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 ]

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


My Job in Five: Hayley Steed

Describe your role.  I’m a literary agent and book to screen agent at The Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV & Film Agency. I enjoy the best of both worlds—I’m a primary agent to an amazing roster of writers, selling book rights to the UK, US and Canada, plus I handle the adaptation rights for... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-10 08:20:11 UTC ]
More news stories like this


What we've learnt about lockdown reading

The past few months have restricted physical access to bookshops, interrupted supply chains and created a raft of logistical complexities for the publishing industry. Even with restrictions easing, traditional consumer marketing and PR are trickier to execute safely. However, our data at The... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-07 15:24:03 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Under Newly Elected Chairman, Ebony Board Ousts CEO

The board of directors at Ebony has removed CEO Willard Jackson, the magazine said Sunday, citing an ongoing independent investigation into "a number of transactions that Jackson led." A co-founder and vice chairman of Clear View Group (CVG), the private equity firm that acquired Ebony from... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2020-07-06 17:59:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Coronavirus Impact: Spain’s Publishers Open a Two-Front Strategy

The Spanish publishing industry has gained new clarity on where it stands with the government and is ratcheting up its demands for pendemic assistance. The post Coronavirus Impact: Spain’s Publishers Open a Two-Front Strategy appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-07-06 13:44:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Successfully Navigating a Publishing World Consumed by COVID-19

Today’s publishers are working to survive in a new reality where media consumption is up, but revenues are down. Let’s examine three ways publishers can thrive — not just survive — and prepare for success in the next normal. Continue reading at Publishing Executive

[ Publishing Executive | 2020-06-30 20:16:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Most Anticipated Debuts of the Second Half of 2020

There’s no doubt COVID-19 has forever changed the world as we know it. A small slice of life that had to shift trajectory is the publishing industry. Debut authors are especially struggling as the books they have worked on for countless years are released into a world without in-person book... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2020-06-30 11:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Evaristo and Carty-Williams become first black authors to win top British Book awards

Candice Carty-Williams and Bernardine Evaristo take book of the year and author of the year categories, as publishers face criticism for treatment of black authorsCandice Carty-Williams and Bernardine Evaristo have become the first black authors to win the top prizes at the British Book awards,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-06-29 17:45:42 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Carty-Williams' Queenie wins Book of the Year at British Book Awards

Candice Carty-Williams has become the first black female writer to win Book of the Year at the British Book Awards. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-29 15:02:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Amazon Charts: Hamnet shakes up the fiction chart

Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet (Tinder Press) has debuted at the top of the Amazon Charts' Most-Sold: Fiction chart, with Delia Owens' Where the Crawdads Sing (Corsair) and Candice Carty-Williams' Queenie (Trapeze) rising to join it in the top three. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-23 23:10:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Felicity Bryan dies, aged 74

Literary agent Felicity Bryan has died, aged 74. She died on Sunday (June 21st) at her home in Kidlington "as she had wished", according to a statement from her family. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-22 06:13:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Obituary: U.K. Literary Agent Felicity Bryan

Felicity Bryan, founder of Felicity Bryan Associates and one of Britain’s most respected literary agents, died June 21 of cancer. She was 74. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-06-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


B2B Publishers Call to End Data Misuse in Online Ad Auctions

A group of B2B publishers and ad tech firms are banding together to curtail the harvesting of publisher-specific data from online ad auctions by third-parties, a practice they argue is an unauthorized breach which places their relationships with their audiences at risk. Referred to as data... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2020-06-17 21:29:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Can #BlackoutBestsellerList be the reckoning the publishing industry needs?

The social media campaign could force publishers to focus on black writers by encouraging readers to buy their booksCould the New York Times’ Best Seller book list ever be filled entirely by black authors?As industries undergo reckonings around race, in the wake of international demonstrations... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-06-17 10:00:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Bookshops need to be representative too

I want to acknowledge that my experience as a South Asian is not the same as those of Black people in this country. Although it’s important to note that we may have some shared experiences, the current BLM protests are about Black Lives, and it’s crucial to know the difference.  However, the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-15 19:31:29 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Alphabet partners with local library to deliver books to students

Schools and libraries have been closed for months, but some kids aren’t going to get away with playing video games all summer. Kelly Passek -- a middle school librarian in Montgomery County, Virginia -- is sending out summer reading via drones. After... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2020-06-12 18:18:26 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Lockdown diaries: the debut author

It was Sunday 22nd March when I emailed Carrie, my literary agent, telling her I’d had an idea in the bath and although it felt far-fetched, I wanted to explore it and could she please call me on Monday for a quick chat. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-12 11:19:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this


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... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-06-11 09:44:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Changing the story with Hashtag BLAK and The Diverse Book Awards

I am a Black author and publisher in an industry that is dominated by white people. Black Lives Matter is not a hashtag. It is a movement that will carry on until we have seen real change. It is being said time and time again but there is still not enough representation in the publishing... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-11 01:22:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Dorothy Koomson: 'publishing is a hostile environment for Black authors'

Author Dorothy Koomson has written an open letter to the publishing industry, in which she describes it as a “hostile environment for Black authors”.   Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-10 06:37:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Religion Book Deals: June 10, 2020

Zondervan takes a gift book on ‘How Far You Have Come,’ literary agent Blythe Daniel gets her own book deal, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-06-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this