Barbara Stoney and her Biography of Enid Blyton
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Re: Barbara Stoney and her Biography of Enid Blyton
I've just bought a copy of Barbara Stoneys biography on Enid in good condition from ebay for £1.01.
It seems like a very good price for a book described as being in good condition.
I noticed the book was described as:
Format Details B-format paperback
Edition Statement 2nd Revised edition
I wasnt sure what a B- format paperback was.A little searching revealed that:
Why size matters
Cheap and chunky or lots of classy white space? Honor Wilson-Fletcher unpicks format and feel in part two of our series on the book business
Author X is agitated. So is her literary agent. The publisher has decided that her forthcoming book will be published in A-format; that is, 110mm wide x 178mm high. The modestly priced A- format will allow Author X the greatest opportunity to become a bestseller. The book is more likely to be accepted for sale by supermarkets, railway and airport stores and WHSmith, all of whom are anxious to demonstrate value for money to their customers. So why on earth is the writer unhappy?
Well, she sees herself as a B- format author. She wants her book to be published as a paperback measuring 130mm x 198mm. B-format paperbacks are associated with literary authors and prestigious lists such as Picador and Faber, and she wishes to be taken seriously by the critics. Author X cannot decide which she wants more - critical or commercial success. She wants both, really.
How has the size of her book come to have such significance? And if size is so important, how do we account for the tremendous critical and commercial success of Dava Sobel's Longitude , published at a mere 192mm high? Was it that shy 6mm that made the difference?
Publishers, authors and agents argue about size as much as they disagree over jacket design. Long, long meetings are spent debating the merits of A-, B- or C- ("trade") formats. Trade paperbacks are 135mm x 216mm. That is the same size as a lot of hardbacks, although in the US agents referring to "trade" actually mean B-format. Are you keeping up here?
The central wrangle used to be over whether to opt for a hardback or a paperback. Hardback publication was hard to avoid: literary editors didn't review paperbacks, and good reviews were vital. This is now considered a largely defunct complaint against the media, but privately publishers admit that hardbacks still have a whiff of significant seriousness. Literary editors respond to this aroma of worth, apparently, whether they know it or not.
So how to decide? Publishers can seek help from retailers. This is as close to consumer research as they generally get, and booksellers the world over are influenced by size. It used to be impossible to buy an English-language edition of Captain Corelli's Mandolin in paperback on the island of its inspiration. Cephallonian booksellers, in keeping with many European countries, only sell A-format paperbacks. Until Random House issued an A-format edition of the book for export, plus a film tie-in edition, they couldn't sell a single copy on the island. Of course, for the UK market, Louis de Bernières had to appear in B. He's a literary writer, published by an exclusively B-format list. But similar problems can also occur in the UK if a particular retailer has only one size of racking that won't accommodate larger paperbacks. It's clearly essential to listen to the needs of your customers.
Size isn't just about the physical dimensions of the book - decisions will have to be made about the size of the typeface or font used for the contents of a book, and the thickness of paper, too. A lot of A-format paperbacks, the size associated with blockbusters and beach reads, have been "bulked" to produce that apparently highly desirable "brick of a book" look. Bulking simply involves using thicker kinds of paper. Slim novellas in B-format - the kind Author X was so desirous of sharing shelf room with - might appear even more waif-like were it not for the generous dimensions of the print and the elegantly wide margins of white space on each page.
Of course, some authors will genuinely produce 700-page monster novels. No need for bulking here. Instead, the publisher's production team are left squinting at page proofs, trying to work out how small they can make the typeface without blinding readers, or being forced to produce a book so colossal its spine snaps the first time it is opened, fluttering irreplaceable pages from its vast interior.
Publishing is a sophisticated business these days, and it is now possible to produce a simultaneous variety of formats of the same book to suit different markets. Perhaps this is the ideal solution for Author X? We like our literary paperbacks in B, for example, but are happy to see them reappear in A if they have a film or TV tie-in picture on the cover.
Format is a shorthand to help retailers and consumers understand what kind of book they're looking at. This is why authors and agents get so uppity. How many consumers are aware of all this hard work to get their attention? One frustrated publisher suggests that if only the retailers got the right message about a book 50% of the time, it would have been worth the agonising debate.
