VETERAN PUBLISHER/LITERARY AGENT TAKES A TUMBLE

His many trade friends and clients will be sorry to learn that veteran publisher/literary agent Ray Richards is in North Shore Hospital after a serious fall at home. 

The 92 year old godfather of the New Zealand book industry was in remarkably good spirits considering his major health problems, including pneumonia and a hairline fracture of the skull,  when I called in to see him this afternoon.

I gave him an update on the recent Booksellers Conference in Christchurch and talked trade matters going all the way back to to 1968 when I first entered the book world and at which time he was the Publisher at AH & AW Reed, then NZ's most significant (by a country mile) book publisher. Later of course he was the foundation Executive Director of BPANZ before then going to to establish NZ's largest and most successful literary agency.

He is a tough old bugger as many who have had to negotiate with him over the years will know (!) and even with all his significant health woes he was still able manage an occasional smile and to have a conversation with me. As a result I went away feeling much better than I had expected I would.

Any friends or former colleagues who may wish to visit Ray should check first with daughter Nicky Richards who can be phoned or texted on 021 598 725.
Should you wish to drop Ray or Barbara a note their postal address  is 49c Aberdeen Road, Castor Bay, North Shore, Auckland 0620.

The Book Show - new NZ TV show with a difference

 The Book Show is for people who are:

·      Keen readers

·      Interested in books

·      Interested in those who write books

The Book Show has:

·      A relaxed format

·      Few commercial breaks

·      Interesting information on print and digital books

                             

                         Hosted by Neville Aitchison and co-host John Reynolds

CUE TV – SKY Channel 200 and Freeview Satellite

Tuesday 8.00pm, (this Tuesday 2 July) repeated Thursday noon, Sunday 1.30pm

The Book Show is always interested in hearing news and views on the programme or suggestions for guests, material and content.

Contact:

  

Neville Aitchison (Host)        (09) 551 8718     021 816 713

nevilleaitchison@gmail.com

John Reynolds  (Co-host)      (09) 4458 648     021 430 500

jbess@xtra.co.nz

Gerard Smith (Producer)      (09) 525 1512     027 453 7824

Gerard@quicksilver.net.nz

                          

                                  

Elizabeth Strout's latest novel greatly admired

Sydney Morning Herald - June 29, 2013 - Caroline Baum

The celebrated author spent seven years brewing The Burgess Boys into a tough and ruthless 

examination of human frailty.

Pause for thought: Elizabeth Strout's previous novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 2009. Photo: Leonardo Cendamo

Mention Elizabeth Strout's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Olive Kitteridge to its readers and the reaction is as strong as vinegar. Although the book has adoring fans who loved its many-faceted psychological portrait of a defiantly independent thinker, those whose taste is not for the tart loathed it.

Reading groups were particularly divided: complaints centred on the unsympathetic nature of the protagonist Olive, a redoubtable maths teacher observed from midlife as a wife, mother and member of the community to more advancing years in a series of linked stories set in a small town in Maine.

I only ever get stuck if I am not being honest so I took a class in stand-up comedy to see what I might be lying about. 

Olive is bulky - and not just physically. Her personality dwarfs those around her with its bluntness. Abrasive, moody, awkward and complex, she is unsentimental, intelligent and lonely, sometimes a figure of pathos, but also a splendidly robust vehicle for Strout's humane observations and wry, uncomfortable humour.

Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout.

In person, Strout has a no-nonsense matter-of-factness about her, rather like Olive; she does not do that polished act of ingratiating herself with practised charm or quick, easy warmth for marketing purposes. Strout is more reserved and circumspect. Maybe that is the effect of the Pulitzer Prize, which she won in 2009, bestowing a certain confident distance.

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She prefers not to socialise with other writers. ''I like people a lot but I am not comfortable in literary New York situations. There is deep anxiety and tension around success here. I don't share problems I'm having about my work, and I think conversations around publishing are boring.''

Strout, 57, was relieved and grateful that the Pulitzer ceremony is not a public occasion and does not require authors who win to make a speech. As for the award itself? ''The Pulitzer is not as hard an act to follow as Olive Kitteridge is,'' she says, managing to avoid sounding as if she is boasting.

Many people assume the character is based on her mother, but ''she's not. I have a lot of elderly relatives who are crabby depressives, women living dull lives. My great aunt Olive was sweet and pretty.''

She has come face to face with Olive's detractors. ''I went to an event at which a woman took the microphone, shaking a little and said, 'I hate Olive,' and others joined in. She seems to have that effect on people.

