Francophone African books are still very often published by French imprints, which can make them hard to get at home. But there is a growing push for changeWhen Cameroonian author Daniel Alain Nsegbe first saw his debut novel for sale in his home city of Douala, the price was so high “you would have to ask someone to stop eating for two days in order to buy the book”. It was around 16,000 CFA francs (£20); the average monthly salary in Douala is £150. The book, Ceux qui sortent dans la nuit (Those Who Go Out at Night) was published by Grasset, a French imprint.This is not uncommon: Francophone African authors, whether classic or contemporary, are often published by French, not African presses. This arrangement began in colonial times, but continues because of a number of factors that are particular to France. Publishers frequently push for world rights for all books written in French. Many African writers operate without agents, who would usually divide up rights territories on their behalf. Agents are still a new feature on the African literary landscape, meaning that many classics, such as 1953’s L’enfant noir (The African Child) by Guinean author Camara Laye, and Algerian writer Kateb Yacine’s 1956 novel Nedjma, are owned by publishers in France (Plon and Éditions du Seuil respectively). As French publishers continue to control distribution and pricing, classic authors go missing from bookshelves while contemporary authors struggle to get their books in the hands of... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2020-05-14 09:59:14 UTC ]
Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, has penned her debut novel, a fictional account of her great-great aunt's life, to be published by Mills & Boon. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-12 22:12:59 UTC ]
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It’s no secret that the tech world has a troubling track record with diversity in the workplace, especially with the dearth of Black and Latinx employees in key roles. Author Mateo Askaripour confronts the lack of diversity within the workplace with satire in his debut novel Black Buck. Some... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2021-01-07 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Titan Books has swooped for Suburban Dicks, the "knock-out" debut novel by Deadpool co-creator Fabian Nicieza. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-06 00:00:41 UTC ]
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"The Prophets," by Robert Jones Jr., depicts an intense bond between Isaiah and Samuel on a plantation in unbearable and untenable circumstances. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-12-29 15:00:38 UTC ]
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The Thursday Murder Club sees off titles by Barack Obama and David Walliams in chaotic week for Britain’s book tradeRichard Osman’s cosy mystery about a group of elderly sleuths, The Thursday Murder Club, has become the first debut novel ever to become the Christmas No 1, selling a remarkable... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-12-22 15:00:18 UTC ]
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Puffin has scooped The Ice Whisperers, a "haunting and magical" debut novel from Helenka Stachera, in a two-book deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-17 14:35:34 UTC ]
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Jonathan Cape has won a 10-publisher auction for Fire Rush, the “phenomenal” debut novel by Jacqueline Crooks. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-09 10:11:08 UTC ]
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Elliott & Thompson has acquired world rights to Tim Marshall’s latest book, The Power of Geography, the long-awaited sequel to Prisoners of Geography. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-08 20:07:48 UTC ]
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What do Brit Bennett, Megan Thee Stallion, and Sascha Baron Cohen all have in common? They’ve all joined The Weeknd in being named Entertainment Weekly’s 2020 Entertainers of the Year. Though I’ve loved Bennett since her 2017 debut novel The Mothers, this well-deserved recognition comes on the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-12-03 16:03:02 UTC ]
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In Fariha Róisín’s debut novel Like a Bird, protagonist Taylia Chatterjee lives a privileged life on Manhattan’s Upper West Side with her sister Alyssa. Alyssa often receives preferential treatment from their liberal, overbearing parents—a white Jewish mom, a Hindu Bengali dad. Taylia is... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2020-12-01 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Here are five books written by BIPOC authors that each detail the intricacies of different complicated families. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-12-01 11:37:00 UTC ]
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Han’s debut novel follows a Chinese couple reaching for the American Dream while raising their children in Texas. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-11-30 16:27:21 UTC ]
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The debut novel from former Daunt Books bookseller Ben Hinshaw will be published by Viking in spring 2022. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-25 14:18:40 UTC ]
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Last week, Douglas Stuart’s Shuggie Bain was announced this year’s Booker Prize winner. It’s no small feat for any writer, but what makes this win so spectacular is the fact that Shuggie Bain is a debut novel. (It’s only the fifth debut novel to win in the Booker’s 51-year-old history.) During... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-11-24 09:51:08 UTC ]
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The Shuggie Bain author grew up in a culture that discouraged boys from reading. His debut novel just won the Booker Prize. The post Douglas Stuart on Writing in Secret appeared first on The Millions. Continue reading at The Millions
[ The Millions | 2020-11-20 21:30:09 UTC ]
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Tomorrow marks sixty years since civil rights icon, activist and writer Ruby Bridges was the first Black child to integrate a Southern elementary school—and today, Scholastic announced three forthcoming books written by Bridges, which will be released from spring 2022-23. The three new books are... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-11-13 17:02:57 UTC ]
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It was announced earlier today that MGM is teaming with Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment, Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films, and director Kamilah Forbes on a film adaptation of National Book Award-winner Ta-Nehisi Coates’ 2019 bestselling novel, The Water Dancer. Coates’ debut novel tells the story of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-11-11 15:33:22 UTC ]
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Yang’s debut novel owes a debt to Edith Wharton’s “The House of Mirth,” though Ivy Lin is no Lily Bart. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-11-05 16:42:29 UTC ]
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‘She knew it was a trick of the lonely to favour the rude to the simply unmoved; that the loneliest thing in these villages and in this most tucked-away of professions was to elicit no response at all.’ Marina Kemp’s debut novel Nightingale is shortlisted for the 2020 Young Writer of the Year... Continue reading at Granta
[ Granta | 2020-11-05 11:53:49 UTC ]
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Richard Osman's debut crime novel The Thursday Murder Club (Viking) has been named W H Smith's Book of the Year for 2020. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-05 01:31:10 UTC ]
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