Without any doubt the film of the week has been
45 Years. Launched last Friday (28th
August), having already won four international awards, and been tipped for Oscar
nominations it made over £470K in its first weekend at the UK
The film has been highly
praised by pretty much everyone for its subtle yet powerful portrayal of a
marriage threatened by a potentially devastating revelation. You can read a
really good summary on the Comma Press website of all the publicity for
it with lots of links to interviews and feature articles here. This has seriously been the most unanimously
acclaimed film of the year so far – so do make sure you’ve got the paperback
prominently displayed at the front of your store! David Constantine is no stranger to acclaim; and
has previously won the Frank O’Connor Short
Story Prize 2013 and BBC National
Short Story Award 2010 for his short story Tea at the Midland
– which is included in this collection . The Independent on Sunday said
“the whole book is excellent, and every story is excellent, and every
paragraph is excellent, and every sentence is excellent. And, unlike some
literary fiction, it's effortless to read.”
Watch the trailer for 45
Years here, and you can see David
Constantine reading the first part of his short story In Another Country here.
In Another Country is a story very much concerned with looking back to
the past. However, what if we are to look forward into the future? What would be
your predictions for the book trade? Have a look at these fascinating suggestions on Book Machine and see
if you agree – interestingly one of them is that short stories will revive –
based the success of 45 Years/In Another
Country I think we can certainly raise a glass to that! Other
suggestions are: that novels will be published in instalments online with
payment by the chapter; piracy will be officially rebranded as marketing and
that deals between sales teams and retailers will disappear.
Hmmmm.
Keats Lives by Moya
Canon (pb, 978 1784100605, £9.99) has just been published by
Carcanet. Moya gave a most
interesting interview in the Irish press recently about it, describing why she
believes “poetry can illuminate people’s lives” which you can read here. Keats
Lives is a new collection from this award-winning Irish poet
examining how art connects the past with our present. The poems examine how
traces of the past - cave paintings, textile fragments, buried objects and so
on, can enable us to make imaginative connections with our distant ancestors and
emphasises the vital importance of art as a way of giving meaning to our
fleeting lives.
Capitalism by John
Plender (hb, 978 1849548687, £20.00) has just received a stellar
review from Tim Montgomerie in Saturday’s Times, saying it “does a
better job of bringing together all the key issues facing today’s global economy
than any other book I’ve read”, and that it’s “a delight to read.” I
really do not think you could get a better recommendation for a business title
than that – so please do make sure you have this title on display – many of you
are already doing very well with it.
It’s also been reviewed by Vicky Pryce in this month’s Prospect,
where she calls it “a splendid book” and there have also been big pieces
in The Financial Times: “thoughtful and
stimulating”; The Economist: “approaches the quandaries of
capitalism with a shrewd eye for detail” and there are lots more to come – a
big review in the Sunday Times is due this weekend! Capitalism is published by Biteback and you
can find out more and order it here.
Would you say that you personally are more of a
paperback – soft and floppy: or a hardback: firm and chunky? Take this quiz here on Buzzfeed to find
out!
No one can be unaware of the phenomenon that is
Deliciously Ella – bestselling cookbooks, regular cookery writer for the
Telegraph and a massively successful blog/website – she’s everywhere. Two
cookbooks – both published by Hay House are featured on
DeliciouslyElla.com this month and next – the site gets four million
visitors a month – so this is amazing publicity!
The titles are The Uncook Book: The Essential Guide to a Raw Food
Lifestyle by Tanya Maher (hb,
£16.99 978 1781805640) which is published this month and Crazy Sexy Juice: 100+ Simple Juice Smoothie and Nut Milk
Recipes to Supercharge Your Health by Kris Carr (pb, £14.99 978 1401941529) which is
published in October.