''When I was writing her, I had to be careful to let her lash out, to be truly herself even if that made her unlikeable. The purpose of fiction is not to make people seem nice. What makes anyone think people are nice? Look around you!''

Strout's earlier novels are set in small towns where gossip is rife and private woes are played out on a broader social canvas. In her debut novel, Amy and Isabelle (1998), she explores the tensions in a mother-daughter relationship when a teenager's sexuality causes a scandal. In Abide with Me (2005), a minister struggles to regain his calling and his family in the wake of profound loss.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/elizabeth-strout-20130627-2oy6t.html#ixzz2XfUyuDf3

Story of woman's sexual adventures gets UK publication after 45 years

The Art of Joy by Goliarda Sapienza, hailed as forgotten masterpiece, was rejected as 'pile of iniquity' by one publisher

• Dalya Alberge
• The Guardian, Friday 28 June 2013 

Goliarda Sapienza, an Italian actor who died penniless in 1996 having failed to find a publisher for The Art of Joy. Photograph: Archivio Sapienza Pellegrino

A novel written 45 years ago, which follows the sexual adventures of a woman who sleeps with both men and women, commits incest and murders a nun, and which was considered at the time too shocking for readers, is finally to be published in Britain.

Penguin is bracing itself for controversy over The Art of Joy by Goliarda Sapienza, an Italian actor who died penniless in 1996, having struggled in vain to woo a publisher. One rejected it as "a pile of iniquity".

Sapienza's husband kept the manuscript for two decades, publishing 1,000 copies himself in 1998 before it was eventually taken up by publishers in Italy and France as a forgotten masterpiece. It has sold 300,000 hardbacks in France alone – more than any major hardback fiction book last year in Britain. Le Monde called Sapienza an "exceptional writer".

Penguin is finally making it available in English from 4 July. Alexis Kirschbaum, editorial director of Penguin Classics, described the novel as extraordinary, with its own distinctive style, and believes Sapienza belongs with writers such as Henry James.

She says she bought it two years ago – before Fifty Shades of Grey made erotic fiction mainstream – but its 600 pages have taken Anne Milano Appel until now to translate. Fifty Shades has shown that there is an interest in women's sexuality, Kirschbaum said, describing Sapienza's approach as "much more sophisticated" because her novel is also political, historical and philosophical.

Sapienza wrote of "a body that is its own master, made ​​wise by an understanding of the flesh" and her character, Modesta, is a rare creature in literature – "a female libertine" and "an emblem for sexual freedom", Penguin said, calling her "the antithesis of the simpering Bella/Anastasia archetypes that populate the pages of mass-market books like Fifty Shades and Diary of a Submissive".

Sapienza's own life was worthy of a novelist's imagination. Having appeared in Luchino Visconti films, she struggled financially and was jailed for stealing a friend's jewellery. She published several novels, but The Art of Joy is her masterpiece, Kirschbaum said.

A son's revealing insight into the man and the literary legend

June 29, 2013 - Sydney Morning Herald - Review By Leah Garrett

See more stories on:

• Saul Bellow
 
• Russia
 
• Jewish
 
• American

Left -  Saul Bellow in 1997 at his office at Boston University, where he taught literature. Photo: AP

When the child of a famous author writes a memoir about growing up in their shadow, their own story needs to be compelling or the memoir can read either as hagiography or as a series of gripes about living too close to the sun.

A case in point was Margaret Salinger's Dream Catcher, which many critics panned as a mean-spirited attempt to draw an ugly portrait of a father whose work was much loved by the American public. (The case against her was strengthened when her brother offered a scathing public denial of both her memories and interpretation of events.)

Greg Bellow's Saul Bellow's Heart: A Son's Memoir is an attempt to avoid these pitfalls by approaching his late father's life in the manner of a psychology study. Greg was trained as a psychotherapist but he writes crisply with a refreshing honesty about both himself and his ever-changing and evolving relationship with his famous father.

Saul Bellow's Heart by Greg Bellow.

Saul Bellow was born Solomon Bellows in Lachine, Quebec, in 1915, two years after his Jewish parents had moved there from St Petersburg, Russia. At an early age his family moved again to Chicago. Bellow grew up in a multilingual family, excelled at school and displayed early literary genius. He capped a dazzling career in letters by winning the 1976 Nobel prize in literature.

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After Saul Bellow's death in 2005, his fifth wife Janis, working with his literary agent at the powerful Andrew Wylie agency, sought to construct an idealised image of the man, and to some extent manipulated the use of his literary estate to do so by censoring his correspondence and restricting access to the Bellow archive.

