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 ]
My mother, Janet Freer, who has died aged 89, was a literary agent for science-fiction writers in the 1960s and 70s. She helped launch the careers of several young SF writers.Janet began work as a commercial artist before starting her publishing career in London around 1962. She spent several... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-10-11 15:38:47 UTC ]
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Natalie Portman knows a thing or two about fairy tales. Portman’s turn as a dancer whose life goes awry in Black Swan (2010) was, famously, a brooding take on Pyotr Tchaikovksy’s most famous ballet. Swan Lake itself was likely inspired by Russian and German folktales like Johann Karl August... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-09-23 16:54:30 UTC ]
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UK staffers at Penguin Random House have already been told they should again work from home if they can, following the step-change in government guidance as coronavirus infection rates rise. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-23 00:00:21 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House launches The Conversation, a hub of content collections 'to combat racism and end racial inequities'—meant for families, educators, and businesses. The post PRH Opens ‘The Conversation’ To ‘Sustain Antiracist Engagement’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-09-22 19:17:06 UTC ]
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An internal report on workforce demographics at Penguin Random House shows that 78% of PRH non-warehouse employees are white. In addressing the report, PRH U.S. CEO Madeline McIntosh said the company is determined to make its workforce "reflect the demographics of American society.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-09-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Three representatives from major publishing companies discussed the logistics of sponsoring virtual author events and best practices with Midwest booksellers on a September 8 panel that is part of the Heartland Fall Forum program. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-09-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The children’s book writer never caught on in America, partly because of his Communist Party ties, but the English-language release of his masterpiece could change that. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-09-05 09:00:16 UTC ]
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Big Picture Press, an imprint of Bonnier Books UK, has acquired a non-fiction children’s book from Channel 4 News weather presenter and meteorologist Liam Dutton. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-04 23:38:38 UTC ]
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Still planning to mount a first children's book fair in Moscow next year, BolognaFiere is 'in' Moscow this week but primarily digitally. The post Bologna Children’s Book Fair Is on the Ether With Moscow appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-09-03 18:24:47 UTC ]
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Global revenues at Penguin Random House fell slightly by 1.4% year on year in a "solid" six months to 30th June despite the impact of Covid-19, while parent company Bertelsmann saw group revenues tumble 8.9%. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-01 10:51:49 UTC ]
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PRH Grupo Editorial gets translation rights to English-language titles from Wattpad Book, a world Spanish exclusive. The post Spain’s Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial and Canada’s Wattpad Strike Rights Deal appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-08-28 01:10:03 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House Children's UK has acquired two new books from Instagram parenting star Daisy Upton, known to her 180,000 followers as "Five Minute Mum". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-26 05:40:56 UTC ]
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A groundbreaking children’s book based on an equally groundbreaking sports hero comes out today: Fauja Singh Keeps Going by Simran Jeet Singh, featuring the story of the first centenarian marathon runner, is also the first children’s book from a major publisher that features a Sikh main... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-08-25 16:06:55 UTC ]
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Bolinda has scooped a “laugh out loud” romantic comedy by debut author Aly Mennuti, featuring a literary agent based partly on the author's own, Simon Trewin. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-25 02:20:12 UTC ]
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Little Island Books will publish the debut children’s book of Booker-longlisted novelist Sam Thompson in 2021. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-24 12:43:48 UTC ]
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In “I Promise,” LeBron James and the illustrator Nina Mata give hope to kids when they need it most. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-08-20 09:00:01 UTC ]
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Remember 2018, when things were definitely really bad but we could still touch people who didn’t live with us? It was a simpler (but—make no mistake—still terrible) time, when the House was flipped, everyone was in their feelings, and the city of New York was captivated by a very attractive... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-08-13 14:41:38 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House UK's major office move has now taken place, with Transworld leaving its site in Ealing while other divisions have departed the offices formerly held on the Strand. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-12 01:42:47 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House Children’s has won a 15-way auction to publish a "genre-defying, time-travelling" YA thriller, The Upper World by Femi Fadugba. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-11 13:52:13 UTC ]
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