Campaign to end gender-specific children's books gathers high-profile publishing support

Waterstones, children's laureate Malorie Blackman, poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy and Phillip Pullman among supportersA national campaign to stop children's books being labelled as "for boys" or "for girls" has won the support of Britain's largest specialist bookseller Waterstones, as well as children's laureate Malorie Blackman, poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy, Philip Pullman and a handful of publishers.The Let Books Be Books campaign seeks to put pressure on retailers and publishers not to market children's books that promote "limiting gender stereotypes".In the week since its launch it has been backed by publishers Parragon and Usborne, as well as authors including Ros Asquith, Mary Hoffman, Eileen Browne, Pippa Goodhart, Laura Dockrill, James Dawson, Harriet Evans and the former children's laureate Anne Fine.A petition calling on children's publishers to "stop labelling books, in the title or on the packaging, as for girls or for boys" because "telling children which stories and activities are 'for them' based on their gender closes down whole worlds of interest," has passed 3,000 signatures.The move is the latest project from the Let Toys Be Toys campaign which objects to gender stereotyping of children's toys. It has convinced 13 retailers so far to not market toys based on gender.Pullman, author of the His Dark Materials fantasy trilogy said: "I'm against anything, from age-ranging to pinking and blueing, whose effect is to shut the door in the face of children who... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #early years #work directly

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Campaign to end gender-specific children's books gathers high-profile publishing support'


Publishers need to "stand firm" against digital giants

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Mon, 08/08/2011 - 16:08 Literary agent Andrew Wylie has said publishers need to "stand firm" in the face of digital companies like Amazon and Apple or risk being locked into an insupportable business model that is unable to reward writers. In an... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #stand firm #digital giants #digital companies #literary agent #digital distributors


Media Cache: After Much Ado, a Google Book Deal in France

Could the Internet giant's deal with Hachette Livre clear a path for a deal to settle longstanding litigation in the United States? Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #media cache #internet giant


Ross mulls “TV Kids Book Club”

Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Fri, 05/08/2011 - 14:23 Publishers have welcomed the news that Amanda Ross, Cactus TV md, may launch a television programme dedicated to children’s books. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #amanda ross #childrens books


Decemberists' singer writes kids book for Canongate

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Fri, 05/08/2011 - 11:01 Canongate has bought a children’s book written by the lead singer of American indie rock band The Decemberists. Senior editor Francis Bickmore bought UK and Commonwealth rights (excl Canada, Australia and New Zealand) to... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #lead singer #angharad kowal #writers house


Phonics rules "hurting publishers"

Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Fri, 05/08/2011 - 14:16 Companies that publish phonics material have warned overseas sales are being lost as a result of a government listing of ‘approved’ phonics programmes. Last month the Department for Education published a new, slimmed-down list... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #smaller publishers


Harry Potter's Pottermore E-Book Site is Now Open--for Scammers

Scam artists are selling fake early access to the Pottermore Web site or asking for personal data to register an "account." Either way, you're going to be sorry if you interact with them. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-08-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #harry potter #personal data


SoA takes short story campaign to BBC chief

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 04/08/2011 - 09:20 The Society of Authors, the Writers' Guild of Great Britain and actors' union Equity have jointly sent letters to both BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten and director general Mark Thompson, asking them to stop the BBC Radio 4... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #great britain #short story


ALCS welcomes support for Hargreaves Review

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 04/08/2011 - 09:12 The Authors' Licensing & Collecting Society has welcomed the government support for the Hargreaves Review into intellectual property and growth, though it expressed concern over the proposals to extend copyright... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #government support #hargreaves review #intellectual property #expressed concern


Digital and high r.r.p.s hitting hardback sales

Written By: Charlotte Williams and Philip Stone Publication Date: Fri, 05/08/2011 - 09:00 Publishers and independent booksellers are stressing the importance of "working harder" on hardback fiction titles, as sales of the format fell by £3.2m over the first half of 2011. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #charlotte williams #independent booksellers #working harder


July books spending hits seven year low

Written By: Philip Stone Publication Date: Thu, 04/08/2011 - 15:50 Spending on physical books in July slumped to its lowest level in seven years as ebooks continue to encroach onto traditional bookseller territory. According to Nielsen BookScan data, £111.5m was spent on printed books in the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #year low #physical books #lowest level #ebooks continue #printed books #volume sales #four-week period #6m year-on-year


Facebook buys innovative ebook publisher Push Pop Press

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Wed, 03/08/2011 - 09:14 Facebook has bought the innovative ebook publisher Push Pop Press but will not use the company to publish ebooks. The giant social networking website will instead use PPP's platform and technology to give "people even richer... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publish ebooks


Penguin plans focus on organic growth and high street

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 01/08/2011 - 08:59 Digital sales have helped to bolster profitability for Penguin in the first six months of 2011, with company chiefs looking for organic growth and a focus on the high street over the second half of the year. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #organic growth #high street


Pan Mac buys third book from Orion's Wright

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 01/08/2011 - 14:32 Pan Macmillan has bought the third novel by Orion senior rights manager Pippa Wright, entitled The Foster Husband. Senior commissioning editor for fiction Jenny Geras acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Andrew Kidd... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #andrew kidd


Book clubs in America: Why do we love them so much?

A casual observer of the book-club scene could be fooled into thinking that this summer was a hard one for the nation's leisure readers. Late in spring, Oprah's club shuttered, stranding publishers in what promises to be a long shoal of short print runs and offering the rest of us one literary... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2011-07-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #buyout offer #reading groups #good chance


Rupert Murdoch's Disaster Is Already an E-Book

Vanity Fair gets a compilation into the Kindle and Nook stores: Twenty previously published stories for $4, heavy on the Michael Wolff. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-07-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #rupert murdoch #vanity fair #nook stores #michael wolff


Yahoo Ad Network Rolling Out Publisher-Friendly Features

Even though ad exchanges and networks were created to lubricate the buying and selling of digital ad inventory, the system is still far from slippery. One lingering issue is that of transparency: when online publishers can’t sell all their inventory directly to advertisers (often at a premium),... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2011-07-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #long term #ad platform


World Book Night confirms US launch

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 28/07/2011 - 15:19 World Book Night will launch in the US in 2012, with the States confirmed as the event's first international partner. HarperCollins vice president of independent retailing Carl Lennertz has been appointed as chief... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #international partner #1st september #million books


Harper Lee tops World Book Night picks

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Wed, 27/07/2011 - 15:15 Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird has been voted the most popular title to be given away as part of World Book Night 2012. The organisation launched a public vote last month asking people to vote for the titles they... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #public vote #popular title #organisation launched #jane austen #markus zusak


Harper Lee tops World Book Night pick

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Wed, 27/07/2011 - 15:15 Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is the most popular title among the public to be given away as part of World Book Night 2012. The organisation launched a public vote last month asking people to vote for the titles they... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #public vote #popular title #organisation launched #jane austen #markus zusak


Irish authorities clear Amazon Book Depository acquistion

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 27/07/2011 - 08:17 The Irish Competition Authority has cleared the acquisition of The Book Depository by Amazon after a three week investigation into the deal. In a short statement, the authority said: "[We have] formed the view that the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book depository #short statement #substantial lessening #25th september #relevant parties #confidential information #published version