Újdonságok

FUN INC - Why Games Are the 21st Century’s Most Serious Business

Gaming is entertaining, hugely profitable, incredibly sophisticated in its technology and design, and the industry continues to grow at an impressive rate: dismiss it at your peril. This is an interesting and engaging read and would sit well on popular culture or business book lists.

There are some things that are simply a given about video games:

Games are played by teenage boys.
40 per cent of all US video game players are women.

Video games tend to be violent and it's their violence that makes them popular.
Of the 20 bestselling console games of all time, only 1 involves any real-world violence at all.


Then there are the elements of games we're less familiar with:

The South Korean government will invest $200 billion into its video games industry over the next 4 years.

Games are used to train the US Military, and they are also used to model global pandemics.

Over 350 million people play video games.

The games industry is a global phenomenon: over 350 million people now play games online. Whether we like video games or loathe them they're a part of our lives.


Tom Chatfield is currently the arts and books editor at Prospect magazine and has also written for the Times Literary Supplement, the New Statesman and the Observer.

He has done puzzle design and creative consultancy work for a number of online games and media companies, including Mind Candy, Grex, Red Glasses and Intervox, and has spoken on gaming at international conferences including Picnic in Amsterdam.

Rights are available both in Hungary and Croatia.

-Manuscript is available-
 
Url: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entert
 2010-02-16 15:09:10

THE MEMORY BANK

BLOODTHIRSTY

This hilarious new novel takes the vampire craze to extremes and (fittingly) will be published by Little Brown, in Fall 2010.

Dan Lazar’s submission letter says it all, so please read on:
I'll begin this letter with a confession: Working at Writers House has its perks, but also its challenges. For example, for the last few years, I can only bemoan when a vampire-related query crosses my desk. Twilight is right down the hall, how do you top that? So as a general rule, I pass on these ill-fated immortal queries.

Happily, rules are meant to be broken-- and thus, I'm delighted to present Flynn Meaney's YA debut, Bloodthirsty. I literally read this book the morning it landed in my inbox and signed the author that afternoon. If you can imagine John Green or Gordon Korman writing a vampire novel, that's how I'd best describe this book-- which is to say, it's not really a vampire novel, but a brilliant re-invention.

Meet Finbar Frame, our fifteen-year-old hero unaffectionately dubbed “Admiral Fagbar” by his Catholic school classmates. He's been jilted since the gene pool; his twin brother Luke got the good looks, athletic ability, and pigmentation. Finbar is skinny, pale and pretty much allergic to the sun-- and sadly, high school girls don’t appreciate Finbar’s sensitive skin or his sensitive soul. But when a move to a new school converges with a cultural trend romanticizing vampires (ahem, Twilight) Finbar seizes the opportunity. He’ll become a vampire! Or or at least fake it…. To get a date.

The premise itself of Bloodthirsty makes me laugh, but even better is Flynn Meaney's wickedly smart and funny YA voice. (To wit: "I’d thought about boobs in more contexts than Karl Marx thought about poor people.") Bloodthirsty delivers big, and demonstrates the potential for a very promising and commercial future for this author.

Rights are available both in Hungary and Croatia.

-Manuscript is available-



 2010-02-16 14:13:54

THE HARVARD PSYCHEDELIC CLUB - How Timothy Leary, Ram Dass, Huston Smith, and Andrew Weil Killed the

The lives and times of four men -- Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert (aka Ram Dass), Andrew Weil and Huston Smith -- whose paths crossed in the Sixties with the infamous Harvard Psilocybin Project, and who consequently changed the course of American culture and launched the Mind/Body/Spirit movement.
 
This book is the story of how three brilliant scholars and one ambitious freshman crossed paths in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the winter of 1960-61, and how their experiences in a psychedelic drug research project transformed their lives and much of American culture in the 1960s and 1970s.

They came together in a time of upheaval and experimentation, and they set the stage for the social, spiritual, sexual and psychological revolution of the 1960s. Huston Smith would be the teacher, practicing every world religion and educating three generations of Americans to adopt a more tolerant, inclusive attitude toward other culture’s religions. Richard Alpert would be the seeker, traveling to India, returning to America as “Ram Dass” and reborn as a spiritual leader with his “Be Here Now” mantra, inspiring a restless army of spiritual pilgrims. Andrew Weil would be the healer, becoming the undisputed leader of alternative medicine, devoting his life to the holistic reformation of the American health care system. And Timothy Leary would play the rebellious trickster, the premier proponent of the therapeutic and spiritual benefits of LSD, advising a generation to “turn on, tune in, and drop out.”

There’s would be a time of joy, a time of peace and a time of love. There were also times of backstabbing, jealousy and outright betrayal. But each in his own way, the members of The Harvard Psychedelic Club changed the way Americans view religion and practice medicine, nothing less than the way we look at body and soul.

