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

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Kamila Shamsie: let’s have a year of publishing only women – a provocation'


New Year's Honours for Horowitz and Peyton

Authors Anthony Horowitz and K M Peyton have been recognised in the New Year's Honours list... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-12-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #honours list


Byliner Publishes New Elmore Leonard Stories

The two stories were written in 1958 while the late writer was working at a Detroit-based advertising agency. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-12-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #late writer


2013 Was a Good Year for Chromebooks

New data from NPD suggests that Chromebooks accounted for 21 percent of all commercial notebook sales. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2013-12-29 22:12:57 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #good year


'Shelf-help' books set to fill publishers' coffers in 2014

New 'intellectually credible' self-improvement books set to outsell celebrity biographies in 2014Sir Alex Ferguson may have the coveted Christmas number one spot with the record-breaking sales of his memoir, My Autobiography. But not even celebrity memoirs are likely to match the publishing... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ve made


The Greatest Magazine Ever Published

Last summer in a used bookstore, I happened on an enormous, bound volume of Life magazine, from July–September 1945. I opened to the very first story in the first issue, July 2, 1945. The headline read:   Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2013-12-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #life magazine


Neil Gaiman wins Book of the Year

Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane beats fellow National Book Award winners in a public vote to find 2013's book of the year. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2013-12-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #public vote


Bestselling books 2013: The case of the disappearing women

The shock of the new has given way to the comfort of the old in this year's bestseller list, with plenty of football and blokey chefsSee the chart in fullTwo female newcomers dominated the all‑year bestsellers list at this point last year. EL James (Fifty Shades of Grey) and Suzanne Collins (The... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sleeper hit


Gaiman's Ocean voted Specsavers Book of the Year

Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane (Headline) has been voted Specsavers Book of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-12-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #neil gaiman


Reuters dodges questions about death of 17-year-old photographer in Syria

Molhem Barakat, a freelance photographer reputed to be just 17 years old, has been killed while covering the conflict in Syria.He died on Friday (20 December) in Aleppo during a battle at Kindi hospital between rebel groups and forces loyal to the president, Bashar al-Assad.Dozens of Barakat's... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #deeply saddened


‘Twas the Night before Christmas’ at the Book Publisher

Clement Clarke Moore's famous holiday poem re-imagined by a book publisher on a bit of a bender. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-12-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book publisher


Ebooks: self-publish and be annotated

One might not be able to share an ebook, but it's possible to highlight and annotate them for all to see.There is a moment in The Confessions when Saint Augustine is astonished to find another scholar, Saint Ambrose, reading silently to himself. This quiet encounter 16 centuries ago might be... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #library book


New Year Pussy Riot book from Granta

Granta is bringing forward to publication of Masha Gessen's Words Will Break Cement: The... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-12-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bringing forward #masha gessen


A Chinese Publisher in New York

While George Zhu, founder of CN Times Books, the newly launched U.S. subsidiary of Beijing Mediatime Books, is impressed by the “professionalism” of U.S. publishing, he’s also surprised by American inefficiency. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #chinese publisher #newly launched


Treat online abuse of women and girls as robustly as offline, authorities urged

Call on police and prosecutors by women's group EVAW comes as report reveals extent of sexual harassment on social mediaWomen's groups are calling on the police and prosecutors to treat abuse of women and girls online as "robustly" as they do offline, as a report published on Thursday reveals... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #criminal offence #music videos #sex education


Screw magazine publisher Al Goldstein dies aged 77

Publisher who helped break down legal barriers against pornography dies in Brooklyn after long battle with illness Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #long battle


Ebyline Launches Pitch Board to Better Connect Seasoned Freelancers and Publishers

It can be hard out there for a freelancer. The avalanche of emails, stiff competition, low pay and ignored invoices all make it a real challenge. That’s why Ebyline, a conduit between digital publishers and writers, works to connect tho ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital publishers #stiff competition


Times publisher reports pre-tax losses of £24m

Times Newspapers Limited pays out £14m to departing directors, including chief executive Tom MockridgeThe publisher of the Times and the Sunday Times has reported a pre-tax loss of £24m, as payouts to departing directors hit £14m, according to financial filings for the year to 30 June 2013.Times... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #forseeable future


Sun publisher posts £75m pre-tax loss

News Group Newspapers took charges related to the phone-hacking scandal of almost £90m in the year to 30 JuneThe parent company of the Sun and Sun on Sunday has reported a pre-tax loss of £75m in the year to 30 June, after taking charges of almost £90m in relation to the phone-hacking... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishing rights #virgin media


Quercus to publish fourth book in Larsson's Millennium series

Quercus will publish a fourth book in Stieg Larsson's Millennium series, to be written by... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #stieg larsson #millennium series #fourth book


Independent bookstores and self-published authors are increasingly teaming up

Previously, independent bookstores tended to stay away from marketing self-published authors, but in the age of Amazon, some are embracing local authors no matter how they released their work. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #independent bookstores #self-published authors