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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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Has publishing become the territory of geeks?

I am quite a gadget fan and love gadget shops. Almost as much as book shops. I also love geeks. I know that the word geeks used to have an unpleasant connotation, and I think I may be a bit of a hipster liking geeks before it because a positive things. But geeks are just fun. Geeks, and please correct me if I am wrong, was negative and for the inept. Now it is more positive, though main, I think for those involved in the work of gaming and computers. Recently, it seems, however, that geeks have "infiltrated" the world of publishing. Publishers have become hip and although there has always been a following, it tended to be, in my...

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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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Digital publications from the UK to be sent to deposit libraries

In most countries, a publisher has to send companies of newly printed books to repositories, or often called deposit libraries or national libraries. There have been many famous libraries through the ages, though the old libraries seemed to be more like our present day deposit, as the books were chained to their stands, and could not be borrowed. In year 2000 UNESCO made recommendation for the construction of legal deposit legislation, though the books have been deposited in many national libraries as far back as the 1500s. In the UK the most exciting ones to visit are (in my opinion) the British Library and the Bodlean. Each country has its own regulations, and the number of books deposited is usually...

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Random House – Penguin merger approved

Today the merger between Random House and Penguin was approved by the EU, according to The Bookseller. The reason for their merger is that "Pearson and Bertelsmann believe that the combined organisation, the world’s leading consumer publishing company, will have a stronger platform and greater resources to invest in rich content, new digital publishing models and high-growth emerging markets." I personally think that they are also doing it to avoid competition from each other. Bombadil Publishing has lost several authors to Penguin Indian, which went on to become best sellers. I do wish the authors well, but I was saddened that they went without wishing us well. A couple actually came back later on and said they had not been...

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Where do publishes get their statistics?

It is very difficult to get information about publishing straight off, because so much of it is kept secret or the various big publishers use in-house statisticians who inevitably compare different sources. Comparing apples and pears often gives a mix of incomparable information, but don't give up. It is possible, but first you need to know the different main sources. For the UK and for the English speaking world of publishing, The Bookseller is one of the best sources. It sends daily digests about what is happening and have a hot line with Nielsen Book Scan, which is a pay-for information-book-sales-tracking-company. Nielsen often does not monitor what goes on in small companies, and only scan the retail market. Subscribing to information...

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