Bernardine Evaristo: 'These are unprecedented times for black female writers'

The first black woman to win the Booker prize argues that a revolution is sweeping through British publishing. But can it lead to lasting change?Chidera Eggerue, AKA The Slumflower, is a social media star, south-east London homegirl and feminist. She first came to prominence in 2017 when she created the hashtag #SaggyBoobsMatter on Twitter in order to promote the body-positive message that women’s breasts and bodies are fine just as they are. It’s an important idea and antithetical to a beauty industry that berates us for our imperfections. A year later Eggerue published a self-help motivational book, What a Time to Be Alone: The Slumflower’s Guide to Why You Are Already Enough, which entered the Sunday Times bestseller list the week it was published in 2018, when she was 23. In her very pink, zanily illustrated book, Eggerue, a self-styled “guru, confidante and best friend” to her readers, offers advice on self-worth and self-acceptance. An earlier booklet called Little Black Book: A Toolkit for Working Women, by Otegha Uwagba, became a bestseller in 2016, paving the way for Eggerue. This, in turn, was probably influenced by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s 2014 essay We Should All Be Feminists. These are unprecedented times for black female writers, in no small part due to the internet. It has reconfigured how we present ourselves to the world at large, as well as bringing previously marginalised social groups and writing to the fore in ways hitherto unimaginable. As a... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2019-10-19 07:00:24 UTC ]
News tagged with: #offers advice #black book #margaret atwood #times bestseller

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Bernardine Evaristo: 'These are unprecedented times for black female writers''


Dr Seuss' forgotten adult book of female nudes

As the world eagerly awaits the release of his unexpected posthumous book in July, renewed interest in the work of Dr Seuss has sent the internet into the research archives... and it turns out there's a forgotten book of female nudes hidden there in Theodor Geisl's bibliography.  Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2015-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #dr seuss #renewed interest


Women dominate Sunday Times Short Story Award shortlist

Five women have made the shortlist for the £30,000 Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award. British newcomer Rebecca F John, whose first book will be published by Parthian this year, has been nominated for her story "The Glove Maker's Numbers", about a woman grieving over her brother, alongside... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sheltered woman


Bangladeshis protest after atheist writer Avijit Roy hacked to death

Hundreds rally against fundamentalism in Dhaka as Islamists claim responsibility for murder of prominent US-Bangladeshi bloggerHundreds of people have taken to the streets of Dhaka in protest at the murder of a prominent secular American blogger of Bangladeshi origin who was hacked to death with... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book fair


Headline signs title from comedy writer Shaw

Headline has acquired a humour title by comedy writer Dale Shaw. Editor Richard Roper pre-empted world rights to F**k This Journal (Betterness Through Bitterness) by Dale Shaw from Jamie Coleman at Greene & Heaton. Headline is describing the book as a “hilarious and subversive take on the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #humour title #jamie coleman #greene heaton #absolutely thrilled #wickedly funny


Jill Abramson Signs $1M Book Deal – But Won't Settle Scores with New York Times

Jill Abramson, the former New York Times executive editor, has signed a rumoured $1m book deal – but readers hoping for a score-settling page turner may be disappointed, according to her publisher. Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #jill abramson


Walter Scott Prize longlist released for first time

Martin Amis, Sarah Waters and Jessie Burton have made the 15-strong longlist for the 2015 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. The longlist has been released for the first time following a 40% increase in entries this year.  Amis is longlisted for his dark love story set in a Nazi... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #martin amis #sarah waters #jessie burton #15-strong longlist #historical fiction #40% increase #miniaturist picador


Why all writers are vain

I’ve met, interviewed and shared stages with many authors over the years, and seen all too many signs of pride and oversensitivity to criticism. There is an inherent egotism in believing your voice matters – but that’s no reason not to put pen to paperMany years ago, when I had just started... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #put pen #recently appeared


