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 ]

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The Video Game History Foundation’s fight for game preservation isn’t over

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Ask an Expert: Sensitivity Reading and Diversity

BookLife talks with Renee Harleston, founder of Writing Diversely, about the value of sensitivity readers Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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‘I am so tired’: YouTuber Tom Scott ends Things You Might Not Know

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At Canada's largest Atlantic puffin colony, chicks are dying of starvation

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‘Times change’: what authors think about rewriting older books

Jacqueline Wilson is latest writer to wade into debate over changing dated and offensive languageThe publishing industry has been mired in debate in recent years about editing older books to remove content that could be deemed offensive.Even the prime minister became involved in February after... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-08-14 13:30:39 UTC ]
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New Stephen Hawking children’s book to be published next year

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How Newfoundland puffins helped save the bird's population in Maine

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Canadian captures extraordinary beauty of ordinary pigeons in award-winning photo

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It’s Their Content, You’re Just Licensing it

Recent automatic updates to e-book editions of works by Roald Dahl, R.L. Stine and Agatha Christie are a reminder of who really owns your digital media. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-04-04 23:45:06 UTC ]
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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 ]
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Little Atlantic puffin rescued on busy N.B. roadway

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[ CBC | 2023-03-04 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Boris Johnson recites Oompa-Loompas song in defence of Roald Dahl’s books

Ex-PM criticises sensitivity edit of author’s works – and also rejects sending Parthenon marbles to GreeceBoris Johnson has criticised a publisher’s rewriting of some language in Roald Dahl’s stories by reciting a song by the Oompa-Loompas.The former prime minister expressed his “irritation at... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-03-02 19:18:38 UTC ]
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Roald Dahl is the last thing we should worry about on World Book Day | Frank Cottrell-Boyce

More important than culture-war noise are the multiple threats to British children learning to love books of any kindBack in the days when everything took place on Zooms and Teams, I was part of a World Book Day event that was livestreamed from the set of the hit musical Matlida. The set is... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-03-02 11:42:37 UTC ]
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Rewriting Roald Dahl - podcast

The latest editions of the author’s books for children have had extensive edits made to update the language for modern sensibilities. Lucy Knight and David Baddiel take a closer lookNew editions of the works of the bestselling children’s author Road Dahl caused an international outcry last week... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-02-27 03:00:38 UTC ]
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Roald Dahl collection to be published in original form later this year

Publisher Penguin Random House announced Friday it will publish "classic" versions of Roald Dahl's children's novels after it received criticism for cuts and rewrites that were intended to make the books suitable for modern readers. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2023-02-24 14:35:12 UTC ]
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Penguin to publish 'classic' Roald Dahl books after backlash

Publisher Penguin Random House says it will publish “classic” unexpurgated versions of Roald Dahl’s children’s novels, after criticism of cuts and rewrites intended to make the books suitable for modern readers Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2023-02-24 14:04:19 UTC ]
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Penguin to publish 'classic' Roald Dahl books after backlash

Publisher Penguin Random House says it will publish “classic” unexpurgated versions of Roald Dahl’s children’s novels, after criticism of cuts and rewrites intended to make the books suitable for modern readers Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2023-02-24 14:03:22 UTC ]
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Roald Dahl publisher announces unaltered 16-book ‘classics collection’

Series will be released alongside controversially amended versions to leave readers ‘free to choose which version they prefer’A collection of Roald Dahl’s books with unaltered text is to be published after a row over changes made to novels including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-02-24 13:26:39 UTC ]
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The Week in Libraries: February 24, 2023

Amid criticism, Puffin revises its plan to soften some of the language in Roald Dahl's classic works; North Dakota passes a new law that wou ban sexually explicit materials in public libraries; and Library Futures releases a policy paper on digital ownership. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-24 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Publisher of Roald Dahl books in French has ‘no plans’ for rewrite

Gallimard says it will not be following English example and making any changes to the textsThe French publishers of Roald Dahl have ruled out any changes to the late British author’s translated books after it emerged that English editions were being rewritten for modern audiences.Gallimard said... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-02-21 17:50:05 UTC ]
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