M2 Best Books articles from January 2005

M2 Best Books archives from January 2005

Book fair for self-published authors to be held in Queens, New York.
January 4, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A book fair will be held in Queens, New York, on 30 April 2005, featuring the work of self-published authors. The Queens Book Fair is sponsored by C & B Books Distribution Inc, which has...

Author Susan Sontag dies, aged 71.(Brief Article)(Obituary)
January 5, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Author, essayist and human rights activist Susan Sontag died last week at the age of 71. Sontag was the author of 17 books, including the novel 'In America', which won the National Book...

Founder of Waterstone's would consider buying it back again - report.(Tim Waterstone plans for Waterstone's Booksellers Ltd.)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The founder of UK bookshop chain Waterstone's has said that he may try to buy back the group for a second time. Tim Waterstone has accused the current management of taking the chain too...

Bonnier Books establishes UK subsidiary - report.(Bonnier Publishing Ltd.)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Bonnier Books, part of the Swedish media group Bonnier AB, has reportedly established a subsidiary in the United Kingdom. The new subsidiary, Bonnier Publishing Ltd, will include the...

Whitbread Book of the Year category winners announced.(Brief Article)
January 6, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The five category winners of this year's Whitbread Book of the Year Awards have been announced. Andrea Levy triumphed in the novel category for 'Small Island', and the winner of the...

New Scottish book festival announced.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The city of Glasgow in Scotland is to host its first literary festival, named "Aye Write!". Aye Write! will run from 19 to 27 February 2005 and will reportedly feature 160 events and 170...

Ottakar's issues profit warning after disappointing Christmas.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD UK-based book chain Ottakar's has warned that its profit for the current financial year would be below market expectations. The company said in a statement released on Thursday (6...

Barnes & Noble sees rise in seasonal sales.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD US-based bookseller Barnes & Noble Inc has reported a 2% rise in same-store sales for the nine-week holiday period ended 1 January 2005. Total sales over the period increased by 5.7% to...

Author invents book-signing machine.(Brief Article)
January 10, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Canadian author Margaret Atwood is reportedly developing a new device to allow books to be signed without the author having to travel on book tours. The invention would require the...

New book advocates a lazy lifestyle.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
January 10, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Two scientists have written a book which challenges the belief that leading an active life is the only way to keep fit and healthy. 'The Joy of Laziness: How To Slow Down And Live Longer'...

Nokia publishes second book in its Nokia Mobile Developer Series.(Brief Article)
January 11, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Finnish telecomms solutions provider Nokia announced on Tuesday (11 January) the publication of the second book in its Nokia Mobile Developer Series, 'Developing Scalable Series 40...

Website claiming to offer Harry Potter e-books is taken down.(Brief Article)
January 11, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A website that claimed to offer an electronic version of the new Harry Potter novel by JK Rowling has been shut down. The new book, 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince', is due to be...

Books-A-Million reports good holiday sales.(Brief Article)
January 11, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD US-based book chain Books-A-Million Inc has reported strong seasonal sales during the nine-week period ending 1 January 2005. Same-store sales for the holiday period increased by 2.9%...

First winner of Ottakar's Children's Book Prize announced.(Brief Article)
January 11, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The first Ottakar's Children's Book Prize has been awarded to Stuart Hill for his novel 'The Cry of the Icemark'. Hill, a former car upholsterer and bookseller, reportedly wrote his...

New Crane Publishing bought by Seven Publishing.(Brief Article)
January 11, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Delia Smith, a British cookery writer and TV cook, has sold the publishing company she owned with her husband Michael Wynn Jones. Consumer and contract publisher New Crane Publishing...

Payne-Gallway acquired by Harcourt - report.(Harcourt Education International)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD UK-based IT and computing textbooks publisher Payne-Gallway has reportedly been acquired by Harcourt Education International, a division of the Anglo-Dutch publisher Reed Elsevier. The...

Waterstone's dismisses employee over blog.(Waterstone's Booksellers Ltd. fired Joe Gordon )(Brief Article)
January 12, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD UK book chain Waterstone's has dismissed an employee over his long-running weblog in which he discussed his working life. Joe Gordon has been writing his Woolamaloo Gazette satirical...

Jimmy Carter's novel to be published in China.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A novel by former United States president Jimmy Carter is to be published in China by Harbin Press. Carter is likely to visit China for a book signing to promote the Chinese translation...

US library board reverses ban on satirical book.(America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A library board in the US has reversed its ban on stocking 'America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction', a satirical book by comedian Jon Stewart. The Jackson-George...

Tori Amos to publish a book next month.('Tori Amos: Piece by Piece')(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD American singer/songwriter Tori Amos is to release a book that offers an insight into her professional and private life. 'Tori Amos: Piece by Piece' will be published in February 2005 by...

Judge orders removal of stickers on biology textbooks.(religion and law)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A federal judge in the US has ordered stickers claiming that evolution is "a theory, not a fact" to be removed from high school biology textbooks. The disclaimers were challenged by six...

Auction of first edition of 'Lady Chatterley'.(D.H. Lawrence)(Brief Article)
January 17, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A first edition copy of DH Lawrence's 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' is to be auctioned in England on Monday (17 January). The signed 1928 copy of the novel is expected to raise up to...

Random House to establish Indian imprint.(Random House U.K. Ltd.)(Brief Article)
January 17, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Publishing group Random House is reportedly planning to launch an Indian imprint. Random House India would publish books for the Indian market written by Indian authors. Simon...

