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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HarperCollins has bought the début book from Gill Sims, the voice behind the hit Facebook blog "Peter and Jane". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC 6Music DJ Lauren Laverne is set to host this year’s British Book Awards, taking place on 8th May in a lavish ceremony at Grosvenor House in London’s Park Lane. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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"This underlines the most important fact in digital publishing: People will pay for high-quality comment." The post Thanks to surprise British election, The Spectator triples daily subscriber sales appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2017-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Historical writer Ben Kane, currently published by Cornerstone, has signed a three-book deal with Orion. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Willow Smith has bought the film rights to YA fantasy trilogy Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton (Faber) with a view to starring in it. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The British Library is to get a 100,000 sq ft extension, as well as a new entrance and more exhibition space, with "new facilities" for the writers and academics who use the site. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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W H Smith has reported a 4% rise in group profits for the six months to end February 2017, with spoof humour titles the key driver of sales in its books business. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jason Reynolds, Marley Dias, and Rachel Ignotofsky called on booksellers, many from a new generation themselves, to carry diverse books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A rarity among major prize programs, the Young Writer of the Year Award welcomes the entries of work by self-publishing writers as well as trade authors. The post The UK’s Sunday Times / PFD Young Writer Competition Opens to Trade Authors and Indies appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-04-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Thriller heavyweight James Patterson returns to the top of the iBooks Bestseller list with his latest, 'The Black Book,' co-written with David Ellis. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Can self-publishing find traction in scholarly publishing as it has parts of general publishing? A recent panel at London Book Fair took up the question. The self-publishing platform Lulu has rolled out a service called Glasstree for scholarly authors. ‘Publishing Perspectives’ contributor... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-03-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook and Google control digital media and advertising, but it's not the end of the world just yet. The post Bloomberg Media CEO Justin Smith’s publisher survival guide in the duopoly era appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2017-03-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author RJ Bailey, whose book Safe from Harm was published in January, has been revealed to be the pseudonym for husband and wife team Robert and Deborah Ryan. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Stories from writers Phoebe Roy, Mary Bello, Aisha Bushby and Yasmin Rahman have been selected from over 100 submissions to be published in A Change Is Gonna Come (Stripes, Little Tiger Group). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New Internationalist, a worker-owned publisher based in the U.K., launched a crowdfunding campaign that allows contributors to get a stake in the company. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette UK has launched a new diversity initiative, a creative writing hub called The Future Bookshelf, to make publishing more accessible for writers who feel they aren’t well represented by the industry. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The city of New York and themes of loneliness and disconnection are prevalent among the titles championed in the new W H Smith Fresh Talent promotion, which includes one self-published author. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Rams added a former USC receiver to the roster when they signed free agent Robert Woods, the Trojans’ all-time receptions leader. Could they add another in next month’s NFL draft? USC’s JuJu Smith-Schuster, who attended Long Beach Poly High, said Wednesday that he would be happy to play for... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If you’re afflicted with writer's block, “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda doesn't want you throwing away your shot — and he's made a Spotify playlist to help you put pen to paper. The Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright revealed his literary-themed playlist, titled "Write Your Way Out," on... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Comics are one of the few things that kids get to choose themselves,' says one panelist at London Book Fair, as British comics publishers talk transition. The post British Comics Publishers in a Changing Marketplace: ‘We Want To Do More Comics’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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