For decades, I sat in meetings with all-white teams. The industry needs an independent body to advise on equalityI’m a literary agent and at the height of last year’s Black Lives Matter protests I was sent a list, with accompanying photographs, of the top editors working across the major publishing houses in the UK. When I read it I burst into tears. It showed a sea of almost totally white faces, some of whom had been approaching retirement when I started out as an editorial assistant 20 years earlier. The stagnation in the industry was stark and filled me with despair.Analysis of the industry since then, partly led by pressure from BLM and an open letter from the Black Writers Guild, has only further highlighted this imbalance. Two of the biggest global publishers, Penguin Random House and Hachette, revealed that just 2.7% of their staff – in both cases – are black; and the Guardian reported that you are eight times more likely to see an animal as lead character in a children’s book than a person of colour.Natalie Jerome is a literary agent, deputy chair of Literature Wales, and a former publisher Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2022-01-01 10:00:46 UTC ]
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For decades, I sat in meetings with all-white teams. The industry needs an independent body to advise on equalityI’m a literary agent and at the height of last year’s Black Lives Matter protests I was sent a list, with accompanying photographs, of the top editors working across the major... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-01-01 10:00:46 UTC ]
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Malorie Blackman laments the lack of BAME children’s characters. I know – it’s a real battle to get writers of colour publishedMy daughter, like me, is of mixed heritage. She has wildly curly hair, as have I. When she was born four years ago I was given five copies of the same kids’ picture book... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-08-17 07:00:41 UTC ]
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Increasing number of black authors forced to self-publish or promote work on social media, says Selina BrownThe founder of a book festival celebrating black authors has said they are “forced” to pave their own way into the publishing world because of a lack of diversity within the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-10-02 16:06:33 UTC ]
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People from BME backgrounds working within the children’s literature sector have been frustrated by racism and microaggressions, unconscious bias, and inequality of access, according to a new report by Arts Council England. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-04 20:27:05 UTC ]
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Nikesh Shukla calls industry’s backtracking ‘a perfect loop-de-loop of blame’ as he is joined by Jon McGregor in a groundswell of readers and authors demanding more diverse representationMan Booker winner Marlon James: ‘Writers of colour pander to the white woman’Authors Nikesh Shukla and Jon... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reid's blogs, 'Query Shark' and 'Miss Snark,' were widely read destinations for frank commentary on the publishing industry and the querying process. After a more than 20-year career as an agent, she died after a brief illness on April 14. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Are publishers acquiring fewer LGBTQ+ and diverse books in the wake of rising censorship? This week's book censorship news. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-03-24 10:40:00 UTC ]
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During a panel, "Do Publisher’s Have a Moral Obligation to Diversify American Literature?", authors Min Jin Lee, Chris Beha, Roxane Gay and publishing veteran Erroll McDonald weighed in on a central issue in the book business. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-16 05:00:00 UTC ]
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As the UK publishing industry prepares for its annual encounter with many colleagues from other markets, a look at UK book business diversity. The post Heading to London Book Fair: Diversity in UK Publishing appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-04-01 19:24:36 UTC ]
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Natasha Carthew, the artistic director of The Festival for Working Class Writers, is planning a UK tour in 2022 to address diversity and inclusion issues in the industry. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-25 12:09:19 UTC ]
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Months after the departure of director Joshua Wolf Shenk, UNLV's institute announced on Tuesday it will stop producing the Believer next spring. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-10-19 18:31:13 UTC ]
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Bonnier Books UK has acquired independent Scottish publisher Black & White Publishing as part of its long-term strategy for growth. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-07-27 19:25:22 UTC ]
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The fourth annual diversity survey of British publishing shows progress in women's leadership, slower movement in BAME employment. The post The UK’s Publishers Association Releases Its New Diversity Report appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-02-12 14:37:25 UTC ]
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The planned merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster may be global but it's bad for books both foreign and domestic. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-12-04 19:25:12 UTC ]
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At the Frankfurt Book Fair conference, writer Bernardine Evaristo delivered a forceful keynote on the systemic bias against people of color in the UK publishing industry The post Bernardine Evaristo to UK Publishing: Hire More Diverse People appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-10-14 18:02:09 UTC ]
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While recent efforts are encouraging, publishing needs to establish permanent methods to give people of color more opportunities. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-08-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Limited promotion and marketing budgets reinforce false ideas about how well diverse books and writers will sell. This leads to a negative cycle for black, Asian and minority ethnic writers. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2020-07-15 09:57:53 UTC ]
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More than 100 authors join new body calling for the industry to address deep-seated inequalities in output and personnelMore than 100 writers including Booker winner Bernardine Evaristo, Benjamin Zephaniah and Malorie Blackman have called on all major publishing houses in the UK to introduce... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-06-15 17:08:57 UTC ]
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The protest movement sweeping the world since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis has forced an international soul searching to understand the pervasive racial inequalities that haunt most sectors of our society. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-15 17:05:27 UTC ]
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Dapo Adeola will be speaking to Ken Wilson-Max on Instagram Live this week about their experiences as two of just four black British illustrators currently being published in children's books. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-15 09:32:54 UTC ]
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