Kamila Shamsie: let’s have a year of publishing only women – a provocation

It is clear that there is a gender bias in publishing houses and the world of books. Well, enough. Why not try something radical? Make 2018 the Year of Publishing Women, in which no new titles should be by menSeveral years ago, Martin Amis chaired a literary festival panel on “The Crisis of American Fiction” with Richard Ford, Jay McInerney and Junot Díaz. I was in the audience, and halfway through the discussion leaned over to the person sitting next to me and said: “Clearly the crisis of American fiction is that there are no women in it.” It’s not just that there weren’t any women on the stage. In the entire discussion, which lasted nearly an hour, there was no mention of Toni Morrison, Marilynne Robinson, Annie Proulx, Anne Tyler, Donna Tartt, Jhumpa Lahiri or any other contemporary female writer. A single reference to Eudora Welty was the only acknowledgment that women in the US have ever had anything to do with the world of letters. Díaz, near the end of the hour, made the point that the conversation had centred on white American males, but it was too little, too late.I think of this panel when reading yet another article or survey about the gender imbalance that exists in publishing houses, in terms of reviews, top positions in publishing houses, literary prizes etc. The issue can’t of course be broken down into a story of fair-minded women versus bigoted men. Like any effective system of power – and patriarchy is, over time and space, the world’s most effective... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #anne tyler #donna tartt #jhumpa lahiri #gender imbalance #top positions #literary prizes #effective system #win prizes

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Tennessee Public Library to Publish Books with IngramSpark

A public library in Franklin, Tennessee has launched its own publishing imprint, Academy Park Press, using the IngramSpark platform for distribution and print-on-demand. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Publishing Aims at Christian Market with New Imprint

Amazon Publishing adds Waterfall Press to its growing family of publishing imprints. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Canongate to publish Slingerland

Canongate has acquired Edward Slingerland’s book Trying Not To Try: The Anicent Art of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Is 2014 the year of the woman writer?

Advocates for women writers – working to counter what is seen as bias towards males in the literary community – suddenly seem to be everywhere. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How HarperCollins's Chief Digital Officer Uses Big Data To Make Publishing More Profitable

As more readers favor Kindles and iPads over pulp-based books, Chantal Restivo-Alessi of HarperCollins is mining digital data to determine how publishers can maximize profits.Having worked at EMI records for over a decade, Chantal Restivo-Alessi knows what it's like to have the digitization of... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2014-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google Launches AdSense Direct with Small Publishers in Mind

On Tuesday, Jan. 21 Google introduced AdSense Direct, an ad solution for publishers looking to initiate their own direct ad sales. Publishers will need to establish their own deals with advertisers, but once they do the transaction is as simple as sharing a link. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2014-01-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Stieg Larsson publisher Quercus driven to seek buyer

Independent which brought the Millennium trilogy to millions of English-language readers puts company up for saleThe publisher behind The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, independent press Quercus, has put itself up for sale in what it has described as a "challenging" and "increasingly competitive"... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BiblioBoard Adds New Publishers

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Issues on the Ether: Is Self-Publishing a Flying Leap?

Porter Anderson sets up Wednesday's #EtherIssue live Twitter discussion with a look at perceptions of self-publishing: Hard? Easy? What does it take to do well? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Literal: America’s Newest Bilingual and Spanish Book Publisher

Literal magazine, the well-regarded English and Spanish literature magazine literature, has expanded into bilingual and Spanish-language books by Latin American writers. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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On Becoming a (Self) Publisher

Nick Ruffilo transitioned from technologist to a self-published author, and shares tips and lessons learned from experiments with various platforms. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Gollancz to publish second Game of Thrones tie-in

Gollancz will publish a sequel to Inside HBO’s Game of Thrones, covering the making of the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Southern Newspaper Publishers Association Launches Mentorship Program

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[ Editor & Publisher | 2014-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Most writers earn less than £600 a year, survey reveals

Figures show the vast majority of authors, both traditionally and self-published, are struggling to make a living from their workThe publishing industry has never been so sharply divided. In the week when the erotica writer Sylvia Day signed a staggering eight-figure two-book deal with St... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sports Illustrated Gets New Publisher in Brendan Ripp

Time Inc. has named Brendan Ripp publisher of Sports Illustrated and its website SI.com, the company said Thursday. He succeeds Frank Wall, who is leaving Time Inc. for a job with Turner Sports.A 14-year veteran of Time Inc., Mr. Ripp was most recently VP-sales and marketing at Fortune magazine.... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2014-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Eksmo and AST: Russia’s Two Publishing Giants Merge

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Shoptalk: Five Publishing Predictions for 2014

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[ Editor & Publisher | 2014-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jaipur Literary FestivaI to Covers Challenges in Indian Publishing

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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5 Trends for Academic Publishing in 2014

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wider publishing industry 'worth £10bn to UK in 2012'

A new report by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has shown that the publishing... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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