The agent may want their author's book to look as durable as possible. An impression of significance could give Author X's creative outpourings a sharper elbow in the table-top jostle for attention in bookshops. Publishers don't all agree: the audience for literary hardbacks is tiny. And sometimes authors put their oar in. Hanif Kureishi, one of Faber's biggest sellers, took the decision himself to insist on paperback publication, believing the hardback to be elitist, old-fashioned and expensive. The Black Album sold 25,000 copies in hardback; Intimacy , straight into trade paperback, sold 55,000, but at a cheaper price.
Yet fashion is a fickle thing. Sick of being undercut by competitors producing trade paperbacks for £10, publishers are now bringing out hardbacks at similar prices. The sort of hardback published a few years ago at £15.99 will now appear at £12.99 - and then probably be discounted further. Trade paperback sales are beginning to decline and the hardback may, just possibly, be in for a small revival. Is it any wonder that our author is concerned?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2001/au ... gpublished" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Wonder how the anecdotage fits into the size debate-its enormous-is it an a b or c or other??
It seems like a very good price for a book described as being in good condition.
I noticed the book was described as:
Format Details B-format paperback
Edition Statement 2nd Revised edition
I wasnt sure what a B- format paperback was.A little searching revealed that:
Why size matters
Cheap and chunky or lots of classy white space? Honor Wilson-Fletcher unpicks format and feel in part two of our series on the book business
Author X is agitated. So is her literary agent. The publisher has decided that her forthcoming book will be published in A-format; that is, 110mm wide x 178mm high. The modestly priced A- format will allow Author X the greatest opportunity to become a bestseller. The book is more likely to be accepted for sale by supermarkets, railway and airport stores and WHSmith, all of whom are anxious to demonstrate value for money to their customers. So why on earth is the writer unhappy?
Well, she sees herself as a B- format author. She wants her book to be published as a paperback measuring 130mm x 198mm. B-format paperbacks are associated with literary authors and prestigious lists such as Picador and Faber, and she wishes to be taken seriously by the critics. Author X cannot decide which she wants more - critical or commercial success. She wants both, really.
How has the size of her book come to have such significance? And if size is so important, how do we account for the tremendous critical and commercial success of Dava Sobel's Longitude , published at a mere 192mm high? Was it that shy 6mm that made the difference?
Publishers, authors and agents argue about size as much as they disagree over jacket design. Long, long meetings are spent debating the merits of A-, B- or C- ("trade") formats. Trade paperbacks are 135mm x 216mm. That is the same size as a lot of hardbacks, although in the US agents referring to "trade" actually mean B-format. Are you keeping up here?
The central wrangle used to be over whether to opt for a hardback or a paperback. Hardback publication was hard to avoid: literary editors didn't review paperbacks, and good reviews were vital. This is now considered a largely defunct complaint against the media, but privately publishers admit that hardbacks still have a whiff of significant seriousness. Literary editors respond to this aroma of worth, apparently, whether they know it or not.
So how to decide? Publishers can seek help from retailers. This is as close to consumer research as they generally get, and booksellers the world over are influenced by size. It used to be impossible to buy an English-language edition of Captain Corelli's Mandolin in paperback on the island of its inspiration. Cephallonian booksellers, in keeping with many European countries, only sell A-format paperbacks. Until Random House issued an A-format edition of the book for export, plus a film tie-in edition, they couldn't sell a single copy on the island. Of course, for the UK market, Louis de Bernières had to appear in B. He's a literary writer, published by an exclusively B-format list. But similar problems can also occur in the UK if a particular retailer has only one size of racking that won't accommodate larger paperbacks. It's clearly essential to listen to the needs of your customers.
Size isn't just about the physical dimensions of the book - decisions will have to be made about the size of the typeface or font used for the contents of a book, and the thickness of paper, too. A lot of A-format paperbacks, the size associated with blockbusters and beach reads, have been "bulked" to produce that apparently highly desirable "brick of a book" look. Bulking simply involves using thicker kinds of paper. Slim novellas in B-format - the kind Author X was so desirous of sharing shelf room with - might appear even more waif-like were it not for the generous dimensions of the print and the elegantly wide margins of white space on each page.
Of course, some authors will genuinely produce 700-page monster novels. No need for bulking here. Instead, the publisher's production team are left squinting at page proofs, trying to work out how small they can make the typeface without blinding readers, or being forced to produce a book so colossal its spine snaps the first time it is opened, fluttering irreplaceable pages from its vast interior.
Publishing is a sophisticated business these days, and it is now possible to produce a simultaneous variety of formats of the same book to suit different markets. Perhaps this is the ideal solution for Author X? We like our literary paperbacks in B, for example, but are happy to see them reappear in A if they have a film or TV tie-in picture on the cover.
