As celebrity books boom, professional authors are driven out of full-time work

Novelist Donal Ryan is the latest name forced to seek an income outside books, while children’s writers complain that stars from other media monopolise advancesDespite scoring three bestsellers in five years and a clutch of awards, The Spinning Heart author Donal Ryan has been forced to return to his day job in the Irish civil service in order to pay his mortgage.Ryan has become the latest casualty of tumbling incomes for writers. Despite receiving advances and signing a deal to write three more books with his publisher, the Irish novelist said he had found it impossible to earn a living wage as a full-time writer. “You need to have something else on the go,” he told the Irish Sunday Independent. “You could take a chance and scrape a living through bursaries and writing books, but I’d get too stressed out. It just isn’t worth it. I have two kids in school and I have a mortgage to pay.” Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2017-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #living wage #day job #irish novelist #full-time writer

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Author asks for books to be withdrawn from Daily Mail

YA author Melinda Salisbury has asked her publisher not to submit her books for review to newspapers such as the Daily Mail in support of the ‘Stop Funding Hate’ movement. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books About Islam Get a Boost as Authors Hope for Deeper Understanding

With the faith of more than a billion people at the center of current events, academic publishers are churning out more books about Islam, and some are publishing in the field for the first time. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-11-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sharjah Book Fair’s Professional Program: Boosting Business in the Arab World

In a combination of analysis, commentary, and rights-center deal-making, the 35th Sharjah fair clarifies issues and opportunities for industry growth. The post Sharjah Book Fair’s Professional Program: Boosting Business in the Arab World appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-11-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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YA author wins Edinburgh First Book Award

YA author Kathryn Evans has won the 2016 Edinburgh International Book Festival First Book Award for her début novel, More of Me (Usborne). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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WIRED Book Club: An Entire Trilogy in a Month? Boom.

Jeff VanderMeer's <em>Southern Reach</em> trilogy wraps up exquisitely, completing a journey from mystery to horror to understanding to, indeed, acceptance. The post WIRED Book Club: An Entire Trilogy in a Month? Boom. appeared first on WIRED. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2016-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At Frankfurt Book Fair: Back to Work

Frankfurt Book Fair is off to a seriously toned start this week, Wednesday's morning events looking light on audience as trade industry players focused on work and meetings on their stands. The post At Frankfurt Book Fair: Back to Work appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books of The Times: Review: In ‘The Arab of the Future 2,’ Back to Syria in 1984

The cartoonist Riad Sattouf; the second volume of his graphic memoir has just been published. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2016-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Teamwork, and Kickstarter, Get Late Author's Book to Shelves

How the husband and daughter of food writer and historian Joy Santlofer helped complete Joy's book, 'Food City,' after she died suddenly in 2013. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author donates £1,720 from sales of books to charity

Harrogate author Jackie Buxton has presented cheques of £860.32 each to Breast Cancer Haven and Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre from the sales of her book: Tea & Chemo; Fighting Cancer, Living Life. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Greenwood 'murdered for rare book worth £50k'

A man allegedly stabbed author Adrian Greenwood to death in order to rob him of rare books including a valuable first edition of The Wind in the Willows worth £50,000, a jury has been told. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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These authors are in the running for the $50,000 Kirkus Prize book awards

The Kirkus Prizes, which at $50,000 each are among the most lucrative literary prizes in the country, announced their finalists Tuesday morning. The awards, sponsored by the book review magazine Kirkus Reviews, are given in three categories: fiction, nonfiction and young readers' literature.... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-09-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tokyo Art Book Fair This Week: Works ‘Lovingly Crafted’

Art book lovers head for the Tokyo Art Book Fair, which has a new award program from Germany's Steidl Verlag, plus a Brazilian partnership. The post Tokyo Art Book Fair This Week: Works ‘Lovingly Crafted’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-09-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Michael Gove turns book reviewer for The Times

Former justice secretary Michael Gove is set to return to the Times newspaper as a book reviewer and columnist. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Michael Gove returns to the Times as columnist and book reviewer

Former justice secretary and Leave campaigner left newspaper to become Surrey Heath MP in 2005Michael Gove, the former justice secretary and Leave campaigner, is set to return to the Times as a columnist and book reviewer.Gove, who was sacked by prime minister Theresa May after making an... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-09-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pay-back time for publishers: authors forced to return their advances

This week, it emerged that Pride and Prejudice and Zombies author Seth Grahame-Smith was being sued by his publisher to return his advance. From Julian Assange to Amy Schumer, he isn’t alone...Though he’s fallen out spectacularly with his publisher, Seth Grahame-Smith at least has the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-09-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Under Pamela Paul, a New Books Desk Takes Shape at the 'Times'

The 'New York Times Book Review' editor, now overseeing all of the paper's books and publishing coverage, lays out what readers can expect to change—and to stay the same. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-09-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bin Laden book author to pay US government $7m

The author of a book about the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden is to pay almost $7m (£5m) to the US government for violating non-disclosure agreements, according to the BBC. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pamela Paul to Oversee All 'New York Times' Book Coverage

The editor of the 'New York Times' Sunday Book Review will take over all book coverage for the paper, including the daily Books section, book news, and publishing industry news. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-08-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Scottish Book Trust increases festival fee to promote author 'fairness'

Scottish Book Trust is to increase the money paid to authors participating in its Live Literature programme to £175 out of a belief that writers, storytellers and illustrators “should be paid fairly for the important work that they do”. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Drops E-book Royalty Suit Against S&S; Is Wiley Next?

S&S was incorrectly named in the original suit, but lawyers told PW that they are planning on filing suit against the book's current publisher, Wiley. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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