Are millennials really driving ‘cancel culture’ - or is it their overcautious critics?

Older generations argue that young people’s insistence on equality in all things – including books – threatens to stifle free speech. But is that always true?I wouldn’t normally air my dirty literary linen in public, but here goes. When I finished writing my novel Putney, about a 13-year-old girl who has a “love affair” in the 1970s with an older man and realises decades later that it was actually abuse, my previous editor at Jonathan Cape chose not to publish it. The reasons emerged this year when he was interviewed in the Spectator. “If Lolita was offered to me today,” Dan Franklin said, “I’d never be able to get it past the acquisition team – a committee of 30-year-olds, who’d say: ‘If you publish this book we will all resign.’” He pointed to #MeToo and social media as fundamental factors: “You can organise outrage at the drop of a hat.”Fortunately, Bloomsbury’s acquisition team – overwhelmingly female and mixed aged – were brave enough to take on Putney, which was described in the Observer as “a Lolita for the era of #MeToo”. Whether there was any truth in his words or not, Franklin’s position reveals how much fear now exists in publishing. Related: Putney by Sofka Zinovieff review – a Lolita for the age of #MeToo ‘It’s only about not being an arsehole,’ my daughter said. ‘That’s not so difficult’ Related: Nabokov's Lolita: the latest thing millennials have apparently ruined Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2019-07-10 10:03:01 UTC ]
News tagged with: #including books #finished writing #love affair #older man ##metoo #jonathan cape

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Clinton Cash: controversial book promises fresh criticism for Hillary Clinton

Exposé published by Murdoch-owned HarperCollins claims State Department gave favourable treatment to those who donated to her family foundationA mudslinging, Murdoch-approved bestseller-in-the-making is ready to provide conservatives with their most potent fodder yet to cast the Clinton family... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Entrekin's new literary culture website

New York-based independent publisher Grove Atlantic and non-profit site Electric Literature have launched a new website celebrating literary culture, with support across other literary publishers.    Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Male writers continue to dominate literary criticism, Vida study finds

Women buy two-thirds of books sold but magazine reviews are centred on male authors and critics – though picture is beginning to changeThe continuing bias towards men in the British and American literary establishment has been confirmed by a study released on Tuesday.Vida, a US organisation... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-04-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How Marketers Can Reach Mobile-Obsessed Multicultural Millennials

"We try to heavy up in mobile because we know the consumption is there," said Vilma Vale-Brennan, managing partner-multicultural lead at media agency MEC North America.Once consumers move to a mobile device, however, they're harder to reach with targeted ads. Tracking systems -- referred to... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New Trends in Book Marketing: Mobile, Millennials and More

For Sara Lloyd of Pan Macmillan, book marketing in 2015 is all about mobile, millennials, and the interplay of real and virtual worlds. — a topic she'll address at the LBF's Digital Minds conference next Monday. The post New Trends in Book Marketing: Mobile, Millennials and More appeared first... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google Rolls Out New Tools to Drive Mobile App Installs

App-install ads continue to be a lucrative business for Facebook and Twitter, and now Google wants a bigger piece of the market. Today Google is rolling out two new tools aimed at making it easier for marketers to plug mobile apps. The first change is that advertisers can extend AdMob... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2015-03-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Censorship criticism at IPA Congress

Criticism of the Thai government's crackdown using the lese majesté law forbidding insults against the monarchy was voiced at the International Publishers Congress in Bangkok today (25th March). Article 112 of the Thai penal code carries a maximum of seven years imprisonment for anyone... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Inaugural Folio Prize lecture cancelled

The inaugural Folio Prize lecture by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie had to be cancelled after the author fell ill. The lecture was due to take place at The British Library on Friday (20th March) as part of the Folio Prize Fiction Festival weekend of events. But Ngozi was unable to travel to London... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Millennial News Site Mic Premieres First Video Series in 2015 Push

Opening up a video division has become new-media companies' way of announcing their arrival. In the past couple of years, BuzzFeed and Vox Media have seriously stepped up their video games, launching in-house production studios with names like BuzzFeed Motion Pictures and Vox Entertainment.Now... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Does the critical reaction to The Jinx make you uncomfortable? | Erin McCann

Spare me your hipster hand-wringing: the only thing new about ‘true crime’ stories is that the people who normally feel themselves above it are now tuning inEveryone wants to think that they are above the baser things in life – special snowflakes who consume the products of Sunday-night HBO and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Birdman' Drives Interest in Raymond Carver Collection

Sales of Carver's 'What We Talk About When We Talk About Love,' are up 121% after being featured in the Oscar-winning film. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Gruffalo books critical to path of teen mum

As a new teenage mum, Victoria Scheule would read her son The Gruffalo. Now a teacher and mother of 7-year-old Carter, she represented her old school for teenage mothers yesterday at an event starring the book's author. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2015-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Counter Culture Christians: PW Talks with David Platt

Bestselling author David Platt's new book challenges Christians to stand up for their beliefs, no matter the cost. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Postmedia Drives Advertising Revenue with Video Partnership

Video consumption continues to accelerate, and traditional publishers need to keep an eye on this ever-continuing burgeoning market.  Video ad revenue is expected to jump again by 26.1% in 2015 after an approximate expenditure of C$145 million ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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NE Bookstores Close, Cancel Events Thanks to Blizzard

Even before the snow picked up on Monday, bookstores began to feel the effects. Many canceled events and will be closed today. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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RLF podcast to highlight writers’ cultural capital

A new blog and podcast launched this week by the Royal Literary Fund (RLF) aims to help the public acknowledge the contribution writers make to the cultural landscape, assist aspiring writers and provide professional authors with an extra income. The charity, which helps commercially published... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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American Book Critics Pick Finalist for NBCC Awards

The National Book Critics Circle has selected its finalist for this year's annual book prizes, as well as awards for lifetime achievement and reviewing. The post American Book Critics Pick Finalist for NBCC Awards appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-01-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors speak out against ethnic and cultural stereotyping

Writers believe that the publishing industry still views them largely through a prism of ethnicity, but industry insiders say that there is no pigeonholing based on race. Authors told The Bookseller they are still defined by their racial identity for marketing purposes and receive more success... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Print Drives October Sales Gains

Led by strong gains in print formats, sales of adult trade books rose 10.9% in October over October 2013, while sales of children/young adult sales increased 16.5%, according to figures released in AAP’s monthly StatShot program. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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