I was called aggressive for criticising passages in Kate Clanchy’s memoir. But the real problem lies deep in the overwhelmingly white world of publishingIt started with a tweet. Kate Clanchy, author of Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me posted on her Twitter account that a reviewer on Goodreads had “made up a racist quote and said it was in my book”. She urged her almost 40,000 followers to flag the review that claimed she had bigoted views on race, class and body image, and had used terms such as “chocolate-coloured skin” and “Jewish noses”. Prominent authors and columnists swooped in to offer support, decrying how Clanchy could possibly be subjected to such inhumane treatment – including the current president of the Society of Authors, Philip Pullman, who declared: “But of all the people and of all the books to have had this happen … It’s hard to stay optimistic about the human race sometimes.”However, it soon emerged that those terms were, in fact, in the book. Incredulous that antisemitic and anti-Black tropes could have made it into a book published as recently as 2019, I downloaded and read it. I recoiled as a Somali boy is described as having a “narrow skull”, while one Muslim girl is “very butch-looking … with a distinct moustache”, and another “looked brilliant because she has such a strong skull shape”, which sounds more like something a eugenicist might observe than a trusted teacher. There is a troubling exchange where Clanchy is baffled by a boy who,... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2021-08-13 13:51:20 UTC ]
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Peter Gordon of Hong Kong's Chameleon Press and Jo Lusby of Penguin China talk discuss the developing English-language market for books in China. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Bogota International Book Fair convenes nearly the entire Colombian publishing industry and focuses on bringing the region's books and authors to the public. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Do extravagant stands at book fairs make a difference? Are they a mere splurge, or might they spark the interest of an investor or catch the eye of an author or agent? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jeanenne Ray, Senior Marketing Manager at Wiley, will speak at the Reaching Readers conference about how publishers can build strong readers communities. Here is a sneak preview of her talk. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The German Book Office's May Book of the Month is Rudolf Herzog’s "A Short History of Nuclear Folly: Mad Scientists, Dithering Nazis, Lost Nukes, and Catastrophic Cover-Ups." Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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"The Rumor" by Anushka Ravinshankar and "Kids of Kabul" by Deborah Ellis have won the 2013 South Asia Book Awards for Children’s and Young Adult Literature. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Free Comic Book Day will be held on May 4 and will give comic book fans a chance to receive free comic books including issues from series like 'Superman' and 'Walking Dead'. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In Brazil, Saraiva gets a new CEO, the Ministry of Culture moves oversite of book policies back to Brasilia, and a university press finds success with free ebooks by its professors. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book sales in Bulgaria were up 10% in 2012, with publishers reporting more than 5,000 books were published the previous year, of which 1,500 were translations. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This month's starred self-published titles include a novel about lesbian nuns in pre-WWII Germany and a memoir from the daughter of 1960s cult leaders, among others. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Well, this process seems a bit counterintuitive, eh? This morning, Barnes & Noble introduced a new scheme for getting Nook customers to visit the company's retail stores. The promotion nets you one free ebook when you purchase another, but -- and this is where the offer tripped us up a bit... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Adobe’s Digital Dispatch Adobe has been crowing recently about some numbers pointing to increased demand, innovative advertising models and new revenue streams in digital publishing. In April the company, known for its workflow and... Continue reading at Publishing Executive
[ Publishing Executive | 2013-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Total book sales in digital and physical formats grew 4% in 2012 to a total of £3.3bn,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The UK's Publishers Association reveals that spending on digital books rose by 66% in 2012. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Fickling has achieved two nominations for the Branford Boase Award, a prize given each year... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Morgan Baden is responsible for directing social media strategy at Scholastic and engaging teen readers online. Hear her speak at Reaching Readers Book Marketing Conference on May 28 in NYC. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl has returned to the summit of the Official UK Top 50 after a week... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The BBC's business editor Robert Peston describes how transcribing his late wife's final book helped him cope with grief following her death from lung cancer. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A complaint about books by the BBC's Simon Mayo and Mark Easton getting undue prominence on Richard Bacon's 5 live show is not upheld by the BBC Trust. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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World Book Night is launching a monthly book club, offering reading recommendation to its... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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