Jamie Byng
Encyclopedia
James Edmund "Jamie" Byng (born 27 June 1969) works for the independent publishing firm Canongate Books
.
and grew up in Abbots Worthy
, Hampshire. He was educated at Winchester College
and Edinburgh University. While attending Edinburgh University he ran a funk, reggae and rare groove night club named Chocolate City (after the Parliament
classic) at The Venue with his first wife Whitney McVeigh.
chairman Sir Christopher Bland
) and then father-in-law (co-chairman of the multinational investment bank Salomon Smith Barney). His first move in overhauling the company’s image was to establish the ultra hip Payback and Rebel Inc imprints, dedicated to championing cult authors. The Pocket Canons (1998) published in partnership with Matthew Darby
was Byng's first runaway success: selected books from the Bible individually packaged with new introductions by the Dalai Lama amongst others. In the wake of the two-million selling, Booker-winning Life Of Pi
, Canongate won Publisher Of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2003, reportedly posting pre-tax profits of more than £1 million for that year.
Byng is the initiator and Chair of World Book Night, an event in which on 5 March 2011 (following World Book Day on 3 March) one million books - 40,000 copies of each of 25 carefully selected titles - were given away to members of the public in the UK and Ireland. It entailed 20,000 "givers" each distributing 48 copies of their chosen title to whomever they choose.
Canongate Books
Canongate Books is a Scottish independent publishing firm based in Edinburgh; it is named for The Canongate, an area of the city. It is most recognised for publishing the Booker Prizewinner Life of Pi...
.
Family and education
Byng is the second son of the 8th Earl of Stafford and Jennifer May, brother to the author Georgia ByngGeorgia Byng
Lady Georgia Mary Caroline Byng, , is a British author of children's books and a former actress. Her first writing was for a comic strip, and her first published book was The Sock Monsters. Byng's best known work is Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism and its sequels, about a girl who finds a...
and grew up in Abbots Worthy
Abbots Worthy
Abbots Worthy is a small village in the City of Winchester district of Hampshire, England.It lies on the A33 to the north of Winchester and is included within the civil parish of Kings Worthy. Politically it is part of the Winchester City Council administration.-External links:...
, Hampshire. He was educated at Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
and Edinburgh University. While attending Edinburgh University he ran a funk, reggae and rare groove night club named Chocolate City (after the Parliament
Parliament (band)
Parliament was a funk band most prominent during the 1970s. It and its sister act Funkadelic, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:...
classic) at The Venue with his first wife Whitney McVeigh.
Publishing career
After graduating, he convinced Scottish publisher Stephanie Wolfe Murray to give him a job at Canongate, then a respected but still somewhat marginalised Scottish company founded in 1973. When Canongate was on the verge of bankruptcy in 1994, Byng, then in his mid-20s, instigated a buyout, aided by his business partner Hugh Andrew, his stepfather (former BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
chairman Sir Christopher Bland
Christopher Bland
Sir Christopher Buchan Bland is a British businessman and politician. He was Chairman of the Board of Governors of the BBC from 1996 to 2001, when he took up a position as Chairman of British Telecommunications plc...
) and then father-in-law (co-chairman of the multinational investment bank Salomon Smith Barney). His first move in overhauling the company’s image was to establish the ultra hip Payback and Rebel Inc imprints, dedicated to championing cult authors. The Pocket Canons (1998) published in partnership with Matthew Darby
Matthew Darby
Matthew George Darby, is a British publisher, conservationist and landscape designer. He was educated at the University of Edinburgh. He is the son of Adrian Darby and Lady Meriel Darby, daughter of former British Prime Minister, Sir Alec Douglas-Home...
was Byng's first runaway success: selected books from the Bible individually packaged with new introductions by the Dalai Lama amongst others. In the wake of the two-million selling, Booker-winning Life Of Pi
Life of Pi
Life of Pi is a fantasy adventure novel by Yann Martel published in 2001. The protagonist, Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, an Indian boy from Pondicherry, explores issues of spirituality and practicality from an early age...
, Canongate won Publisher Of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2003, reportedly posting pre-tax profits of more than £1 million for that year.
Byng is the initiator and Chair of World Book Night, an event in which on 5 March 2011 (following World Book Day on 3 March) one million books - 40,000 copies of each of 25 carefully selected titles - were given away to members of the public in the UK and Ireland. It entailed 20,000 "givers" each distributing 48 copies of their chosen title to whomever they choose.
External links
- The Peerage: The Honorable James Edmund Byng
- Interview by Peter Murray
- Time Magazine interview: "The Big Byng Theory" by Lauren Goldstein, 27 October 2002
- The Guardian, "Posh and books" by Libby Brookes, 1 November 2002
- The Scotsman, "Canongate...I liked it so much I bought the company" by Stephen Jardine, 23 September 2003
- The Times, "Loose Canon of literary publishing" by Andrew Billen, 10 January 2005
- The Scotsman, "The mane man" by Catherine Deveney, 23 October 2005
- The Telegraph, "Barack Obama's publisher: Wild child Jamie Byng" by Rowena Mason, 13 January 2009
- Vulpes Libris, "Interview with Canongate – Publisher of the Year" by Lisa Glass, 9 June 2009
- "Interview: Jamie Byng, publisher" by Chitra Ramaswamy, 6 March 2011