This is the trailer for Masterpiece an Italian TV Reality show on Rai 3. It is a new experiment to discover the Next Big Writer and boost reading in Italy. Apparently it has been discussed with much sarcasm in the European and American media. A guest contributer on Publishingperspectives gives a wonderful account of the first show. Read it here.
It sounds like something I’d love to watch. Imagine what a South African version could do for Literacy here.
The South African Book Fair (previously known as Cape Town Book Fair) is back! The Fair will be held in Cape Town from 13 to 15 June 2014 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC).
Laura Fredericks, Founder and CEO, Describli recently wrote an editorial on discoverability on Publishing perspectives. “The main factor contributing to the problem of book discovery is the sheer volume of books out there. Anyone with a computer can now self-publish a book. But because the number of books published every year is growing dramatically, especially in the digital space, authors have more competition than ever before. This ultimately leads to a book discovery problem for readers, and an audience discovery problem for authors,” she says.
Read the full editorial here.
“Argentina’s book business remains robust, having sold more than 50 million books in 2012, worth an estimated revenue of $535.7 million. According to the Cultural Information System of Argentina (SINCA), the country’s 2,256 bookstores are responsible for 80% of total book sales, with sales equally divided between hundreds of independent bookshops and a few large chains,” writes Ana Prieto on Publishing perspectives in the latest piece on the value of good bookstores and why they will survive despite the change surrounding them. Read it here.
UK booksellers have called for VAT on e-books to be scrapped in the week that the European Commission announced the creation of an expert group to explore taxation in the digital economy.
“Waterstones managing director James Daunt, Foyles chief executive Sam Husain and The Book People chief executive Seni Glaister have all endorsed the idea that e-books should attract the same 0% VAT as print books, instead of the 20% currently levied on digital titles in the UK,” reports the Bookseller
During the Frankfurt Book Fair this month, the Publishing Perspectives video team interviewed top players about the industry, their favorite books, and more. For those that couldn’t make the event, this is the perfect way to see what you missed out on. Check out all the videos on Publishingperspectives.com
At Enthrill’s booth at the Frankfurt Book Fair, trade visitors saw a model of a store display the company creates for its e-book gift cards. The cards are proxies for e-books with download codes for gift recipients. This is in-store discovery for bricks and mortar bookshops.
Read more at publishingperspectives.com
For November’s Down in the Basement, the Book Lounge is having their second Boeke Basaar!
Join them Friday, 1 November from 5pm at the Book Lounge. It is a bit like an old school fête, there is a white elephant table, second hand clothes, tombola, crafty things, homemade pies and cakes, but because they are a bit cooler, there is also a bar and a band: Oh Mercy (Emma du Preez and Andy Lund).
Most importantly, all the money made on the evening will go to their Library Project. This year the Book Lounge is helping Westridge High School in Mitchell’s Plain establish a working school library. The first thousand books are already on the shelves and the children are keen to see the library open next year.
Remember, everything kicks off at 5pm, bring money and giving heart . This is foot tapping stuff at its best.
The report from Frankfurt is in: Digital publishing is coming of age worldwide says Sameer Shariff on DBW.
“While there was a marked decline in “hustle and bustle” at the fair itself, that may be a symptom of publishers around the world becoming more comfortable with digital publishing and not panicking as much as in year’s past,” he says.
Distribution, production, partnerships and, most importantly, sales have all matured since 2007 when the Kindle was introduced. No surprise, the publishers who took those risky, initial steps into the digital deep end are the ones who are reaping the most rewards now. Read the full article here.
The harmonisation of VAT across print and digital books could move a step closer this week with the European Council to debate the level of VAT imposed on e-books this Thursday (24th October).
The Bookseller reports that “according to the TMF Group, the Polish presidency has proposed harmonising the amount of VAT charged on e-books in a “downwards” direction. Currently, an EU directive dictates that European countries impose the upper rate of VAT on e-books, but France charges their lower rate of 5.5% and Luxembourg, where Amazon, Kobo and Nook have their European headquarters, charge just 3%. In the vast majority of European countries print books are VAT free, as in the UK, or the lower rate is charged.” Read the full article here.
