Amazon Watch (4/2015)
The book industry’s favourite monster does not let us down when it comes to news. Here is what I found worth looking at. In what could turn into a Ground Hog Day issue for Amazon, the European commission has finally got up on its legs to look at the tax deals that have made the...
Books That Matter: How David Philip Publishers Managed to Reissue Banned Books During Apartheid
David Philip Publishers has shared an excerpt from Books That Matter: David Philip Publishers During the Apartheid Years, a memoir by Marie Philip. David Philip Publishers was established in 1971, with the aim of publishing “books that matter for Southern Africa” and challenging mainstream apartheid thinking. In 1992, Nadine Gordimer of the founders: “David and Marie...
Amazon Watch (3/2015)
The gentle giant from Seattle has once again drawn attention. Here is what I found newsworthy over the past couple of days. Woody Allen used to be very good news for every cinema buff. Now he’s coming to a streaming device near you, through a new contract he just signed with Amazon. He’s supposed to...
Wrapping up the Paperight Journey
There is a vast array of ideas to improve literacy and access to books in Africa. Paperight has been one of the most interesting that I have come across in the three decades I have been involved in literature and publishing on the continent. Sadly, Paperight founder Arthur Attwell had to pull the plug at...
Die bunte Bücherwelt: Ehlings Wochenblick (2/2015)
Liebe Gemeinde, der furchtbare Anschlag auf die Kollegen von Charlie Hebdo in Paris lässt mir die fröhlichen Grüße zum neuen Bücherjahr im Halse steckenbleiben. Ich bin traurig, weil ich die unverschämte Boshaftigkeit von Charlie immer sehr gemocht habe und jetzt viele Leute, die das möglich gemacht haben, tot sind. Und ich fürchte, dass wir in...
Amazon Watch (2/2015)
Despite the holiday period being notoriously slow on news, our gentle giant from Seattle has managed to stay in the headlines, be it through its own actions or those of its competitors. Here is what I found newsworthy relating to Amazon’s performance over the holidays. First up is a look at Germany, where bookselling...
Interviews on this Blog, 2010 – 2014
Interviews have been an occasional feature on my blog since I started it in late 2010. Given that most of them receive a steady interest, from 2015 they will have a weekly spot. Here is what has been published until the end of 2014. Have fun browsing! And if you wish to publish an interview...
Arabic Young Adult Literature: Is It Possible to Intrigue Young Adults Without Upsetting Gatekeepers?
Our friends at Arabic Literature (in English) have just posted this intriguing piece on the rise of the Young Adult fiction segment in Arabic Literature. Which should not come as much of a surprise, given that “Young adult” readers of Arabic literature, by demographic rights, should be the biggest and most voracious audience for new books. Some...
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