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 ]
K-Ming Chang’s debut novel tells the stories of three generations of Taiwanese women through the beasts, both real and mythical, they encounter. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-09-29 09:00:07 UTC ]
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Michael Joseph has triumphed in a five-way auction for Evening Standard features editor Phoebe Luckhurst's “hilarious” debut novel The Lock In. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-28 12:02:59 UTC ]
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Before writing my debut novel Bestiary, I began a year-long process of translating letters written by my grandmother, many of which were addressed to people I didn’t know. While attempting these translations, I realized the impossibilities and possibilities of the task—the losses and gaps and... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2020-09-28 11:00:00 UTC ]
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John Murray Press will publish Ilona Bannister's debut novel When I Ran Away on its Two Roads imprint. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-28 10:28:24 UTC ]
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Viking has pre-empted Our New Names, a “heartbreaking” debut novel from Khashayar J Khabushani. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-25 03:48:29 UTC ]
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Candlewick Press, a US imprint of the Walker Book Group, has acquired global rights to The Beatryce Prophecy, the first collaboration from author Kate DiCamillo and illustrator Sophie Blackall. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-18 00:15:20 UTC ]
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“Everything is copy.” That was an Ephron family saying that I’ve adopted as my own maxim, and it is in that spirit that my debut novel A World Between––a tale of two queer women of color, Eleanor and Leena, who grow away from and towards each other over the course of 13 years––is a web […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-09-15 08:48:45 UTC ]
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Books written by incarcerated writers raise vital questions about how we can build a more just society: Your weekly guide to the best in books Continue reading at The Atlantic
[ The Atlantic | 2020-09-11 17:15:05 UTC ]
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Yaa Gyasi’s debut novel Homegoing told the story of two branches of a Ghanaian family, one descended from a woman who marries a white slave trader and whose line stays in Ghana, another descended from her half-sister who is captured and sent to America in bondage. Gyasi’s second novel... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2020-09-11 11:00:00 UTC ]
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These YA books with trans protagonists by trans and non-binary authors range from contemporary to speculative fiction, including titles like When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-09-10 10:38:02 UTC ]
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An excerpt from a debut novel Kirkus calls "hypnotizing and inscrutable." The post ‘Pink Mountain on Locust Island’: Featured Fiction from Jamie Marina Lau appeared first on The Millions. Continue reading at The Millions
[ The Millions | 2020-09-09 10:00:12 UTC ]
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“The Discomfort of Evening,” by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, winner of this year’s International Book Prize, is about strictly religious dairy farmers mourning a son’s death. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-09-08 16:16:33 UTC ]
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Harvill Secker has won a debut novel by K-Ming Chang in a "heated" five-way auction. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-07 06:51:52 UTC ]
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Oprah’s Flatiron imprint nabs a nonfiction title by a Nobel laureate, Holt buys a debut novel by a PRH UK editor, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-09-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
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HQ has scooped The Steel Girls, a debut novel from journalist and university lecturer Michelle Rawlins, in a three-book deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-01 19:21:33 UTC ]
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Ros Anderson’s debut novel may not break new ground, but the depth of its first-person presentation is a quiet triumph. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-08-30 06:19:39 UTC ]
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In 'Transcendent Kingdom,' Yaa Gyasi's second novel, she focuses on America — its promise and peril — and on one Ghanaian American family in Alabama. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-08-27 16:49:47 UTC ]
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A story collection offers a cleareyed survey of the Black American experience, and a debut novel traverses hundreds of versions of Earth. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-08-27 09:00:05 UTC ]
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Janet, the acerbic narrator of Lucie Britsch’s debut novel Sad Janet, is a resister. She’s sad—has been for most of her life—and doesn’t want to take the pills that big pharma, her mother, and the culture at-large is pushing on her to “fix” her. She’s content with sadness, and she’s not into the... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2020-08-26 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Tinder Press has acquired a debut novel by Naomi Ishiguro, former bookseller and bibliotherapist at Mr B’s Emporium in Bath. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-20 02:07:21 UTC ]
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