Don Lattin is one of the nation’s leading journalists covering alternative and mainstream religious movements and figures in America. He is the author of Jesus Freaks: A True Story of Murder and Madness on the Evangelical Edge, Following Our Bliss: How the Spiritual Ideals of the Sixties Shape Our Lives Today, and is the co-author of Shopping for Faith - American Religion in the New Millennium.  His work has appeared in dozens of U.S. magazines and newspapers, including the San Francisco Chronicle, where Don covered the religion beat for nearly two decades. He has also worked as a consultant and commentator for “Dateline” NBC; “PrimeTime Live,” “Good Morning America” and “Nightline” on ABC Television; “Anderson Cooper 360” and “American Morning” on CNN; and “Religion and Ethics News Weekly” on PBS.

“In this beautifully constructed study, Lattin (Jesus Freaks) brings together four of the most memorable figures from that period…this is a fast-moving, dispassionate recounting of a seminal period in our history, and all in all, a wonderful book.” - Publishers Weekly
 
“This energetic study of the time all four were together at Harvard tells much about today’s culture….Some laugh-aloud passages make this an entertaining read, but the underlying exploration of the sociocultural reasons for the extravaganza that was the 1960s merits attention, especially from those interested in the period.” - Booklist (starred review)

Please note:  We represent this title ONLY in Hungary.

-Manuscript and finished copies are available-


 2010-02-16 13:56:00

THE MIRACLE STEALER

CLEOPATRA

We are absolutely thrilled that Stacy Schiff has joined the roster of Little, Brown authors.  She won a Pulitzer Prize in 2000 for Vera, her biography of Vera Nabokov.  According to Michael Pietsch, she is one of the smartest, clearest, most interesting writers he has ever worked with.

In CLEOPATRA, she has taken on nothing less than a biography of one of the most interesting women in the history of the world.

At age 18 Cleopatra became, with her brother, co-ruler of the Egyptian empire at its largest and most embattled.  Her brother banished her and while she was raising an army to fight her way back her brother assassinated her father's old ally the Roman emperor Pompey, who had fled to Egypt after losing to Julius Cesar in the Roman civil wars.  Cesar pursued Pompey to Egypt and this gave Cleopatra her chance.  She managed to have herself smuggled into the royal palace  and she an Cesar became lovers in a palace under siege.  She bore his child just after he returned to take control of Rome.  And that is just the first act of this astounding life!

Later she had three children with Cesar's successor Marc Antony and made plans with him to build a new empire before they were both brought down by Augustus. When Cleopatra died at age 39,  Egypt became a Roman province and did not regain its independence until the 20th century.

Cleopatra then became the toy of moralists, dramatists and misogynists. Her story was told again and again  by people who couldn't resist retelling this juicy piece of history.

What Stacy Schiff does is rescue Cleopatra from history and present her as a human being.  A woman who could rule, command armies, build a fleet and control currency.  Schiff helps us understand how Cleopatra commanded awe during her lifetime and why we still talk about her 2000 years later.

Rights are available both in Hungary and Croatia.

-Manuscript is available-

 2010-02-16 13:33:20

EAT, SLEEP, POOP - A Common Sense Guide to Your Baby's First Year

Written during award-winning pediatrician Dr. Scott W. Cohen’s first year as a father, this book is the only one to combine two invaluable “on the job” perspectives — the doctor’s and the new parent’s. The result is a refreshingly engaging and informative guide that includes all you need to know at each age and stage of your child’s first year.

Drawing on the latest medical recommendations and his experiences at home and in the office, Dr. Cohen covers everything from preparing for your baby’s arrival to introducing her to a new sibling, to those three basic functions that will come to dominate a new parent’s life. Eat, Sleep, Poop addresses questions, strategies, myths, and all aspects of your child’s development. In each instance, Dr. Cohen provides a thorough overview and a simple answer or explanation: a “common sense bottom line,” yet he doesn’t dictate.

The emphasis is on doing what is medically sound and what works best for you and your baby. He also includes fact sheets, easy-to-follow diagnosis and treatment guides, and humorous daddy vs. doctor sidebars that reveal the learning curve during his fi rst year as a dad.Lively, practical, and reassuring, Eat, Sleep, Poop provides the knowledge you need to parent with confidence, to relax and enjoy baby’s first year, and to raise your child with the best tool a parent can have: informed common sense.

“Eat, Sleep, Poop should be every new parent's bedside staple.  I would have loved to have this book 3 years ago when my son was born, but I still find it very helpful now!  Dr.  Cohen has succeeded in bringing readers a comprehensive book of must-have baby information, tips, recommendations, and heartwarming  personal stories to help parents and their babies flourish through the first year together.  This is the book I will be buying for everyone I know who is about to have a baby." --Kim Barnouin, coauthor of The New York Times bestseller Skinny Bitch

“Dr. Scott Cohen has managed to condense everything parents need to know for their baby's first year into a fun and readable guide. Today's parents have more questions than ever and Dr. Cohen answers them all in this handy, readable book. I will be recommending this one to parents for years to come.” -- Dr. Jenn Berman, author of SuperBaby: 12 Ways to Give Your Child a Head Start in the First 3 Years and The A to Z Guide to Raising Happy Confident Kids

Rights are available both in Hungary and Croatia.

