if you can get all that information from Wikipedia, what’s left for biography?”

“The results suggest that despite digital book sales overtaking print in the UK and the US, readers are still more attached to the culture associated with books than the convenience of electronic devices.”

“Anything good that happens, any genuine excitement that a book elicits can be amplified and repeated and streamed and forwarded and linked in a way that excitement spreads more quickly and universally than ever before. And what I’m seeing is that really wonderful books — the books that people get genuinely excited about because they change their lives, they give them new ideas — those books can travel faster, go further, sell more copies sooner than ever before.”

Sylvia Plath’s novel “is once again stirring up strong emotions, with the publisher Faber accused of portraying the book as glorified chick lit through its design for the book’s 50th anniversary edition.”

Sam Jordison: “The official figures aren’t out yet, but Faber have assured me it’s doing the business. There’s no evidence that this cover has ostracised a potential part of its audience, but there is already some that it has helped the book reach a new generation of readers.”

Flavorwire takes us from the first UK edition (1963), through a classic 1966 image and a range of European translations (plus one in Thai), to the 50th anniversary design that’s causing such a ruckus this year.

“It gives him perfect economic freedom; he’s free of fear and hunger; he has a roof over his head and nothing whatever to do except keep a few simple accounts and to go once every month and pay off the local police. The place is quiet during the morning hours, which is the best time of the day to work.”