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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Attica Locke—writer and producer of the Fox hit show "Empire"—is also the author of four acclaimed novels. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rupi Kaur’s first book, Milk and Honey, sold 1.4 million copieSOrdinarily, the illustration adorning the cover of a new book is not a big story, but such is the hype around the young Canadian poet Rupi Kaur that her plan to release the picture to her 1.3 million Instagram followers on 1 June is... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Leading writers Irenosen Okojie, Courttia Newland, Bidisha, and Alex Wheatle MBE are to take up residencies in London libraries as part of a new literary initiative. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Park rangers for the Santa Monica Mountains are on the hunt for a “promposal” vandal, who scrawled a prom invitation on a rock near Sandstone Peak — the second year in a row the same message has appeared there. Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area officials took to Twitter and Facebook... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Other writers have reacted with scepticism to the Alex Rider author’s claim that he was discouraged from ‘artificial and possibly patronising’ writingA furore has broken out in the children’s books world around claims by Alex Rider creator Anthony Horowitz that he was “warned off” creating a... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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On Thursday, June 1, from 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. stop by the PW BookExpo Librarians’ Lounge (Booth 875) to the bestselling authors, courtesy of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Life on a council estate is not always as tough and gritty as some novels would have you believe. There can be lightness and humour as well, as Mahsuda Snaith tells Natasha Onwuemezi. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Anthony Horowitz children's publisher at Walker has said it would not instruct authors on whether or not to include characters of a different race or background in their books. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dominique De-Light blogs about why Creative Future is determined to help underrepresented writers. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Head of Zeus has two books shortlisted for the £10,000 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette Children’s Group has bought a middle-grade novel from scientific writer Sharon Cohen. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With the UK's general election campaign now in full swing, a new study of 2,000 adults finds that 68 percent are concerned that fake news could influence the outcome. In addition, 26 percent are not confident in their ability to identify a fake story and a further 39 percent were unsure if they... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2017-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The combination of the UK's leading book industry awards with the 'Nibbies' produces The Bookseller's broad picture of a robust and busy books community. The post British Book Awards 2017: The ‘Nibbies’ Honor Literature and Industry appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pan Macmillan and Waterstones are two of the biggest winners at this year's British Book Awards, aka The Nibbies, after being crowned Publisher of the Year and Book Retailer of the Year. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sarah Perry’s The Essex Serpent (Serpent’s Tail) has won the British Book Awards accolade of Book of the Year, beating off strong competition from 36 shortlisted titles. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sarah Perry crowns a much-garlanded year for her gothic romp, honoured alongside authors including Kiran Millwood Hargrave and JK RowlingTwo word-of-mouth bookselling success stories – Sarah Perry’s novel The Essex Serpent and Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s young adult book The Girl of Ink and Stars... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Oneworld is to publish a new anthology of work from a selection of the best fiction writers under 40 from across Latin America. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The non-MFA writing school, run by Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Philip Schultz, turns 30 this year, and marks the milestone with a new anthology. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Barcelona-based agency that is global in both mindset and client list invited its authors to toast its quarter-century. Katherine Cowdrey meets the woman who founded the firm. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A rare public appearance from John le Carre, and events by Margaret Atwood and Zadie Smith, are among events to feature in Southbank Centre's summer/autumn 2017 programme. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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