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 ]
Best-selling author Michael Morpurgo meets the boy who inspired the name of the lead character in his new book. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2015-10-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The feted US literary agent on addiction, attempted suicide, and having his first novel longlisted for the Booker prizeBill Clegg is a leading New York literary agent and the author of the bestselling memoirs Portrait of an Addict As a Young Man and Ninety Days, which describe respectively his... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Robin Stevens’ children’s detective series Murder Most Unladylike has been optioned for television and film by independent production company Pilot Media. Pilot Media optioned the rights from Emily Hayward Whitlock, head of book to film at The Artists’ Partnership, who was acting on behalf of... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-08-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nick Poole, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals (CILIP), has written an open letter to Birmingham City Council, urging it to keep its libraries open and professionally staffed. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-08-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author and library campaigner Alan Gibbons has issued an open letter to culture minister Ed Vaizey, renewing his call for the politician to engage in a full public debate on the future of the public library service as the “situation is critical”. Gibbons first issued a challenge to Vaizey... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The book industry remains largely white and middle class, while efforts are being made to boost socio-economic and ethnic diversity in publishing. The post Diversity in UK Publishing Still a Challenge appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-07-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As a literary agent, Frankfurt has been a launch pad for some of the most powerful women’s voices from around the world. This year will be no different. The post How Can Women Change the World? Book by Book appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Julie Crisp has signed up her first author as a literary agent following her departure from Pan Macmillan. Crisp will represent Sam Hawke, an Australian fantasy writer from Canberra, who has written a novel called Proof, described as “intelligent fantasy concentrating on issues of race, gender... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV & Film Agency is expanding with the addition of two new agents this summer. Thérèse Coen will join the business as a rights agent in July, with Sarah O'Halloran joining as a literary agent in August. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Patrick McGuiness has won the main English-language prize at Wales Book of the Year 2015 awards, run by Literature Wales, for Other People’s Countries (Jonathan Cape). Other People’s Countries is set in the town of Bouillon, where the author’s mother came from, and is a “brilliant, lyrical... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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One of the few literary agents focusing on Arabic, Yasmina Jraissati, discusses the non-existent role of the literary agent in the Middle East. The post Why Are There No Literary Agents in the Middle East? appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Richard Mollet, CEO of the Publishers Association, reports that 2014 UK publishing revenues were £4.3 billion, with 44% coming from export markets. The post UK Publishing is “In A Good Place,” says PA CEO appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-05-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The real-time lyrics feature that Spotify added to its desktop app this past week hasn’t impressed the U.S. karaoke industry. Joseph C Vangieri, the CEO of DigiTrax, has called it “unfair competition for us American ‘Karaoke’ companies.”Lest you think that he has a beef with Spotify, know that... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2015-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An unlikely trio—a literary agent, a singer/songwriter, and an investment banker—are bringing the first general independent bookstore in over a decade to this New Jersey city. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With questions still lingering about Sony Pictures's release plans for the Seth Rogen comedy 'The Interview,' after the studio suffered a cyber attack and a terrorist threat issued by the North Korean government, the PEN American Center has published an open letter to Sony CEO Michael Lynton,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Olivia Morris will be assistant editor of Pan Macmillan’s new lifestyle imprint headed up by Carole Tonkinson. Morris comes to Pan Macmillan from Simon & Schuster, where she held the role of Editorial Assistant. She previously worked as assistant to literary agent at Diane Banks... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When Tim Cook published an open letter in September to address iCloud privacy and security concerns, he said free online services treat you, the consumers, as product. Even newcomer Ello, which is dubbed the anti-Facebook, has a manifesto that ends w... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2014-12-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) has written an open letter to the Imperial War Museum, expressing concern over the threat to its unique library. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Claudia Wittman, literary agent and founder of the Wittman Agency in Germany, talks about how her rights business manages the massive changes in the book publishing industry. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-09-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Madeleine Millburn, a literary agent from London, offers her view on which international markets offer the most opportunities and how digital publishing has impacted the rights business. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-09-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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