Format is a shorthand to help retailers and consumers understand what kind of book they're looking at. This is why authors and agents get so uppity. How many consumers are aware of all this hard work to get their attention? One frustrated publisher suggests that if only the retailers got the right message about a book 50% of the time, it would have been worth the agonising debate.
The agent may want their author's book to look as durable as possible. An impression of significance could give Author X's creative outpourings a sharper elbow in the table-top jostle for attention in bookshops. Publishers don't all agree: the audience for literary hardbacks is tiny. And sometimes authors put their oar in. Hanif Kureishi, one of Faber's biggest sellers, took the decision himself to insist on paperback publication, believing the hardback to be elitist, old-fashioned and expensive. The Black Album sold 25,000 copies in hardback; Intimacy , straight into trade paperback, sold 55,000, but at a cheaper price.
Yet fashion is a fickle thing. Sick of being undercut by competitors producing trade paperbacks for £10, publishers are now bringing out hardbacks at similar prices. The sort of hardback published a few years ago at £15.99 will now appear at £12.99 - and then probably be discounted further. Trade paperback sales are beginning to decline and the hardback may, just possibly, be in for a small revival. Is it any wonder that our author is concerned?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2001/au ... gpublished" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Wonder how the anecdotage fits into the size debate-its enormous-is it an a b or c or other??
Last edited by pete9012S on 03 Feb 2012, 14:29, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Barbara Stoney and her Biography of Enid Blyton
I've never given it all that much thought before, I just know it's irritating when trying to collect a series of books and they're different sizes/different cover designs.
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Re: Barbara Stoney and her Biography of Enid Blyton
Yes, the new Agatha Christie facsimile editions that come with the new part works are smaller than the facsimile editions that you can buy separately. Most irritating - in fact, I shan't be buying any more of the part works for this reason.
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Re: Barbara Stoney and her Biography of Enid Blyton
Pete, a very great point. Unfortunately in the USA, the measurements of books is till in inches. The standard measurement book or novel is 8.5" by 5.5" (inches) or as it is popularly described as A08. Originally, I had opted to use the A08 option. It would come up on my screen correcltly but for some technical reason, it would fail to print. So i decided to opt for the standard full-scap paper 8.5" by 11". Moreover, my publisher told me that children-related books are often 8.5" by 11." In addition, my publisher only has three printing sized options i.e. 8.5" by 5.5" the square one, that is 8" by 8" and the 8.5" by 11." Should I ever have time to update my book, I think I will opt for the A08 option. Eva Rice's Who is Who in Enid Blyton is 6" by 9" That option would have been more reasonable if my publisher had that option.pete9012S wrote: Wonder how the anecdotage fits into the size debate-its enormous-is it an a b or c or other??
Stephen I.
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Re: Barbara Stoney and her Biography of Enid Blyton
Many thanks for taking the time to explain that Stephen,Enikyoga wrote: Should I ever have time to update my book, I think I will opt for the A08 option. Eva Rice's Who is Who in Enid Blyton is 6" by 9" That option would have been more reasonable if my publisher had that option.
Stephen I.
Mind you, as large as 'The Anecdotage' is,it is dwarfed when compared next to 'The Dossier' !
I have replaced the Dossier image as it was out of focus and the wrong cover!
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Re: Barbara Stoney and her Biography of Enid Blyton
Peter, I had always suspected that The Blyton Dossier, though I have never read it, was far bigger than my book by looking at a photo that was taken during the EB 2010 Day festivities when Nanny was photographed holding the book at The Red Lion Club. I suspect it should be 8.5" by 14" or even larger!!!
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Re: Barbara Stoney and her Biography of Enid Blyton
The Dossier and the Anecdotage are, of course, very different kettles of fish. The Dossier consists primarily of images showcasing the life and works of Enid Blyton and, although it also contains a fair amount of text, the writing appears as columns and captions alongside the pictures so the reader isn't faced with pages full of great blocks of text. It's an attractive volume, easy on the eye, and the large format allows the use of big, sharp, lavish illustrations.
The Anecdotage is quite different, consisting of long chapters of dense text with very few illustrations. In this case the large format is a hindrance rather than a help as it's a strain to follow long lines of text across the wide pages. It's a pity that you were unable to use the A08 option as you wanted, Stephen.
