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News stories from the book world in January 2010

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English: the global language

20 December 2010

A wonderful free exhibition at the British Library, Evolving English, makes the point: 'the roots of old English, slang dictionaries, advertisements and newspapers from around the world are brought together to present a fascinating picture of the evolution of English'.  Read more

Libraries facing major cuts

6 December 2010

Libraries are under threat as governments carry out major cuts to public services in both the US and the UK.   Read more

Now it's National Short Story Week!

29 November 2010

This week has been UK National Short Story Week and we've all been invited to join in as readers, writers and listeners by a new website with that name.  Read more

Pitchapalooza - pitching your book

22 November 2010

A recent posting on Publishing Perspectives took the reader to their article on Pitchapalooza, written by authors David Henry Sterry and his wife Arielle Eckstut, the duo known as The Book Doctors. The Book Doctors invented 'Putting Your Passion Into Print', now known as Pitchapalooza.  Read more

'E-book sales are astonishing'

15 November 2010

So, given publishers' latest focus, are readers are switching to e-books at a staggering speed and is the whole market for books set to change radically within a short space of time? The evidence for this is actually a bit contradictory.  Read more

UK Arts Council cuts affect poetry

1 November 2010

So what's the situation with the UK's small funded literature sector in the light of the enormous cuts which were announced last week by the new coalition government?   Read more

Children's publishers bullish

25 October 2010

The recent Children's Bookseller Conference in London focused on a part of the publishing industry in relatively good health.  Read more

Booker surprise

18 October 2010

The winner of the 2010 Man Booker Prize has been a compete surprise to everyone, including the author. Howard Jacobson had never even been shortlisted before, and his book The Finkler Question was the bookies' least favourite title on the shortlist.  Read more

An optimistic Frankfurt

11 October 2010

The Frankfurt Book FairWorld's largest trade fair for books; held annually mid-October at Frankfurt Trade Fair, Germany; First three days exclusively for trade visitors; general public can attend last two. seems to have engendered a mood of optimism, in spite of the uneasy world economy and the particular preoccupations which are making book publishers feel as if the ground is shifting under their feet.  Read more

Comedy or errors - or tragedy?

4 October 2010

It's been a gift for the media. 'A comedy of errors for author of The Corrections(The Times) 'Jonathan Franzen's 'book of the century' pulped over error.' (the Guardian) ' Franzen's new novel recalled to be pulped.' (Evening Standard)  Read more

Is a creative writing course worth it?

27 September 2010

Can creative writing courses really open up the world of writing to the students who pay heavily for the privilege of taking them? As students begin the return to college or university across the northern hemisphere, this seems a good time to examine whether or not creative writing courses earn their keep.  Read more

Bestsellers, bestsellers

20 September 2010

Some recent articles on bestseller lists have shown that the lists can be a bit of a moveable feast.  Read more