• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Ransom Center Magazine

  • Articles
  • Sections
    • Art
    • Books + Manuscripts
    • Conservation
    • Exhibitions + Events
    • Film
    • Literature
    • Photography
    • Research + Teaching
    • Theatre + Performing Arts
  • Print Edition

An interview with Nigel Newton, Founder of Bloomsbury Publishing

November 12, 2018 - Jared Neuharth

An interview with Nigel Newton, Founder of Bloomsbury Publishing

Nigel Newton is an American-born British publisher who was raised in San Francisco and moved to England to do his degree in English from Selwyn College, Cambridge. Newton is the founder and chief executive of Bloomsbury Publishing, one of the world’s leading independent publishing companies.

Bloomsbury Publishing has brought the works of Michael Ondaatje, J.K. Rowling, Khaled Hosseini, Margaret Atwood, and other authors to a global audience.

The Ransom Center hosts a lecture on Thursday, November 15, at 4:30 p.m. in which Newton speaks about highlights in the company’s 32-year history. The event is free and open to the public.

Ahead of Newton’s lecture, he answered questions about himself and Bloomsbury Publishing.

Jared Neuharth: Did you always know you wanted to go into business or did you have other career ideas?

Nigel Newton: I applied for several different types of job in my final year at university but knew that publishing was the one for me if I could get in.

What led you in the direction of the publishing industry?

Publishing seemed so exciting. My degree was in English and books were my first love.

The thought of meeting the authors who wrote them seemed too good to be true.

Did the success of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone change how you ran your company in any way?

Yes in a number of ways. Firstly, it led us to start Bloomsbury in America so that we could publish any future bestseller like Harry Potter in all English language markets. Secondly, we invested our cash surplus in the new area (to us) of academic and specialist publishing.

What compelled you to let your daughter read the Harry Potter manuscript?

Alice was a voracious reader and I gave her many books to read. She liked this one the most.

What are your opinions on ebooks?

Ebooks are great. They make books available 24/7 almost everywhere. But I mainly read typescripts direct from authors myself before they become ebooks or print books.

Filed Under: Exhibitions + Events, Featured1 Tagged With: Bloomsbury, literature, Publishing

About Jared Neuharth

Neuharth is an undergraduate intern working with public affairs for the 2018-2019 academic year.

Primary Sidebar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4_kazYMjNM

Recent Posts

  • Celebrate with us in 2023
  • Photographer Laura Wilson delves into the lives of writers with stunning portraits
  • A childhood gift inspires a lifelong passion for India and map-collecting
  • “Dog” by Lawrence Ferlinghetti
  • A Greek fragment is the first-known New Testament papyrus written on the front side of a scroll

Tags

acquisition Alice's Adventures in Wonderland archive archives Art Books Cataloging Conservation Council on Library and Information Resources David Foster Wallace David O. Selznick digitization exhibition Exhibitions Fellows Find Fellowships Film Frank Reaugh Frank Reaugh: Landscapes of Texas and the American West Gabriel Garcia Marquez Gabriel Garcia Marquez archive Gone with the Wind I have seen the Future: Norman Bel Geddes Designs America Lewis Carroll literature Magnum Photos Manuscripts Meet the Staff Nobel Prize Norman Bel Geddes Norman Mailer Performing Arts Photography poetry preservation Publishing Research Robert De Niro Shakespeare theater The King James Bible: Its History and Influence The Making of Gone With The Wind Undergraduate What is Research? World War I

Archives

Before Footer

Sign up for eNews

Our monthly newsletter highlights news, exhibitions, and programs.

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

About

Ransom Center Magazine is an online and print publication sharing stories and news about the Harry Ransom Center, its collections, and the creative community surrounding it.

Copyright © 2023 Harry Ransom Center

Web Accessibility · Web Privacy