Bloomsbury snaps up academic publisher in ‘game-changing’ acquisition
msn.com – Sunday December 15, 2024
The publisher behind Harry Potter books has boosted its academic publishing arm with the $83 (65m) acquisition of Rowman & Littlefield.
Bloomsbury Publishing, which, as well as JK Rowling’s series, is known for its hits in the fantasy and fiction genres, said the move for the academic and trade publisher “significantly accelerates and strengthens [its] academic publishing in North America”.
The acquisition comes off the set of a bumper set of results for Bloomsbury in which the publisher’s success in fantasy fiction helped it to record profits of £41.5m and hiked its dividend by 25 per cent.
The transaction is structured as a sales and purchase agreement, and of the $83m (£65m) cost, $76m (£60m) has already been satisfied, the firms said in a statement to markets. The remaining $7m (£5.5m) is expected to be satisfied post-completion.
Rowman & Littlefield is a privately-owned independent publisher that publishes more than 40,000 academic titles. The firm will add to the Bloomsbury’s already-successful academic publishing division, which releases titles in fields as diverse as Law, Film & Media, Engineering History and International Development.
How to write a holiday rom-com for TV, according to the experts
apnews.com – Friday December 13, 2024
Have you ever watched a holiday rom-com on Hallmark Channel or Lifetime — or any of the other many networks and streamers that now air them — and thought, “I could write that”? It’s harder than you may think — but just as fun.
Regular writers of Christmas fare for Hallmark Channel, Great American Family and Lifetime share the ins and outs, misconceptions and exceptions to writing a Christmas TV movie.
Christmas is 365 days a year
Some say the holiday season goes by quickly, but for those whose jobs depend on it, Christmas is always on the brain. Writers are always looking for their next gig so there’s no real rest or downtime between assignments. The pressure is on to come up with ideas, get them sold and get writing so the films can get made and ready to air.
“I feel like when I’m not writing Christmas movies I’m pitching Christmas movies, so I feel like it’s Christmas all year round,” said Anna White, who executive produced and wrote “The Holiday Junkie,” directed by and starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, premiering Saturday on Lifetime.
It can be challenging, however, to get into the mindset of Christmas when life outside doesn’t match the world you’re creating. Rick Garman, who wrote the 2023 Hallmark Channel hit film “Christmas on Cherry Lane,” along with its three sequels this year for Hallmark+, often writes Christmas movies in June.
Edinburgh 900 – entries invited for a new poetry writing competition
theedinburghreporter.co.uk – Thursday December 12, 2024
To mark the 900th anniversary of Edinburgh becoming a royal burgh, Edinburgh Libraries has launched a poetry writing competition.
Locals are invited to share their love of the capital through poems they write themselves in a contest which will celebrate Edinburgh’s history, culture and community spirit. The six winning poems will then feature on bookmarks to be distributed throughout the city’s libraries.
The Rt Hon Lord Provost, Robert Aldridge, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for the city’s poets to showcase their creativity and contribute to Edinburgh’s special celebrations.
I’m excited to hear voices from all over the city capturing the spirit, beauty and history of our remarkable capital.
New Literary Agency Listing: Greenstone Literary
firstwriter.com – Wednesday December 11, 2024
Represents bestselling, established authors as well as debut writers. We are passionate about great stories and getting them out into the world. Specialising in commercial fiction, our authors’ work has reached millions of readers, listeners and viewers.
Simon Linacre assesses the state of predatory publishing, 15 years since the term was first coined
researchinformation.info – Monday December 9, 2024
As someone who worked in academic publishing throughout the 2010s, one remembers that the term ’predatory publishing’ was often accompanied by a round of sniggers and smirks, as if those responsible for these fake journals were like the naughty boys at the back of the class, eliciting snorts of laughter for their outlandish behaviour. In the early days of industry awareness of the issue, there was a feeling that while it was a problem to take seriously, it wasn’t really a serious problem.
However, as our understanding grew and some academics published studies on the phenomenon, it felt like the issue began to gain more credence as something to be concerned about. Landmark studies such as Shen and Bjork (https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-015-0469-2) and predatory publishing godfather Jeffrey Beall’s own work with his increasingly famous lists, raised awareness that not only were things being published that shouldn’t on a large scale, but that in some cases research funding was facilitating it.