In response to this, Greg Bellow says he wants to humanise "the complexity of all three aspects of Saul Bellow [the man, the father, the writer] and [this book] is my contribution to a franchise my father deserves."

Structured like a traditional biography, the memoir tells the story of Saul's life, beginning with an account of his grandparents' life in Russia, their journey across the Atlantic and illegal entrance to the US. Saul's early meteoric rise is recounted, and the story ends with his death and the damaging fallout from a lately revised will that left his entire literary estate to his fifth, much younger, wife.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/a-sons-revealing-insight-into-the-man-and-the-literary-legend-20130627-2oy5y.html#ixzz2XfTsK9da

Claire Gummer on Love, Mustard, Black Holes and More

.. Everything you could wish for, until the plug was pulled. For the first time in a year, A Latitude of Libraries (my blog number one, for those who don’t know) rumbles to life. What’s up? Find out now.

Stunning book sculpture

Book sculpture in Bangkok - photo taken by my nephew Thomas Southam.
The sculpture is located outside the Bangkok Arts and Cultural Centre

Hachette UK's digital sales '£50m in 2012'

28.06.13 | Philip Jones - The Bookseller

Hachette UK's digital sales were £50m in 2012, its chief executive Tim Hely Hutchinson has told Bloomberg TV.

Speaking to Bloomberg Television's "Asia Edge", Hely Hutchinson said publishers had made a "good and smooth transition" into the digital world, compared with the music business, pointing to the steep growth in its own e-book business.
"In 2009 £1m of digital turnover was £1m, and last year it was £50m, and it wouldn't have been had we not embraced it, and gone after that new business, which has developed so quickly." The figure is a jump from Hachette UK's previously released figure of e-book of £30m, but the larger number will also include export sales, apps and other digital products beyond its e-books.
Hely Hutchinson said the big money was in "plain vanilla" e-books after the public rejected sound, movies and other forms of interactivity. "What readers like to do is curl on the sofa and enjoy that book." But he suggested that cookbooks and children's books could gain a new life in digital as more and more people start using tablets.

Hely Hutchinson also said the change in printing technologies had enabled the business to become more efficient, even at lower print runs. "We used to have to print 10,000s, but I can get an economical print run now with 1,500 copies, so we can keep the stock low, and wait to see which formats the books are selling in."

Hely Hutchinson rejected the idea that self-publishing was undermining its business. "There are 100,000s of self-published authors who are literally selling virtually no copies, if you want to be well edited, well publicised, and in paper as well as electronic, then you need a traditional publisher." But he said the growth in that market had put publishers on our their marks—"we know we have to provide value." He said publishers had had to reinvent themselves, citing their role in fighting digital piracy.

The world's 100 most powerful, celebrities

Several authors included, check the list at Forbes. You might be surprised !

The First 10 Works of Fiction You Should Read If You’ve Never Read a Book Before

By Emily Temple on Jun 28, 2013 Flavorwire

Recently, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver told reporters that — while he has written more than 20 cookbooks — he had never read a whole book until recently, when he finished Suzanne Collins’s Hunter Games sequel, Catching Fire. Oliver said, “I’ve never read a book in my life, which I know sounds incredibly ignorant but I’m dyslexic and I get bored easily.” Fair enough. 

As a kind of thought experiment, Flavorwire has picked out the first ten books that an adult who is new to reading should pick up. Quibbles or further suggestions? Add them in the comments. … Read More

Authors' Amazon links debate continues

28.06.13 | Lisa Campbell - The Bookseller

Bookseller Keith Smith has said the response from authors and publishers to his call for writers’ websites to link to independents has been “really gratifying”.
Last week the Kenilworth & Warwick bookshops owner wrote in The Bookseller of his anger over sites which linked exclusively to Amazon or chain retailers.

Smith said several authors and publishers had since contacted him, offering to link to his site. He said: “It was really gratifying to read the comments of authors and publishers wanting to get behind us and help us generate a better future for the industry as a whole, rather than what we have at the moment, which is an industry dominated by a mammoth global company that avoids paying tax and contributes very little to the UK economy and to its culture . . . let’s hope their actions speak louder than words.”

However other authors complained that independent booksellers don’t stock their books, pointing out that linking to Amazon provided an extra monthly revenue in affiliate click-through sales on the Amazon Associates scheme.

