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 ]
Scrolling book-reveals for Lit Hub’s Climate Change Library I sighed, “Here we go again.” On the first day, “Part One: The Classics” listed 48 books written by mostly white authors. The four exceptions, Robert D. Bullard, a Black American and Winona LaDuke, an Indigenous North American, along... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-07-26 08:50:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Only 37% of books published in Scotland over the course of 2017 were written by women, showing gender inequality is still “structural and persistent”, according to new research shared by pressure group ROAR. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-26 05:14:33 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Center for Fiction announced its 2019 First Novel Prize Longlist yesterday. The award is given to the “best debut novel published between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31 of the award year,” and the prize-winning author receives $10,000. Here is the 2019 longlist (featuring many titles from our 2019 Book... Continue reading at The Millions
[ The Millions | 2019-07-25 17:22:45 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Scribe has snapped up Mr B's bookseller Jessica Gaitán Johannesson's debut novel in a two-book deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-22 18:31:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Pamela Dorman pays up for a debut novel by a former publicity director at Penguin Books Canada, and Princeton University Press lands a big book on the gender pay gap in this week's notable book deals. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-07-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Little, Brown imprint Piatkus has landed the “smart and funny” debut novel from Hannah Tovey in a two-book deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-09 16:51:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Titan Books will publish the supernatural-themed debut novel by Cambridge University librarian and writer Marian Womack as part of a two book deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-01 17:49:35 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Last year, I read R.F. Kuang’s debut novel The Poppy War. I found myself flung backwards in time to August ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-06-28 10:41:44 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Muhammad Khan and his editor Lucy Pearse have won this year’s Branford Boase Award for a debut novel for children or young people with I Am Thunder (Macmillan Children’s Books). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-27 15:50:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Juliet Escoria’s “Juliet the Maniac” sees the life of a bipolar teenager in gut-wrenching fragments. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2019-06-24 09:00:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The host of NPR's "Pop Culture Happy Hour" podcast has written her debut novel, the romantic comedy "Evvie Drake Starts Over." Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2019-06-19 22:05:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Hachette Books Ireland has snapped up an "incredible" debut novel by Irish journalist Sophie White about the world of Instagram influencers. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-17 14:38:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Raymond Antrobus and 70-year-old debut novelist Anne Youngson are among the winners of this year's £100,000 Society of Authors' Awards. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-17 02:12:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Taffy Brodesser-Akner's debut novel is a divorce novel wrapped around a mystery: What are women really up to? Continue reading at The Huffington Post
[ The Huffington Post | 2019-06-16 12:00:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Zaffre has bagged an "unbelievably timely" debut novel from Helly Acton, which has already been optioned for TV, in a two-book deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-14 12:23:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Ocean Vuong reads from his stunning debut novel, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous. Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2019-06-14 12:00:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Allen & Unwin will publish the debut novel by Sophie Hardcastle, a research assistant at Oxford University, exploring “the female ill-treatment at the hands of men”. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-13 21:53:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Picador has pre-empted a “razor-sharp, brutal and darkly comic” debut novel from recent NYU graduate Raven Leilani about a black millennial woman pulled into a suburban white couple’s life. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-13 21:43:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this
“We call them Bunnies because that is what they call each other,” explains Samantha Heather Mackey, the narrator of Mona Awad’s new novel, “Bunny.” “Seriously. Bunny. … Bunny, I love you. I love you, Bunny.” Awad does so many things right in “Bunny,” her follow-up to her 2016 debut novel,... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-06-11 15:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Canongate will publish Stephen Hall's new book, Maxwell's Demon, in February 2020, with a six-figure pre-empt in the US. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this