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'


EIBF denies link with Publish America

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Tue, 16/08/2011 - 08:45 The Edinburgh International Book Festival has said it has no relationship with print-on-demand publisher Publish America, after the US firm sent letters to its mailing list of authors promising their books will be... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers "lax" on physical quality of books - Daunt

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Mon, 15/08/2011 - 15:49 Waterstone’s m.d. James Daunt has accused publishers of being “lax” in not paying enough attention to the physical quality of books while warning bricks and mortar bookshops will not survive unless they are good enough. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #accused publishers #james daunt #warning bricks #mortar bookshops


HarperCollins reports best year since 2008

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Thu, 11/08/2011 - 15:31 HarperCollins has had its best financial year since 2008, with ebook sales accounting for 10% of total revenue during the past four weeks, its c.e.o. has said. Victoria Barnsley was speaking as parent company NewsCorp reported... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #financial year #total revenue #victoria barnsley #media conglomerate


AppWatch : A Look at What Publishers are Launching in the Mobile Space

Move Over Rubik's Cube ... There's a New, Addicting Puzzle in Town App: Esquire's Hardest Puzzle Ever Produced by: Esquire magazine (Hearst) Price: First level and sponsor level are free; next four levels cost $4.99 (total) to... Continue reading at Publishing Executive

[ Publishing Executive | 2011-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mobile space


Apple and US publishers face agency lawsuit

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Wed, 10/08/2011 - 09:40 FIve US publishers and Apple have been named in a US lawsuit alleging the companies "illegally fix prices of electronic books" and that the five publishers "forced Amazon to abandon its discount pricing and adhere to a new... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #electronic books #agency model


The 10 Dumbest Things I’ve Heard This Year

When you deal with a lot of people, along with the brilliant stuff comes very dumb stuff as well. Inexperienced voices should be forgiven but when the big and powerful make appalling statements you have to ask yourself how they ever got their jobs.Here are some of the ones that have left me most... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers need to "stand firm" against digital giants

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Mon, 08/08/2011 - 16:08 Literary agent Andrew Wylie has said publishers need to "stand firm" in the face of digital companies like Amazon and Apple or risk being locked into an insupportable business model that is unable to reward writers. In an... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #stand firm #digital giants #digital companies #literary agent #digital distributors


Women's Insitute "disappointed" by library report

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Mon, 08/08/2011 - 16:45 The Women's Institute has expressed "disappointment" with the newly published Future Libraries Programme, the government backed report that made recommendations like putting libraries in the hands of community groups. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Phonics rules "hurting publishers"

Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Fri, 05/08/2011 - 14:16 Companies that publish phonics material have warned overseas sales are being lost as a result of a government listing of ‘approved’ phonics programmes. Last month the Department for Education published a new, slimmed-down list... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #smaller publishers


Women's Institute launches library petition

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Fri, 05/08/2011 - 12:43 The Women's Institute has launched an e-petition in support of public libraries. The petition calls for the value of libraries to be recognised at both local and national levels and asks the government "to honour both its... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #public libraries #petition calls #library service


July books spending hits seven year low

Written By: Philip Stone Publication Date: Thu, 04/08/2011 - 15:50 Spending on physical books in July slumped to its lowest level in seven years as ebooks continue to encroach onto traditional bookseller territory. According to Nielsen BookScan data, £111.5m was spent on printed books in the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #year low #physical books #lowest level #ebooks continue #printed books #volume sales #four-week period #6m year-on-year


Facebook buys innovative ebook publisher Push Pop Press

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Wed, 03/08/2011 - 09:14 Facebook has bought the innovative ebook publisher Push Pop Press but will not use the company to publish ebooks. The giant social networking website will instead use PPP's platform and technology to give "people even richer... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publish ebooks


The 10 Dumbest Things I've Heard All Year

Creative consultant JC Suares shares some of the biggest headscratchers he's heard from editors, publishers and designers. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ve heard


Illustrated Palazzo to celebrate 200 years of Austen

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Fri, 29/07/2011 - 15:25 Bath-based independent Palazzo is to publish illustrated editions of Jane Austen's novels to mark the bicentenary of their original publication. The Bath Bicentenary Editions will launch with Sense and Sensibility, first... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #jane austen #original publication #28th september #folio society


Yahoo Ad Network Rolling Out Publisher-Friendly Features

Even though ad exchanges and networks were created to lubricate the buying and selling of digital ad inventory, the system is still far from slippery. One lingering issue is that of transparency: when online publishers can’t sell all their inventory directly to advertisers (often at a premium),... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2011-07-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #long term #ad platform


Publishing Revenue Slips 3.2 Percent for MSLO in Second Quarter

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. reported revenue of $54.9 million for the second quarter of 2011 compared to $55.3 million during the same period last year. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Indie publishers ready digital editions and reprints after Booker fillip

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Wed, 27/07/2011 - 09:10 The smaller publishers whose titles have been selected for the Man Booker longlist, including Seren Books, Sandstone Press and Oneworld, are preparing to reprint the titles and release digital versions to meet the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #smaller publishers #sandstone press


Paperback Publishers Quicken Their Pace

A new-releases display at the Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle contains both paperbacks and hardcovers. Now publishers often don't wait the traditional year before bringing out paperbacks. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Leather to be published by Amazon Encore

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Tue, 26/07/2011 - 08:50 Stephen Leather's bestselling ebooks The Basement and Once Bitten are to be republished under Amazon.co.uk's Encore programme. He will join other indie writers such as Joe Konrath who have been picked by the initiative, which... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #amazon encore #bestselling ebooks #published books #indie writers #reader reviews #hodder stoughton


Indigo fires Canadian publishers' anger over changing terms

Written By: M J Deschamps in Ottawa Publication Date: Fri, 22/07/2011 - 15:02 Canadian publishers have attacked the decision by Indigo Books & Music, the country's biggest bookshop chain, to stock fewer books and evaluate returns on a shorter time frame. They claim it is putting extra... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishing industry #digital technology #canadian publishers #blockbuster titles #policy change