The Entirely Accurate Encyclopaedia of
Evolution is a new BBC Radio
4 series – from Robert Newman, (of
Newman and Baddiel fame); one the UK’s most interesting and influential
comedians; which begins on Radio 4 on 5th October. The Entirely Accurate Encyclopaedia of Evolution,
by Robert Newman (hb, 978 1908885531,
£11.99) is a new hardback based on this series. This is a fierce, fascinating
and funny exploration of one of science’s great shibboleths - demonstrating
through compelling argument and great gags that it’s co-operation not
competition that drives human development. It is full of quirky black and white
illustrations – and will undoubtedly appeal to fans of QI, David
Mitchell, Bill Bryson, George Monbiot, Stephen Fry etc – in short it’s a great
Christmas gift for popular science and comedy lovers! The Independent
said of the comedy tour on which the series is based that “Rob Newman has
recalibrated his shtick... to something genuinely academic … this has a
political point to make.” This book is perfect who like their comedy clever
and their science accessible, it’s published in October by Freight and
Cargo and you can find out more and order it here.
How do you prop up your ever expanding library on
your bookshelves? Have a look here
for some wacky ideas that are a little bit more original than that cracked plant
pot and wonky candlestick you’re currently using!
While we’re on the subject of books that are ideal
for Xmas prezzies – here’s another! The Ups and
Downs of Being a Grandparent is a gently humorous book by one of
Britain UK
I don’t know if Bruce
Springsteen is a grandparent yet – but he’s 62 and has three
children, so I’m guessing it won’t be long! Whether or not he’d recognise
himself in Tony Husband’s gentle cartoons is another matter – he certainly shows
no sign at all of slowing down! 2015 is the 40th anniversary of his
groundbreaking album Born to Run and The Bruce Springsteen Vault: An Illustrated Biography
by Meredith Ochs is certain to have a
massive market as he is a musician with a massive fan base. The Bruce Springsteen Vault chronicles the Boss's
incredible musical career through photos and memorabilia. Its in-depth text
tracks Springsteen through his childhood in New Jersey and early shows on the
college circuit, to the formation of the E Street Band and breakout album Born
to Run, right to the present day. Also
covered is Springsteen's evolution as a musician, an examination of his
technique, his influences and inspiration, and an exploration of how his music
has shaped American culture over the last 40 years. Packaged in a handsome
hardcover format, The Bruce Springsteen
Vault features over 100 images including concert photos (both
on-stage and backstage), album covers, and personal photographs. There are new
interviews with Springsteen insiders and artists he has collaborated with
throughout his career; in addition to previously unpublished concert photographs
and ephemera including ten pieces of removable memorabilia such as ticket stubs,
posters, and handwritten lyrics. The Bruce
Springsteen Vault by Meredith
Ochs (hb, 978, 1783059331, £24.95) is published by
Omnibus Press in October
Altogether now; tramps like us, baby we were born well you
know the rest!
And just to be a bit less predictable, how about
Chuck Berry and the Boss playing Johnny B Goode together - yep -
it's a real thing!
To finish; here’s a heads up about something very
exciting; although it won’t be in your stores until February 2016! A graphic
novel of Marcel Proust's Swann's Way
created by Stéphane Heuet (translated by
Arthur Goldhammer) is currently a
US bestseller and will be
published in the UK
Compass is
on Twitter! Follow us @CompassIPS. Here are some of our favourite tweets from
last week...
A cracking surprise for the #ReadingChair today...
Thanks @AardvarkBureau, I'm very
excited to read Dan Rhodes' book!
Graphic novel of Proust's Swann's Way (Stéphane
Heuet, @artgoldhammer) US UK
Fishnet by @kirstininnes reviewed on @GuardianBooks. Exploring sex work, "Fishnet is an effective act of
empathy." http://www.
Fascinating hearing David Constantine discussing the short form and
glaciers with @commapress as part of @McrLitFest.
A fantastic evening with Palestinian author, Atef Abu Saif. Well done to
@FiveLeavesBooks and @commapress.
"This is a map to be misread." Matilda Bathurst reviews The Book of
Tokyo
Joining us next week! @urbanepub & @JamesSilvester1 talk publishing and this
damn fine thriller! #booklaunch
@blackwellbooks “No book is really worth
reading at the age of 10 which is not equally worth reading at the age of 50.” ―
Gladys M. Hunt,
That’s
all for now folks! More next week!
This newsletter is sent weekly to over 700
booksellers as well as publishers and publicists. If you would like to order any
of the titles mentioned, then please click here to go to the Compass New Titles
Website or talk to your Compass Sales
representative.
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