Publishers want more black authors. Why have they silenced us for so long? | Candice Carty-Williams

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 ]
News tagged with: #underrepresented voices #deliver books #candice carty-williams #sustainable change #4th estate #book proposal #follow trends #literary agents #literary agent #publishing industry #publishing world

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Publishers want more black authors. Why have they silenced us for so long? | Candice Carty-Williams'


Viking to publish William Trevor's 'Last Stories'

Viking is publishing 10 "exquisite" stories by the late William Trevor - six of them for the first time - in a new book called Last Stories. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #time -


Amazon Alleges Violations by KDP Authors, Publishers

Amazon has filed arbitration complaints against five individuals who it claims offered services to KDP authors and publishers intended to help them manipulate the reading platform for financial gain. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-09-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #reading platform #financial gain


Long-term Murdoch lieutenant Les Hinton to publish memoirs

Hinton worked for media mogul for more than 50 years before he resigned from News Corp at height of hacking scandalRupert Murdoch’s righthand man for more than 50 years is to have his memoirs published, providing one of the most informed portraits of the media mogul to date.Les Hinton, who... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #media mogul #phone-hacking scandal


Author 'devastated' over Russian publisher's LGBT censorship

A Russian publisher's decision to cut a gay scene from American fantasy author VE Schwab’s fantasy trilogy, Shades of Magic, has been met with anger and "heartbreak". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Vicky Williams on Women in Publishing: Women and Men Need to Champion Women

'Women need to almost un-condition themselves,' says Emerald's Vicky Williams, who joins The Markets' panel at Frankfurt Book Fair on women in publishing. The post Vicky Williams on Women in Publishing: Women and Men Need to Champion Women appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-08-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Publishers, Authors Win KinderGuides Copyright Case

A federal judge has found that Moppet Books had infringed copyright with its unauthorized children's "learning guides" to a host of classic novels. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-08-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #federal judge #moppet books #classic novels


Powers returns to William Heinemann to publish The Overstory

American novelist Richard Powers is publishing a new novel, The Overstory, with William Heinemann. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #william heinemann


BookCon 2017: Consumers Flock to Javits to Meet Authors—and Publishers

BookCon, which returned to New York City and to a two-day format, drew a strong crowd, continuing to skew towards female readers of YA literature. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #female readers #ya literature


'Show me the money!': the self-published authors being snapped up by Hollywood

After the success of self-published authors like Andy Weir and EL James, Hollywood is scooping up the rights to books as fast as it can. But why – and is it always good for the author?After watching Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, self-published author Mark Dawson was inspired to create his own... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-05-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #self-published authors #andy weir #el james #kill bill #household names


New Amazon Buy Button Program Draws Ire of Publishers, Authors

Industry members claim the program, which allows third-party re-sellers to win the main buy button on book pages, has the potential to "decimate authors' and publishers' earnings," especially on backlist books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book pages #backlist books


Self-published authors encouraged to submit to Sunday Times/PFD Award

Self-published authors are being encouraged to submit to this year’s The Sunday Times/Peters Fraser + Dunlop Young Writer of the Year Award, along with traditionally-published writers. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-04-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #self-published authors


Outrage as Belarus arrests authors, publishers and journalists in crackdown

Human rights groups call for release of men arrested by security forces at Minsk literature festival, and others held as protests rock authoritarian stateHuman rights organisations have called on Belarusian authorities to drop all charges immediately against writers, publishers and journalists... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #protect journalists #recent weeks #pen america


Bonnier’s New Self-Publishing Platform, Type & Tell: Authors Keep 100 Percent of Royalties

Called Type & Tell, Bonnier's new self-publishing platform has been quietly tested in Sweden. Its English edition launches during London Book Fair. The post Bonnier’s New Self-Publishing Platform, Type & Tell: Authors Keep 100 Percent of Royalties appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #post bonnier #self-publishing platform


In India, Teen Authors Land Book Publishing Contracts

'There is the question of quality,' concedes an agent about teen authors being published in India. Finding 'new voices' is the strategy, says one editor. The post In India, Teen Authors Land Book Publishing Contracts appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #teen authors


Publishing Startups: BuzzTrace Looks To Track Authors’ Social Networking

In the crowded author services field, veteran self-published author Scott La Counte launches BuzzTrace to help authors track social media conversations. The post Publishing Startups: BuzzTrace Looks To Track Authors’ Social Networking appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishing startups #social networking


William Heinemann to publish Tom Hanks short stories

Cornerstone imprint William Heinemann is publishing a collection of short stories from actor Tom Hanks, anticipated to be a "major publishing event" for PRH this autumn. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #william heinemann #short stories


Black & White Publishing names new YA imprint

Edinburgh-based independent Black & White Publishing is naming its new YA imprint ‘Ink Road’. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ya imprint


Pronoun Sets New Self-Publishing Author Royalty Rate

Pronoun, a Macmillan self-publishing subsidiary acquired in 2016, has set new author royalty rates and is launching a program to offer its authors customizable author pages. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Pushkin to publish Trash author Andy Mulligan

Sarah Odedina, editor-at-large at Pushkin Children's has acquired the next novel by Andy Mulligan. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pushkin children #sarah odedina


Scale-hungry Facebook video publishers are in trouble if they don’t think long term

It’s getting easier to get to a billion views on Facebook. But publishers that are only chasing scale, and not thinking about video as a long-term business, are in trouble. Take, for instance, TV, which can monetize the same piece of content through advertising, licensing, syndication,... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #chasing scale #long term #billion views #revenue streams #suggested videos #sponsored videos