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 ]
Penguin Random House Children’s has scooped Baby Love, Jacqueline Wilson's "moving" YA novel about teen pregnancy, family trouble and unlikely friendships. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-18 08:07:12 UTC ]
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The author of The Upstairs House on postpartum depression, hauntings, and the legacy of Margaret Wise Brown. Continue reading at Guernica
[ Guernica | 2021-11-18 03:45:32 UTC ]
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Fay Evans alleges a ‘striking similarity’ between the 2019 Excitable Edgar TV campaign and her 2017 book Fred the Fire-Sneezing DragonThe author of a self-published children’s book about a dragon that causes havoc with its fiery sneezes is suing John Lewis over its 2019 Christmas ad about a... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-11-16 14:46:45 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House (PRH) is re-recording all 40 audiobooks from Sir Terry Pratchett’s bestselling Discworld series, with an all-star cast of acting talent including Bill Nighy, Andy Serkis and Sian Clifford. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-16 06:33:33 UTC ]
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The illustrator Joana Avillez delves into the life story of one of her favorite children’s book authors, creator of Peter Rabbit. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-11-12 16:48:15 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House Children's is to launch a programme of commemorative publishing next year, in celebration of the 120th anniversary of Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-11 17:06:39 UTC ]
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Last month, Penguin Random House released their disability pay gap report along with statistics for sexual orientation and socio-economic background. Whilst the publication of the report was positive, with PRH being the first publishing house to include disability in their reporting, the pay gap... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-06 09:01:13 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House (PRH) is launching a new positive action traineeship to offer talented people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds the opportunity to develop the skills and expertise required for a role as a commissioning editor. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-06 01:30:04 UTC ]
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The Authors Guild likes what it sees in the federal antitrust suit aiming to block the $2 billion merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-11-05 22:15:11 UTC ]
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'Our children’s book business now accounts for more than half our annual sales,' says Sourcebooks' Kay Birkner as the company buys BES Publishing. The post In the United States: Sourcebooks Acquires BES Publishing appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-11-04 18:59:42 UTC ]
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Paul Bogaards, one of the industry's more outspoken personalities, who helped promote many of Knopf’s best known and most successful authors, will retire at the end of the year after 32 years at the Penguin Random House imprint. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The Biden administration’s rejection of the proposed $2.18 billion publishing merger reflects a changing atmosphere in Washington toward consolidation. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-11-02 21:41:37 UTC ]
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The Department of Justice sues to block the acquisition of Simon and Schuster from Penguin Random House. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-11-02 16:56:25 UTC ]
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Some tech analysts are a bit baffled by the move and, subsequently, the DOJ’s priorities. The Justice Department on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against publisher Penguin Random House that seeks to block its proposed merger with rival Simon & Schuster. It’s one of the Biden administration’s... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2021-11-02 14:35:22 UTC ]
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From new books by Jason Reynolds and Andrea Beaty to powerful books about Black history, November children's book releases have lots of gems! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-11-02 10:35:00 UTC ]
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The Good Literary Agency (TGLA) has promoted Gyamfia Osei to junior literary agent to build a commercial and upmarket fiction list alongside one for non-fiction authors. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-02 05:38:45 UTC ]
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The Department of Justice has sued to block Penguin Random House’s proposed acquisition of Simon & Schuster, arguing that it "would result in substantial harm to authors." Lawyers for PRH said that they expect the case to go to trial sometime in 2022. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The shortlists for the 2021 FutureBook Awards have been revealed, featuring the likes of BookBar, the Feminist Book Box, Bad Form Review and the Working Class Writers’ Festival as well as a strong showing for Penguin Random House across various categories. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-02 02:31:37 UTC ]
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Sylvia Plath was born 89 years ago today. A published writer from age at, she left behind a vast catalogue of poetry and prose, especially given her short life. One of her most charming works was a rhyming children’s book written in 1959 (before either of her children were born) and published in... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-10-27 17:44:35 UTC ]
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With sustainability and green practices now top of the agenda for many companies, here at the Children’s Book Project (CBP) we are asking you as publishers to take a Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-27 13:38:51 UTC ]
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