Our publishing industry seems to champion just one or two black and Asian authors at a time. Lack of diversity is a real problemMonths back I was trudging through the streets of Dalston when I spotted a copy of Simi Bedford's Yoruba Girl Dancing in a charity shop window. It evoked the same emotion that stumbling into an old school friend might – part nostalgia and part wonder at the old magic. I found myself inside the store reaching for it, just as I had done years ago as a teenager. The book is a hilarious, touching read about a Nigerian girl sent to boarding school in England. Back then, it resonated with me deeply. I too had been a young Nigerian girl sent to England at the age of eight to attend boarding school in Norfolk. Its recounting of otherness in an unfamiliar land made me laugh and recall my own experiences. There was something about that dancing silhouette on the cover that seemed hopeful, unburdened somehow, and, though I'd been enamoured of the talents of Roald Dahl and Harper Lee, it was refreshing to see an author who looked like me.As I left the shop, it made me wonder: whatever happened to Simi Bedford? I know she wrote another novel, Not With Silver, but whatever happened not just to her, but to the career trajectories of other black and Asian female British authors?I admire the tenacity of writers such as Andrea Levy, who deserved to garner more attention earlier in their careers. Andrea eventually went on to have great success, but there was little... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2014-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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WH Smith's website is back online following an earlier suspension over abuse and rape themed ebooks found on its site. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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W H Smith’s website has gone live again after nearly four days without trading. Smith'... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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W H Smith has said it expects its website to “be live again shortly” following its... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-10-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It was just more than a year ago that Ev Williams and Biz Stone created the publishing platform Medium. The Internet officially met the site in August 2012, and since then, Medium’s popularity has grown enough for even the most ske ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-10-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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WH Smith takes its UK site completely offline while it removes pornographic abuse-themed ebooks from its product listings. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2013-10-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kobo has said pornographic ebook material appeared alongside children’s literature on the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-10-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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John Wiley president and chief executive officer Stephen Smith told the Contec digital conference... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If you'd like to combine your new iPhone and your wallet into a single device that looks like an old-fashioned mini datebook, Pad & Quill's Little Pocket Book is the case you want. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2013-10-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Dutch bookshop chain Ako could be sold to W H Smith, according to a report in De Telegraaf.... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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News Corp., the publishing company that owns The Wall Street Journal, reported $506 million in net income for the fiscal year ended June 30, the last year before its split from Rupert Murdoch's entertainment operations.The profit, which amounted to 87 cents a share, compared with a loss of $2.08... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2013-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Egmont Press has acquired two books from US author Andrew Smith. The publisher signed UK and... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-09-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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InboundWriter wants to help big publishers and niche bloggers figure out how much demand there is for their idea in the Web ecosystem before they type a word or hit "publish." At least that's the idea behind the newest version of the startup's software, which the company said will be used by... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2013-09-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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John Smith & Son is to open two new campus bookshops in time for the new academic season next... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomberg LP has made another big raid on old media again, poaching Justin Smith from the Atlantic Media Co. to be global media CEO. Smith is the Atlantic Media president who is credited with reversing 154-year-old Atlantic magazine’s losses by advancing an aggressive, digital-first strategy. He... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2013-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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While some books on this year's Man Booker prize long list have gotten buzz here in the US, none of them compare (so far) with the success of last year's winner, Hilary Mantel's 'Bring Up the Bodies.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-07-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sally Gardner has won the prestigious Carnegie Medal for "Maggot Moon;" Levi Pinfold won the Kate Greenaway Medal, which awards excellence in illustration, for his picture book "Black Dog." Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Twenty-two published and unpublished authors last night (18th) shared the £40,000 prize... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Former People by Douglas Smith, published by Macmillan, has won the inaugural £5,000... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Random House UK has launched stage one of its online narrative gaming project, Black Crown, as... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The digital publishing platform will let fans write, publish, and sell the stories they've written based on popular books, TV shows, and more. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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