Battling bias on the shop floor: how bookstores can support diversity

A bookseller explains how Kamila Shamsie’s call for gender equality in the industry, and the fiery debate it provoked, could lead to greater diversity all aroundKamila Shamsie calling for a year of publishing only women has certainly unleashed a storm. Some disagree that gender bias exists, while others would rather celebrate the commercial success of some female authors. A couple of publishers have even taken Shamsie at her word.Most people agree that this is a complex issue, with so many levels during the publishing process at which bias can be perpetuated that it is impossible to pinpoint why and how many female writers struggle for recognition against their male counterparts. But one vitally important aspect of this debate seems to have been overlooked: books, once published, must be sold, and while many transactions are conducted online, many others continue to occur in old-fashioned brick-and-mortar shops. Customers don’t just buy what they’ve read about, they come in to browse, to find out what’s available, or to see what their local booksellers have enjoyed. Related: Kamila Shamsie: let’s have a year of publishing only women – a provocation Related: No men allowed: publisher accepts novelist's 'year of women' challenge Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #commercial success #female authors #male counterparts #conducted online #customers don #ve read #local booksellers

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Music industry avoids legal battle with new streaming royalty deal

Music publishers, songwriters and musicians have struck a deal with streaming services for US mechanical streaming rates for 2023-2027, the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) has announced. The NMPA, Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) and Digital Media Association... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-09-01 12:34:02 UTC ]
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Here’s another incredibly strange dream-like Chinese bookstore.

With design elements inspired by nearby Tiantai Mountain and the Haishan Islands, a new bookstore in Taizhou City (on China’s central coast) is putting all our cute little corner bookshops to shame. This article was posted in English but is essentially a long string of AI-translated... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-08-29 14:32:57 UTC ]
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What Working at a Used Bookstore Taught Me About Literary Rejection

I think every aspiring writer should work in a used bookstore. For a little while, at least. If nothing else, the ego death is electric. * I am lucky. A fellowship after my MFA has left me with all kinds of time to write and live out this romantic dream job. Ensconced in an Ann […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-08-24 08:53:03 UTC ]
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Bookstore Romance Day Bets on the H.E.A. (Happily Ever After)

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookstore Unions Gain Ground

Over the past two years, pandemic stress and uncertainty have led to a wave of organizing efforts at bookstores around the country. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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June Bookstore Sales Fell 8.2%

After months of steady increases compared to the pandemic-induced slump in 2021, bookstore sales declined 8.2% in June, falling to $605 million from $659 million a year ago. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A Publisher's Tour of Texas Bookstores

After limiting his trips to independent bookstores during the pandemic, Europa Editions's editor-in-chief Michael Reynolds recently concluded a whirlwind tour of stores in the Lone Star State. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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New Rooms for Debate at Joint Bookstore Conference

The just-concluded New Voices New Rooms joint virtual gathering of the New Atlantic and Southern Independent Booksellers Associations delved into such issues as book banning, de-escalating confrontations, and ways to generate additional revenue. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-11 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Winnipeg-bound passengers given mats, left to sleep on floor at Toronto Pearson airport

After several flight delays, passengers flying out of Toronto's Pearson airport were made to sleep on the floor when their flights to Winnipeg were finally cancelled around midnight on Sunday morning.  Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2022-08-08 12:16:55 UTC ]
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Tarek Abi Samra on Stealing Kant From a Bookstore

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[ Literrary Hub | 2022-08-08 08:50:35 UTC ]
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‘This must be stopped’: US begins court battle against publishing giants’ merger

The justice department is seeking to block the $2.2bn merger between Penguin Random House and Simon & SchusterThe government and publishing titan Penguin Random House exchanged opening salvos in a federal antitrust trial Monday as the US seeks to block the biggest US book publisher from... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-08-01 16:24:36 UTC ]
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US begins court battle against publishing giants' merger

The U.S. government and publishing titan Penguin Random House are set to exchange opening salvos in a federal antitrust trial Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2022-08-01 13:37:10 UTC ]
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Fear, biases and brinkmanship: A psychological history of the Cold War

The era's near-misses and misunderstandings serve as a cautionary tale as the United States again faces off with great-power rivals. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-07-22 12:00:30 UTC ]
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HarperCollins workers are on strike today (and collecting donations for support).

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[ Literrary Hub | 2022-07-20 15:00:15 UTC ]
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A historic lesbian-owned queer bookstore is fighting to stay open.

I was 13 years old in a suburban mall Barnes & Noble, holding a copy of Please Don’t Kill the Freshman by Zoe Trope. The cover—featuring the silhouette of a young cheerleader whose stance seems sarcastic, her pom-poms flopping against gashes of blue and red—was young, angry, and awesome. I... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-07-19 14:56:41 UTC ]
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8 Mystery/Thriller Novels to Make You Ask When Libraries and Bookstores Got So Sus

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[ Book Riot | 2022-07-15 10:38:00 UTC ]
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Bookstore Sales Rose 12.3% in May

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-07-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookstore Spotlight: Baldwin & Co.

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-07-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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She overcame bias as a woman in science. Her memoir is testimony.

Lindy Elkins-Tanton, lead scientist for NASA’s Psyche mission, describes challenges and successes in “A Portrait of the Scientist as a Young Woman.” Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2022-07-14 20:06:29 UTC ]
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