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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The Authors Guild's virtual panel "Centering Black Voices: Short-Term Progress or Sustainable Change?," held on July 27, offered a wide-ranging examination of the history and potential of the book industry’s continuing struggle to address diversity. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-07-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Weidenfeld & Nicolson has acquired Sins of My Father: A Daughter, a Cult, a Wild Unravelling, a "dazzling" literary memoir from Lily Dunn about her attempt to unravel the mysteries of her late father's life. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-07-18 21:27:23 UTC ]
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Faber is to publish Black British Lives Matter, a collection of essays commissioned by Lenny Henry and Marcus Ryder. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-07-03 12:11:51 UTC ]
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'The biggest threat to our industry post-Brexit,' says the Publishers Association, is an 'international copyright exhaustion framework.' The post UK Book Publishing Industry Raises Copyright Alarm: ‘Save Our Books’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-06-07 17:22:58 UTC ]
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The new Black Sands Publishing digital comics app is the latest move by a Black-owned publishing venture that has used social media and crowdfunding platforms to sell its books and to raise more than $1 million over the last year to fund its plans for growth. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-05-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Independent publishers are "crucial and critical" for literary fiction writers, Costa-winning author Monique Roffey has said, enabling them to take risks no mainstream publisher would allow. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-11 11:27:01 UTC ]
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Bath Spa University and the Society of Young Publishers South West are hosting the virtual Publishing for Everyone conference on Saturday (15th May) featuring agent Natalie Jerome’s insights on building a career outside London. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-10 16:06:35 UTC ]
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Amid the challenges of the pandemic year 2020, the United Kingdom's overall publishing market rose 2 percent. The post The UK’s Publishers Association 2020 Report: ‘In the Face of COVID’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-04-26 23:05:27 UTC ]
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Total publishing income hit record levels in 2020, rising 2% to £6.4bn, buoyed by a digital surge that helped offset a 6% decline in print sales, a report by the Publishers Association shows. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-04-26 10:50:38 UTC ]
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Tom Tivnan takes a deep dive into Glasgow’s publishing scene, which is thriving in a cultural boom time. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-04-24 16:33:29 UTC ]
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PW asked several agents who deal in the religion market if increased interest in titles by Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian authors marks a lasting shift or a passing trend. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-04-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Columbia University Press, in collaboration with Howard University and Columbia University, is launching a new Black studies book series, with plans to also recruit and train students for the book industry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-03-03 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Astra Publishing House has announced they are launching a new literary magazine, Astra Quarterly, which will start publishing online this fall and in print by the end of 2021. Astra Quarterly will have a strong international focus; it will have an international network of editors, and be... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-02-26 16:54:13 UTC ]
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The UK's Independent Publishers Guild is holding two days of informational and networking events in March at its International Publishing Forum. The post The UK’s IPG Opens Registration for its International Publishing Forum appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-02-23 14:51:48 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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Interviews with mainline Christian, Catholic, and spirituality publishers found efforts to build a more inclusive staff bump into tight budgets, small staffs, lack of attrition, and high competition for talent. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-02-09 05:00:00 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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Nick Walters at David Luxton Associates has been promoted to senior literary agent and rights manager in recognition of his "outstanding contribution" to the agency over the years. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-18 12:55:15 UTC ]
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Atria Books has created the Black Privilege Publishing imprint and named multimedia personality and author Charlamagne tha God to head the unit. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-11-18 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Printed book sales plunge in first six months of 2020 on back of shop and school closuresSee all our coronavirus coverageSales of digital books by British publishers are set to hit an all-time high this year as the public turns to reading to escape pandemic cabin fever.However, the ebook and... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-11-14 07:00:02 UTC ]
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