Blog
It’s just another manic Monday…
15 October, 2012
It’s 5.30pm and I’ve probably only spent about one hour at my desk today – just long enough to have a quick scroll-down and speed-read of my always-bulging inbox, post our Today’s Pick (did you see? Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, By Jamie Ford has been shortlisted for the Book of the […]
Ten years on at The Globe
12 October, 2012
A lot can change in a decade. Back in 2002 it’s fair to say that the Royals were at something of a low ebb: the Queen Mum had passed away and the interview process for their next National Treasure™ (a.k.a. Kate Middleton) had only just begun. The shiny, new, and optimistic Euro was in the […]
Art, Film, TV… and Books (of course) for the Autumn
11 October, 2012
Autumn has come around so quickly this year – it seems incredible that we’re already in October. And with the recent heavy downpours, storms and flood warnings, it doesn’t look like we’re going to get that Indian summer everyone’s been hoping for. But don’t worry – particularly if you’re in the city of London, there […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Morganville and Cupcakes!
10 October, 2012
Spotted in Kingston a few days ago…. the font we used for our fabulous Morganville Vampire covers also used for the brand name of a cupcake shop, Sweet Revenge. The swirly Gothic ‘n’ and ‘g’ are the dead giveaway. Perhaps the shop will see an influx of customers who also happen to be Morganville Vampire […]
Ode to Chocolate…
9 October, 2012
Following the very successful launch of D E Meredith’s Devoured, our lovely author popped in last week to drop off a positively drool-worthy box of posh chocolates. It’s safe to say they didn’t last long. And now, still with chocolate on the brain, and just when the days are becoming more grey and miserable, here’s […]
Publishing Open House…
8 October, 2012
In these challenging days of publishing there are some seriously interesting marketing ideas afoot. Not least so that of Random House, US who, in the spirit of Open House London are hosting an exclusive event in their New York offices this coming November. For $25 those who’ve always wondered what happens behind the scenes in […]
Mr Darcy, 2013 calendars and other stationery thoughts…
5 October, 2012
We’re approaching the end of 2012 and I’m already thinking ahead to buying Christmas cards (yes I still write them, yes it doesn’t seem such a great idea in practice), then there’s wrapping paper and ribbon for bedecking presents before I get started on the compulsion to buy 2013 diaries, calendars etc. My name is […]
Literary Lego
4 October, 2012
It’s amazing the things you come across accidentally online. I don’t even read The Telegraph, but somehow I stumbled upon this on their website – the nine circles of hell from Dante’s inferno, recreated in Lego. It’s pretty impressive, although of course my first thought was that the guy has too much time on his […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Unpacking little A&B gems…
3 October, 2012
As we busied ourselves unpacking crates filled with books from the A&B archive, (see pic from yesterday’s post) we pulled out a copy of our 1993 edition of Behaving Badly, by Catherine Heath. Originally published in 1984, the book apparently inspired the 1989 TV series starring Judi Dench which is why we were delighted to […]
A peek at the new A&B office…crates and all.
2 October, 2012
Hello again blogosphere! We have survived The Great Office Move (just) and are now finally back up and running at 12 Fitzroy Mews. And I can tell you, it was not a feat for the faint-hearted! (A view that will be shared by one particular gentleman from the removals company who nearly passed out bringing […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Arnaldo Putzu’s Legacy
26 September, 2012
Bring the proud publishers of Ted Lewis’ cult novel Get Carter (about a ruthless gangster who was immortalised on screen by Michael Caine), today we must pay tribute to the great illustrator Arnaldo Putzu, renowned for painting book and magazine covers and, most famously, film posters, including the one for the 1970s Get Carter movie […]
Post-it Love…
25 September, 2012
Books, fax machines, photocopiers are all being packed up around us as we prepare for the Great Office Move. I’m hesitating over what to pack up and what not to. Is that file important? Will I need that dictionary? Can those samples be packed up? As my office stationery dwindles I’ve come to the conclusion […]
Oxford brings books to life
24 September, 2012
I spent a few nights in Oxford last week and the city certainly was enjoying a healthy business in the its literary connections. There were Alice in Wonderland books, tea towels, chess sets, river cruises, sweets and tea cups among other items. And while stopping in at the Eagle and Child pub I raised a […]
They say things always come in threes…
21 September, 2012
Yesterday I enjoyed a very jolly evening at Goldsboro Books who were hosting their annual History in the Court event which sees historical writers (of both non-fiction and fiction titles) flocking to the store to mingle with their fellow-writers and fans. I had the pleasure of chatting to our A&B authors Sangeeta Bhargava, Adrian Magson […]
Inspired by the book-loving man in Manila
20 September, 2012
We’ve heard about pop-up libraries and phone-booths that have turned into mini-book exchanges. But this story on the BBC today has to top it all: a man in Manila, Philippines, who turned his own home into a free public library. It began as a simple concept: sharing his personal stash of books with his community, […]
Wednesday Cover Story: The Home Front Detective gets a new look for paperback
19 September, 2012
We’ve talked in the past about how paperback covers are often completely different from the respective hardback covers. Designs that work well for a hardback book won’t always transfer well to a smaller paperback edition. And here is a perfect example. The cover to A Bespoke Murder, by Edward Marston (the first in his new […]
Is an unread book easier to ignore on a Kindle?
18 September, 2012
While we can still go away outside of school holiday times we’re making the most of it. So last week while everyone else was manically sewing on labels and dusting off blazers, we were packing up for a blissful week in northern France. At least that was our plan. Unfortunately we took along an unwelcome […]
The Hunger Games: Film v Book
17 September, 2012
This weekend, I watched The Hunger Games. I was in the mood for a bit of action-drama, but not the stereotypical blockbuster (the testosterone-laden, shoot-em-up, blow-em-up, beat-em-up style movie), so this instantly appealed. I will immediately point out that I had not read the books (and still haven’t), knew little about the intricacies of the plot (still don’t, other than what I […]
Friday Fun: How a Book is Born
14 September, 2012
So you want to write a book? Well, before you put pen to paper and dream of a world where you think of a story, write it down, send it to publisher, publisher prints it, book goes into bookshops, and book sells millions, perhaps a reality check is in order. And no better one than […]
A new way to work
13 September, 2012
Our broadband has been down since yesterday morning – hence the silence on the emailing, blogging, tweeting, Facebooking front. (Don’t get me started on the reasons why our broadband is down, I’ve spent enough time yelling at the relevant Customer Services people and am trying a new Zen approach – which largely involves denial.) Fact is, it has become incredibly apparent […]
Friday night – just as I like it
11 September, 2012
I like surprises, which is just as well as last Friday I was treated to two. Firstly a friend wasn’t well enough to use her tickets to see As You Like It at the Globe so I was the lucky one making use of them, peering down from the Gods. I’ve been well and truly […]
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