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'


Ether for Authors: Are Publishers on a Tightrope with Author Solutions?

In Ether for Authors, Porter Anderson looks at the ties many publishing companies have with Author Solutions, at Amazon debates, and at drinking on the job. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #author solutions #porter anderson #publishing companies


Three Publishing Veterans Form a New House, Authors Equity

Madeline McIntosh, Nina von Moltke, and Don Weisberg—most recently at Penguin Random House US and Macmillan, respectively—have joined forces to form a new publishing company. As its name implies, the publisher will operate outside of traditional publishing business models. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #madeline mcintosh #joined forces #traditional publishing #penguin random house


Hundreds of KidLit authors are calling out the SCBWI for its Gaza silence.

Over 500 members of the KidLit community—including Sabaa Tahir, Angie Thomas, and Jason Reynolds—have signed an open letter to the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, calling for the organization to break its silence on the ongoing genocide in Gaza, which has so far claimed the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-03-04 19:00:45 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #gaza silence #angie thomas #open letter #book writers #children’s book


7 Books By Black Authors That Might Not Be On Your Reading List, But Should Be

“I Don’t Want To Die Poor” author Michael Arceneaux discusses his upcoming book and his fight for representation. Continue reading at HuffPost

[ HuffPost | 2024-03-04 10:45:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #black authors #upcoming book


Charli XCX prankster is latest in a long line of authors to fool the public

A writer hoodwinked the internet into thinking the singer nabbed his book title but he’s not the first author to pull a controversial publicity stuntOn Wednesday, writer Gabriel Smith shared what at first glance seemed to be an email sent by the singer Charli XCX, asking if she could use the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-03-01 18:33:32 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #long line #huge fan #book title


Panel Mania: 'Shook! A Black Horror Anthology,' Edited by Second Sight Publishing

Published by Dark Horse Books in collaboration with the African American horror publisher Second Sight Publishing, 'Shook! A Black Horror Anthology' collects a dozen tales of hair-raising terror, monsters, and gore grounded in America’s grim racial history and enlivened by humor and hip-hop culture. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-13 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:


3 New Debut Novels by Black Women Authors

Three Black women novelists make their debut with tales of inheritance, friendship, and alternate futures. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #debut novels #novelists


Five years and 2m copies later, self-published author lands UK book deal

Norfolk-based crime writer JM Dalgliesh topped the Amazon and Kindle bestsellers before being signed by a traditional publisher In 2018, JM Dalgliesh was a stay-at-home father when he sent his first crime novel to six literary agents, only to receive polite rejection letters – or no response at... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-12-17 09:00:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #2m copies #literary agents #traditional publisher #kindle #uk book #self-published author


Publishers launch initiative to highlight Palestinian authors and history

The campaign by Publishers for Palestine will offer more than 30 free ebooks of poetry, fiction and nonfiction as ‘an act of solidarity’A group of publishers has launched a week-long initiative encouraging people to read books by Palestinian authors and about Palestinian history by offering free... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-11-29 17:20:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #read books #palestinian authors #early november #verso books #verso #ebooks


Black Romance Authors and Editors Share Their Passion for Love Stories

Amid ongoing challenges, Black authors and editors are creating the love stories they want to read. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #love stories #black authors


German publisher halts sale of top author’s books after leak reveals he received €600,000 from Putin ally

Broadcaster NDR launches investigation after Hubert Seipel admits receiving support for work on two books on Russian leaderA German publisher has announced a stop to the sale of books authored by a leading journalist and Russia expert after an investigation showed he had received at least... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-11-15 14:31:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #vladimir putin #russian leader #german publisher


Serena Williams to publish memoir about life ‘on and off the court’

The tennis champion has signed a two-book deal with Penguin Random House, saying it will be the first time she has paused and reflected on her remarkable career Serena Williams is set to publish two books, the first of which, a memoir, will take an “intimate” look at her childhood and remarkable... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-10-18 14:56:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publish memoir #serena williams #tennis champion #memoir


Revisiting The Brownies’ Book, a Magazine for Black Children Published by W.E.B. Du Bois

An anthology that combines new work with selections from The Brownies’ Book, a children’s magazine launched by W.E.B. Du Bois, is bringing its mission to bear in a new national context. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-10-09 13:26:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #magazine launched #du bois #anthology


IngramSpark: A Decade of Amplifying Indie Authors and Publishers

For ten years, IngramSpark has been at the forefront of the rapidly changing self-publishing landscape. Now they’re looking ahead to the next 10. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ten years


Amazon restricts authors from self-publishing more than three books a day after AI concerns

The company announced the new limitations after an influx of suspected AI-generated material was listed for sale but said that ‘very few’ publishers will be affectedAmazon has created a new rule limiting the number of books that authors can self-publish on its site to three a day, after an... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-09-20 16:22:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #company announced #recent months #kindle #self-publish


Sharjah Book Authority Announces its 2023 Publishers Conference

The three-day Publishers Conference professional program this year runs October 29 to 31, just ahead of Sharjah International Book Fair. The post Sharjah Book Authority Announces its 2023 Publishers Conference appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-09-18 17:22:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


What the sale of a major American book publisher means for authors, the industry — and you

Book publisher Simon & Schuster's sale to investment firm KKR is novel in many ways, but also part of a long-term trend. History tells us to expect the unexpected. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-08-08 17:35:35 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book publisher


‘There’s an industry-wide mental health crisis’: authors and publishers on why the books sector needs to change

After a survey revealed the stresses that authors face when placed in the spotlight for the first time, publishing houses and industry bodies have pledged extra training and pastoral careAuthor and publisher welfare has been a hot topic in the books industry of late. Publishing houses, trade... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-07-18 15:13:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #survey revealed #industry bodies #books industry #hot topic #mental health #anna frame #communications director #english pen #independent publisher #bookseller #publishing houses


Authors leave Hungarian publisher in protest at sale to Orbán-linked college

Libri Group’s takeover by Mathias Corvinus Collegium raises fears of crackdown on literary freedomsThe takeover of Hungary’s largest publishing house and bookstore chain by a private foundation with close ties to the country’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has prompted walkouts from authors who... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-06-23 11:38:44 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #close ties #prime minister #viktor orbn #literary fiction #bookstore chain


This Bestselling Author Says Publishers Rejected His New Thriller Because He’s White. I Read It, and I’m Not So Sure.

If you believe that the role of a novel is to instruct readers on correct moral positions, then Trial is a masterpiece. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2023-06-20 16:38:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bestselling author