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 ]
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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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“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 ]
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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 ]
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Indonesia is the country of focus at the London Book Fair this year and recently at Frankfurt - to what extent do you think Indonesian literature is finally having it's moment in the spotlight? I cannot say for certain what these one-off ‘spotlights’ on Indonesian literature would mean for... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2019-02-08 10:06:53 UTC ]
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The shortlist for the 2019 International Prize for Arabic Fiction was announced today at the El-Hakawati Palestinian National Theatre in East Jerusalem. The IPAF - often referred to as the ‘Arabic Booker’ - is an annual literary prize for prose fiction, which encourages the readership of... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2019-02-05 16:33:45 UTC ]
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Orion imprint Seven Dials has acquired the world rights to social media star Rebecca Meldrum’s first book. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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There's still much to be learned from books written by the great minds of advertising's golden age, but it's hard to deny that almost any advice printed to the page quickly becomes dated in today's digitally driven world. To illustrate that point, and boost turnout at an upcoming IdeasFirst... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2018-04-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers across Europe have pre-empted translation rights to The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris from Bonnier Zafffre, which has world rights. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House has scooped the world rights to publish former US president Barack Obama's book along with a title from his wife Michelle, in a deal reported to have topped $65m (£52.5m). Barack and Michelle are writing separate books, but brokered the deal together through literary agent... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House Children’s has pre-empted the world rights to Twelve Nights, the debut children’s book by Andrew Zurcher, director of studies in English at Queen’s College Cambridge. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Puffin Books will next year release a series of Dr Who books written and illustrated in the style of Mr Men. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Eyewear Publishing has acquired the world rights to Jeremy Reed's The Billy Boy Remixes. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ilex Press, part of Octopus, will publish Superstars of YouTube: The 100% Unofficial Dot-to-Dot Book by Abi Daker in October 2016, featuring famous vloggers such as Zoella, Alfie Deyes and Dan and Phil. World rights are available. Zara Larcombe of Ilex said: “The popularity of YouTubers has... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This year's Taipei fair highlighted shifting interest for local readers who are now more interested in history, democracy, capitalism...and adult coloring books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Miriam Rosenbloom, commissioning editor of Scribe’s children’s imprint Scribble, has acquired the world rights for Jennifer Higgie’s debut children’s picture book, There’s Not One. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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