Simon Garfield

Three announcements made by three publishing businesses over the past week show how companies that have been at the coalface of traditional publishing for sometime are looking at remodelling themselves.

First up was Canongate, the independent publisher run by the charismatic and well-connected Jamie Byng, which announced that it was to spin-off its fledging events business Letters Live into a separate company, jointly owned by Canongate and Benedict Cumberbatch's production business SunnyMarch.

Publishers are creating exclusive products, including an original essay by Julian Barnes, for 2012 (30th June to 7th July). The new IBW Collectibles range of special products will be available only to independent booksellers for the length of IBW. A total of 270 bookshops have thus far registered for the event. Hodder is producing a special limited deluxe edition of Gold by Chris Cleave which will be signed and numbered by the author, and will feature a slipcase, head and tail bands, a ribbon marker and different end papers from the main edition. Random House has commissioned an essay