Penguin Little Black Classics review – affordable snippets of great literature

From Homer to Balzac to Darwin to Dickens, these Penguin 80th birthday booklets are where publishing meets public serviceIt was quite overwhelming, to open the box containing all 80 of these booklets – one for each year in the life of Penguin Books. Each is around 60 pages long; each is an... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #penguin books #affordable snippets #great literature


Time to shine a light on the tax system

The argument that publishing company tax information in the public domain will be "misleading" - and therefore the plan should be dumped altogether - does not stack up. Continue reading at The Sydney Morning Herald

[ The Sydney Morning Herald | 2015-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #tax system #public domain


Why Writers Need to Know the Publishing Business

Publisher Deborah Emin argues that as publishing professionals, we should want writers to understand each stage of the process: how they are acquired, marketed and sold. The post Why Writers Need to Know the Publishing Business appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishing business #publishing professionals


Susan Golomb Joining Writers House

Veteran literary agent Susan Golomb, whose clients include Jonathan Franzen and William T. Vollmann, will be starting at Writers House on March 1. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #writers house


Time Inc. CEO: No Mergers Until at Least Next Year

Don't expect Time Inc. to merge with any of its magazine rivals soon.Time Inc. CEO Joe Ripp told investors Thursday that no mergers would happen until at least June 2016, which is the two-year anniversary of Time Inc. spinning off from Time Warner."The safest thing is to wait two years," he... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #time warner


Women writers dominate Waterstones kids' shortlist

Female authors account for the vast majority of this year’s Waterstones Children’s Book Prize this year, with 15 of the 18 titles written by women (see full shortlists below). The prize is divided into three categories – best illustrated book, best fiction for 5-12s and best book for teens –... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book prize #illustrated book #vast majority #waterstones children #books shortlisted #steve antony #rob biddulph


TV's Ad Market Remains Muted in Time Warner Results

The tepid ad market is continuing to give cable networks fits as they work to sell the commercial time they didn't book in the upfront, when advertisers shop for the upcoming TV season. Sales executives have been looking for strong growth in the so-called scatter market after a sluggish upfront... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #strong growth #conference call #flat market #ad sales #modest improvement


Time Inc. plunges on earnings, sales forecast

Time Inc., the magazine publisher spun off of Time Warner Inc. last year, plunged in New York trading after its fourth-quarter results and 2015 forecast were worse than analysts expected. The shares... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2015-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #time warner #york trading #analysts expected


Male writers feature on RNA shortlists

Three male authors are among the many writers shortlisted for the Romantic Novel Awards 2015 (full lists below), which are traditionally overwhelmingly dominated by women. Stephen Burke is shortlisted in the Historical Romantic Novel category for his novel The Good Italian by (Hodder &... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #romantic comedy #male authors #hodder stoughton


Well, This Is Different -- Time Inc. Now Selling Print Ads Programmatically

Machines are now selling some print ads at Time Inc.The nation's largest magazine publisher -- owner of People, Time, Sports Illustrated and InStyle -- is letting marketers buy print ads with the same automated technology used to buy digital ads. This type of deal, where a computer facilitates a... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #print ads #sports illustrated #buy ads #media agency #buying ads #entertainment weekly


Finally: DC, Marvel announce new line-up with more female characters

Last summer, two-time National Book Award finalist Gene Luen Yang ("American Born Chinese") gave a rousing speech at the Library of Congress, letting his fellow writers know at the National Book Festival kickoff that the comic-book industry needs to do more, and give itself more liberty, to... Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2015-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #female characters #fellow writers


Black & White signs teenager's Wattpad trilogy

Scottish independent publisher Black & White Publishing has acquired a three-book series by 17-year-old Estelle Maskame, which has already had 4m hits on Wattpad. Maskame has more than 125,000 Twitter followers and her Did I Mention I Love You? (DIMILY) trilogy has had 4m hits on digital... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #three-book series


Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little available in 'e' for first time

HarperCollins will publish three children’s classics by Charlotte’s Web author E B White as ebooks for the first time this March. Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little, both written by White and illustrated by Garth Williams, will be published digitally along with The Trumpet of the Swan,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #published digitally