Breaking news on authors, publishers, and book-related topics

Publishers worry as ebooks fly off libraries' virtual shelves

Oct 04 2020: After the pandemic closed many libraries’ physical branches this spring, checkouts of ebooks are up 52 percent from the same period last year, according to OverDrive, which partners with 50,000 libraries worldwide. Hoopla, another service that connects libraries to ...

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Arthur Conan Doyle’s estate sues Netflix for giving Sherlock Holmes too many feelings

Oct 02 2020: The estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has sued Netflix over its film Enola Holmes, arguing that the movie's depiction of public domain character Sherlock Holmes having emotions and respecting women violates Doyle's copyright.

The Doyle estate made a similar ...

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James Patterson donates $2.5 million to teachers during Covid-19

Sep 30 2020: In an effort to assist teachers and students during the coronavirus crisis, bestselling author James Patterson is donating $2.5 million through his Patterson Partnership program with Scholastic Book Clubs. As part of the initiative, 5,000 teachers throughout the U.S. ...

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Harold Evans obituary: Crusading newspaperman with a second act

Sep 25 2020: Harold Evans, who has died aged 92, lived a life of two halves, almost two distinct lives. In his first life, he was the Manchester lad who grew up to be the most famous and most admired newspaper editor of his generation in Britain.

His second life was as an exile ...

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National Book Awards "5 Under 35 Honorees"

Sep 25 2020: The 5 Under 35 program, now in its fifteenth year, honors five young fiction writers selected by past National Book Award Winners and Finalists, or previous 5 Under 35 Honorees.

These year's honorees are:

• K-Ming Chang, the author of “Bestiary” (forthcoming Sept. 29)...

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Attenborough gains 1 million followers on Instagram in first four hours--a world record.

Sep 25 2020: Naturalist and TV host David Attenborough has claimed the record for shortest time to reach 1 million followers on Instagram, racking up the numbers just hours after joining the social media platform Thursday.

The veteran broadcaster's first post, a video warning ...

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'Barefoot bookseller' sought to run island bookshop in Maldives

Sep 24 2020: For those in dismay at the prospect of wet, dark evenings and social isolation this autumn, a luxury desert island resort in the Maldives is looking for a live-in bookseller to start next month.

The eco resort of Soneva Fushi, on Kunfunadhoo Island in the Maldives, ...

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Sam McBratney: Guess How Much I Love You author dies

Sep 21 2020: Sam McBratney, author of the children's classic book Guess How Much I Love You, has died at the age of 77.

The author, who was born in Belfast, died on 18 September, his publisher Walker Books announced on Monday.

The tale of two nutbrown hares, who try to express...

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