Publisher defends diversity drive after Lionel Shriver's attack

Penguin Random House has responded to the novelist’s criticisms, saying it aims to ‘reflect the society in which we live’Lionel Shriver’s blistering assertion that, “drunk on virtue”, Penguin Random House is putting diversity ahead of literary excellence has been dismissed by the publisher, which said on Monday that “books shape our culture, and this should not be driven only by people who come from a narrow section of society”.Writing in the Spectator, Shriver took issue with an email sent by the publisher, which lays out its goal that by 2025, its authors and staff will reflect the diversity of UK society. The email said: “We want our authors and new colleagues to reflect the UK population taking into account ethnicity, gender, sexuality, social mobility and disability.” Related: Lionel Shriver: ‘Few writers are willing to put themselves on the line for free speech’ Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2018-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #uk society #lionel shriver #literary excellence #narrow section #account ethnicity #social mobility #free speech

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Publisher defends diversity drive after Lionel Shriver's attack'


Diversity in Publishing in the Age of Black Lives Matter

While recent efforts are encouraging, publishing needs to establish permanent methods to give people of color more opportunities. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-08-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishing must 'radically reimagine' its audience, major diversity study says

The UK's first academic study on diversity in trade publishing and fiction has called for the industry to “radically reimagine” its audience and value readers outside the white middle classes. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-22 22:54:17 UTC ]
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Adeola and Wilson-Max to discuss lack of children's publishing diversity

Dapo Adeola will be speaking to Ken Wilson-Max on Instagram Live this week about their experiences as two of just four black British illustrators currently being published in children's books. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-15 09:32:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #dapo adeola #ken wilson-max #instagram live #children's publishing


Coronavirus Coverage Is Driving Massive Traffic to Publishers, Vendors Say

As an ever-increasing portion of the global population finds themselves confined to their homes this week, coronavirus-related coverage is driving major surges in web traffic to publishers, and not just those that specialize in hard news, multiple vendors are reporting this week. The analytics... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2020-03-17 18:19:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #news outlets #5% increase #public interest #difficult decision #business models #foreign affairs #vanity fair


New Survey Finds Little Improvement in Diversity in Romance Publishing

The annual “State of Racial Diversity in Romance Publishing Report” has been released, surveying more than 2,400 romance titles published in 2019. It discovered that for every 100 romance books published in 2019, only 8.3 were written by people of color. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The publishing industry is probably even less diverse than you thought.

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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Publishers defend American Dirt as claims of cultural appropriation grow

Jeanine Cummins’s novel, acclaimed by Oprah Winfrey, Stephen King and others, also faces scathing criticism from Latinx writersJeanine Cummins’s British publisher, Headline, is standing shoulder to shoulder with the American press that published her divisive thriller, declaring that it is proud... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-01-24 14:53:36 UTC ]
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Collaboration 'critical' to addressing lack of diversity in UK children's publishing, says ACE

People from BME backgrounds working within the children’s literature sector have been frustrated by racism and microaggressions, unconscious bias, and inequality of access, according to a new report by Arts Council England. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-04 20:27:05 UTC ]
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Jenn Baker, PW Superstar, on Diversity in Publishing

Jennifer Baker is this year’s PW Star Watch Superstar. We spoke to Baker after her win about her experiences in the book business, the work she does to make the industry more diverse, and what needs to change in publishing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-09-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Sturgeon calls on publishing to become more diverse

Nicola Sturgeon has said making publishing more diverse is "essential" - both to better reflect society and to remain economically successful. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-28 23:33:35 UTC ]
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‘Do black people read?’ What my years in publishing have taught me about diversity in books | Natalie Jerome

Malorie Blackman laments the lack of BAME children’s characters. I know – it’s a real battle to get writers of colour publishedMy daughter, like me, is of mixed heritage. She has wildly curly hair, as have I. When she was born four years ago I was given five copies of the same kids’ picture book... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-08-17 07:00:41 UTC ]
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Mexican newspaper to stop publishing print edition after bomb attack

El Monitor de Parral said it will continue its digital edition, but will not cover any crime stories or news with a ‘political slant’A newspaper in northern Mexico has announced it will temporarily stop publishing its print edition after unidentified assailants tossed gasoline bombs at its... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-08-01 15:39:43 UTC ]
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Barker questions publishing's long-term commitment to diversity

Pat Barker says she has a distrust of the publishing industry’s regional and class diversity drives because it could be "fashionable" and may not represent a long-term commitment. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-05-27 18:57:47 UTC ]
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Bluemoose co-founder Duffy calls for more geographical diversity in publishing

Yorkshire-based Bluemoose Books has experienced the benefits of operating outside London; co-founder Kevin Duffy suggests other publishers should look beyond the confines of the capital, too. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-05-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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CILIP launches magazine to promote diversity in children’s publishing

CILIP, the library and information association, is going to promote diverse and inclusive children’s literature via a new magazine, Pen&inc. The first edition of Pen&inc launches today (2nd May) with information about 450 titles, submitted by publishers ranging from Egmont and Hachette... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pushing Diversity Forward in Publishing

People of Color In Publishing and We Need Diverse Books teamed up for a town hall this month that shows how far publishing has come regarding diversity—and how much further it needs to go. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Emirates Publishers Association at 10: Driving Books’ Fast Progress in the Arab World

Bodour Al Qasimi, the founding president of the Emirates Publishers Association reflects on the last decade of book publishing in the UAE and the Arab world The post Emirates Publishers Association at 10: Driving Books’ Fast Progress in the Arab World appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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London Book Fair 2019: New Tools, Enduring Values Will Drive Publishing’s Future

At the 2019 London Book Fair's Quantum Conference, Faber & Faber CEO Stephen Page rallied publishers to focus not just on their own bottom lines, but on the unique, and vital role publishers play in our cultural ecosystem. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rethinking 'diversity' in publishing

Five years after a report into the trade that induced many measures to change the publishing industry, a new text will assess the current state of play. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers failing to improve racial and regional diversity, survey finds

Despite concentration of publishers in London, only 11% of respondents identified as BAME – significantly lower than average of 40% in the cityA major survey of the UK’s publishing workforce has found that “significant progress” still needs to be made on both the numbers of black, Asian and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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