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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Walliams to mark 10 years of publishing with special editions

HarperCollins Children’s Books is celebrating a decade of David Walliams’ chart dominance with new editions of his first two novels and two of his “most beloved” titles. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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One year in, Facebook Journalism Project gets mixed reviews from publishers

Publishers give Facebook credit for listening to them, but those that are looking for tangible, meaningful benefits say the initiative hasn’t delivered. The post One year in, Facebook Journalism Project gets mixed reviews from publishers appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A Record Year for Publishing Stocks—With a Caveat

A year that found four of the 10 companies on the PW Stock Index seeing double-digit stock price increases also saw Barnes & Noble and other big names struggle. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-01-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Best books of 2017: indie publishers on their favourite books of the year

India’s answer to Lear, a teen tale set amid the London riots and the first great book on grime. Experts pick 2017’s smartest, oddest and most overlooked readsCo-director, Tramp Press Continue reading... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-12-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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2018 will be the year Facebook makes nice with publishers

In the year ahead, publishers might well see more tangible support for video because Facebook knows news adds value to the platform. The post 2018 will be the year Facebook makes nice with publishers appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Best books of 2017: the hits and misses of the publishers’ year

The Man Booker winner, the diary of a junior doctor and the secret lives of cows ... Which books made their publishers proud – and which ones made them envious? Editor-in-chief, Bloomsbury Continue reading... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Insight Editions Marks 15 Years of Publishing for Fans

Insight Editions’ niche is to create literary portals for fans of various actors, musicians, and authors—and it's cornered its market. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Foyles' Books of the Year champion women's voices

Foyles has revealed its three Books of the Year, with Baileys Women’s Prize-winner Naomi Alderman taking the fiction crown for The Power (Viking). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New Designer of the Year winner Williams lands publishing deal

Jake Williams, winner of the Business Design Centre’s New Designer of the Year 2017, has signed a three book deal with Pavilion Children's Books. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tracey Armstrong on Women in Publishing: ‘Still Striving for Equal Pay’

Copyright Clearance Center's Tracey Armstrong is on Frankfurt Book Fair's 'The Markets' panel of female publishing executives. The post Tracey Armstrong on Women in Publishing: ‘Still Striving for Equal Pay’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-09-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PRH marks 50 years of publishing 'magical' Quentin Blake

Penguin Random House has celebrated 50 years of publishing Quentin Blake with an event which the illustrator described as the “most rewarding experience” of his life. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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US publishers' audio sales up 29% this year

Downloaded audio revenues in the US rose 29% in the first four months of this year by comparison to the same period in 2016, with April in particular surging to a 34% year-on-year rise, according to the latest figures from the Association of American Publishers. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ukraine Publishing Industry’s Bad Year: Closures Amid Kiev’s Russian Book Ban

The Ukrainian ban on Russian-language book imports is seen as contributing to closures and consolidations. Surviving publishers are reported struggling. The post Ukraine Publishing Industry’s Bad Year: Closures Amid Kiev’s Russian Book Ban appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-08-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Magabala Books: 30 years of Indigenous publishing – in pictures

Magabala Books was born in 1984, when a group of Indigenous elders from the Kimberley in Western Australia decided to establish their own publishing house focused on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers and illustrators, and telling Indigenous stories. Magabala publishes for a general... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Zine queens: how women’s magazines found new life via indie publishing

Promoting diversity and representing women on their own terms, female-led, DIY zines are on the rise in the UK. Here, the industry’s rising stars reveal how they’re reshaping the genre on their own termsThe British media has a diversity problem. Research at City University last year found the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After 37 Years of Adweek’s Hot List, We’re Changing Up the Way We Honor Publishers

In the 37 years since Adweek first honored standout magazines in its annual Hot List, the publishing industry has undergone a massive transformation (to put it mildly), which we've been helping our readers navigate in our pages and online. As such, we felt that the Hot List itself was due for a... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Audio Publishers Association: Annual Survey Cites a Third Year of Strong US Audiobook Sales Growth

APA estimates show 2016's audiobook sales growth expanding by almost 20 percent again. Sixty-seven million Americans say they finished an audiobook. The post Audio Publishers Association: Annual Survey Cites a Third Year of Strong US Audiobook Sales Growth appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Are things getting worse for women in publishing?

Voices from within an industry overwhelmingly staffed by women speak out about senior management that appears increasingly dominated by menHave you experienced a gender gap in publishing? Tell us your storiesWhen Edie and Eddie started work as junior editors in the same corporate book publisher,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-05-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales Jump in Boom Year for U.K. Publishing

U.K. publishing sales rose 7% in 2016 over 2015, fueled by rising exports from a Brexit-weakened pound. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Women Rule in Indie Publishing

Mainstream publishing, despite its heavily female workforce, has serious gender pay gap issues—but at independent houses, it's a woman's woman's woman's world. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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