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{{Short description|Scottish independent publishing firm}}{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}{{Use British English|date=June 2011}}

factoids

}}Canongate Books (trading as Canongate) is an independent publishing firm based in Edinburgh, Scotland.WEB,find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC152259, CANONGATE BOOKS LIMITED - Overview (Free company information from Companies House), It is named after the Canongate area of the city. It is most recognised for publishing the Booker Prizewinner Life of Pi. Canongate was named the British Book Awards Publisher of the Year in 2003 and 2009www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/books/canongate-i-liked-it-so-much-i-bought-the-company-1-893485 {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}NEWS,www.theguardian.com/books/2009/jun/02/obama-canongate-publisher-year, Obama helps Canongate become publisher of the year, Alison, Flood, The Guardian, 2 June 2009,

Origins

Canongate was founded in 1973 by Stephanie Wolfe Murray and her husband Angus Wolfe Murray.Byatt, Lucinda (May 2006), “Jamie Byng and Canongate�, Solander magazine, Historical Novel Society, UK, Vol. 19. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120411112901textline.wordpress.com/solander/reviewsinterviews-jamie-byng-and-canongate/ |date=11 April 2012 }}. Originally a speciality press focusing on Scottish-interest books, generally with small print runs, its most major author was Alasdair Gray. In 1994 it was purchased from the receiver in a management buyout led by Jamie Byng, using funds provided by his stepfather Christopher Bland and his father-in-law Charlie McVeigh, and began to publish more general works, including the Pocket Canons editions of books of the Bible, as well as the Payback Press and Rebel Inc. imprints.NEWS, Catherine, Deveney,news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=873&id=2119532005, Canongate Books - The mane man, The Scotsman, 24 October 2005, Sharp, Iain (9 July 2006), “Bada Byng, bada boom�, stuff.co.nz. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060821184946www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3726352a4501,00.html |date=21 August 2006 }}. Byng is CEO of the company.In June 2010 it was announced that a “living archive� of Canongate Books was to be established at the University of Dundee in collaboration with the University’s Archive Services, which will be used for teaching and research.WEB, University and Canongate link to form ‘Living Archive’,www.dundee.ac.uk/pressreleases/2010/prjune10/livingarchive.htm, University of Dundee, 7 October 2011, WEB, Canongate Books,www.archives-records-artefacts.blogspot.com/2010/06/canongate-books.html, Archives records and Artefacts at the University of Dundee, 25 January 2016, 2010-06-24,

Partners and joint ventures

Canongate once had a sister company in Australia, Text Publishing; Canongate’s majority interest was sold in 2011.NEWS, Jason, Steger,www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/06/25/1088144973558.html?from=storyrhs, Text Publishing starts next chapter, The Age, 26 June 2004, It also has joint venture operations with the children’s publisher Walker who will publish selected titles for their young adult fiction list.Neilan, Catherine (15 December 2009), “Canongate and Walker create joint young adult imprint�, The Bookseller. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100123072606www.thebookseller.com/news/106729-canongate-and-walker-create-joint-young-adult-imprint.html |date=23 January 2010 }}. Grove/Atlantic, Inc. publishes under the Canongate U.S. imprint, also under a joint venture arrangement.NEWS, Paul, Rogerson,www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/modest-helping-of-pi-brings-slimmer-profits-at-canongate-1.38458, Modest helping of Pi brings slimmer profits at Canongate, The Herald, 3 November 2005, In March 2010, Canongate and Dirtee Stank announced a joint venture agreement to publish Dizzee Rascal’s memoir, although this agreement later fell through.NEWS, Phil, Miller,www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/rascal-teams-up-with-scottish-publisher-1.1011492, Rascal teams up with Scottish publisher, The Herald, 5 March 2010, Canongate is part of the Independent Alliance, a global alliance of 10 UK publishers and their international publishing partners.Independent Alliance. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100413170826www.faber.co.uk/about/independent-alliance/ |date=13 April 2010 }} In 2009, the Alliance was the UK’s fifth largest publisher.Neilan, Catherine (24 January 2010), “Indie Alliance becomes ‘fifth biggest publisher{{’“}}, The Bookseller. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100402154542www.thebookseller.com/news/110358-indie-alliance-becomes-fifth-biggest-publisher.html |date=2 April 2010 }}.Enhanced Editions and Canongate also work in partnership in the production of selected books enhanced for the iPhone and iPod Touch.WEB,www.enhanced-editions.com/, Enhances-editions.com., 16 April 2010,www.enhanced-editions.com/," title="web.archive.org/web/20100407043318www.enhanced-editions.com/,">web.archive.org/web/20100407043318www.enhanced-editions.com/, 7 April 2010, dead, The titles that have been released are: Dreams From My Father, The Audacity of Hope, The Death of Bunny Munro and The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ.