Iranian Nobel laureate wins US challenge over publication of memoirs.(Brief Article)
January 17, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi has won a legal challenge to have her memoirs published in the United States. The human rights lawyer had sued over an embargo which blocked...

Tsunami aid book to feature first chapters of forthcoming works.(Bloomsbury Group)(Brief Article)
January 18, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Publisher Bloomsbury is organising the release of a book to raise funds for the Asian tsunami appeal. A number of famous authors have agreed to contribute the first chapters of their new...

Signed first edition of 'Lady Chatterley' sells for over GBP3,200.(DH Lawrence)(Brief Article)
January 18, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A first edition copy of DH Lawrence's novel 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' was sold at auction on Monday (17 January) for GBP3,290. The signed 1928 copy was included in a sale of books, maps...

Book reveals stories of lost loves reunited.(Rudolph Giuliani)(Donna Hanover)(Brief Article)
January 18, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The ex-wife of former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani has written a book about reconnecting with an old flame. Donna Hanover wrote 'My Boyfriend's Back: Second Chance at Love' about her...

Marvel signs licensing agreements with four publishers.(Brief Article)
January 19, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Character-based entertainment company Marvel Enterprises Inc, which owns Marvel Comics, has entered into licensing agreements with four publishing houses. The agreements with DK...

Plans made for 'Lovely Bones' film.(Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh)(Alice Sebold)(Brief Article)
January 19, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, who were behind the Oscar-winning 'Lord of the Rings' film trilogy, are planning to adapt Alice Sebold's 'The Lovely Bones' for the big screen. The New...

Orange Prize judging panel revealed.(Brief Article)
January 19, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The judging panel for the 2005 Orange Prize for Fiction has been announced. The winner of this year's UK book award for women authors will receive a cheque for GBP30,000 and a limited...

Penguin unwilling to compensate all its authors over distribution problem.(Brief Article)
January 21, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Publisher Penguin is reportedly refusing to pay compensation to authors who claim that a distribution crisis has affected sales of their books. A group of authors led by historian Antony...

UK library borrowing down.(Brief Article)
January 21, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD New figures indicate that fewer books were borrowed from UK libraries in the 12 months from July 2003 to June 2004. Public Lending Right, the scheme in which registered authors receive...

Fatwa against Salman Rushdie reaffirmed.(Brief Article)
January 21, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Author Salman Rushdie is under renewed threat of death following a message to Muslim pilgrims from Ayatollah Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran. The original "fatwa" against Rushdie...

1892 book of predictions sold at auction.(J.A.C.K. Golf in the Year 2000 or What We Are Coming To by Jack McCullogh)(Brief Article)
January 24, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A book of predictions that was written in 1892 has been sold at auction for GBP1,200. The book by Jack McCullogh, titled 'J.A.C.K. Golf in the Year 2000 or What We Are Coming To' tells...

New finance director joins Ottakar's.(Michael Hitchcock )(Brief Article)
January 24, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD UK-based book chain Ottakar's has announced the appointment of a new finance director. Michael Hitchcock, a qualified chartered accountant, joins the book retailer from furniture group...

Bob Dylan shortlisted for book award.(Brief Article)
January 25, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Rock star Bob Dylan has been nominated in the biography/autobiography category of the National Book Critics Circle awards. Dylan's memoir, titled 'Chronicles, Vol. 1', tells of his life...

Jason Alexander to release "tooth fairy" book for children.(Brief Article)
January 25, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD US comedian and actor Jason Alexander has written a children's picture book based on a conversation that he once had with his son, Gabriel. 'Dad, Are You The Tooth Fairy?' tells the...

12-year-old finds mistakes in Encyclopaedia Britannica.
January 27, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD A British schoolboy has written to the publisher of the 'Encyclopaedia Britannica' to point out a number of errors in the 15th edition of the encyclopaedia. The 12-year-old boy, whose...

Whitbread prize winner announced.(Brief Article)
January 27, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The winner of this year's Whitbread Book of the Year Award has been named as Andrea Levy for her novel 'Small Island'. Levy, who receives a cheque for GBP25,000, had already won the...

South Korea plans smaller showing at Frankfurt Book Fair.
January 27, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD South Korea, the guest of honour at this year's Frankfurt Book Fair, has reportedly cut its budget for the event. The government last year put forward KRW1.3bn for the October book fair...

Bookseller's dismissal criticised by authors.(Waterstone's Booksellers Ltd.)(Brief Article)
January 28, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Novelists Iain Banks and AL Kennedy have criticised UK book chain Waterstone's for dismissing an employee over his personal weblog. The writers signed a letter sent to Scottish newspaper...

Scottish national library secures grant for acquisition of John Murray archive.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The National Library of Scotland will be able to purchase the John Murray publishing archive after securing a National Lottery grant. The Heritage Lottery Fund is to contribute GBP17.7m...

Bloomsbury hopes for cooperation to help produce tsunami aid book.(Bloomsbury Publishing Ltd.)(Brief Article)
January 28, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Publisher Bloomsbury is reportedly hoping for help in the production and sales of its tsunami aid book. The book, titled 'New Beginnings', features the first chapters of forthcoming...

Scottish bestseller list inaccurate - claim.
January 31, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD The official bestseller list for Scottish books is reportedly compiled without using statistics on the actual number of books sold. According to The Sunday Times, some surprising...

Publisher unhappy about early release of author's interview.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2005... M2 BEST BOOKS-(C)2000-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD Publishing company Jonathan Cape, a division of Random House, is reportedly demanding compensation from London's Evening Standard newspaper after it printed an interview with author Ian...