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☆ The Art of Telling Forbidden Stories in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Han Zhang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Browsing one of the literature bulletin boards, he came across a serialized novel titled “My Beijing,” published under the pseudonym Drunken Fish. Hao’s depiction of Chengdu’s seedy underbelly became a sensation on forums like Tianya, one of the period’s largest blogging platforms. Once, a colleague recommended the novel to Hao without knowing that he was Murong Xuecun. “From the get-go, he has been completely obsessed with how people are corrupted by the environment in which they live,” says Megan Walsh, author of “The Subplot,” a book about contemporary Chinese literature. Later, at a propaganda meeting, the deputy party secretary of Chengdu criticized Hao’s fiction for damaging the city’s image.

Persons: Hao, ”, Fish, Murong Xuecun, Wei Da, Wei, Megan Walsh, Li Boqing, Li, Ran Yunfei, ” Ran Organizations: Authorities, Writers ’ Association, International New York Times Locations: Beijing, H.R, Shenzhen, Chengdu, China, North Africa, Weibo

Today, the roughly 230 open-air booksellers, stationed along the Seine for about two miles, make up the largest open-air book market in Europe. About 170 of the stalls will be required to close for at least two weeks during the Paris Games, according to a copy of a document that city officials showed bouquinistes at a meeting last month. After the empty arenas of the Olympics in Tokyo, postponed to 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic, and in Beijing in 2022, organizers in Paris are aiming to bring back grandeur to the Games, which begin July 26. In Paris, with its perfectly preserved mid-19th-century facades, there is more concern about preserving traditions and elements of the city during the Olympic Games than in other cities. The city allows bouquinistes to sell rent-free, but some have had to resort to selling cheap souvenirs rather than books to earn a living.

Persons: Tony Travers Organizations: Paris Games, Eiffel, Olympic, International Olympic Committee, Paris police, Olympic Games, London School of Economics Locations: Europe, Tokyo, Beijing, Paris, Versailles, London, East London, bouquinistes

PARIS, July 29 (Reuters) - Booksellers along the river Seine say the Olympics threaten to erase a symbol of Paris, after they were told by local authorities that they will have to remove their stalls for the Summer Games opening ceremony in 2024 for security reasons. Paris 2024 organisers expect at least 600,000 people to attend the opening ceremony on the Seine, during which athletes and delegations will sail along the river. It will be the first time the public have free access to the opening ceremony, and not in a stadium. "This renovation is part of the Games' heritage and will help support the application to have the Seine booksellers recognised as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO," the authorities said. It was not clear whether the booksellers had been told they must move for the duration of the Games or only for the opening ceremony.

Persons: Paris, Jerome Callais, Albert Abid, Ardee Napolitano, Clotaire, Layli Foroudi, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Booksellers, Eiffel, Notre Dame, Paris, UNESCO, Thomson Locations: Paris, Seine

☆ Publishers, booksellers sue Texas over public school book ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 26 (Reuters) - A coalition of booksellers, authors and publishers has sued Texas seeking to block a new state law that bans "sexually explicit" books from public schools. Vendors that do not participate will be barred from selling any books to Texas schools. Any books rated explicit cannot be sold to public schools and must be recalled from libraries. Republican Governor Greg Abbott has said the Texas law protects children, declaring that it "gets that trash out of our schools" when he signed it in June. In May, the writers' group PEN America and others sued a Florida school district for banning books dealing with LGBTQ and race issues.

Persons: Greg Abbott, Joseph Ax, Colleen Jenkins, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Republican, Texas Education Agency, PEN America, American Library Association, Thomson Locations: Texas, Austin, Florida, Arkansas

In the past two years, book bans have surged in the United States, driven by conservative activists who have targeted books about race and racism or L.G.B.T.Q. While the fight has largely centered on books that are available in school classrooms and libraries, the legislation in Texas has drawn booksellers directly into the conflict. “Some school libraries have books with sexually explicit and vulgar materials,” he said during the bill signing session. But the plaintiffs said that the Texas law would take decisions out of the hands of schools and parents and put the burden on vendors instead. The law’s opponents also argue the legislation will increase the number of book bans in Texas, which already leads the country in removing books from schools, according to an analysis by the free speech organization PEN America.