Notable authors and works

Before 1994

Alasdair Gray

• (Lanark: A Life in Four Books) (1981)
• A Life in Pictures (2010)

Charles Palliser

• The Quincunx (1989)

Later

Julian Assange

• Julian Assange – the Unauthorised Autobiography (2011). Assange’s autobiography was published without his consent, and Canongate and Assange gave differing accounts of the events surrounding publication.NEWS, Assange, Julian, Julian Assange: Statement on the Unauthorised, Secret Publishing of the Julian Assange “autobiographyâ€� by Canongate, Wikileaks, 22 September 2011,wikileaks.org/Julian-Assange-Statement-on-the.html, 22 September 2011, WEB, Davies, Nick, Nick Davies, Why we are publishing Julian Assange’s (unauthorised) autobiography, The Guardian, 22 September 2011,www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/sep/22/julian-assange-unauthorised-autobiography-wikileaks-canongate?commentpage=lastend-of-comments, 22 September 2011,

The Mighty Boosh

• The Mighty Book of Boosh (2008) and The Pocket Book of Boosh (2009), a coffee-table style hardback and “pocketâ€� edition of a tie-in to the TV series.

Noel Fielding (with Mighty Boosh member Dave Brown)

• The Scribblings of a Madcap Shambleton (2011).

Nick Cave

• The Death of Bunny Munro (2009), the second novel by musician Nick Cave,Neilan, Catherine (12 September 2008), “Canongate buys Nick Cave novelâ€�, The Bookseller. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090608084401www.thebookseller.com/news/66944-canongate-buys-nick-cave-novel.html |date=8 June 2009 }}. was announced in 2008. It was published in hardback, audiobook, ebook and iPhone application formats in September 2009.

David Eagleman

• (2009), made famous by a Tweet from Stephen Fry“Stephen Fry’s Twitter posts on David Eagleman novel sparks 6000% sales spikeâ€�, The Telegraph, 11 September 2009. and the subject of a live show by Brian Eno.

Michel Faber

• The Crimson Petal and the White (2002), a historical novel set in Victorian England. Faber followed this with a collection of stories, The Apple (2006).

Matt Haig

• The Radleys (2010)

Steven Hall

• The Raw Shark Texts (2007)

Miranda July

• No One Belongs Here More Than You (2007)

Ismail Kadare

• The Ghost Rider
• The Siege (2008)

Yann Martel

• Life of Pi (2001, Canongate edition 2002), the first Scottish-published book to win the Booker Prize or to sell a million copies in its first year.McDougall, Liam (10 August 2003), “Life Of Pi hits one million sales as Spielberg eyes movie chanceâ€�, Sunday Herald. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050215032139www.sundayherald.com/print35926 |date=15 February 2005 }}. An illustrated hardback edition was published in 2007.
• Beatrice and Virgil (2010), an allegory of the Holocaust using a donkey named Beatrice and a howler monkey named Virgil.“Pi author plans Holocaust novelâ€�, BBC, 31 October 2009.

James Meek (author)

• The People’s Act of Love (2005), winner of the Scottish Arts Council Book of the Year and the Ondaatje Prize.

Barack Obama

• Dreams From My Father (1995, Canongate edition 2007)
• The Audacity of Hope (2006, Canongate edition 2007) was acquired after a series of emails between Byng and then-Senator Obama and his team.“Canongate pulls off Obama coupâ€�, The Scotsman, 11 March 2007.
• Change We Can Believe In (2008, Canongate edition 2009)

Dizzee Rascal

• The Dizzee Rascal Story (2010)Allen, Katie (5 March 2010), “Dizzee Rascal memoir to Canongateâ€�. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100419163126www.thebookseller.com/news/114291-dizzee-rascal-memoir-to-canongate.html |date=19 April 2010 }} The Bookseller.

David Shrigley

• What The Hell Are You Doing? (2010)“Interview: David Shrigley, artistâ€�, The Scotsman, 11 April 2010.

David Simon

• (Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets) (1991, Canongate edition 2008)
• (The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood) (1997, Canongate edition 2009)

Martin C. Strong“Music Reference Books by Martin C. Strong�, FolkLib Index.

