JANUARY
George MacDonald Fraser, the author of the Flashman books, dies at 82.
The Australian newspaper claims Ishmael Beah's harrowing child soldier memoir, A Long Way Gone, contains many errors and factual inaccuracies. The book was one of the big non-fiction hits of 2007.
Elsewhere Down Under bookstores refuse to stock Andrew Morton's new Tom Cruise unauthorized biography because of legal fears. The Hollywood actor is not thrilled with the book’s scientology revelations. The book goes on to become AbeBooks’ No.1 bestseller in Australia in 2008.
Martin Amis, author of London Fields, joins the teaching ranks at Manchester University.
Edward D. Hoch, the American pulp fiction writer, dies at 77.
Miles Kington, a journalist on The Independent and writer, dies at 66.
The Wall Street Journal reveals the US publishing industry is “impatient” for another book from Dan Brown.
Oprah Winfrey picks Eckhart Tolle's book A New Earth as her latest book club selection. The self help book rockets to the top of the bestseller lists.
FEBRUARY
AbeBooks launches Gojaba.com – a no frills, low cost online marketplace for used, rare and out-of-print books initially serving Russia and Sweden.
Phyllis A. Whitney, the American mystery writer, dies at 104.
Author Zadie Smith accuses literary awards of being “about brand consolidation for beer companies, phone companies, coffee companies and even frozen food companies.” Her novel, White Teeth, picked up a Whitbread Book Award, while her third novel, On Beauty, was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and won the Orange Prize for Fiction...
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