Author Diana Kimpton wrote: “I sympathise with small independent bookshops struggling through a recession, but authors are struggling too. Only a few get the high advances mentioned in the press. The rest earn much less, and many don't even get the equivalent of the minimum wage. As a result, the fact that the Amazon Associate scheme pays commission on sales resulting from links is very important. Because I have to split the royalty on my picture books with the illustrator, I actually earn more from the Amazon commission on a sale than I do from the publisher.”

Crime author Mark Sennen (published by Avon), said: “The simple truth of the matter is that local bookshops don't stock my books. I (and I suspect most authors) would be only too pleased to link to their local shop if the shop would stock their books.”

Last year, the Booksellers Association developed a “Find Your Local Bookshop’ button and the Society of Authors wrote to authors last year encouraging them to put in on their websites.

BA chief executive Tim Godfray told The Bookseller: “As part of our Keep Bookshops on the High Street Campaign, we introduced the Find Your Local Bookshop web button, as a way of connecting consumers with BA members. Many authors have already added the button to their website and we very much encourage more authors to get on board . . .
"We will continue to promote the value of high street bookselling to authors, and the BA Council will take on board comments from all of its members for further discussion.”

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Quick-To-Market Ebooks Now Norm, Not Exception

Forbes - June 27, 2013

The cover of one of the first "instant books" of the new era.

Basketball player Jeremy Lin shocked the nation last year with his performance filling in at point guard for the depleted New York Knicks. His scoring, passing and flair for the dramatic with breathtaking buzzer-beaters earned him fame, a position in the starting lineup and, ultimately, a big contract with a new team for the following year.

The charming part of the story and what likely separated him from any other unknown athlete to rocket up the ranks is that he was the first Asian American and first Harvard graduate to do so in the NBA — both unexpected in a league with very few Asian or Asian American stars and even fewer players from the Ivy League.

Linsanity, as the craze surrounding him became known, also swept the publishing industry. Half-a-dozen books were scheduled to be published when his compelling story reached national prominence, none more stunning than Linsanity: The Improbable Rise of Jeremy Lin.
What made this title by sportswriter Alan Goldsher from digital publishing house and platform Vook so shocking was that it took less than six days to write (72 hours), produce (36 hours) and publish (less than 24 hours).

“The Vook platform offered us an opportunity that we’d never have had years or even months ago – to publish directly and immediately into a trend,” Goldsher’s agent Jason Allen Ashlock told me at the time.
While fairly novel in February 2012, when the book came out, these kinds of fast-turnaround ebooks are quickly becoming the norm. New technology tools such as offered by Vook and others give authors and publishers the ability to conceive of, create, distribute and sell books in time-frames that would have seemed insane even just a few years ago.

In March of this year, Diversion Books, another digital publishing start-up, came out with a book on the tenure and resignation of Pope Benedict XVI less than a month after his retirement was announced — and half that time was spent negotiating the deal. Once signed, it only took about a week to bring the ebook to market.

In just the past week, Publisher’s Weekly released The Battle of $9.99: How Apple, Amazon and the Big Six Publishers Changed the E-Book Business Overnight as the the highly publicized antitrust trial, which is the subject of the book, came to a close. (This book was also done with Vook.) And today, the New York Times, in partnership with digital publishing start-up Byliner, announced the imminent release of To Have and Uphold: The Supreme Court and the Battle for Same-Sex Marriage just a day after the U.S. Supreme Court handed down two historic rulings on the matter, striking down the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8 law, clearing the way for same-sex couples in many states to marry.
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11 Unforgivable Changes Made To Book Adaptations (SPOILERS)

HuffPost Books

Sometimes, a movie can veer away from the plot of the book it's based on, and it's still an amazing movie ("Blade Runner" and "The Shining" come to mind, although Stephen King was so unhappy with "The Shining" adaptation that he decided to go off and make his own version, and it was horrible).

Other times, filmmakers make changes when adapting books that make the films even bigger stinkers than they would have been had they stuck to the plot in front of them.  Continue reading...

Bookstore Customers 'Woke Up to What's Important'

Shelf Awareness

"Customers are making decisions to patronize locally owned retail stores because they recognize that where they spend their money makes a difference. They've seen the closure of important local stores or institutions and kind of woke up to what's important from that regard."

