Drawing on her panoramic reading and her experiences of the authorly life cycle, Atwood surveys her trade with a mix of seriousness and gentle fun“You may find the subject a little peculiar,” warns Margaret Atwood, before she discusses the writer’s relationship with mortality. “It is a little peculiar. Writing itself is a little peculiar.” Atwood’s survey of her profession makes this seem like an understatement: after all, she argues, writers have been placed in close company with the devil and the dead; they have secret identities and hidden doubles; they are death-defying magicians, self-erasing nobodies, even – if you want to get “murky and pretentious” – shamanistic travellers. This book prefers to stay on the side of clarity and self-deprecation, combining evidence drawn from her panoramic reading – one chapter deals with The Tempest, The Wizard of Oz and Klaus Mann’s Mephisto – with her own experiences of the life cycle of an author. She tempers the seriousness of her questions – What is a writer? For whom do writers write? – by poking gentle fun at her trade, describing the machine-like publishing industry as “cog eat cog”, and quietly mocking endless discussion panels. Yet Atwood sees her kind reflected everywhere – from Gilgamesh to The Beast With Five Fingers – and works hard on their behalf: advocate, analyst and always, writer.•To order On Writers and Writing for £7.99 (RRP £9.99) go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2015-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
Among this week’s notable deals is the seven-figure sale of a debut novel titled The Other Black Girl. The send-up of the publishing industry, by a former Knopf assistant editor, was pitched as Get Out meets Younger. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-02-21 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Below is a collection of articles that respond to American Dirt, consider the injustices of the publishing industry’s Big Five, and highlight books by Chicanx and Latinx writers. ¤ A reading list assembled from these articles: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo Heart Like a Window, Mouth Like a... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books
[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2020-02-14 19:23:11 UTC ]
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Boris Johnson | Marmalade years | US publishing industry | Quick crossword | Roysters crispsIt’s all very well Labour demanding an inquiry into who paid for Boris Johnson’s Caribbean holiday (Report, 14 February), but what I should really like to know is when will the Independent Office for... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-02-14 17:21:53 UTC ]
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Critics of "American Dirt" invited Oprah Winfrey on Wednesday to discuss "#DignidadLiteraria and other Latinx groups and the publishing industry that has systematically erased us." Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-02-13 04:43:13 UTC ]
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The "American Dirt" uproar is prompting the book industry to review, reenforce, and revamp plans to become more diverse and inclusive. The publishing industry is predominantly run by white women, according to a new study. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2020-02-12 17:29:22 UTC ]
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The "American Dirt" uproar is prompting the book industry to review, reenforce, and revamp plans to become more diverse and inclusive. The publishing industry is predominantly run by white women, according to a new study. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2020-02-12 17:29:22 UTC ]
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THE CONTRETEMPS OVER Jeanine Cummins’s American Dirt revolves around a narrative of a publishing industry eager for blockbusters, white authors who inhabit the stories of marginalized people, and embarrassment when the multiple flaws and tone-deaf passages of the hyped-up book are exposed.... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books
[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2020-02-05 18:00:58 UTC ]
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Children’s book publisher Lee & Low Books, a minority-owned company that focuses on multicultural literature, recently released the results of a survey geared towards finding out one thing: What do the numbers say about the widely perceived lack of diversity in the publishing world? The... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-01-29 21:40:46 UTC ]
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As the challenges and competition in the consumer publishing industry intensify, publishers have sought top talent from betting firms, streaming music services and scientific publishing. The post The Guardian is the latest old-line publisher to reach outside the business for a CEO appeared first... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2020-01-16 05:01:09 UTC ]
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The publishing industry mourns Ram Dass, the bestselling author of ‘Be Here Now’ and other books on spirituality, following his recent death at age 88. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-01-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
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There are a multitude of effects the changes in publishing have had on the industry -- but less well understood are what it has meant for the people working in the industry. We surveyed over 200 publishing employees in business and revenue roles to understand how work culture, mental health, the... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2020-01-07 05:01:49 UTC ]
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In the 2010s, the publishing industry finally wrestled with its problems with diversity. Continue reading at HuffPost
[ HuffPost | 2019-12-22 13:00:22 UTC ]
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Picador commissioning editor Kishani Widyaratna (pictured) and Influx Press co-founder Kit Caless have launched a fundraiser for people in the publishing industry to donate money to the Trussell Trust with nearly £4,000 raised within five hours. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-16 19:29:32 UTC ]
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Now more than ever, the publishing industry finds itself on a quest for more effective ways to make money. For the past few years, the industry has been working through a regular cycle of taglines and keywords: ‘metered models,’ ‘memberships,’ ‘registration paywalls,’ dynamic paywalls,’ and so... Continue reading at Publishing Executive
[ Publishing Executive | 2019-12-11 16:35:15 UTC ]
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Discover the opportunities in buying and selling rights in Sharjah and the wider Arab Market at this free half-day seminar on Thursday 5 December 2019. The day, which forms part of The London Book Fair Market Focus Professional Programme will feature a fantastic line-up of speakers looking at... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2019-11-20 11:14:33 UTC ]
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At the 70th National Book Awards, held again this year at Cipriani Wall Street in lower Manhattan on Wednesday night, LeVar Burton presided over a smoothly run evening attended by a typically ebullient and dapper publishing industry crowd. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-11-20 05:00:00 UTC ]
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In the modern media environment, publishers need a formula for success that they can depend on—not just for today, but one that will allow them to adapt for the trends of tomorrow. That means embracing three key ingredients that every publisher needs to ensure future-readiness, regardless of... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2019-11-19 17:38:05 UTC ]
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More small strides were made in 2018 toward addressing issues of pay disparity and diversification of the workforce. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-11-15 05:00:00 UTC ]
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From cultural appropriation to literary snobbery, campaigning author Kit de Waal is well known for holding the publishing industry to account. Her passionate, inclusive and activist spirit has seen her named 2019 FutureBook Person of the Year. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-14 16:22:05 UTC ]
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As the writing challenge turns 20, it’s time for the publishing industry to challenge itself. Continue reading at HuffPost
[ HuffPost | 2019-11-01 09:45:13 UTC ]
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