Regarding Enid Blyton - the Biography, I have two editions, both paperback. I bought the latest edition because of the extra photos, updated bibliography and additional commentary by Barbara Stoney, but I've only ever read it once because the small type is off-putting and I prefer to read and refer to the older edition as the bigger type makes it a more relaxing read.
The Anecdotage is quite different, consisting of long chapters of dense text with very few illustrations. In this case the large format is a hindrance rather than a help as it's a strain to follow long lines of text across the wide pages. It's a pity that you were unable to use the A08 option as you wanted, Stephen.
Regarding Enid Blyton - the Biography, I have two editions, both paperback. I bought the latest edition because of the extra photos, updated bibliography and additional commentary by Barbara Stoney, but I've only ever read it once because the small type is off-putting and I prefer to read and refer to the older edition as the bigger type makes it a more relaxing read.
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Re: Barbara Stoney and her Biography of Enid Blyton
They are indeed two different books. The Dossier is full of factual information on Enid, her books etc and some lovely photos of Enid etc. Whereas Stephen's book is only his own personal opinion. And from what I've read of the discussions on this site bares no resemblance to anything factual.
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Re: Barbara Stoney and her Biography of Enid Blyton
I suppose that's what you could call "the naked truth".Julie2owlsdene wrote:They are indeed two different books. And from what I've read of the discussions on this site bares no resemblance to anything factual.
I measured the dossier with my metric ruler and converted, and it is 9.4 inches by 13.2 inches.Enikyoga wrote:I suspect it should be 8.5" by 14" or even larger!!!
A lovely book indeed, full of pictures and information.
Re: Barbara Stoney and her Biography of Enid Blyton
Or saying it as you see it, Julie!Lenoir wrote:I suppose that's what you could call "the naked truth".Julie2owlsdene wrote:They are indeed two different books. And from what I've read of the discussions on this site bares no resemblance to anything factual.
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Re: Barbara Stoney and her Biography of Enid Blyton
Isn't that what you do all the time, old thing!!!Moonraker wrote:
Or saying it as you see it, Julie!
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Re: Barbara Stoney and her Biography of Enid Blyton
The kindle edition may be much better since it is written in large print. However, it seems that a very huge chunk of people still prefer reading printed books to e-books.Anita Bensoussane wrote:The Dossier and the Anecdotage are, of course, very different kettles of fish. The Dossier consists primarily of images showcasing the life and works of Enid Blyton and, although it also contains a fair amount of text, the writing appears as columns and captions alongside the pictures so the reader isn't faced with pages full of great blocks of text. It's an attractive volume, easy on the eye, and the large format allows the use of big, sharp, lavish illustrations.
The Anecdotage is quite different, consisting of long chapters of dense text with very few illustrations. In this case the large format is a hindrance rather than a help as it's a strain to follow long lines of text across the wide pages. It's a pity that you were unable to use the A08 option as you wanted, Stephen.
Regarding Enid Blyton - the Biography, I have two editions, both paperback. I bought the latest edition because of the extra photos, updated bibliography and additional commentary by Barbara Stoney, but I've only ever read it once because the small type is off-putting and I prefer to read and refer to the older edition as the bigger type makes it a more relaxing read.
Stephen I.
Re: Barbara Stoney and her Biography of Enid Blyton
From what I understand of Barbara Stoney, she was of that generation that did not grow up reading Enid Blyton. although she may have definitely have heard of Enid Blyton throughout her life, it was not until several years after Enid Blyton's death that Enid Blyton's daughter, the late Gillian Baverstock, sought her out to publish Enid Blyton's biography.Almas wrote:I know this may seem a bit silly but I do want to know everything about Barbara Stoney. When was she born? Was she a fan of Enid Blyton since her childhood? What are her favorite Blyton books? How did she compile the biography?
Please, I do want to know everything about her.
Tony, Anita, Viv (and others) HELP!
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Re: Barbara Stoney and her Biography of Enid Blyton
This is completely wrong, Stephen. It was Barbara Stoney who approached Gillian about writing a biography, not the other way round.Enikyoga wrote:It was not until several years after Enid Blyton's death that Enid Blyton's daughter, the late Gillian Baverstock, sought her out to publish Enid Blyton's biography.
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Re: Barbara Stoney and her Biography of Enid Blyton
Am I the only one thinking that any newcomer reading any of Stephen's posts will be severely misled by his theories and erroneous statements? I know we take everything we say with a tablespoon of salt, but surely a person who doesn't know much about the Anecdotage reading the post such as the one above would take it all in face value - and that would be a disaster.
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