By Hannah Johnson Organizers of the Cape Town Book Fair (CTBF) announced today that the fair will not take place in 2011. However, the fair is scheduled to relaunch in 2012 to coincide with the scheduled IPA Congress in Cape Town. Claudia Kaiser, the director of the CTBF and VP of Business Development for the Frankfurt Book Fair released the …
Decamping from Frankfurt: Eichborn Moving to Berlin, Ponders Merger with Aufbau
By Siobhan O’Leary Following Suhrkamp’s headling-grabbing move from Frankfurt to Berlin last year, many in the German publishing industry wondered if it was an isolated incident or if other publishers would follow suit. Now Eichborn has announced its intention to join the ranks of publishers headquartered in the German capital — specifically in Aufbau’s future permanent home in Berlin. For …
Is Joe Sacco the World’s Greatest Graphic Noveliest/Reporter? The French Say “Oui”
By Olivia Snaije The Maltese-born American cartoonist and journalist Joe Sacco has just won the public news radio station France Info’s 2011 news and comic book prize for the French edition of his 400-page graphic novel Footnotes in Gaza. This is the second time Sacco has won the France Info prize—he was awarded the prize in 1999 for his graphic novel …
Funny Rap Video About Reading Books
By Hannah Johnson It may be hard to believe, but a video about reading books has made YouTube’s top ten most watched videos for today. Julian Smith’s rap video tells the story of a young man who just wants to read a book without being interrupted. “Don’t you ever interrupt me while I’m reading a book,” he says. Watch it …
Don’t Trip: App Lets You Read and Walk at the Same Time
By Hannah Johnson We all know what happens when you walk and look at your phone at the same time: accidents happen (seriously, click here to laugh). Well now, you can avoid running into things while you are reading e-books on your smartphone by using the MegaReader app. MegaReader announced a new feature, the “Heads Up Display”. This feature overlays …
The Atavist: New Publisher/E-Reading Platform to Launch Soon
By Hannah Johnson What can you do with a 7,000-word article or essay? Magazines typically won’t run something that long; blog readers won’t take the time to read something that long, and book buyers won’t pay for something that short. Enter The Atavist, a new e-reading startup founded by two journalists with a lot to say and not enough space …
Foreign Publishers Take Note: 2010 Edgar Nominees Offer Undiscovered Gems
By Edward Nawotka Nothing sells better overseas than US mystery novels. The Edgar Allen Poe Awards acknowledges the “best in mystery fiction, non-fiction and television” published or produced each year and their shortlist has just been announced. While the rights to many of the “big name” authors have likely already been scooped up, the shortlist might be the place to …
Ian McEwan to Be Awarded 2011 Jerusalem Book Prize
By Edward Nawotka Professor Menahem Ben-Sasson, President of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has announced that Ian McEwan will be awarded the Jerusalem Prize during this year’s Jerusalem International Book Fair, which takes place from February 20-25. The Jerusalem Prize is awarded biennially to a writer whose work best expresses and promotes the idea of “freedom of the individual in society.” It …
No Surprise: US is 75% of Global E-Reader Market, Apple & Amazon Dominate, Says IDC Study
By Edward Nawotka US-based Apple and Amazon are the leading global vendors of tablet computers and e-readers, respectively, according to the Worldwide Quarterly Media Tablet and eReader Tracker, published by International Data Corporation (IDC). Pandigital and Barnes & Noble have lapped Sony to become the #2 and #3 global vendor of e-readers. Sony is neck and neck with Chinese-producer Hanvon in distributing …
WIN a copy of CRIME by Ferdinand von Schirach
By Helen Gregg Written by famed defense attorney Ferdinand von Schirach, CRIME: STORIES is a debut collection analyzing the criminal mind. It is the January Book of the Month pick from the German Book Office. Want to win a free copy? Send your name and mailing address to gregg (at) newyork.gbo.org. (Contest open to residents of the continental US only, …