Magpies and Spurs to cancel each other out August 16, 2012 NOT even the most passionate of Newcastle fans would have predicted 12 months ago that their side would end the season in fifth place. It was a magnificent effort from everyone at the club and Alan Pardew must take special credit as he wasn’t the most popular appointment back in December 2010. Demba Ba was [...]
Bloomsbury sees ebook sales surge by 70pc in market shift July 11, 2012 EBOOK sales have jumped by 70 per cent at Bloomsbury, the publishing house announced yesterday, as the company heralded a “seismic shift” in publishing. The rapid rise in year-on-year digital sales for the three months to June means that the publisher now sells more ebooks than hardback editions in America. Print sales fell by two [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING July 2, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES Heatwave threatens US harvest An intense heatwave is threatening havoc with this year’s US grain harvest, burning up hopes of blockbuster yields and sending prices soaring. Even a modest reduction in crops could send ripples through global food commodities markets, as the US is the world’s top exporter of corn, soyabeans and wheat, [...]
Shopping in style at the City’s 10 best June 17, 2012 Paul A Young, Bank 1 London’s most delectable chocolatier has shops in Islington and Soho, but our favourite is the outpost on Threadneedle Street. Just a stone’s throw from Bank, the store is a beacon of temptation, with its opulent display window and signature purple exterior. Paul, who has flame-red hair, oversees an operation in [...]
JK ROWLING BRINGS SPELLS TO LIFE WITH SONY June 5, 2012 JK ROWLING is penning the first release for Sony’s new Wonderbook, an augmented reality device that brings books to life. The Book of Spells, due for release in November, will immerse the player in the world of Harry Potter, using the PlayStation 3’s Move controller as a wand. “Book of Spells is the closest a [...]
Write-off costs drag Pinewood down despite revenue growth May 23, 2012 PINEWOOD Shepperton made a loss last year as the film studio took a hit from the failure of its movie set development project. Project Pinewood – a plan to build replicas of landmarks including famous cities, a castle and a college campus – was blocked in January, costing the company £7.6m in write-off costs. Expenses relating [...]
Profits double as Bloomsbury turns to ebooks May 22, 2012 SHARES in Bloomsbury jumped 6.6 per cent yesterday as the British publisher said its pre-tax profits from continuing operations more than doubled last year. Continuing pre-tax profits were up 53 per cent to £12.1m, while total turnover grew 11.5 per cent to £103.2m. Bloomsbury pointed to its “huge ebook growth” as a source of the income [...]
Publishers need to learn lessons of the record industry May 21, 2012 IN my less cynical moments I feel sorry for the record labels. While I think they are almost entirely to blame for destroying huge swathes of their own industry, they did so unwittingly. Their abject failure to respond to the digital music revolution that occurred in the early part of this century means the recorded [...]
A Facebook bank is far more likely than you imagine May 13, 2012 THE internet gives banks innovative ways of providing services to customers. But it also brings new dangers. Online giants like PayPal, Facebook and Amazon are leading the way on customer experience. Could they go further, and take on banks directly? Facebook has already moved into the world of “virtual currency”. Facebook Credits, costing 10 cents [...]
ROWLING AWARDED FREEDOM OF CITY May 8, 2012 JK Rowling, the author who penned the blockbuster Harry Potter novels, was awarded the Freedom of the City yesterday for her services to children’s literature. Rowling was presented with the distinction at Mansion House, the Lord Mayor’s official residence. “I am prouder than I can say to be given the Freedom of the City,” she [...]