Visiting the Society of Authors’ offices, Richard Charkin looks at issues of perceived fairness—and otherwise—in how publishers and authors work together.
Richard Charkin: On Memory Lane
‘Walking past former offices brings back fond—and sometimes not so fond—recollections,’ Richard Charkin writes, ‘of old times.’
Welcoming a Berlin Translation Imprint: A Few Words With Canelo’s Michael Bhaskar
‘We admired what EJ Van Lanen had built, the translation market is getting stronger,’ Canelo’s Michael Bhaskar says, in taking the publisher’s first imprint onboard.
‘Occupy Carnegie’: The UK’s Fast-Growing Library Crisis
According to a recent BBC report, some 15,000 volunteers have been recruited to run UK libraries, the paid staffers of which have been laid off. A standoff in south London is throwing the situation into sharp relief.
Egypt’s ALEF Bookstore Chain Opens Shop in London
Egyptian bookstore chain ALEF has opened a shop in London with the aim of promoting and spreading Arabic literature to an international audience of readers.
Literature-themed Benches Decorate London this Summer
As part of a summer reading promotion 50 ‘book bench’ sculptures have been placed around London in an initiative led by the National Literacy Trust and Wild in Art.
UK Book Trade Marvels at the New Foyles
Waterstones MD James Daunt summed it up when he said in reaction to visiting the new Foyles: ‘This is a serious, serious investment in physical bookselling.’
With Books, US Was More Prudish Than Europe, Says Law Historian
James Zirn’s ‘Mother Court,’ a history of legal cases in the the Southern District of New York, recalls a failed attempt to censor Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’ in the US.
Lit Fest in London Builds Buzz for Aussie and Kiwi Authors
The inaugural Australia & New Zealand Festival of Literature & Arts brought 130 authors and performers to London, showcasing the two nations’ talents.
Are Expensive Publishing HQs a Waste of Resources?
If publishers cut real estate overhead, would it allow them to pour more money into the books themselves? Or is paying high rent merely the price of doing business?