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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Paul Black, head of PR and events at HarperCollins Children’s Books, is joining Andersen Press as PR director. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Jojo Moyes is offering her cottage to a writer to “kick-start or even finish” their work. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Macmillan Children’s Books has bought the UK and Commonwealth rights to two novels by US YA writer Jennifer E Smith. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New writers will be able to pitch to publishers and agents at the Bloody Scotland crime writing festival, which begins this Friday, while others will appear ahead of better known authors as "support acts". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wattpad has claimed writers could earn up to $1,000 (£758) a month through its new advertising programme. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jonathan Safran Foer’s first novel for 10 years, Here I Am, finds him seeking a deep communion with his readers. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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West Auckland's most well-attended literary festival back this year with a fresh line up of local and international writers. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2016-08-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bill Bailey has penned a “humorous and personal guide” to his favourite British birds, set to be published by Quercus in October this year. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tinder Press has acquired a story collection and debut novel from Lesley Nneka Arimah, winner of the 2015 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for Africa. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Introducing Nouwen to a new generation of readers, books by and about the influential Catholic priest are releasing this fall, which marks the 20th anniversary of his death. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-08-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An independent bookseller’s plans to launch a new international online bookseller to rival Amazon, Bookman & Black, have been cancelled. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A new hashtag, #women_writers, is providing a safe space for female writers to talk about their literary passions, careers and frustrations in response to sexism within the publishing industry. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Co-founder of Oneworld, Juliet Mabey, and authors A L Kennedy and Irenosen Okojie, have been selected to judge literature development organisation Spread the Word's London Short Story Prize 2016. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wattpad is allowing writers to generate income from stories posted on their site through external adverts. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The online reading and writing community is launching Wattpad Futures, a program that will run paid advertising in a selection of the stories posted on its website. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-08-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Laurie Garrison’s call to arms is intended to foster collaboration ‘rejecting traditional models of publishing’The internet is not always a safe place for women, so there is something hearteningly radical about women staking a claim to this space to assert their own ambitions and interests. The... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-08-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After polling 1,100 of its members, the female crime writers group found that it is a disproportionately white organization. Non-hispanic whites make up 93% of its membership, compared to 62% of the U.S. population. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-08-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PEN International has released the longlist for its 2016 New Voices Award for young writers. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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