Could there really be only one new black male novelist in Britain? | Arifa Akbar

There’s plenty of talent among minority ethnic writers in the UK, but their books rarely make it to the shelves – and that’s shamefulUntil this week, I thought that at least we could be consoled by fiction. That we still had the borderless joys of stories to fend off the dark forces of xenophobia and insularity. Culture is crucial in times of political uncertainty or crisis, and encountering other people’s stories in fiction seems like the surest way to keep our inner, imaginative boundaries open.Except that we’re not encountering other people’s stories because they’re not being published. At least, not in Britain. The novelist Robyn Travis this week gave an inspirational talk on his struggle to find a publisher for his debut novel, Mama Can’t Raise No Man, about prison life and masculinity, and then to fill the 1,300-seater Hackney Empire in London for its launch this autumn. Go Robyn. Less inspiring was the fact that Travis, according to his publisher Crystal Mahey-Morgan, was most likely the only male black debut novelist to have been published in Britain this year. Related: Authors called David more likely to be on bestseller lists than BAME writers Related: Langston Hughes showed me what it meant to be a black writer | Gary Younge Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2016-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "Could there really be only one new black male novelist in Britain? | Arifa Akbar"


New Books Top the Overseas Charts

New titles commandeered the top slots across the bestseller lists in international markets in September. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


NSA surveillance puts George Orwell's '1984' on bestseller lists

Big Brother is watching. And people are reading.Big Brother is watching. And people are reading. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Are Publishers in South Korea Gaming Their Bestseller Lists?

Allegations of stockpiling and best-seller list manipulation have rocked the publishing world in South Korea as publishers combat decreasing book sales. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


New Adult Is Hot, but Will It Play Abroad?

While interest in romance titles is showing no signs of slowing down—they continue to find their way into top spots on bestseller lists and command major advances from big-six editors—it’s the newish category new adult that is particularly hot right now. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Robyn Carr: Growing a Midlist Author

Robyn Carr might not be a household name, but she’s certainly a force to be reckoned with on the bestseller lists. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


How to buy your way onto the bestseller list

First good reviews went on sale. Now a marketing firm is charging thousands to buy copies of books in order to artificially place them on bestseller lists. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Barnes & Noble's Nook e-readers getting NFC, says CEO

Now that all of that Microsoft-related news is out in the open, Barnes & Noble's CEO William Lynch is ready to talk about the future. Fortune sat down with him to discuss the deal and what's next for the Nook. The answer to the latter is, at least in part, near-field communication. The exec... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Adam Mansbach writes 'Seriously, Just Go to Sleep' for the kids

Adam Mansbach's 'Go the F— to Sleep' was fun for adults. 'Seriously, Just Go to Sleep' lets the kids in on the joke. And now he has projects to keep him awake.A year ago, Adam Mansbach was an award-winning novelist and aspiring screenwriter wrapping up a two-year teaching job at Rutgers... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


'Star Wars' novels: still on bestseller lists

The newest 'Star Wars' novel, 'Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse,' holds the No. 8 slot on the New York Times bestseller list. Success has become the norm for the books. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this