So my group have the (lucky? unlucky?) position of being the first to have an update on our Publishing Project. Our project involves looking at the back issues of The Bookseller to chart the development of the now booming Children’s market. We’ve had loads of ideas since the very first meeting but unfortunately, because we haven’t had our meeting with our project leader at The Bookseller yet… I can’t tell you what those ideas are.

I can tell you that we have already done loads of research at the British Library, after some mishaps with cards and complex ordering systems, and have already found some amazing things, including:

• First reviews of Game of Thrones!
• E-book predictions
• A lot of Harry Potter mania from the early 2000s
• Madame Doubtfire in 1987
• Adverts for Noddy and The Railway Children
• The first announcement for Sophie’s Choice

So for now… we’ll just get back to research…

Got enough books there Amanda?

By Stacey Riley

As a die hard fan with unshakeable love, I’ve been aware of the series ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ for a few years now. However, the rest of the world has only just caught up. I’m no longer met with blank faces when I drop my coffee and complain, “Oh Seven hells!” or when I answer the phone to my friend Matthew with the greeting, “Morning, Blood of my Blood”.

The series’ new publicity is partly down to the fact that HBO acquired television rights to the books and is now shamelessly plugging the third series, Mondays, Sky Atlantic. 9pm. Sham

elessly plugging. However, the television series has been a huge success. With a fantastic cast (particularly great performances by Peter Dinklage [Tyrion Lannister], earning him the Emmy and the Golden Globe Award for Supporting Actor), stunning backdrops and a great script (obviously – great books) it wasn’t ever going to be any other way.

The publisher of A Game of Thrones in the UK is HarperCollins Voyager.

Although I did give my Grandad the first book to read the other day,
Me: “Read this Grandad, you might like it. It’s really good.”
80-year old Grandad: “Yeah? What’s it like?”
Me: “It’s like.. Lord of the Rings meets -”
80-year old Grandad: “-what’s Lord of the Rings?”
Me: Facepalm.

Seven hells. Apparently not everyone in the world has caught up.