Persons: Greg Abbott, ”, “ Organizations: PEN America Locations: United States, Texas

☆ A new Texas law forces vendors to rate sexual content in schoolbooks. They’re not happy about it
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Nadia Bidarian | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

But a new Texas law might require her to. The law’s primary author, Republican Texas State Rep. Jared Patterson, said its aim is simple: Get sexually explicit content out of schools. Republican Texas State Rep. Jared Patterson debates HB 900, which would ban sexually explicit materials from library books in schools. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman/APBut the burden of rating these books falls on book vendors. The law also applies retroactively to books sold to schools in the past, meaning that vendors must issue recalls for “sexually explicit” books still in circulation.

Persons: Charley Rejsek, they’d, “ We’re, ” Rejsek, Jared Patterson, Mikala Compton, “ We’ve, “, ” Patterson, ”, Shirley Robinson, ” Robinson, Ben Conn, Conn, Noble, ” Conn, wasn’t, Patterson, Valerie Koehler, Mary Cate Stevenson, Noah Nofz Koehler, doesn’t, she’s, ” Koehler, Noah Nofz Richard Bailey, Greg Abbott, Bailey, ” Bailey, Lewis Parry, ” Elizabeth Jordan, ’ Patterson, ” Jordan, can’t, Jordan Organizations: CNN, Republican Texas State, Austin American, Statesman, Resources, ”, Texas Library Association, Media Association, Barnes, Penguin, Library Company, Education, Willow, Interabang, Dallas County, Lewis Parry Interabang, Nowhere, Texas Education Agency Locations: Texas, Austin, ”, Houston, Houston , Texas, Dallas, Dallas , Texas, San Antonio

☆ Who wants to be a CEO right now?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Let's be real: Being a CEO sucks right now. But 2023 has brought a level of scrutiny that makes being a CEO today a nightmare for even the toughest leader. CNN's former chief Chris Licht stepped down on Wednesday after less than a year, following intense criticism from inside and outside his newsroom. Meme stock company GameStop fired its CEO Matthew Furlong on the same day as Licht, also after a short tenure. At the low point of a boom-and-bust cycle where high interest rates and high expectations reign supreme, being a CEO sucks.

Persons: Let's, CNN's Chris Licht, —, Jack Welch, CNN's, Chris Licht, Licht, Matthew Furlong, Jeff Shell, Jack Bowles, Patience, Matt Turner, Raul Vargas Organizations: Corporate, Service, General Electric, Observers, GameStop, Google, Farmers Group Locations: freefall, British

☆ Group Challenges Arkansas Law That Would Criminalize Access to Some Books
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Elizabeth A. Harris | Alexandra Alter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A new state law in Arkansas that could send librarians and booksellers to prison was challenged on Friday in a federal lawsuit filed by libraries, independent bookstores and publishers who said the legislation was unconstitutional. The suit comes as states and counties around the country are increasingly restricting the availability of certain kinds of books, and as those who oppose such regulations are finding more ways to push back. The complaint, which was filed in the United States District Court for the western District of Arkansas, said the law “forces bookstores and libraries to self-censor in a way that is antithetical to their core purposes.”The Arkansas law, which is scheduled to go into effect in August, requires any material that might be “harmful” to minors, including books, magazines and movies, to be shelved in a separate, “adults only” area.

Organizations: United States, Court, of Locations: Arkansas, of Arkansas

☆ TikTok has influenced nearly every aspect of book publishing and helped push sales to record highs. 25 insiders describe how it's changed their industry.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The BookTok phenomenon helped send book sales to an all-time high and reignite a love for reading. From authors to stores, the book world is turning to TikTok to drive sales and build community. Still, while authors might feel pressure to try TikTok, industry experts say it's better to focus on craft than marketing. Aster is one of the hundreds of authors who are benefitting from the success of TikTok and its book-related hashtag #BookTok. But TikTok's influence on publishing has also dialed up the pressure on authors to be marketers, as well as writers.

☆ When Books Go Viral
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Even if the bump turns out to be only an illusion, the collective joy will have been enough. Swiftie SleuthingThe Bigolas drama was not this week’s only strange collision between publishing and internet culture. Other pieces of pseudo-evidence: The book’s release date, July 9, is a lyric in the Swift song “Last Kiss,” and Swift referenced the date in a recent Instagram post announcing the re-release of her album “Fearless.” (The words “dear reader” in the Instagram post added fuel to the fire.) Bob Lingle, the owner of Good Neighbor Bookstore in Lakewood, N.Y., first heard about the Swiftie speculation in a Facebook group for independent booksellers. On Saturday morning, he posted to his bookstore’s TikTok account about the rumors and opened up pre-orders for the book, just in case.

