Academics accused of undermining studies by racing to publish their works as popular histories Young historians are in danger of watering down their academic studies in the dash to convert their research into commercial books, according to the judge of a leading history writing prize in the Daily Telegraph.
Links of the week May 7 2012 (19)
Our new feature links to interesting blogs or articles posted online, which will help keep you up to date with what's going on in the book world:
14 May 2012
Young historians are in danger of watering down their academic studies in the dash to convert their research into commercial books, according to the judge of a leading history writing prize.
The digital-only model is cool for cats - and even Shakespeare - Sam Humphrey in Futurebook on digital-only exclusives.
The literary agent Andrew Wylie once remarked that 'in the long run, the most valuable author of all is Shakespeare.' The well documented short-termism of major trade publishers has created a market congested with meerkats and strictly-come-novelists. In an industry obsessed by market share and short-term sales, month-long bestsellers will always take precedence over serious literature which, if it sells at all, does so steadily over time. In a depressed market, this nervousness of unpredictable long-term investment is understandable. And yet ultimately the value of a publisher is in owning rights in great literature. Publishers won't be selling One Direction: Our Journey for the full term of copyright.
7 May 2012
Scale and synergy do not drive publishing, people do.
Philip Jones of Futurebook on what drives publishers>
Why Writers Need Publishers…Or Do They?
A thoughtful piece by Lisa Buchan on authors and publishers from Publishing Perspectives.