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 ]
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Self-published books make up 43 percent of the print titles released in 2011 and helped to drive the first growth in print production since 2007, according to a new study from Bowker. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pearson, the owner of Penguin, and Bertelsmann, Random House's parent company, are currently in discussions to merge the two companies. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An attorney for Tom Cruise said he filed a US$50 million defamation lawsuit Wednesday against the publishers of Life & Style magazine for articles that said the actor has abandoned his 6-year-old daughter, Suri. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2012-10-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A lack of trained professionals, of distribution channels for books, of good infrastructure, and piracy plague Indian publishers, but a dialogue for change has begun. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A rising middle class, looser regulations and ebook growth puts India ahead of China on many publishers agendas, says OUP's group strategist. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Celebrating 20 years, Beirut's Francophone Book Fair will honor the Goncourt Academy and launch a new book prize, despite recent escalated violence in the city. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-10-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At the Frankfurt Book Fair this year, representatives from a number of indie publishers demonstrated the impact they are having on the industry as a whole. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-10-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With competitive bookstores, strong sales and three major languages - Hebrew, Arabic and Russian - Israel's small but vibrant publishing industry is on the rise. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon is forcing publishers to start negotiations over ebook prices exclusive of the full 20%... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The recommendations of friends was the top driver behind children's discovery of new titles,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Australia's first major literary prize for women's writing, the Stella Prize, said to be... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers are still prepared to pay good money up front for the right books, agents have told... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Seven current and former heads of major American publishing houses have published a joint statement opposing hate speech in Saudi textbooks. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Friday Project has signed up a self-published crime writer who sets her novels among London... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon has been approaching UK publishers ahead of the launch of its Kindle lending service, with... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lena Dunham, creator of HBO’s Girls, signed a $3.7 million book deal with Random House. Rob Spillman says it is emblematic of all that is wrong with corporate publishing today. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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NewsCred is a media upstart that offers a one-stop shop for high quality content from the likes of the Economist and Bloomberg. After relaunching less than a year ago with a $4 million investment, the company’s technology-driven syndication ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Johnny Depp launches his own book imprint with publishing company HarperCollins. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2012-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In splitting News Corp. into two companies, Rupert Murdoch is creating something he hasn't had in years: an Australian media company. By some measures, the publishing company to emerge from the division of News Corp. sometime next year will have ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cornerstone has appointed Jenny Geras as publishing director of Arrow, with Geras moving from Pan... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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