Publishers are cynically using ‘sensitivity readers’ to protect their bottom lines | Zoe Dubno

As books become intellectual property assets, publishers become asset managers trying to future-proof their toxic investmentsThe news that many of Roald Dahl’s books had been edited by the publisher Puffin to excise “offensive references to gender and race” has unleashed a brouhaha among the literary establishment, anti-woke crusaders and just about everyone online.The revisions brought simmering debates about censorship in the name of creating a more genteel, accepting society to their head. An added valence, that the books are for children, seemed to weigh in favor of those who believed references to women as “hags” or to a “weird African language the monkeys spoke” should be scrubbed so that future generations can be shielded from prejudiced thoughts. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2023-03-09 11:20:19 UTC ]
News tagged with: #sensitivity readers #roald dahl #publisher puffin #literary establishment #future generations #puffin

Other news stories related to: "Publishers are cynically using ‘sensitivity readers’ to protect their bottom lines | Zoe Dubno"


Publishers are cynically using ‘sensitivity readers’ to protect their bottom lines | Zoe Dubno

As books become intellectual property assets, publishers become asset managers trying to future-proof their toxic investmentsThe news that many of Roald Dahl’s books had been edited by the publisher Puffin to excise “offensive references to gender and race” has unleashed a brouhaha among the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-03-09 11:20:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #puffin #future generations #literary establishment #publisher puffin #roald dahl #sensitivity readers


Stop moaning about sensitivity readers – if there was diversity in publishing we wouldn’t need them | Juno Dawson

Since 2011, all my book editors have been white. Why wouldn’t I want another perspective on the characters I invent?Until a few years ago, only publishing industry insiders would have understood the role of the sensitivity reader. Then came American Dirt. The Jeanine Cummins novel sold to a US... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-03-08 09:00:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishing industry #marginalised groups #seven-figure advance #jeanine cummins #american dirt #juno dawson


'Promiscuous' readers meaningless to bottom line, says Monocle editor

Andrew Tuck, editor of global affairs and lifestyle magazine Monocle, has said that “promiscuous" readers are irrelevant to the company's bottom line, which is bolstered by pursuing meaningful relationships with readers. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #global affairs #bottom line


From bots to bottom lines: Publishers on ad fraud (Infographic)

We asked attendees at last week’s Digiday Publishing Summit to come clean on their ability to face up to the threat of ad fraud. Here’s how well they’re coping with bots, how big of a threat ad fraud will be in the next 12 months and more. Sponsor content by Distil Networks. The post From bots... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2015-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sponsor content #ad fraud #asked attendees #bottom lines


The Sensitive Question of Sensitivity Readers

Agent Jeffrey Hermann argues that changing a book based on a sensitivity read can make it less authentic. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-03 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book based #sensitivity readers


San Diego Reader Launches eBook Publishing Program to Re-Introduce Great Writing to New Readers

The San Diego Reader is mining gold from its rich archives and releasing the treasures as a collection of six eBooks, the first installment of a series that will showcase the literary quality and historic value of a collection spanning more than 40 y ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Between the Lines: What Is Missing in the Diversity in Publishing Discourse

On Saturdays in late ’90s, my father, a taxi driver, would pool his tips for the week and take me, a child too precocious for his own good, to a local bookstore in search of my next read. Together, we silently wandered the store, picking up paperbacks and inspecting their pages. On shelves that... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-09-17 08:55:21 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bookstore #local bookstore #taxi driver


Publishing execs express concern over generative AI’s impact on traffic and IP protections

Publishing executives shared their honest and unfettered opinions on the rise of generative artificial intelligence technology and its impact on traffic, IP protections, content production and jobs at the Digiday Publishing Summit last week. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2023-09-25 04:01:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishing summit #content production #generative ai


Publishing Perspectives Forum: ‘What Young Readers Need’

The pandemic, branding, and geopolitical politics were on the table in Juergen Boos' conversation with CEOs of Scholastic and Ravensburger. The post Publishing Perspectives Forum: ‘What Young Readers Need’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-11-03 14:51:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #scholastic #juergen boos #young readers


Hong Kong publishers excluded from book fair over politically sensitive material

At least three booksellers say they were banned from the annual jamboree as the city embarks on ‘new form of censorship’Hong Kong publishers have decried a “new form of censorship” after vendors selling books deemed politically sensitive were allegedly excluded from the industry’s traditional... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-07-22 04:39:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book fair


Maas Book Boosts Bloomsbury's Bottom Line

Significant sales of Sarah J. Maas’s new fantasy novel, 'Crescent City: House of Sky and Breath,' prompted Bloomsbury to increase its full year guidance for the year ended February 28. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-03-31 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bloomsbury #crescent city #bottom line


The bottom line

In November 2020 I was one of the authors giving evidence during an inquiry conducted by the All-Party Parliamentary Writers Groups (APWG) for their investigation into the impact Covid-19 has had on the livelihoods of authors. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-19 01:25:39 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bottom line


Mateo Askaripour | 'The lines are intentionally blurred, which puts the responsibility on the reader to decide what’s what'

On publication in January, Iranian-Jamaican  Brooklynite Mateo Askaripour’s Black Buck became an instant New York Times bestseller. Described as “a crackling, satirical début novel”, and informed by the author’s own experiences in the tech world, the book has been compared to The Great Gatsby... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-04-09 04:51:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pulitzer prize #comic energy #tech world #black buck #mateo askaripour


Scribd Announces an Audiobook Production Line, Highlighting Independent Publishers

Subscription service Scribd adds audiobook titles, opening with 'Black Imagination,' to its newly launched Scribd Audio brand. The post Scribd Announces an Audiobook Production Line, Highlighting Independent Publishers appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-03-09 14:00:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #audiobook


Springboard: trade bodies, agencies and publishers line up virtual events to plug book fair gap

With the London and Bologna book fairs rescheduled in an attempt to host a physical event, a number of companies have sought to create their own virtual ‘fairs’ to enable rights-trading and connect authors and readers. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-03-06 02:57:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book fair #bologna book #physical event #virtual events #trade bodies


Puffin to publish animal detective series for younger readers by Megan Rix

Puffin will publish a new animal detective series from Megan Rix for readers aged six plus. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-02 09:37:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #puffin #readers aged #younger readers


Canadian publishers turn to e-book discounts to entice readers amid COVID-19

Some Canadian publishers are offering special deals on e-books in a bid to entertain readers and pay authors during the COVID-19 shutdown. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2020-03-23 09:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #e-book #pay authors #canadian publishers


3 Creative Ways to Benefit the Bottom Line Beyond Advertising Revenue

Ever-changing external landscapes present both threats and opportunities for media firms. Shifting marketing budgets and the proliferation of free content challenge publishers that rely on advertising and paid subscriptions. Yet the industry is not cowering: the results of Folio:’s 2020... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2020-02-18 15:48:16 UTC ]
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The Guardian is the latest old-line publisher to reach outside the business for a CEO

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 ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishing industry #scientific publishing #ceo appeared


'Booker Prize is for readers first and publishers last', says Wood

Gaby Wood, literary director of the Booker Prize Foundation, has said prizes like the Booker are for readers first and foremost, and that they should be treated as an investigation rather than an act of judgement shaping the canon. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-25 12:59:25 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #literary director #booker prize #gaby wood