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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Hello, Slate Plus members! I’m writing this on my first day as a Slate senior editor. (Readers of the Slate Book Review might know me from the essays I’ve been writing about children’s books.) I’ve joined the magazine to focus on Slate Plus content—everything from the Slate Academy podcasts... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2015-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When Tramp Press asked authors submitting manuscripts to name the writers who inspire them, only 22% were female - pointing again to ‘the larger issue in the industry: our habitual dismissal of women’An Irish publisher has stoked the flames of the gender debate currently running in the literary... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-07-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ed Greenwood, best known as the bearded creator of the Forgotten Realms universe for Dungeons and Dragons, is launching an unconventional publishing group of his own, called The Ed Greenwood Group (TEGG). Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Portico, an imprint of Pavilion Books, has bought two books by Sunday Times Style writer Francesca Hornak. Commissioning editor Nicola Newman bought world rights in History of the World in 100 Modern Objects and Worry With Mother from Olivia Guest of Jonathan Clowes Ltd. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reviews editor Alex Crowley recommends this compelling new take on how the Holocaust was allowed to happen, and what it means for contemporary society. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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He has only been in graphic storytelling for three years, but already the Czech-born writer has produced several influential series for the biggest publishers – and his latest is set to reinvent crime noirAt 28 years old, Ales Kot is at the forefront of a new generation of writers injecting... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Michael Palin, Bill Bryson and William Dalrymple are just some of the names already nominated for the Edward Stanford Award for Outstanding Contribution to Travel Writing. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Etgar Keret presents his memoir: a series of raw and witty stories that document seven years of a father-son relationship. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Why must writers from Africa always bear the burden of representing their continent? They should be granted artistic freedom, as other authors areAfrican literature, as it’s called, is enjoying a bit of a moment, with the western media regularly heralding splashes, rebirths, dawns. When I... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-07-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A collection of essays from Zadie Smith, a novel critiquing the concept of romantic love by Alain de Botton and Marina Lewycka’s first book in four years are among the highlights of Penguin General’s spring 2016 list. Authors and staff from Penguin General – which comprises of imprints Penguin,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Orchard Books has acquired The Ethan I Was Before, the middle-grade debut about friendship and grief, from debut author Ali Standish. Jessica Clarke, editorial director at Orchard Books, brokered a five-figure two-book deal with Polly Nolan at the Greenhouse Literary Agency, acquiring UK... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors and publishers have just a day left to submit work to the relaunched Sunday Times/Peters Fraser & Dunlop Young Writer of the Year Award, which is open to self-published writers this year for the first time. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After 600k personalised picture-book sales, London firm secures investment from Silicon Valley firms Google Ventures and GreycroftChildren’s storytelling startup Lost My Name raised its first $100k of funding in 2014 on TV show Dragon’s Den. Now the London-based firm is turning to Silicon Valley... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kim Kardashian West is to be the subject of the next of Sean Smith's celebrity biographies, contracted to Harper NonFiction last year in a deal with agent Gordon Wise. Kim will be published in hardback on 24th September (£14.99) and is described as "the ultimate insight into the reality behind... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Julie Crisp has signed up her first author as a literary agent following her departure from Pan Macmillan. Crisp will represent Sam Hawke, an Australian fantasy writer from Canberra, who has written a novel called Proof, described as “intelligent fantasy concentrating on issues of race, gender... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is looking for aspiring writers of children’s films and TV shows for its new writing forum. The competition is part of the BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Forum, a long-running initiative which was created to give a platform to undiscovered... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Short stories are gaining ground in the UK, but authors working within the format are finding it more difficult to break into the public consciousness than novelists, writers have told The Bookseller. Awards that cover all forms of fiction such as The Folio Prize, won in 2014 by George... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins will publish the first co-written novel from Wilbur Smith in September this year. The book, titled Golden Lion, will be co-written by historical fiction author Giles Kristian. Golden Lion will revisit one of Smith's best-known series, following the adventures of the Courtney... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Quality Writing for All, a campaign to support low-income writers, with a focus on Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) and disabled communities, will be officially launched tonight (16th June). The scheme has been put together by The Literary Consultancy (TLC), which is using funding from Arts... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The new children’s laureate Chris Riddell said he supports campaigns for illustrators to gain equal credit with writers. In an interview with The Bookseller magazine published today (12th June), Ridell said Sarah McIntyre, who spearheaded the #PicturesMeanBusiness campaign, is “amazing”. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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