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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Already in the works are plans for the second annual conference… so stay tuned for further details in the coming months. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Net-a-Porter Group has hired Tess Macleod Smith as its new group publishing director. Continue reading at Media Week
[ Media Week | 2012-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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W H Smith is to promote cross- over young adult (YA) titles more directly to adults via a new... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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W H Smith says it increased its market share over the Christmas period, with retail analysts... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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W H Smith has reported “resilient” trading over the Christmas period, with total... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A group of writers in India have set up a petition calling for the lifting of the country's... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Gareth Brookes' The Black Project has won Myriad Editions' first competition for a... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Eight female novelists have made the Waterstones 11 2012 selection, with three novels each from... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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W H Smith will branch out into Qatar after entering a franchise agreement with Al Meera Holding... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A group of Chinese writers has filed a lawsuit against Apple, alleging that the company's App Store sells pirated versions of the authors' works. Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2012-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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W H Smith Travel’s trading controller for books Julie Wright has left the business and is... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The £2,000 Educational Writers' Award 2011 has gone to Moon: Apollo 11 and Beyond... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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W H Smith has backed rival retailer Asda's move to join WHS in selling Kobo e-readers. The... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook will "imminently" launch a plugin for publishers and public figures to ask their readers to subscribe on Facebook directly from their own Web sites. Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2011-12-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Unpublished author Jamie Crook has won this year's Luke Bitmead Writer's Bursary for his... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Four titles that bring "the natural world to life for 5-11 year-olds" are represented... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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James Murdoch stepped down as director of two subsidiaries that publish Murdoch-owned newspapers, a move that could possibly presage News Corporations eventual exit from British newspapers. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2011-11-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books published by Abacus and Frances Lincoln took the prizes in the published work categories of... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 10/11/2011 - 09:44 Total group sales at W H Smith have dropped by 3% in the last 10 weeks, with like-for-like sales down by 6% in comparison to last year. This morning (10th November) the company reported in its interim financial results for the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-11-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Writers and authors are better educated and earn more on average than the rest of the U.S. workforce, according to a study by the National Endowment for the Arts, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Commerce. The study, Artists and Art Workers in the United... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-11-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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