‘It’s quite galling’: children’s authors frustrated by rise in celebrity-penned titles

Keira Knightley is latest star to publish a children’s book, but some say trend pushes aside genuine writers and makes it harder to find great children’s fiction“A modern classic by Keira Knightley” reads the provisional cover of the actor’s debut children’s book, I Love You Just the Same. Set to be published next October, the 80-page volume, written and illustrated by Knightley, is about a girl navigating the changing dynamics that come with the arrival of a sibling.The Pirates of the Caribbean star is the latest in a long list of celebrities to have turned to writing children’s books. McFly’s Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter have been hovering at the top of the bestseller chart since the publication last month of their latest book The Dinosaur that Pooped Halloween!. Earlier in the year, David Walliams dominated with his newest book Astrochimp. The entertainer has sold 25m copies of his children’s titles in the UK alone, according to Nielsen BookData. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2024-10-20 13:00:48 UTC ]
News tagged with: #authors frustrated #trend pushes #genuine writers #provisional cover #80-page volume #girl navigating #changing dynamics #caribbean star #long list #tom fletcher #dougie poynter #bestseller chart #pooped halloween #nielsen bookdata #nielsen #latest book

Other Publishing stories related to: '‘It’s quite galling’: children’s authors frustrated by rise in celebrity-penned titles'


Book sales boom but authors report shrinking incomes

Calls for writers to reap rewards as British publishers enjoy record-breaking yearA record-breaking year for publishers has been greeted with renewed demands for authors to receive a bigger slice of income and investment, as sales of books passed the £5.7bn mark in 2017.Book sales income was up... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sharp contrast #recent survey


Publishers should 'hire more BAME staff' to improve representation in children’s books

Hiring more employees of colour and seeing stories with BAME characters as normal, not niche, are just some ideas suggested by the book industry following a damning report which revealed that only 4% of all the children’s books published in the UK last year featured a black, Asian or minority... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bame characters #book industry #year featured


Bloomsbury's first quarter sales rise 3.7%

Total revenues at Bloomsbury were up 3.7% year-on-year for the four months ending 30th June 2018 following a "particularly strong result" from the adult consumer division. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #total revenues #7% year-on-year


Dara Ó Briain to release second children's book

Scholastic will this autumn publish a second children’s book by comedian Dara Ó Briain. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #autumn publish


Brown bags it: Origin scores author's 77th week at number one

Dan Brown’s Origin (Corgi) has shot straight into the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, selling 38,735 copies for £151,251. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #brown bags #dan brown #origin corgi


Watkins gives indies early release date for foraging title

Watkins Media is launching a campaign for independent bookshops for its upcoming title Foraging With Kids by Adele Nozedar. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #watkins media #independent bookshops


BAME characters should be 'more central' in children's books

Ethnic minority characters should feature in more books and not be defined by their "otherness". Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2018-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bame characters


'Alarming' study reveals only 4% of children's books feature a BAME character

Only 4% of all the children’s books published in the UK last year featured a black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) character, according to “alarming” new figures from a study into ethnic representation in children’s literature. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #study reveals #year featured #ethnic representation


John A. Stormer, popular right-wing author, dies at 90

John A. Stormer, a religious leader and right-wing activist whose self-published Cold War tract “None Dare Call it Treason” became a grassroots sensation in 1964 and a rallying point for the emerging conservative movement, has died at 90. Stormer died July 10 after an unspecified yearlong... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


The Guardian view on children’s books: a restricted view of a wide world | Editorial

Almost a third of school-age children are from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. But they will still struggle to find characters who resemble themselvesBooks can show us the world both as it is, and as it could be – “mirrors and windows”, as the author Malorie Blackman notes. For... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bame characters #titles featured #bame protagonists #white boys


Book by rising Democratic star Kamala Harris coming in 2019

Sen. Kamala Harris of California, a rising star in the Democratic Party who is sometimes cited as a possible presidential contender in 2020, has a book deal. Penguin Press announced Tuesday that Harris' "The Truths We Hold: An American Journey" will come out Jan. 8. According to Penguin, Harris... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #kamala harris #book deal #rising star #democratic party


Del Boy pens new book for Ebury

Ebury has struck a new deal with the "Only Fools and Horses" estate to publish a new book from Derek "Del Boy" Trotter. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Authors Guild Demands South Carolina Police Cease Pressure on School About Reading List

The Authors Guild releases a letter sent to the president of a South Carolina police association: 'Attempts at censorship by law enforcement organizations cannot be tolerated in a democracy.' The post Authors Guild Demands South Carolina Police Cease Pressure on School About Reading List... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Hachette creates new award for northern children's writers

Hachette Children’s Group and New Writing North are creating a new award for debut children’s writers from the North of England. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #writing north #hachette children #debut children


Stig of the Dump author King dies aged 94

Clive King, author of children's classic Stig of the Dump, has died aged 94. He passed away in Norfolk on 10th July. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Alice Williams launches children’s literary agency

Literary agent Alice Williams has left David Higham Associates after 10 years to launch her own agency. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #literary agency


HC rushes-out celebration of England's 'Young Lions' as World Cup boosts sales

HarperCollins is the first publisher to rush out a book celebrating England’s “Young Lions”, announced hours after the team crashed out of the Fifa World Cup following a heart-breaking defeat to Croatia in extra time. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #extra time


Pullman and Fickling to speak at The Bookseller Children’s Conference

Philip Pullman and David Fickling will talk about the author/editor relationship at this year’s The Bookseller Children’s Conference, which is taking place in London this September. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #philip pullman #david fickling #bookseller children #taking place


Green Tree celebrates first birthday

Green Tree, Bloomsbury’s new health and wellbeing imprint, celebrated its first year and looked ahead to an "exciting and inspiring" list of upcoming authors and titles. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #wellbeing imprint #upcoming authors


Children’s book on masculinity signed by Wayland

Wayland Books, part of the Hachette Children’s Group, is publishing a non-fiction title about masculinity by Jeffrey Boakye and Darren Chetty. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hachette children #non-fiction title #jeffrey boakye