Black authors don’t write only for white women | Dreda Say Mitchell

Yes, book publishers have a problem with writers of colour – it’s just not the one Man Booker prizewinner Marlon James describesThere are so few ethnic minority voices in publishing and the media that when one criticises another it has come to be regarded as a form of strike-breaking. Knowing the obstacles we face (some obvious, others less so), I’ve always been reluctant to cross swords with those facing similar dilemmas – particularly when they’re as brilliant as this year’s Booker prizewinner Marlon James. The Jamaican novelist appeared at a Guardian event and shared some of his thoughts about being a black author.His contention was that black writers are pressured into a style that the major publishers think appeals to white women in the suburbs because they’re the ones who read most novels. The trouble is, the evidence suggests that the truth is nearly the opposite. Related: Man Booker winner Marlon James: 'Writers of colour pander to the white woman' Related: Why Marlon James had to get out of Jamaica to win the Booker prize | André Wright Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #book publishers #black author #major publishers #white women #white woman #marlon james

Other news stories related to: "Black authors don’t write only for white women | Dreda Say Mitchell"


A Road Trip Across America to Dismantle White Patriarchy

Randa Jarrar’s memoir Love Is An Ex-Country focuses predominantly on the years leading to the 2016 election, a period, which, like now, was characterized by heightened Islamophobia, misogyny, homophobia, anti-immigrant sentiment, and racism. Jarrar embarks on a road trip inspired by Tahia... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2021-05-21 11:00:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #memoir #electric literature #randa jarrar #road trip


Panel Mania: ‘Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts’

Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall and Hugo Martinez is a riveting combination of graphic memoir and inspirational scholarship. An attorney frustrated by repeated encounters with sexism and racism in the criminal justice system, Hall returned to pursue a PhD in... Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2021-05-21 10:00:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #graphic memoir #personal search #inspirational scholarship #riveting combination #hugo martinez #hidden history


Indian authors speak out over plan to reissue Narendra Modi exam book

Pankaj Mishra and Arundhati Roy attack Penguin Random House India for putting out book by a prime minister they say has mishandled Covid and persecuted writersLeading Indian authors Pankaj Mishra and Arundhati Roy have spoken out against Penguin Random House India’s decision to publish and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-05-20 12:53:37 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #penguin random house #publisher announced #london review #coronavirus crisis #narendra modi


Black Sands Publishing Launches Digital Comics App

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 ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #$1 million #latest move


Panel Mania: WAKE: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall and Hugo Martinez

'WAKE: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts' by Rebecca Hall and Hugo Martinez is a riveting combination of memoir and inspirational scholarship. In this eight-page excerpt Hall's efforts to research a slave revolt in 1712 mark the first steps of a quest that will take her to 18th... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-05-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #memoir #slave revolt #inspirational scholarship #riveting combination #hugo martinez #hidden history


In Francisco Goldman’s ‘Monkey Boy,’ an author grapples with the alternative facts of his family history

A train ride becomes a pretext for a long train of thought, as a man looks back at his past. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-05-18 16:00:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #train ride #family history #alternative facts


4 Pulitzer Prize Nonfiction Winners Not By White Men

The list of Pulitzer Prize-winning books is dominated by white men, so we're highlighting winning nonfiction by women and people of color. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-05-17 10:37:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #pulitzer prize #white men


How women conquered the world of fiction

From Sally Rooney to Raven Leilani, female novelists have captured the literary zeitgeist, with more buzz, prizes and bestsellers than men. But is this cultural shift something to celebrate or rectify?In March, Vintage, one of the UK’s largest literary fiction divisions, announced the five debut... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-05-16 06:00:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #novelists #literary fiction #publishing world #dirty secret #octavia butler #maria stepanova #monique roffey #gwendoline riley #rachel kushner #ottessa moshfegh #rachel cusk #lauren oyler #avni doshi


Kirstin Innes on Scotland's exciting female writing

Writer Kirstin Innes talks to The Bookseller about some of the most exciting and experimental Scottish female voices being published today. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-15 00:01:08 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #bookseller #published today


Harriet Evans | 'I want to write about things that interest me'

On the sunny spring morning that we speak, Harriet Evans has been going through the page proofs of her 12th novel, The Beloved Girls, with a forensic eye—long before she was a bestselling author, Evans was a highly regarded editor—and it has not met her exacting standards. “I’m actually... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-14 16:27:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #bestselling author #harriet evans


At this reading festival, kids pick the winners and authors are rock stars

The Forest of Reading book festival in Ontario, where kids pick the winning authors, is more important than ever during the pandemic. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2021-05-13 18:23:27 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #reading book #rock stars #reading festival #winning authors


More support needed as Covid-19 hits author earnings, say MPs

More targeted support is needed for the country’s “fragile creative and cultural sectors” beyond emergency funding, according to a new report into the impact of coronavirus on the UK’s authors and writers.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-11 05:20:25 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


The Rise of Virtual Foreign Author Tours

The shift to virtual author events during the pandemic has prompted booksellers and publishers to put together events for overseas authors who would not traditionally tour the U.S. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-05-07 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Lucinda Franks, Pulitzer-winning journalist and author, dies at 74

At age 24, she was one of the youngest Pulitzer winners in history and the first woman to be honored in the national reporting category. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-05-06 15:50:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #pulitzer-winning journalist


Meghan, Duchess of Sussex writes debut children's book for PRH

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex has written a children's book for Penguin Random House called The Bench, about the “special bond between father and son as seen through a mother’s eyes”.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-04 02:52:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #children's book #penguin random house


For author Jenny Lawson, life is brutal — and hilarious

In “Broken,” Lawson is honest about her physical and mental health, but her levity is her buoy and brand. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-05-01 13:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #mental health


Paris Lees | 'I grew up feeling like I wasn’t good enough, so to feel respected for my writing is really moving'

A contributing editor for British Vogue, Paris Lees made her name as the UKs first high-profile transgender woman to break into the mainstream when she was named top of the Pink List of the most influential LGBT people in Britain, and became the first “out” transgender woman to appear on BBC... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-01 02:56:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #memoir #transgender woman #british vogue #contributing editor


Joffe Books launches crime writing prize with Koomson and Yearwood

Independent publisher Joffe Books is partnering with author Dorothy Koomson and literary agent Susan Yearwood to launch a writing prize for unagented crime writers of colour. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-04-30 23:20:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #independent publisher #literary agent #writing prize


'I believe in romance': remembering Valerie Parv, the Australian author who sold 34 million books

The author of 70 novels translated into 29 languages, Valerie Parv has passed away just before her 70th birthday. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2021-04-30 05:02:04 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #australian author #70th birthday


Rachel Hollis, Lifestyle Author, Faces Backlash

Rachel Hollis, the best-selling author and motivational speaker, built a blockbuster business sharing her “authentic” self. Then things got a little too real. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-04-29 12:17:18 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #best-selling author #motivational speaker #rachel hollis