We've had some bits and pieces come in from various publishers over the past few days so I'm starting a new Random Bits series for 2012 where we'll showcase videos and press releases.
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First up, from Egmont we have a video for one of their new book releases this year "Codename Verity" and it looks very interesting indeed!
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From Orbit: An Ian M Banks title is on the list for World Book Night books to hand out and request if you are a giver or registering as a giver.
Last year there was a big bruhaha about so few genre (none) books on the list, that this year the organisors have listened and we are proud that they have chosen Ian M Banks / Tolkien / Neil Gaiman / Terry Pratchett and a handful of others, but also, more importantly from my point of view, some ace kids' titles!
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Some exciting news from Faber and Faber about a new project they are setting up:
FABER AND FABER LAUNCHES THE SPARK - A PLACE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO SHOWCASE THEIR CREATIVE SKILLS
Faber and Faber has launched THE SPARK www.facebook.com/thesparkpage, a place for 13 - 16 year olds who have an interest in creativity and reading.
During 2012 THE SPARK, hosted on Facebook, will invite young people to take part in some exciting projects around acting, film-making, writing and music, each linked to and inspired by a Faber Young Adult title. Whilst students aren’t obliged to read the books to take part, we hope that they will not only be inspired to produce some creative work, but will also be encouraged to engage with the related books, and develop a greater interest in reading generally. Our aim is that THE SPARK will become a vibrant community where young people who love reading and creating can meet, talk and share. We have been extremely impressed by the entries for our recent project, run in association with the GUARDIAN, to find a talented young artist to create a new, iconic cover image for William Golding’s LORD OF THE FLIES and we hope that we can discover a similar level of creativity in each of the new projects to be launched this year.
Launch Project
ACTING – THE GLIMPSE by Claire Merle publishing June 2012
Launching in January 2012, we’re looking to find a young actor to play one of the characters in Claire Merle’s debut YA novel, THE GLIMPSE, in a series of web films. Entrants are invited to film themselves performing one of two audition scripts available at www.facebook.com/theglimpse and all entries will be showcased on THE GLIMPSE You Tube Channel.
The competition is open to anyone aged 13-18 years old (see terms and conditions) and the winner will be announced in March 2012
Coming soon…
Over the next few months we’ll be launching further projects for musicians/composers, film-makers and writers.
Music – THE CREWEL by Gennifer Albin publishing October 2012
We’re calling on musicans, band-members and singer-songwriters to produce an original music track inspired by Gennifer Albin’s novel CREWEL, to feature in the official book trailer. Launches February 2012.
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From Hodder & Stoughton a batch of titles to indulge in for some fun Valentines reading in Feb!
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Pan Macmillan has launched today its new website – www.panmacmillan.com – designed for consumers, trade and the media.
The new site at www.panmacmillan.com delivers a web infrastructure on which to build and develop a growing range of direct-to-consumer platforms to support Pan Macmillan’s established and evolving brands, including picador.com and mykindabook.com.
The website was designed by design agency Root, selected after a four-way pitch for their original and striking design. MMT Digital was selected after a five-way pitch for the technical build.
A content-rich Home Page enables visitors to find out about new titles, featured authors and books, with carousel Showcase, Brand New and Featured bars which spin and highlight particular themes and subjects guiding readers to relevant books and authors.
News and Events pages with regular updates about author readings and events, and a host of other Pan Macmillan-related activity, take visitors straight through to comment and trailers.
A range of subject pages such as 'Crime & Thrillers', ‘Women's Fiction’ and ‘Science Fiction’, drive visitors to other content and titles around the site. A new “Books You Might Like” feature encourages readers to explore new authors.
The site is e-commerce enabled but also features links to a range of retailers.
Sara Lloyd, Digital Director, Pan Macmillan said today:
‘We’re delighted to launch this important first phase of the new panmacmillan.com. We’ve created a hub for our authors, readers and trade customers. We wanted to demonstrate our passion for our authors and titles, and create an environment where readers can find the best information and conversation about our books and authors. The site will act as a place for readers and writers to come together to talk about books when we introduce additional social features into the next phase, and it also delivers us a modular toolkit for quickly developing a dedicated web presence for any campaign or author.’
For trade and media, there is a comprehensive “one stop shop” section, offering sophisticated online resources for sales customers, media and rights’ buyers.
In this section customers and media can view book pages for forthcoming titles and high resolution book jackets, download book catalogues, order forms, translation and rights’ guides, check rights’ availability for specific titles and, if registered for a bookseller account, access advance information sheets.
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That's all for now! I'm not sure if this is a feature that appeals to everyone, but it's something for us to showcase some of the PR we receive through from various publishers.
I like this new feature, I think it's a great idea.
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