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 ]
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And whoever comes out on top, you can bet the poor old writer won't be any better offA few weeks ago, we published a book called Denglisch for Better Knowers, a (hopefully) humorous book about how the English language could be improved by taking new words and concepts from German. Like "ear... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The outcome of the current Amazon/Hachette pricing war has implications for the entire publishing industry, Wharton experts and others say. Continue reading at Knowledge@Wharton
[ Knowledge@Wharton | 2014-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A panel of veteran literary agents discussed the ways in which they now approach their jobs in the Thursday BookExpo panel “Beyond Authors: Self-Publishing & the 'New' Agents.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette author Jeffery Deaver among those speaking out against Amazon's decision to stop selling certain Hachette titlesStray punches in a corporate slugfest knocked spectacles from authors noses and left readers with black eyes this week, after Amazon, the online retailer, stopped selling... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Two new suits were filed this month against Apple and the five major publishers involved in a 2010 ebook price-fixing conspiracy, raising the possibility of a new ebook antitrust battle involving aggrieved retailers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords, has made the prediction that self-published books will account for 50% of ebook sales by 2020. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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SXSW Interactive (March 7-11), the annual tech festival, opens today in Austin, Tex. and expect to see a wide range of publishers and publishing-related events. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Signs from the UK Independent Publishers Guild conference signal a move toward bolder experiments with with content, DRM, and engagement to foster a brighter future. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's publishers Usborne Publishing and Nosy Crow won two awards each at tonight's (... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In this speech, German author Christoph Hein examines the importance of literature and honors Metropolitan Books' publisher Sara Bershtel for her work in bringing German literature to the USA. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Following a month of upheaval in the independent sector, publishers have told The Bookseller that... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bestselling Simon & Schuster authors Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley are now teaming up on the business side: the two writers are launching Brown Girls Publishing, a new digital publishing venture that debuts today. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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We used to know what it took to be a writer – you had to publish a book. But electronic publishing is piling pressure on myths of the author's lifeWhat's the difference between making money out of books and writing books that people want to buy? Turns out it's about 40% – if, that is, you... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For anyone struggling with choosing the perfect literary present this holiday season, there’s a large, vocal, and opinionated group that just might be able to help: the more than one million subscribers to the Books category on Reddit, the popular social media Web site. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Choc Lit has bought world rights in self-published author Kirsty Ferry’s adult fantasy The... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Thanks to Sherman Alexie's forgetfulness, writers across the U.S. will volunteer at their local bookstore Saturday for the inaugural Indies First day.Not long ago the writer Sherman Alexie missed one of his readings, standing up fans at the Queen Anne Book Company, a store in Seattle. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The self-publishing ecosystem in Germany is expanding into more dramatic experimentation, from crowdsourcing to offering author advances. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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IFC's upcoming The Spoils of Bablyon, a comedy miniseries that spoofs serious miniseries, is based on a book that seems to be sold out in Hudson News stores around the country. The problem with keeping the book in stock, though, is that there were never any printed copies. Eric Jonrosh (and the... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2013-11-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pan Macmillan has acquired five self-published and two unpublished novels by bestselling ebook... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-11-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Our weekly round-up of web buzz looks at Italy's RCS Libri / Rizzoli Lab effort in co-publishing; self-publishing in Germany; author contracts; and more. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-11-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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