Fall is now jam-packed for book publishers. That could be a problem.
chicagotribune.com – Sunday June 7, 2020
In March, when parts of the United States began shutting down because of the coronavirus, the best-selling children’s book author Jeff Kinney faced a quandary.
“Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure,” part of his popular Wimpy Kid series, was due out in April with a first printing of 3 million copies. His publisher had lined up a 10-city tour.
In a matter of days, those plans crumbled. “The book was about to land in stores that were closed to customers at the height of a pandemic,” Kinney said.
He and his publisher decided to postpone the release until August, in hopes that by then, his tour could be resurrected. Millions of copies are now sitting in warehouses. “It wasn’t an easy decision,” he said. “We knew lots of kids would enjoy the book while in lockdown.”
'Crunch point' is yet to come, say indie publishers
thebookseller.com – Thursday June 4, 2020
Two indie publishers have shared their concerns about the coming autumn, and emphasised the importance of flexible plans moving forward.
Speaking at the IPG Virtual Spring Conference, Sarah Braybrooke, managing director at Scribe UK, and Atlantic Books managing director Will Atkinson aired concerns on the packed line-up of titles expected this autumn because of coronavirus delays.
"I'm concerned about the massive concertina effect that might last into next year," Atkinson said. "I am much more worried now than I was a month ago." He said that approximately 30% of Atlantic's titles due for July had been moved.
How COVID will creep into the literary world
abc.net.au – Wednesday June 3, 2020
Imagine your favourite book; take a moment to picture those characters, their interactions, and the scene they're in.
Now reimagine that same book, but throw in all the coronavirus fears and restrictions we've seen throughout 2020.
Would you still want to read it?
That's the question authors and literary agents across the world are facing right now, as they grapple with this new reality and decide whether they should reflect it in their work.
Langlee leaves Kate Nash to join North Literary Agency
thebookseller.com – Tuesday June 2, 2020
Lina Langlee has left the Kate Nash Literary Agency to join the North Literary Agency.
Langlee, whose authors include Christina Courtenay, Sandy Barker, Stephen O’Rourke and Lucy Saxon, will remain based in Edinburgh.
With a background in publishing, Langlee joined Kate Nash as a junior agent in 2018 before winning a promotion last December and being shortlisted for Agent of the Year at the Romantic Novelists’ Association's Industry Awards.
At North, she joins an agency that was set up in October 2017 by four agents based in the north of England and Scotland: Mark Stanton, Allan Guthrie, Kevin Pocklington and Julie Fergusson.
Three Agents Resign After Red Sofa Literary Owner's Tweet
publishersweekly.com – Monday June 1, 2020
The civil unrest in the Twin Cities continues to take its toll on Minnesota's literary community—sometimes in unexpected ways. Thursday evening, the night before protesters set fire to two adjoining Minneapolis indie bookstores and destroying them both, the reaction to a St. Paul–based literary agent’s tweet ended up gutting the boutique agency she owns.
Three agents affiliated with Red Sofa Literary tweeted this past weekend that they have resigned in response to owner Dawn Frederick’s tweet, leaving one subsidiary rights executive besides Frederick still employed there. Frederick's official Red Sofa account on Twitter has been removed.
Amazon Literary Partnership Announces 2020 Grant Recipients
businesswire.com – Thursday May 28, 2020
Following emergency relief donations to Artist Relief and PEN America Writer's Emergency Fund who are providing grants directly to writers impacted by COVID-19, the Amazon Literary Partnership expands support with more than $1 million in funding to 66 nonprofits dedicated to serving writers
Since 2009, the Amazon Literary Partnership has awarded more than $13 million in grant funding to more than 175 literary organizations
For more than 10 years, the Amazon Literary Partnership has supported efforts that help writers tell their stories and find their readers. Following the emergency relief donation to Artist Relief and PEN America Writer’s Emergency Fund, both of which are providing grants directly to writers impacted by COVID-19, the Amazon Literary Partnership today announced an additional $1 million in grant funding to 66 organizations across the country. The funding will support groups that are working to empower writers, helping them to create, publish, learn, teach, experiment, and thrive.
Frankfurt Book Fair 2020 to go ahead
thebookseller.com – Thursday May 28, 2020
After weeks of speculation the Supervisory Board of the Frankfurt Book Fair decided yesterday (Wednesday 27th May) that the fair will take place as scheduled from 14th–18th October.
However it will be a very different Frankfurt. The plan is to run the event not only on the fair's grounds but also decentralized at locations in the city, and as a virtual event.
Strict safety and hygiene measures will be in place based on the coronavirus regulations of the state of Hesse, whose government together with Frankfurt’s mayor has been, and continues to be, deeply involved in getting the fair on the road.
Unsold book returns in coming weeks could be another blow for publishers
toronto.citynews.ca – Sunday May 24, 2020
As publishers try to deal with the massive disruption to the book industry in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many are bracing for another big blow that could arrive over the coming weeks as more retailers open their doors.
A massive return of books stemming from the two-month run of closed doors at bookshops and retail outlets could be a crushing financial hit for many domestic publishers, particularly the smaller independent variety.
“Publishing has always been a precarious business,” said Sarah MacLachlan, publisher of the Toronto-based House of Anansi Press.
Call For Entries: 'Haiku' Writing Competition 2.0
archdaily.com – Wednesday May 20, 2020
'Haiku' Writing Competition Series 2.0 is the sixth initiative of the Architectural Journalism & Criticism Organization, India founded by architect Pappal Suneja to spread awareness about this subject and sow the seeds of inspiration to explore and write about Architecture and allied fields. As per the curator, Journalism & Critical Appreciation in Architecture should reciprocate to the trending techniques. Our prenominal existence in the moment of time is not merely enough to amount for the utterance of spoken or written of the present. The architectural writings serve as reflections at a future day and it needs to be taken ahead at the forefront.
Red Planet writing prize goes digital
televisual.com – Wednesday May 20, 2020
Indie Red Planet Pictures and ITV will hold the next phase of their bi-annual writing competition as digital masterclasses this year.
The winner of The Red Planet Prize gets a script commission and the runner up will get development opportunities with ITV. Previous winners include Death In Paradise creator Robert Thorogood.
Leading the online sessions this year will be writer and Red Planet CEO Tony Jordan, ITV Drama Commissioner Chloe Tucker, Red Planet Joint MD Belinda Campbell, Red Planet Creative Consultant Kate Rowland and actor and writer, Rhashan Stone (Keeping Faith, Apple Tree Yard).
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