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 ]
In her debut novel A History of Burning, Janika Oza gives us the story of a family, one migration journey at a time. Beginning with indentured labor that leads the first member of the family, Pirbhai, from his home in India to East Africa, we follow four generations across several continents and... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2023-05-12 11:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
A large-format photo book reveals the toll of industrialization on the landscapes of sub-Saharan Africa. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-05-05 09:00:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this
HarperCollins buys world rights to a collection of journals and lyrics by Amy Winehouse, NBCC winner Isaac Butler sells a “military history of the first decade in the culture wars” to Bloomsbury, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The award, championing small presses with fewer than five staff, was won by The Doloriad – an audaciously original novel set in a post-apocalyptic dystopiaDead Ink Books has won the Republic of Consciousness prize for small presses for Missouri Williams’s “astonishing” debut novel The Doloriad.... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-04-26 08:35:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this
One of the most common concerns I heard from teachers when I interviewed hundreds of educators for my book, The Teachers: A Year Inside America’s Most Vulnerable, Important Profession, was the negative portrayals of their profession by politicians, certain groups of parents, and on social media.... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-12 08:52:04 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Jeff Boyd’s searching debut novel portrays a Black musician alienated from his city, his faith and his past. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-04-10 09:00:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Actor Millie Bobby Brown sells a debut novel to William Morrow, and S&S buys a memoir from Sheila Johnson, cofounder of BET. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-07 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
“I queued up to get his autograph with nothing but a dollar bill for him to sign,” says the pop star, whose debut novel is “This Bird Has Flown.” “He glanced up, amused, gave me a mischievous half-smile and said, ‘Ah, defacing U.S. currency,’ and proceeded to sign it.” Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-04-06 09:00:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Bangles singer Susanna Hoffs has written a novel, 'This Bird Has Flown,' about an 'over-the-hill' one-hit wonder finding love — and it kind of rocks. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-04-03 13:00:21 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Millie Bobby Brown of 'Stranger Things' will release her debut novel later this year. 'Nineteen Steps' is inspired by her grandma's experiences during WWII. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-03-24 22:14:27 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Formative love affairs and sentimental educations are classic novelistic territory. And for good reason— these connections serve as catalysts, tell stories taut with tension, and leave characters forever changed. Madelaine Lucas’s debut novel Thirst for Salt describes such a relationship, set in... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2023-03-09 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
When Alice Winn stumbled on the archives of her British boarding school’s newspaper, she discovered a world, only to see it “destroyed and dismantled” during World War I. She brought it back in her novel, “In Memoriam.” Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-03-05 14:54:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Tracey Rose Peyton is the guest. She is the author of the debut novel Night Wherever We Go, available from Ecco Books. Subscribe and download the episode, wherever you get your podcasts! From the episode: Brad Listi: This book really brought into focus for me the awful risks and costs of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-03-03 09:53:42 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Alfred A. Knopf will publish the debut novel by Dann McDorman, the executive producer of MSNBC’s 'The Beat with Ari Melber,' this fall. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-24 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
“The Applicant,” a debut novel by Nazli Koca, features a worldly-wise 20-something Turkish writer who works as a cleaner at a Berlin hostel while struggling to figure out what kind of life she wants to lead. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-02-14 10:00:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The last few months have been an exciting time in the world of publishing, not only for the litany of debut novel and short story collection releases, but also for the publication of two long gestating, highly anticipated projects by Cormac McCarthy and Katherine Dunn. The 89-year old’s first... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2023-02-10 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Marisa Crane’s debut novel I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself is set outside of our reality: in an America where a cruel form of public shaming has taken the place of prisons. In Exoskeletons we meet Kris, a new mother struggling to see a future for herself and her kid in the wake of her partner’s... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2023-02-07 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
A debut novel from Kira Yarmysh, a longtime critic of Vladimir Putin, offers an intimate look at political imprisonment. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-02-06 10:00:09 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The young Black woman giggles behind her hands as she sits in the furthest corner of the lecture hall at the DC public library where I’m launching Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm, my debut novel about a cast of women, of all ages and backgrounds, who become entangled with a freedom-loving jazz... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-02-06 09:55:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this
On an isolated island in Maine, a woman is pushed to the brink to save her family, in Meghan Gilliss’ debut novel “Lungfish.” Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2023-01-19 22:19:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this