• The Great Rock Discography, 1st ed. (1994)
• The Great Rock Discography, 2nd ed. (1995)
• The Great Rock Discography, 3rd ed. (1996)
• The Great Rock Discography, 4th ed. (1998)
• The Great Rock Discography, 5th ed. (2000)
• The Great Rock Discography, 6th ed. (2002)
• The Great Rock Discography, 7th ed. (2004)
• The Great Metal Discography, 1st ed. (1998)
• The Great Metal Discography, 2nd ed. (2002)
• The Wee Rock Discography (1996)
• The Great Alternative & Indie Discography (1999)
• The Great Indie Discography, 2nd ed. (2003)
• The Essential Rock Discography (2006)
• Lights, Camera, Soundtracks (2008)

Scarlett Thomas

• The End of Mr. Y (2007)
• PopCo (2004, Canongate edition 2009)
• Our Tragic Universe (2010)

Simon Tofield

• Simon’s Cat (2009), the award-winningBritish Animation Awards 2008. animation was published in book format in October 2009.Neilan, Catherine (13 January 2009), “Canongate buys Simon’s Catâ€�, The Bookseller. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090608085031www.thebookseller.com/news/74377-page.html |date=8 June 2009 }}.

Canongate Myth Series

In which contemporary authors re-imagine ancient myths from a variety of cultures

• Karen Armstrong, A Short History of Myth (2005)
• Margaret Atwood, The Penelopiad (2005)
• Jeanette Winterson, Weight (2005)
• Michel Faber, ‘’The Fire Gospel (2008)
• David Grossman, Lion’s Honey (2006)
• Alexander McCall Smith, Dream Angus (2006)
• Victor Pelevin, The Helmet of Horror (2006)
• Ali Smith, Girl Meets Boy (2007)
• Su Tong, Binu and the Great Wall (2007)
• Salley Vickers, Where Three Roads Meet (2007)
• Dubravka Ugresic, Baba Yaga Laid an Egg (2009)
• Klas Ostergren, The Hurricane Party (2009)
• Milton Hatoum, The Orphans of Eldorado (2010)
• Philip Pullman, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ (2010)

Prizes

• 2007: No One Belongs Here More Than You by Miranda July won the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award.NEWS, Richard, Lea,www.theguardian.com/books/2007/sep/24/film.news, Award-winning film-maker scoops short story prize, The Guardian, 24 September 2007,
• 2008: The Boat by Nam Le won the Dylan Thomas Prize.“Former Vietnamese refugee claims Dylan Thomas Prizeâ€�, CBC, 11 November 2008.
• 2009: Geoff Dyer’s Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi won the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize.NEWS, Alison, Flood,www.theguardian.com/books/2009/may/29/geoff-dyer-wodehouse-prize-comic-fiction, Geoff Dyer wins Wodehouse prize for comic fiction, The Guardian, 29 May 2009,
• 2009: Nam Le’s The Boat won the Australian Prime Minister’s Literary Awards.NEWS, Alison, Flood,www.theguardian.com/books/2009/nov/03/vietnamese-australian-prime-minister-fiction, Vietnamese refugee wins Australian prime minister’s award for fiction, The Guardian, 3 November 2009,
• 2015: Beatlebone by Kevin Barry won the Goldsmiths Prize.MAGAZINE, Tom, Gatti,www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/2015/11/kevin-barry-wins-goldsmiths-prize-2015-his-novel-beatlebone, Kevin Barry wins the Goldsmiths Prize 2015 for his novel Beatlebone, New Statesman, 11 November 2015,
• 2016: Solar Bones by Mike McCormack won the Goldsmiths Prize.NEWS, Claire, Armitstead, Claire Armitstead,www.theguardian.com/books/2016/nov/09/single-sentence-novel-mike-mccormack-solar-bones-wins-goldsmiths-prize-books, Single sentence novel wins Goldsmiths prize for books that ‘break the mould’, The Guardian, 9 November 2016,
• 2016: The Outrun by Amy Liptrot won the Wainwright Prize.NEWS, Sian, Cain,www.theguardian.com/books/2016/aug/05/wainwright-prize-goes-to-amy-liptrots-searingly-honest-the-outrun, Wainwright prize goes to Amy Liptrot’s ‘searingly honest’ The Outrun, The Guardian, 5 August 2016,

See also

• Canongate Myth Series
• List of largest UK book publishers
• Publishing Scotland
• Ian Burgham

References

{{Reflist|30em}}

External links

• {{Official website}}

{{University of Dundee|state=collapsed}}