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Thank you for your patience – we are almost there

Sorry that it has been so quiet for a while. I have been working behind the scenes, and so many amazing things are happening. I wish I could tell you all, but hopefully, I will be able to make an announcement next week. The future for Bombadil is bright and beautiful, and we are almost there. Thank you all for being so patient. Soon I will be joined by more people, two already starting in two weeks, with more to follow, and then we will be able to bring everything up to date. and give you all the attention you deserve. Thank you so much for being patient. I know many of you wish I would get back faster, and...

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About the English language

Stephen Fry has always been a great advocate of the English language. Here is a particularly interesting piece. I tend to agree with what he says, especially since a language can only be great if it grows and changes with the times. Change does not mean leaving the good, it means developing, and adding. Being alive. Here is an interesting view on English by Stephen Fry  

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Dreams and reality

There is a brilliant video called The happy List. It is about all the little things that we dream about, about reality, about how many prefer to live in a pretend world. It also raises interesting questions about what happiness is. I know reality is important, but I am in a world where, to some extent, the imagination becomes reality, and thus happiness is imagination. You read a book, you enter a wonderful world of make-believe, a world of thoughts and ideas and action. A pretend world where we can chose the topic, and forget about the world for a while. Saying that, some book topics are not wonderful and neither are they make-believe, but even with the worst of...

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It does pay off to be a publisher – at least for some

Last Sunday, the Sunday Times Rich List placed Waterstones' owner Alexander Mamut as the highest-ranking trade figure. Mr Mamut is placed 54th on the list, with a fortune of £1,483m according to the newspaper supplement; however, his riches are not all down to Waterstones, but due to his substantial Russian assets in property, construction and oil fields. However, there are several authors on the list, as well as other publishers. Viscount Cowdray and the Pearson family are in joint 224th place, down from a joint 164th place last year. The supplement has discounted their estimated fortune by £100m, and put the family stake in the Pearson media group, Penguin's parent-company, as being worth "only" £150m, below the 3% declarable limit....

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London Book Fair

The London Book Fair started yesterday 15th April 2013 in Earl's Court and will last until tomorrow, Wednesday. Today Michael Krüger was awarded the London Book Fair Lifetime Achievement Award.  Michael Krüger has published no less than 16 Nobel laureates for literature, so he really is an amazing man. Congratulations! The London Book fair started in 1971 as a librarian's trade show (SPEX Small and Specialist Publishers' Exhibition) and has over the years evolved into one of the most prestigious events in publishing.  

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Signs of changes in the book industry visible at the London Book Fair

It was really interesting reading the following article in the Bookseller this morning. It shows that change is on its way and it is good to see that publishers and self-publisheed authors are finally meeting, though I do wonder if the self-published authors will just give up their ambitions of changing the industry once they are picked up by an agent of a big publishing house. At Bombadil we are dedicated to changing the world of publishing from the youth perspective. Here is a copy of the article, with a link above. Happy reading! The future of self-publishing, the new agency model and the Penguin Random House merger will be the hottest talking points at the London Book Fair, industry...

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English spelling can be a bit of a hassle even for people who went to the old school

I was just sent this wonderful video About spelling lessons. It is a 102 year old gentleman explaining how difficult it is to spell English. I grew up with English, but I do agree that there are many peculiar spelling rules especially for the basic words. The more advance, the easier they become I think :-D  

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Publishing jokes

Sometimes life can be too serious. And sometimes publishing can be too serious. Grammar, however, is a serious subject ;D Anyway, I have decided to add some light-hearten humour to this site. Please keep them coming, and with a bit of luck, they will become a frequent occurrence. So all you grammar Nazis out there with a sense of humour, please send links. And all the rest of you, who have a solid sense of humour, please keep them coming. Afterall, a joke a day, keeps us all smiling :-D Here is the first one, thanks to the Oatmeal.  

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Need a job – invent it, want a book – write it

I finally had some time to catch up with my reading and came across this rather interesting column from the New York Times. It is about kids and the changing world they live and learn in. Innovation is important, as is creativity. The long and the short of it is that we all has to adapt to the changing times, as must publishing. It is time for people to write the kind of books they want to read, and to be heard. It is time to understand that media no longer has the same power as it had before. There is still power, but not in the same way. Trends are no longer created by publishing houses, but by the...

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Sad news about Ian Banks

Sometimes sadness and laughter can mix. I was very sad to hear that Ian Banks has terminal cancer. He announced it on his website though many major UK papers also carried the news. The BBC carried the news as did the Daily Mail. This of course made me sad, as Ian Banks is an extremely talented author, and seems to be a wonderful person as well. What did make me laugh, however, was his wonderful way of proposing to his wife. He apparently wrote: As a result, I've withdrawn from all planned public engagements and I've asked my partner Adele if she will do me the honour of becoming my widow (sorry - but we find ghoulish humour helps). So sad,...

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