The height of awareness probably came at the end of the decade when Grudniewicz et al (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03759-y) provided a now well cited, well adopted definition of what predatory publishing actually meant, and the US Federal Trade Commission found OMICS International had effectively defrauded authors paying APCs to its journals over a six year period to the tune of over $50m (https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/cases-proceedings/152-3113-omics-group-inc). Now many more academics were both aware of what predatory journals were, and that it was a lucrative business to dupe authors into publishing their research in them.
Giulia De Biase joins Andrew Nurnberg Associates, Milan
thebookseller.com – Monday December 9, 2024
Senior editor Giulia De Biase will join Andrew Nurnberg Associates (ANA), based in Milan. ANA Milan opened on 1st March 2024, and De Biase will be joining as an associate agent from January 2025. De Biase will be responsible for new business for the agency, children’s and YA titles, and film and TV rights. The agency added that she will also build a "selected list of domestic authors and strengthen the agency’s representation of international clients selling into the Italian market".
De Biase has nearly 20 years of experience in commercial and upmarket fiction across Italy’s publishing houses and throughout her career Giulia has managed authors such as Jeffery Deaver, Column McCann and Michael Connelly. She played a role in launching Paula Hawkins in the Italian market, and has worked as a film and TV script adviser, speaks French and Russian and is a literary translator from English and Polish.
Barbara Barbieri, director, ANA Milan said: "Giulia is in a league of her own, combining an erudite spirit with a killer commercial eye. Her editorial vision, multilingual background, and flair will greatly benefit the agency. We have had a really successful first year so far and I look forward to the next chapter for ANA Milan with Giulia on board."
Writing Tips From Your Favourite Authors
trillmag.com – Saturday December 7, 2024
Between them, they have sold over 27 million copies worldwide, and now David Nicholls, Richard Osman, and Matt Haig are giving aspiring authors their best writing tips.
One of the biggest struggles for writers isn’t the writing itself, it’s the ‘not knowing where to start’ or not having the confidence to put yourself out there. But, maybe after this read you can relish in knowing that some of your favorite authors had the same concerns and insecurities at the start of their journey. And, well, look at them now…
1. Inspiration
The first part of writing is finding inspiration for a story. Many authors use insights from their own lives and these three best-selling writers are no different.
Richard Osman said at the Cheltenham Literature Festival: “I love writing about what happened yesterday, so you’ll all be in the next scene. Unfortunately, some of you may get murdered [in the plot.]”
New Literary Agency Listing: Creative Roots Studio
firstwriter.com – Saturday December 7, 2024
We're building sustainable, long-term careers for children’s book creatives. We developed the three pillars of our business specifically for authors, illustrators and publishing professionals, to maximise creativity, industry knowledge and the opportunity for success. We only accept submissions from traditionally published authors and illustrators. However, we do open our submissions to self-published and non-published creatives from time to time. Please check our social media for these dates and/or subscribe to our newsletter. For published creatives, please enquire using our contact form, telling us a bit about you and your publishing career, including a list of your published books and the publishers you've worked with. Unfortunately, we do not accept physical submissions via post or courier.
Royal Literary Fund’s hardship grants for writers see applications increase by 400%
theguardian.com – Tuesday December 3, 2024
Charity cites AI and cost of living among reasons for a nearly fivefold increase in grant applications between last year and this year
Applications for the Royal Literary Fund’s (RLF’s) hardship grants for professional writers increased by 400% between last year and this year, the charity has said.
There was a nearly fivefold increase in applications in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period in 2023, RLF CEO Edward Kemp told the Guardian.
The RLF’s grant applications are open to writers who need short- or long-term financial support because they are, for example, facing an unexpected bill, reduced income, or are unable to write due to a “change in circumstances, sickness, disability, or age”, according to the RLF.
The grants are given as a donation towards the “removal of distress for the applicant”, rather than to help complete literary works. Writers must have published (via a traditional publisher, not self-published) at least two books in the UK or Ireland to be eligible for a grant.
Human Kinetics buys Lotus Publishing for undisclosed sum
thebookseller.com – Tuesday December 3, 2024
American trade and academic publisher Human Kinetics has bought Lotus Publishing, a small Sussex-based press focused on highly illustrated titles in anatomy, sport and health.
The list of roughly 50 titles will be added to the Human Kinetics portfolio as a new imprint: Lotus Books. The price of the sale has not been disclosed.
Human Kinetics, based in Illinois is the leader in physical activity, health, and sport publishing, including titles such as Strength Training Anatomy and Yoga Anatomy. The employee-owned company is also the publishing partner of organisations as the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE America), the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR), and Toronto-based canfitpro.
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