I read only non-white authors for 12 months. What I learned surprised me | Sunili Govinnage

Reading science fiction, chick lit and fantasy novels by people of colour for a year brought home to me just how white my reading world wasIn 2014, I managed to read 25 novels. All of them were written by people of colour. That was the result of a small challenge I set myself: not to read books by white authors for a year. The things I learned in my year of selective reading made me pretty glad to have persevered. Rather than restricting myself, my decision to be conscious about what I read introduced me to books I ordinarily would not have bothered with. Instead of my usual crime/procedural/legal thrillers, I actually read some science fiction. And some fantasy. And I loved it. Saladin Ahmed’s Throne of the Crescent Moon and Nnedi Okorafor’s Who Fears Death are now two of my favourite books. I would never have heard of them had I not deliberately sought them out.One difference that my book list made is that it ever-so-delicately altered the way I looked at the world. It was slow at first, but opening myself up to a variety of female perspectives made me more aware of the female lives around me … Feminism, as bell hooks pointed out, is for everyone. And when we become more aware of the small injustices and tiny everyday tragedies around us, we become better people. Reading women’s voices helped me to hear them more loudly in my daily life. Our culture is getting better and better at encouraging women to speak, but it’s not doing enough to listen to what they say when they... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reading Rainbow Host LeVar Burton Binge-Watched Game of Thrones Before He Read the Books

Specs Who LeVar Burton Age 57 Claim to fame Emmy-winning actor (Roots, Star Trek: The Next Generation); host and producer of Reading Rainbow; author of the children’s book The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm (available Oct. 7) Base Los Angeles Twitter @levarburton What’s the first information you... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2014-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors Teaching Authors and the Idea of “Slow PR”

When Maria Mutch needed advice on how to handle PR of her debut memoir, she found guidance and solace through Grub Street Writer's Launch Lab in Boston. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-08-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon-Dissenting Authors Form 'Authors United'

As HBG's dispute with the e-tailer continues, authors are starting to prepare for the long haul by forming their own organization. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors Guild Issues Call to MacAdam Cage Authors

The Authors Guild is offering legal assistance to any MacAdam Cage author who wishes to mount a legal challenge to the agreement giving control of their ebook rights to MP Publishing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reading Agency survey finds 63% of men rarely read

Men are giving up on reading books because they prefer to watch the big screen version instead, a... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ether for Authors: Are Publishers on a Tightrope with Author Solutions?

In Ether for Authors, Porter Anderson looks at the ties many publishing companies have with Author Solutions, at Amazon debates, and at drinking on the job. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Prime flaunts a monthly price tag, now offers streaming and two day shipping for $7.99 per month

Amazon Prime's trifecta of two-day shipping, instant media streaming and monthly Kindle book rentals just became a little more consumer friendly at a slightly higher price. As a Hacking Netflix reader recently noticed, Amazon is now inviting users to buy into Prime for $7.99 a month, bringing... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Taking the Reading Out of Readings

Early last month Junot Díaz nearly caused a riot when hundreds of fans descended on the Union Square Barnes & Noble in New York City to hear the author read from his latest, This Is How You Lose Her. But, to put it mildly, not every author is Junot Díaz, and getting a crowd to hear you read... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-10-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Shocker: People who read ebooks read more

Are you ready for a bombshell? Turns out people who read ebooks read more books than those don't. That tidbit comes from the number crunchers at Pew. According to a new report titled "The Rise of E-Reading," the ebook readers read an average of 24 books in the past year, versus the 15 books read... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Physical book sales slump 4% month-on-month

Written By: Philip Stone Publication Date: Mon, 05/09/2011 - 14:05 Spending on printed books slumped 4% in August, with sales plummeting to a seven-year low for the month, according to Nielsen BookScan data. A total of £107.5m spent on physical books at UK booksellers in the four weeks to 27th... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cher's real name is the world's dullest surprise: 3 more exciting things about the singer

Cher discovered that mom Georgia Holt had inadvertently put 'Cheryl' on the birth certificate. Luckily, her memoir gets much juicier. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-11-26 01:23:22 UTC ]
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AAR to Honor Jewish Feminist Theologian and Author, Judith Plaskow

Ever since Plaskow' trailblazing monograph 'Standing Again at Sinai: Judaism From a Feminist Perspective' was published in 1990 year—boldly asserting that the Torah was written by men for men and it was time to claim women's place at the mountain—Plaskow has almost always been described as the... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-11-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Indie Spotlight: A Roundup of World and Military History Titles from Self-Published Authors

In this edition of our monthly thematic roundup of BookLife titles, we feature books on world and military history. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-11-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
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L.A. author Percival Everett wins National Book Award for retelling of 'Huck Finn'

USC professor Percival Everett wins the National Book Award for Fiction for 'James,' a retelling of 'Huckleberry Finn' from the character Jim's point of view. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-11-21 21:14:19 UTC ]
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Percival Everett, Author of ‘James,’ Wins National Book Award for Fiction

Jason De León received the nonfiction award for “Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-11-21 03:36:15 UTC ]
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A Memoir of a Beloved Trans Activist, Author, and Artist

"This is the kind of book that's hard to imagine until you're reading it: it doesn't seem possible, and then it is." Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-11-19 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Agents, Authors Question HarperCollins AI Deal

HarperCollins has become the first Big Five publisher to strike an AI licensing deal, which authors and agents appear to be approaching with caution, skepticism, and a measure of hope. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-11-19 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Music Adds Monthly Audible Title Access to Subscription Service

As of today, subscribers to Amazon Music Unlimited in the U.S., UK, and Canada can now listen to one audiobook per month from Audible's catalog for free. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-11-19 05:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins is selling their authors’ work to AI tech.

On Friday, author Daniel Kibblesmith posted a series of screenshots on Bluesky in order to share a concerning email he received from the agency who’d repped him on his children’s book Santa’s Husband: the book’s publisher, HarperCollins, was offering $2,500 (non-negotiable) for the right to use... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-11-18 13:36:53 UTC ]
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U.K. Author Cynthia Murphy Lands Three-Book Deal with Delacorte

Following a successful slate of U.K. releases and U.S imports, author Cynthia Murphy will pen new YA thrillers under a three-book deal with Delacorte Press. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-11-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
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