--Dan Cullen, content officer for the American Booksellers Association, in "3 Reasons Why There's Hope for Independent Booksellers," in the Portland Business Journal

50 Best Book Covers Of 2012

Book2Book Friday 28 Jun 2013

Design Observer just announced their best book covers of 2012.
How do they pick these, you ask? Well, a 35-person advisory board nominates worthy books for consideration. Nominations are also open to the public in online voting. Design Observer's editors create a jury to judge the nominations and pick the 50 winning books.


designobserver.com

HuffPo

10 Children's Books That Never Get Old - Margaret Mahy title tops the list

By Curtis Sittenfeld | PW - June 28, 2013

Photo Credit: Josephine Sittenfeld

Kate, the protagonist of Curtis Sittenfeld's latest novel, Sisterland, is the mother of two young children, as is Sittenfeld herself. She shared some of the books she and her children all keep coming back to.

As the author of some rather long novels—my third one, American Wife, was a hefty 555 pages—I have great respect for those who can tell their stories succinctly. As the mother of two young children, I also appreciate a tale that’s as entertaining the hundredth time you read it as the first. I now understand more clearly than I did when I myself was young why certain picture book classics—Goodnight Moon, say, or Where the Wild Things Are—have attained their classic status. And since becoming a mother four years ago, I’ve been thrilled to discover new favorites.

1. Down the Back of the Chair by Margaret Mahy and Polly Dunbar – A down-on-its-luck family decides to see what treasures might be buried down the back of the chair and finds far more than they could have hoped for: jewels, animals, a long-lost sibling. The rhymes and absurd humor here are both terrific.

2. Stand Straight, Ella Kate by Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise – In real life, Ella Kate Ewing was born in tiny Rainbow, Missouri, in 1872 and grew to be 8’4”. Her height both separated her from others and opened an unusual path forward—she traveled the country as part of museum exhibits and circuses and made lots of money. Her story is told here in a straightforward yet very moving way, with the amazing details, and the underlying message of self-acceptance, speaking for themselves. My husband thinks I should write a novel about her, but this book has already captured her life perfectly.

3. Mary and the Mouse, the Mouse and Mary by Beverly Donofrio and Barbara McClintock – A little girl named Mary grows up in the same house in which a little mouse is also living. The two secretly become allies, and in adulthood, their daughters develop a similar kinship. The illustrations are excellent, and the tone is smart and sweet. Interestingly, Mary’s family is clearly affluent, yet, unlike in many children’s books (such as Imogen’s Antlers, which is also great) their affluence is treated matter-of-factly rather than mocked.

4. The Random House Book of Poetry for Children; selected by Jack Prelutsky and illustrated by Arnold Lobel – I swear I would love this book even if Random House weren’t my publisher. It contains poems for every mood you or your children could find yourself in, from the reflective to the nonsensical, and for every amount of time you have, whether that’s a quick dip or a long afternoon on the couch. We received this book as a gift, and it’s one of my favorite gifts to give other families.

5. Lizzie Nonsense by Jan Ormerod – In 19th-century rural Australia, a girl helps her mother and looks out for her baby brother when her father travels 50 miles to town to sell sandalwood. Lizzie has a vivid imagination, but the real details of her life in the bush—snakes, dingoes, turnips for dinner—are wonderfully vivid, too.

6. One Monday Morning by Uri Shulevitz – A boy in New York imagines that a series of increasingly numerous and distinguished guests is visiting his apartment when he isn’t there. This book, which is another testament to the rich inner lives of children, has a delightful rhythm and a fun twist at the end.

7. Along a Long Road by Frank Viva – A bicyclist goes on a long ride through rural and urban New England, passing trees, oceans, cities, and people. The language is spare, and the illustrations are distinct and wonderful. My children actually warmed to this book before I did, but now I’m a total convert.

8. Please, Baby, Please by Spike Lee, Tonya Lewis Lee, and Kadir Nelson – Very cute rhymes and illustrations chronicle a day in the life of a toddler who gets up to all sorts of mischief (drawing on the wall, fussing when it’s time to leave the playground). The book ends with “Baby Please,” as my two-year-old refers to the unnamed protagonist, going to bed, which makes it a perfect night-time book. (And yes, this is by that Spike Lee, along with his wife.)

9. Jake Baked the Cake by B.G. Hennessy and Mary Morgan – The preparations for a wedding include the patient and merry cake-baking by a man named Jake. First published in 1990, the book’s illustrations are endearingly 1980s-ish (the bride’s wedding dress rivals Princess Diana’s), and the narrative might seem cloyingly heteronormative to some, but the rhymes are irresistible, capturing the festive air of hope that a wedding inspires.

10. Mama Loves You by Caroline Stutson and John Segal – There’s no shortage of books in which parents express their love for their offspring, but this one—featuring rhymes about various animals—is exceptionally charming, with all the affection and none of the sentimentality. My two-year-old and I both have it memorized.

‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’ Movie Release Date Revealed

            June 27, 2013  - Hollywood Life - by Avery Thompson

We’re one step closer to the film we’ve all been waiting for. After nabbing Sam Taylor-Johnson to direct, the ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ movie now has a release date!

All of Hollywood is abuzz with news of the Fifty Shades of Grey movie. Everyone is wondering who will be cast as sexy Christian Grey and his love Anastasia Steele, along with one more big question left unanswered — when will we actually see it? Have no fear, the answer is finally here!

‘Fifty Shades’ Release Date Announced

As reported by HollywoodLife.com’s sister site Deadline, the film adaptation of the best-selling Fifty Shades of Grey series will be released — drumroll please — August 1, 2014.
That’s over a year away! The anticipation to see the smoldering Christian Grey onscreen is becoming unbearable.
Sam Taylor-Johnson was chosen to direct the first film of the series, and now that we have a director and a release date, does this mean casting is starting soon? We think so!

Casting Christian

Ever since the book series’ debut, fans have been anxious to cast the perfect Christian Grey. There have been many names thrown around as to who should play the sexy millionaire, including Henry Cavill and Ian Somerhalder. Magic Mike star Alex Pettyfer was rumored to be attached to the role, but nothing has been officially confirmed.

However, the book’s author EL James was spotted at none other than Robert Pattinson’s Gatsby-themed party on June 22. Could they have been discussing Christian? Let’s hope so!
So HollywoodLifers, can you hardly wait for Fifty Shades of Grey in 2014? Who do you think should play Christian? Let us know what you think!

Hachette Book Group Acquires the Hyperion Adult Imprint

PW

Deciding that a standalone adult imprint does not fit with its long-range plans, Disney is selling the majority of Hyperion titles to Hachette Book Group in a deal that is expected to close in mid-July. HBG will acquire more than 1,000 adult backlist titles plus another 25 books that it will release over the next few seasons. 

Disney will retain the most media-related titles such as its Castle series which ties into the ABC television show of the same name. The book franchises that will remain with Disney will be overseen by Disney Worldwide Publishing. Disney’s children’s imprints, Disney and Disney-Hyperion, are not affected by the sale.  more...

Bloomsbury unveils vibrant new ‘Harry Potter’ adult edition covers for UK audiences

By Andrew Sims (@Sims)  June 27, 2013 | Reviewed by Karen Rought - Hypable

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Seeking out a new era of adult readers, Bloomsbury and J.K. Rowling announced today that the Harry Potter books would be re-published in paperback format sporting new covers.

The covers take on a modern and vibrant look with a sketch pertaining to an element within each book’s story. The first three covers for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban were unveiled today.

J.K. Rowling’s official Facebook page noted that the first three books with new covers will be available from July 18, 2013, followed by the next two on August 15, 2013, and the final two on September 26, 2013.
The jackets are illustrated by Andrew Davidson and “feature his beautiful woodcut style.”
We like the modern look and are absolutely positive that these babies are gonna stand out boldly on book store shelves. A refresh of the book series will perhaps encourage those seeking some summer reading to try Harry Potter for the first time. For those who have already read the books, these new editions do not offer anything worth purchasing.

Scholastic is in the midst of re-releasing the Harry Potter paperbacks with new covers as well. So far, Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets‘ new covers have been unveiled and are tailored to younger audiences. Prisoner of Azkaban’s cover is due out soon, and they all hit book store shelves this August.

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How S&S Dreams Up "Home-Grown Series" for Younger Readers

How S&S Dreams Up "Home-Grown Series" for Younger Readers Developing home-grown series at Simon & Schuster's children's division offers the publisher greater control over editorial, design, production and promotion.

US Export of English-language Print and Ebooks Proliferating The UK and Germany were the top overseas markets for US print books in 2012, while Europe led the UK in consumption of US ebooks, according to the AAP.

More News from PP: Japan’s Ebook Market Valued at $740 million for 2012 Preliminary results from a new survey say that Japan's ebook market is valued at 72.9 billion yen ($740 million), a 15.9% jump over 2011. No Surprise: Student-Age Digital Natives Still Like Libraries, Print A new Pew report takes a look at how 16-29 year olds view print books and libraries versus ebooks and digital offerings. Print is still the favorite among younger Americans.

From the Archives: China’s Emerging English-language Book Market Peter Gordon of Hong Kong’s Chameleon Press and Jo Lusby of Penguin China talk discuss the developing English-language market for books in China.