'Nobody in Tesco buys spy books by women': how female authors took on the genre

Publishing’s long established boys’ club in espionage fiction is having its cover blown by a new school led by Stella Rimington, Manda Scott and Charlotte PhilbyWhen Stella Rimington, the former director general of MI5 and spy author, wrote a new foreword last year to The Spy’s Bedside Book, Graham Greene and his brother Hugh’s 1957 anthology , she was glowingly complimentary. She had just one complaint. “After everything we have done for spying, there is, apart from the obligatory reference to Mata Hari, hardly anything in this book about women!” she wrote.The Greene brothers aren’t alone in their short sight. Wikipedia lists 127 notable writers of spy fiction, dead and living, and only seven of them are women. (Rimington is one of them.) Pick any list of the best spy novels, and it will usually be peopled only by male writers such as John le Carré, John Buchan, Rudyard Kipling, Erskine Childers, Joseph Conrad, Len Deighton, Ian Fleming, Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum.Publishing has become much more gender-blind – before it was: ‘Only blokes can write this’ Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2020-01-07 09:00:54 UTC ]
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E-book App Applies Gaming E-Commerce Model To Mobile Reading

Tapas aims to optimize reading for mobile by dividing books into three- to five-minute chunks and charging readers as they go. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-04-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW Picks: Books of the Week, April 11, 2016

This week: a 19th century bookseller's obsession with a lost masterpiece, plus Chester Brown's latest graphic novel. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-04-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mitchell and Smith among 220 authors and illustrators backing Carnegie occupiers

Writers David Mitchell, Ali Smith, Cathy Cassidy, Nick Hornby and David Nicholls are among the top names who have signed an open letter supporting the occupiers of Carnegie Library and condemning the proposed changes to the Lambeth library service. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-04-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ali smith #cathy cassidy #nick hornby #david nicholls #carnegie library


Faber Children's signs second Dozy Bear picture book

Faber Children’s has bought a second Dozy Bear picture book by author Katie Blackburn and illustrator Richard Smythe. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-04-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Two-book deal for Scholastic débutant

Scholastic has snapped up world English rights in two “compelling Middle Grade whodunits” featuring a boy struggling with  Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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LBF FRIDAY 8TH International Rights Deals Leading Up to London Book Fair

Agents and Rights LBF 2016 By Olivia Snaije | @OliviaSnaije   Bettina Nibbe of the Seefeld, Germany-based Nibbe & Wiedling Literary Agency, which represents Russian language works of all genres worldwide, highlights three diverse novels that she will be bringing to London: Anna Matveeva’s... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pigeonhole to launch 'disappearing book'

Online publishing platform The Pigeonhole is launching its first "disappearing book" with new Scandi crime thriller Victim Without a Face by Stefan Ahnhem (Head of Zeus). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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‘Betting on Africa’: A Nigerian Author’s Choice of Publisher

Having published her first novel, Dependence, with Legend in London, Sarah Ladipo Manyika turns to Abuja's Cassava Republic for her second outing. The post ‘Betting on Africa’: A Nigerian Author’s Choice of Publisher appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Harry Potter author JK Rowling's chair up for auction

A wooden dining chair used by author JK Rowling while she wrote the first two Harry Potter books is up for grabs at auction in New York -  and it is expected to fetch tens of thousands of dollars. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2016-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jacks Thomas: A Few Words With London Book Fair’s Director

'My personal highlight will be meeting the amazing Judith Kerr,' Jacks Thomas tell us in a pre-London Book Fair chat. She's readying, again, 'a global platform' for the books industry. The post Jacks Thomas: A Few Words With London Book Fair’s Director appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Murtagh focused on picture book growth

Ann-Janine Murtagh, executive publisher at HarperCollins Children’s Books, said her business is on track to expand its picture book publishing, including a new collaboration between renowned illustrators Sir Quentin Blake and Emma Chichester Clark, entitled Three Little Monkeys. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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German Children’s Book Publishers on the Language of Illustration

Can a country have a particular illustration style or aesthetic? Four German publishers tackle this question as the Bologna Book Fair takes place. The post German Children’s Book Publishers on the Language of Illustration appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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My Job In 5; Helen Clifford, Marketing Manager, The London Book Fair

This week in honour of The Bookseller magazine's London Book Fair special in print, and with it being a week before the fair itself, I thought it would be great to interview LBF's marketing manager Helen Clifford on what her job entails and her advice to those looking to get a job in books. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors on the Air April 5, 2016: Daniel A. Sjursen, Caleb Kaltenbach

Daniel A. Sjursen, author of Ghost Riders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge (ForeEdge, 978-1-61168-781-1) will be on WDBO FM 96.5 with Pat Williams on Thursday, April 7 at 1:00 p.m. ET. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Waterstones opens 'Harpenden Books'

Waterstones has opened Harpenden Books, the third shop in the company’s portfolio to be named after the town it is based. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BFG tops lists of children's books which develop empathy

Roald Dahl’s BFG and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird have topped the list of books parents said best helped children develop empathy. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Better Children’s Books for a Better World

Klaus Humann, publisher of Aladin Verlag in Germany, talks about small publishing houses and his global search for children's books and illustrators. The post Better Children’s Books for a Better World appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Download: Bologna Book Fair 2016 Special Issue

As the Bologna Book Fair kicks off, download our special report on publishers and books from this year's Guest of Honor country, Germany. The post Download: Bologna Book Fair 2016 Special Issue appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Supreme Court Delays Decision on Google Books Case

Lawyers tell PW it is likely the court simply did not get to the case, and will be relisted for a future conference. The court's next scheduled conference is April 15. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Perseus sale to Hachette Book Group completed

Hachette Book Group (HBG) has completed its acquisition of the Perseus Book Group’s publishing business. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-04-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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