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 ]
The merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster has the potential to touch every part of the industry, including how much authors get paid and how bookstores are run. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-02-25 10:00:22 UTC ]
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I don’t know what’s wrong with me or what year I think it is, but it’s just now come to my attention that Ryan Gosling has a big ol’ tattoo on his arm commemorating the most disturbing and perverse children’s book of all time. That’s right, I am talking about The Giving Tree. (Okay, Love […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-02-22 17:49:35 UTC ]
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Some welcome news for those of you with little ones running and/or crawling around your ankles right now: Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o’s bestselling 2019 children’s book Sulwe is getting a small screen musical adaptation. Netflix announced earlier today that Sulwe will join a roster of upcoming... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-02-18 18:28:11 UTC ]
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Literary pivot alert! Yesterday, Entertainment Weekly announced we’re getting a new novel from A Gentleman in Moscow and Rules of Civility author Amor Towles, out from Penguin Random House on October 5. Towles told EW that he “likes to mix it up,” and he has; while his previous novels centered... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-02-18 17:03:11 UTC ]
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Some good news: today, Publishers Weekly reported that We Need Diverse Books is partnering with Penguin Random House on a series of programs to get more books by Black writers published. The Black Creatives Fund initiative involves a “Revisions Workshop”; a mentoring program; and marketing... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-02-17 18:23:38 UTC ]
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Operating under the Black Creatives Fund banner, We Need Diverse Books is partnering with Penguin Random House on a series of programs designed to get more books by Black writers published. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-02-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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This month's cancellation of Leipziger Buchmesse points to the shifting outlook for major publishing events, professional and public-facing. The post International Book Fairs: Leipzig’s Cancellation Spotlights the Calendar appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-02-16 17:02:19 UTC ]
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Jonathan Karp, who took the helm at Simon & Schuster after the loss of its formidable former c.e.o. Carolyn Reidy, reveals how he intends to navigate the pandemic, a Penguin Random House takeover, and US politics Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-11 15:06:22 UTC ]
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Bluebird has released Nikesh Shukla's debut memoir Brown Baby with a campaign featuring innovative Facebook adverts which are said to be a first for UK publishing. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-08 03:25:47 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House UK is to publish four books from Amanda Gorman, the youngest presidential inaugural poet in US history, including a special edition of “The Hill We Climb” which she read at Joe Biden's inauguration. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-08 03:19:06 UTC ]
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Carol Blue-Hitchens and her late husband’s literary agent are discouraging friends from participating in a book tentatively titled “Pamphleteer: The Life and Times of Christopher Hitchens.” Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-02-04 10:00:17 UTC ]
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Many of us have fond memories of Harold and the Purple Crayon—Crockett Johnson’s beloved children’s book about a four-year-old boy exploring the contours of his imagination through drawing. Yesterday afternoon, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Zachary Levi will be starring in Sony... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-02-02 17:11:35 UTC ]
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Yesterday—after a decade of democratic transition, five years of elected government, and several days of threats, apparent walkbacks, and rumors—Myanmar’s military executed a coup and returned to power. Myawaddy TV, a station owned by the military, announced that Min Aung Hlaing—the army’s... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review
[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2021-02-02 13:37:45 UTC ]
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Several organizations sent a letter to the Department of Justice on Friday urging it to stop Penguin Random House from purchasing Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-01-29 22:12:00 UTC ]
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As a struggling literary agent in London, he took a chance on J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter, turning her books into the most lucrative literary franchise in history. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-01-27 22:39:44 UTC ]
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The children’s book has influence out of proportion with its 24 pages and its cardboard cover devoid of medallions. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-01-27 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Children’s book podcast and radio show "Down the Rabbit Hole" is starting 2021 with a new presenting and production team, including author Sam Sedgman, Scholastic's Hannah Love, Little Tiger's Charlie Morris and The Bookseller's Caroline Carpenter. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-26 02:08:20 UTC ]
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It’s rare to see Raven Leilani’s Luster next to Doctor De Soto, William Steig’s children’s book about a mouse that performs dental surgery—but this is par for the course at Oh Hello Again, Seattle’s newest bookshop. Oh Hello Again, rather than shelving books by genre and author, categorizes... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-22 16:19:24 UTC ]
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The late Umberto Eco—professor, novelist, children’s book author—was a man of many talents. One of which, as seen in a video clip posted on Twitter by writer Ted Gioia, was quickly finding books in his famously massive personal library. I once got to meet Umberto Eco—who was very memorable. But... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-21 20:36:32 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House owner Bertelsmann has extended Thomas Rabe’s contract as chairman and c.e.o. for another five years. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-21 01:01:48 UTC ]
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