Karl Ove Knausgaard's latest work to remain unseen until 2114
theguardian.com – Sunday October 20, 2019
Karl Ove Knausgaard, who detailed the minutiae of his own life in the six-volume autobiographical novel My Struggle, has taken on a new challenge: the Norwegian writer is to become the sixth contributor to the Future Library, which collects works by contemporary authors that will remain unread until 2114.
The Future Library is described as a “living, breathing, organic artwork, unfolding over 100 years” by its creator, the Scottish artist Katie Paterson. It currently consists of 1,000 spruce trees that were planted in Oslo’s Nordmarka forest in 2014. After a century, they will be cut down and turned into paper. On this, the manuscripts by participating authors including Margaret Atwood, David Mitchell and Elif Shafak, will finally be printed.
Knausgaard is the first Norwegian writer to contribute to the project; Paterson called him “one of the most exceptional authors of the 21st century”.
Stephen King's mansion in the town that influenced It to host writing retreats
independent.co.uk – Friday October 18, 2019
Stephen King's home in Bagnor, Maine is being turned into a writer's retreat after the author and his wife, Tabitha, were granted permission to rezone the mansion as a non-profit.
The building will now become an archive of King's work, where visits will be possible by appointment, and host up to five writers at a time. The family are unlikely to be home while the writers' residencies are ongoing.
City councillor Ben Sprague told Rolling Stone: "The King family has been wonderful to the city of Bangor over time and have donated literally millions of dollars to various causes in the community.
Eurospan acquires Transatlantic Publishers Group
thebookseller.com – Thursday October 17, 2019
Eurospan has acquired academic and educational sales agency Transatlantic Publishers Group for an undisclosed sum.
TGP offers US specialist academic and technical presses sales and marketing services in Europe and the Middle East. The agency was founded in 2002 and current clients include American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Industrial Press, SAP Press and Kendall-Hunt Publishing.
Transatlantic m.d. Mark Chaloner will be stepping down from his post after a brief handover period. TPG will continue to use Orca Book Services for warehousing and fulfillment services in place of Eurospan’s sister distribution company Turpin Books.
Mundy sets up UK outpost of ACM US
thebookseller.com – Thursday October 17, 2019
Toby Mundy is to head up the new British arm of the US-based Aevitas Creative Management (ACM), with industry veterans Trevor Dolby and Natalie Jerome among the agents joining him.
Mundy will merge his Toby Mundy Associates (TMA), the agency he launched in 2014, with the newly-minted ACM UK and act as the British outpost’s chairman and c.e.o.
Mundy said he loved running TMA, but “by being part of something larger, we will be able to offer our clients more”. He added: “I think long-term success in this industry comes from great people working in a great culture. The creative, collaborative, and collegial atmosphere at ACM has been foundational to its success and I believe that by working with the outstanding team in the US, we can build something similar here.”
UVM Students Launch Literary Magazine 'Crossroads'
sevendaysvt.com – Wednesday October 9, 2019
University of Vermont students launched the literary magazine Crossroads, but its roots can be traced off-campus to Burlington's Light Club Lamp Shop. There, every Monday evening, poets and other writers meet to share their work open-mic style. That's where the Crossroads founders cemented their love of poetry, met future contributors and collaborators, and, most importantly, found a community they thought could be served by a new publication devoted to verse.
Alexander Ellis and Jack Wheaton started Crossroads in 2017 after one of those readings. Production involved a fair amount of furtive feeding of card stock into printers at the UVM library and late-night stapling sessions. That first issue, Ellis said with a laugh, was "really crappy." But to them, it was exciting just to see their words in print.
Mango Publishing Acquires Red Wheel/Weiser's Conari Press
publishersweekly.com – Thursday October 3, 2019
Miami-based Mango Publishing has acquired Red Wheel/Weiser imprint Conari Press. The deal, which involved closee to 300 titles, closed on Tuesday.
Conari, founded in 1987, publishes in the areas of personal growth, spirituality, parenting and women's issues. Mango associate publisher Brenda Knight previously held the same position at Conari, and will now oversee the imprint at Mango. "I am excited to get to work with these wonderful writers and thinkers again,” Knight said. Plans call for Conari to do about 10 books annually.
2020 edition of Writers' Handbook now available to buy
firstwriter.com – Thursday October 3, 2019
The 2020 edition of firstwriter.com’s bestselling directory for writers is the perfect book for anyone searching for literary agents, book publishers, or magazines. It contains over 1,300 listings, including revised and updated listings from the 2019 edition, and over 400 brand new entries.
Corvisiero Literary Agency Presents Authorpreneur Workshop, 9/28/2019 @ The Oyster Point Hotel, Red Bank, NJ
centraljersey.com – Sunday September 29, 2019
Corvisiero Literary Agency presents its third annual Authorpreneur Workshop – By The River on Saturday, September 28, 2019 at the Oyster Point Hotel in Red Bank, New Jersey. There will be a full day of classes that will inform participants on everything they need to learn regarding editing a manuscript, pitching to agents and editors, demystifying publishing deals and developing the successful author mindset. The event will conclude with a networking mixer in the Pearl Lounge. Registration is $220. Pitching session with agents and editors, query critiques, first ten page evaluations with an editor and coaching sessions will also be available for an additional fee. Refreshments and a deli-style lunch are included.
Authors Guild and AAR back publishers in Audible Captions lawsuit
thebookseller.com – Wednesday September 25, 2019
The Authors Guild and the Association of Authors' Representatives have filed a joint brief supporting publishers' calls for a preliminary injuction to stop their works being included in Audible's Captions programme.
Seven publishers launched a lawsuit last month against Audible's Captions programme, which allows US customers to read along to their audiobooks, arguing the feature is against copyright law. The publishers are also seeking a preliminary injunction to stop their works from being used in Captions.
Bloody Scotland crime writing festival sets out to champion new writers
scotsman.com – Friday September 20, 2019
Scotland has so many book festivals readers are spoiled for choice. But for crime fiction fans, this weekend is particularly special, as Bloody Scotland arrives in Stirling for the eighth time to bring authors and book lovers together at around 40 events over three days.
On Friday night, the winner of the 2019 McIlvanney Prize for Crime Novel of the Year will be announced (see panel, right, for The Scotsman’s reviews of the shortlisted titles). There is also a new prize for debut authors. Bob McDevitt, director of Bloody Scotland, said: “The festival is always looking for new ways to discover and promote new writers… Publishing is a tough old world these days and anything that gives a bit of profile to a new writer is a good thing.”
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