Censorship or context? Australian book industry wrestles with how to refresh outdated classics

Australia has a history of removing controversial elements from children’s texts, but the question of whether they should be edited is not easy to answerGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe news this week that some works of bestselling children’s author Roald Dahl will be edited to remove language deemed offensive – and the eventual decision to keep the original versions in print – has sparked global debate about editing classic texts to reflect contemporary values.Gone under the changes are descriptions such as “fat” for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s Augustus Gloop, replaced by “enormous”, prompting a furious reaction and accusations of “absurd censorship”.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2023-02-25 23:00:04 UTC ]
News tagged with: #bestselling children #absurd censorship #guardian australia #free morning #free app #original versions #chocolate factory #book industry

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BBC Books reissues seven Doctor Who 'classics'

BBC Books has reissued seven classic Doctor Who novelisations from the original range by Target Books. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Self-censorship' of children's book depicting smiling slave condemned

Free speech campaigners have spoken out against Scholastic’s withdrawal of A Birthday Cake for George Washington, pulled from shelves after it was criticised for its ‘light’ treatment of slaveryThe decision to pull a children’s book last week over the “false impression” it gives of slavery was... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-01-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Earnings soar for UK's bestselling authors as wealth gap widens in books industry

New study reveals Julia Donaldson, David Walliams and JK Rowling lead the top 1% of authors, who account for nearly a third of all UK book salesThe gap between publishing’s rich and poor continues to widen, as figures from Nielsen BookScan reveal that the top 50 authors account for more than 13%... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Bookseller launches British Book Industry Awards

The Bookseller has expanded its industry awards, with the 2016 ceremony to celebrate the books of the year as well as the wider trade. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Happy Holidays! Christmas Carols for the Book Industry

As our parting gift to you for 2015, Publishing Perspectives re-imagines several popular Christmas carols through the prism of the book business. The post Happy Holidays! Christmas Carols for the Book Industry appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-12-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Australian Lit Mag “Writer’s Edit” Launches Books, Builds Careers

Writer's Edit, a Sydney-based literary magazine, has branched into books and is winning industry accolades and launching new careers. The post Australian Lit Mag “Writer’s Edit” Launches Books, Builds Careers appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-10-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nielsen and Germany’s GfK to Partner on Book Industry Data

Market research companies Nielsen and GfK announced a partnership on Monday with the aim of providing insights about global book publishing. The post Nielsen and Germany’s GfK to Partner on Book Industry Data appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Classic children's books on coding reprogrammed for a new generation

Author Lisa Watts, who helped to teach a generation of children about computers a quarter of a century ago, hopes new books will inspire tomorrow’s programmers“Back in the 1980s, the big question was: what are we going to do with these computers? We were empowered – we had a ZX81 or a BBC Micro... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-10-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Self-Publishing Is Good for You … and Authors and the Book Industry

The real beneficiary of the DIY book boom is the publishing industry itself. The post Self-Publishing Is Good for You … and Authors and the Book Industry appeared first on WIRED. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2015-08-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishing industry's 'Super Thursday' to see more than 500 books published

Thursday in October heralds book industry’s major assault on the Christmas marketThe nature of that rectangular parcel under the Christmas tree can now be predicted: it could well be a new cook book by Nigella Lawson, Gordon Ramsay or Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, just like last year.Or it might... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-08-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New Publisher Query Books Focuses on Lost LGBT Classics

Ken White, former manager of San Francisco’s Books Inc., has launched Query Books, a publishing company focusing on republishing significant LGBT books. The post New Publisher Query Books Focuses on Lost LGBT Classics appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PRH to publish colouring books based on classic novels

Penguin Random House (PRH) Children’s will this autumn release a series of colouring books for a crossover audience based on classic novels. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Classic book covers by Paul Bacon – in pictures

The designer who pioneered the ‘big book look’ - creating covers for more than 6,500 books, ranging from Catch-22 to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest - has died aged 91 in New York. Here are some of his best Continue reading... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-06-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Foreign authors warned about book censorship in China

Books translated for the fast-growing Chinese market may be censored without their authors’ knowledge, a writers’ advocacy group reportsA US-based advocacy group is warning Western authors to be vigilant about censorship of their work, which is sometimes done without their knowledge, in China’s... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-05-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookings deadline for Bookseller Industry Awards

Table and seat bookings for The Bookseller Industry Awards will close in one week’s time (Tuesday 5th May 2015 at 5pm). There are a very few tables and seats left for the event, which takes place at the Hilton Park Lane on May 11th. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Which modern day children's books will become classics?

We’ve had the BBC’s best children’s books of all time and not a single one was published after 1968, so what are the future classics, books written in the last 20 years that people will still be reading in 50 or even 100 years time? Join in our discussion to predict the future classics! Many of... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-04-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Piracy, Bookstore Closures Hamper Spain’s Book Industry

Elena Ramirez, editorial director of Seix Barral and director of international fiction for Planeta, Spain’s largest publisher, observes that the Spanish book industry has adjusted to a new normal after the country’s financial crisis. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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France overhauls its book industry subsidies

The French culture ministry’s National Book Centre (Centre National du Livre, CNL) will overhaul its system of financial support for the book industry in order to simplify and update it. The reform, which was approved by the CNL’s board last week, reduces the number of interest-free loans and... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookseller Industry Awards to celebrate 'book of the year'

The Bookseller Industry Awards will this year celebrate the ‘book’ of the year alongside the publishers, editors, and retailers who bring the titles to market. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Got Diversity? Six Hacks that Address Book Industry Diversity, 21st-Century Style

The lack of diversity in the book publishing industry is not new or surprising to veterans of the business. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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