As Black Lives Matter protests take place across the world, the publishing world is rushing to support those ‘ignored by the mainstream’. Who is the mainstream, then?The publishing industry is stilted and archaic. I worked in it for seven years, and left due to reasons I can’t legally talk about. Though, in that time, I was able to enforce and oversee some steps towards sustainable change. At 4th Estate, an imprint of HarperCollins, I started the Guardian 4th Estate BAME Short Story prize (still going strong, five years later). Staggered by the lack of underrepresented voices, I knew I had to do something, anything to give those voices a way to permeate the industry.It is taken for granted that would-be writers will know what a literary agent is. But most have no idea how to structure a book proposal, or where to send it. This information is possessed by those in the know, and the people in the know often want to keep it to themselves. Let’s talk about literary agents for a second; they are, effectively, tastemakers. Editors trust them to deliver books and authors that adhere to their (sometimes limited) taste. And what happens when these arbiters continue to work within the circles of writers who they already know? The same thing that always happens: books that follow trends, that look the same, that are written by the same kinds of people. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2020-06-11 09:44:22 UTC ]
Booksellers take stand against influence of conservative billionaire by limiting orders of his company’s books and placing them on lower shelvesA conservative Catholic billionaire and media owner is facing an independent bookshop rebellion in France over his influence in the publishing... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2025-03-22 06:00:42 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Two Dollar Radio has been quietly rocking the publishing world since its inception in 2005. The Ohio-based indie publisher and “family outfit” turns twenty this year, and we at Lit Hub want to extend a hearty happy birthday. In a literary landscape that’s often knocked for a fear of risk-taking,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-14 18:01:37 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Facing publishing industry backlash, Slovakia's government reversed its 23-percent book VAT hike, instead slashing it to 5 percent. The post Slovakia’s Publishers Surprised by a VAT Reduction on Books appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2025-03-11 19:42:53 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Publishers and analysts say popularity of genres like manga and superhero comics is a gateway into readingThe best route to learning to love words in print could well be pictures. This, at least, is the hope of the publishing industry this spring, as it welcomes news that sales of children’s... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2025-03-09 14:00:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The agents of Windham, Maine–based children's book agency Erin Murphy Literary Agency have joined Aevitas Creative Management, including founder Erin Murphy, who has been named a partner at Aevitas. The EMLA backlist will remain under the EMLA umbrella and Murphy's supervision. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-02-24 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
This week on The Lit Hub Podcast: How the publishing world can respond to Trump, and “What energizes you?” | Lit Hub Radio “When in doubt, leave the reaction out.” Eric Puchner on how to be funny when writing a novel. | Lit Hub Craft Ted Hamm on how Jimmy Breslin and Langston Hughes each […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-02-21 11:30:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Don’t give in to moral panic, fellas! Here are some tips from my own bumpy literary journeyIf you really want to make a name for yourself, publish comment insisting you’ve been silenced.It happened again last week in a nationwide publication. Under a byline, accompanied by a headshot and the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2025-02-04 14:00:09 UTC ]
More news stories like this
RESPONDING TO THE SECOND TRUMP ADMINISTRATION: Kim Kelly on the how-tos and DOs and DON’Ts of mutual aid • Madeline ffitch on direct action and survival work in the face of fascism • Josh Cook on what the publishing industry can do in the face of authoritarianism. | Lit Hub Politics Matthew... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-01-25 11:30:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this
John Taylor “Ike” Williams, the longtime literary agent and intellectual property and media and entertainment lawyer, died at his home in Cambridge, Mass., on Dec. 26. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-01-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The way our legal system approaches issues of intellectual property must change to meet the novel questions posed by new technology, argues publishing industry analyst Christopher Kenneally. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-01-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The publishing industry can feel like an opaque, black box to aspiring authors, with countless gatekeepers—agents, editors, publicists, book buyers and more—shaping the process behind the scenes. Even established authors can find the sector confusing as they attempt to read the tea leaves behind... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2025-01-06 12:05:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
PW looks back at some of the library stories that captivated the publishing world this year, and what they portend for 2025. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-12-20 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Since 1985, literary agent Richard Curtis has irregularly chronicled the state of trade book publishing in verse in the pages of 'Publishers Weekly.' In honor of his final year-end poem, we've republished them all here. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-12-20 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Judy Garland once famously instructed us to make the Yuletide gay, and the publishing industry is really doing its part ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-12-19 13:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The holidays are approaching, and, with them, the end of 2024. As we near December’s various holidays and the start of an unpredictable 2025, observant readers will doubtless see that there haven’t been as many new books to list here as usual. This often happens in the publishing industry around... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-12-17 09:34:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The CEO of Serendipity Literary Agency and president of the Association of American Literary Agents is bringing the innovative spirit of an engineer to the publishing industry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-12-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
No one has been more central to the publishing industry’s efforts to defend the freedom to read than the Penguin Random House SVP. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-12-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The author will serve as editor-at-large of Monument Books, helping to find authors that champion ‘ideas, stories and culture, as well as uplifting or refashioning past legacies’Reni Eddo-Lodge, the author of the 2017 bestseller Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race, has launched... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-12-16 17:04:41 UTC ]
More news stories like this