-Manuscript is available-

 2010-02-16 13:20:22

ZOMBIEKINS

Hello, kiddie Zombie fans.  We've received bound galleys for Kevin Bolger's ZOMBIEKINS-- with the illustrations included.  And they look awesome!  Razorbill/Penguin will be publishing in June 2010.
 
In this first installment, we meet the dread Zombiekins when Stanley Nudelman picks him up at Old Lady Imavitch's yard sale.  But Zombiekins isn't any old stuffed animal.  He's a little bit bunny.  A little bit teddy.  And a whole lot of ZOMBIE!
 
Stanley brings Zombiekins to school and accidentally starts a zombie plague.  Can Stanley save the day before Mr. Baldengrumpy notices his class is full of zombies?
 
A grade-school teacher based in Canada, Bolger combines "Captain Underpants"-style humor with spooky "Bunnicula"-like fun.  London-resident Aaron Blecha's line drawings add vivid punch to the story.

Kevin Bolger is a writer, teacher and kid lit aficionado (Spanish for "geek") in Ottawa, Canada. He has taught reading and writing to children in grades 2 to 6 for close to ten years.

Please visit www.sirfartsalot.com


"Unbelievable. Unstoppable. Undead. FUN! Stanley Nudelman doesn't know what he's in for when he buys a zombie stuffed animal at the yard sale of his neighbor, the Widow Imavitch. When Zombiekins gets loose in his school and turns all the other kids into zombies, Stanley and his best friend Miranda must find some way to stop the zombie plague before it's time to go home. Hilariously illustrated by Aaron Blecha in a Captain Underpants-style graphic novel format, this book has everything middle graders (especially boys) go crazy over-irreverent humor, nail-biting suspense, fast-paced action and zombies. Plus a certain singing dinosaur gets its head ripped off!" - Aaron Blecha

Aaron Blecha is an illustrator and designer with over ten years of experience in the animation, publishing, video game, and toy industry. He lives in London. Please visit www.monstersquid.com

Rights are available both in Hungary and Croatia.

-Manuscript and galleys are available-
Url: http://www.amazon.com/Zombiekins-Kevin-B
 2010-02-16 12:48:28

THE MISSING

Jenny Shepherd is twelve years old and missing...Her teacher, Sarah Finch, knows better than most that the chances of finding her alive are diminishing with every day she is gone. As a little girl her older brother had gone out to play one day and never returned. The strain of never knowing what has happened to Charlie had ripped Sarah's family apart. Now in her early twenties, she is back living at home, trapped with a mother who drinks too much and keeps her brother's bedroom as a shrine to his memory. Then, horrifically, it is Sarah who finds Jenny's body, beaten and abandoned in the woods near her home. As she's drawn into the police investigation and the heart of a media storm, Sarah's presence arouses suspicion too. But it not just the police who are watching her...

Jane Casey was born and brought up in Dublin. She then studied English at Jesus College, Oxford, followed by an mPhil in Anglo-Irish Literature at Trinity College, Dublin.

Married to a criminal barrister, she lives in London and works in publishing as a children's books editor.


'The Missing aims high, and doesn't miss. A complex plot, deftly handled; a good puzzle, dextrously unfolded; interesting characters, lots of tension, and a user-friendly style; this is a truly striking debut.' Reginald Hill


'The Missing is a remarkably compelling and convincing depiction of what it must be like to be caught up - first as a witness, then as more than that - in a police murder inquiry' Robert Goddard

Rights are available both in Hungary and Croatia.

-Manuscript is available-
Url: http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/inde
 2010-02-16 12:06:38

DEPARTMENT 19

The trilogy, written by debut author and former publishing marketer William Hill, is a non-stop, nerve shredding techno-horror-thriller set both in the present day and in Victorian London, which takes as its premise the notion that everything Bram Stoker wrote is true. Its hero is a teenage boy who, when his father is killed by mysterious assassins, finds himself dragged into a secret agency of vampire hunters called Department 19. Founded by Abraham Van Helsing himself, its goal is both simple and very, very dangerous: to wipe out the heirs of Dracula. The first book in the trilogy is scheduled for publication in the UK in early 2011.
 
Nick Lake, Editorial Director at HarperCollins, says, "Department 19 is a heart-stoppingly brilliant debut that combines the high-tech weaponry and shiny gadgets of the best modern thrillers with the gas-lit atmosphere of the nineteenth century gothic. It's also packed with high action, as well as a startling romance with a vampire girl just as terrifying as she is beautiful, funny and smart. It will be devoured by fans of Anthony Horowitz, Robert Muchamore and the Blade movies just as eagerly as its vampire villains devour the weak and innocent..."


Planned publication date: early 2011

Rights are available both in Hungary and Croatia.

-Manuscript is available-

Url: http://beattiesbookblog.blogspot.com/200
 2010-02-16 11:31:47