CNN —A Taiwan-based book publisher has been placed under investigation in China on suspicion of “endangering state security,” Beijing said Tuesday amid mounting concern over his disappearance. Li’s detention comes at a tense moment in cross-strait relations, and several Taiwan citizens have been detained in China on state security grounds in recent years. CNN has reached out to Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Office to inquire about Li’s citizenship status. One of them, Lam Wing-kee, has said he was kidnapped by Chinese “special forces” after crossing the border into mainland China from Hong Kong. Hong Kong used to be a hub for publishing politically sensitive books that would be banned in mainland China.

☆ Independent bookstores once considered Barnes & Noble the enemy, but its CEO loves small bookstores so much, he owns 9 of his own
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Barnes & Noble's CEO owns nine independent bookstores scattered throughout London. But back in the 1990s, the book retailer was considered the enemy of small bookstores everywhere. That was before Barnes & Noble went into decline — these days, it's in the midst of a revamp. Chains like Barnes & Noble were the enemy of anyone who truly loved books, according to the film. Daunt now oversees roughly 600 Barnes & Noble stores across the US, as well as 100 Paper Source stores and nearly 300 Waterstones shops in the UK and Europe, according to Barnes & Noble.

☆ The Barnes & Noble CEO says sales are rising because he trusts his booksellers to 'create good bookshops' and run each store the way they want to
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Stephanie Stacey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Sales at Barnes & Noble are rising because staff are it's not trying to make stores "homogenous," its CEO said. "Sensible retailing principles" equal "terrible bookstores," Daunt told the Business Studies podcast. He took over as CEO of Barnes & Noble in 2019 with plans to update the chain's 600 stores across the US. By 2022, total sales at Barnes & Noble were 3% higher than pre-pandemic levels, with book sales up by 14%. "If you're in Alabama, you should run a very different bookstore to if you're on the Upper West Side of Manhattan," he told Business Studies.

☆ Prince Harry Book Has U.S. Retailers in Suspense Ahead of Release
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg | Sarah Krouse | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The decision by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, to step back from royal duties heightened family tensions. As U.S. booksellers stock up on Prince Harry ’s memoir ahead of its release next week, they are divided over whether readers’ interest in the British royal family will deliver blockbuster sales. In “Spare,” Prince Harry describes awkward and unsettling scenes between him and his relatives, including a physical row with his brother, Prince William, according to a Spanish-language edition that was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The book went on sale in Spain days ahead of its scheduled Jan. 10 release. Excerpts of the memoir were published earlier in the Guardian, a British newspaper.

☆ 'South to America' won the National Book Award for nonfiction—here are the past 10 winners of the literary prize
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Nicolas Vega | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Imani Perry's "South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation" has been named the National Book Award winner for nonfiction. The book chronicles the Princeton professor's journey to her native Alabama, putting forth the idea that to better understand America, one must first understand the history and culture of the American South. "'Bama has a National Book Award," Perry said while accepting her award in New York City on Wednesday evening. In her tearful acceptance speech, the 50-year-old award winner said that she writes for "my people." The winners in each National Book Award category receive $10,000, NBC News reports, with nominees chosen by a five-person panel with judges including authors, editors and booksellers.

☆ Trump campaign throws a COVID-19 lifeline to an indie bookstore in New Jersey, buying Rep. Dan Crenshaw's new book in bulk
▼ + stars: | 2020-07-20 | by ( Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

"It helped us pay the staff, the rent, the insurance and keep the lights on," Books & Greetings owner Kenny Sarfin said. Campaign committees are increasingly making bulk book purchases, which help juice sales numbers and propel politicos' writings onto bestseller lists. The sale follows an earlier $400,000 order of Crenshaw's book by the National Republican Campaign Committee, Politico first reported. The Trump campaign did not reply to several request for comment. While political-committee book purchases are en vogue, it's rare for Republicans — or Democrats — to purchase so many from a mom-and-pop operation.

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