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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In two new books out this spring, mystery writers provide recipes from their lives, and the lives of their characters. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The success of Penguin’s highly portable commute-sized gobbets says much about what modern readers wantReleased to mark Penguin Books’ 80th birthday, the pocket-sized, 80p-a-pop Little Black Classics have been a hit, selling 70,545 copies in the first week of publication.The commercial success... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The British Sports Book Awards will have a headline sponsor for the first time this year, following a deal with luxury pen-maker Cross. Held on 3rd June at Lord's Cricket Ground, this year's awards will give out prizes for categories including autobiography of the year, biography of the year,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Self-published gay erotica writer M.P. Rey reveals his joy at moving from the dusty shelves of hidden rainbow-flag bookstores to better status on Amazon. The post Confessions of a Gay Erotica Writer in the Era of Indie Publishing appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Irish Arts Center in New York City will be handing out thousands of books by Irish writers to NYC residents on the holiday. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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John Smith’s Bookshop chain has triumphed at the Academic, Professional & Specialist Awards, scooping all four titles it was eligible for. Meanwhile Oxford University Press has won Publisher of the Year yet again. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Anne Tyler, Sarah Waters, Ali Smith, and five debut novelists including Emma Healey and Sara Taylor are on the longlist for this year's Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction. Meanwhile chair of judges Shami Chakrabarti has told The Bookseller: "Until you can honestly see that women are getting the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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World Book Day is celebrated on March 5 in Britain and Ireland and an important part of the day is children dressing up as a literary character for school. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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US author Andrew Smith has won the Red Tentacle award at the Kitschies for his YA novel Grasshopper Jungle (Electric Monkey). Smith’s prize of £1,000 and a hand-crafted tentacle trophy was given by judges Adam Roberts and Frances Hardinge at a ceremony held at the Seven Dials Club. Fellow judge... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ultra-cheap Little Black Classics, celebrating imprint’s 80th birthday, sell 70,000 copies in first week – with Marx and Engels the favourite so farMore than 1,700 bargain copies of The Communist Manifesto have sold in the last week, in the form of an 80p edition of Karl Marx and Friedrich... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hundreds rally against fundamentalism in Dhaka as Islamists claim responsibility for murder of prominent US-Bangladeshi bloggerHundreds of people have taken to the streets of Dhaka in protest at the murder of a prominent secular American blogger of Bangladeshi origin who was hacked to death with... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Headline has acquired a humour title by comedy writer Dale Shaw. Editor Richard Roper pre-empted world rights to F**k This Journal (Betterness Through Bitterness) by Dale Shaw from Jamie Coleman at Greene & Heaton. Headline is describing the book as a “hilarious and subversive take on the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tom Rob Smith scores his first UK Top 50 number one with the paperback of his latest thriller, The Farm. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Scholastic imprint releases a tribute edition of their first graphic novel for young readers Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It's been a year since Justin Smith became Bloomberg Media's global CEO with the mandate of raising the financial news and information brand's awareness with business executives. We chatted with him about how publishers can Facebook-proof their business, why print still has a future, and working... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2015-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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I’ve met, interviewed and shared stages with many authors over the years, and seen all too many signs of pride and oversensitivity to criticism. There is an inherent egotism in believing your voice matters – but that’s no reason not to put pen to paperMany years ago, when I had just started... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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From Homer to Balzac to Darwin to Dickens, these Penguin 80th birthday booklets are where publishing meets public serviceIt was quite overwhelming, to open the box containing all 80 of these booklets – one for each year in the life of Penguin Books. Each is around 60 pages long; each is an... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publisher Deborah Emin argues that as publishing professionals, we should want writers to understand each stage of the process: how they are acquired, marketed and sold. The post Why Writers Need to Know the Publishing Business appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Veteran literary agent Susan Golomb, whose clients include Jonathan Franzen and William T. Vollmann, will be starting at Writers House on March 1. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Female authors account for the vast majority of this year’s Waterstones Children’s Book Prize this year, with 15 of the 18 titles written by women (see full shortlists below). The prize is divided into three categories – best illustrated book, best fiction for 5-12s and best book for teens –... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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