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 ]
From cultural appropriation to literary snobbery, campaigning author Kit de Waal is well known for holding the publishing industry to account. Her passionate, inclusive and activist spirit has seen her named 2019 FutureBook Person of the Year. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-14 16:22:05 UTC ]
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Blackwell's has revealed its contenders for its 2019 Book of the Year, with the all-female shortlist including titles by Booker shortlistee Elif Shafak and Candice Carty-Williams. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-07 21:37:10 UTC ]
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Why do literary agents take so long to respond to submissions from writers? Is it personal? Are there things writers can do to speed up the process? Find the answers here. The post Why Do Literary Agents Take So Long to Respond to Submissions? by Robert Lee Brewer appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2019-11-04 18:50:46 UTC ]
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As the writing challenge turns 20, it’s time for the publishing industry to challenge itself. Continue reading at HuffPost
[ HuffPost | 2019-11-01 09:45:13 UTC ]
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The publishing industry was up in arms over the summer when Google officially closed the loophole in its Chrome browser that allows website owners to detect whether a visitor has enabled Incognito mode to view their site. The complaint? It effectively undermined publishers’ efforts to prevent... Continue reading at Publishing Executive
[ Publishing Executive | 2019-10-31 16:47:22 UTC ]
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Margaret Atwood’s Booker-winning The Testaments (Vintage) is vying with offerings from Max Porter, Greta Thunberg and Candice Carty-Williams in a bumper shortlist for Waterstones Book of the Year. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-30 15:29:31 UTC ]
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More than 33% of students at UK schools are from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, but only 4% of the protagonists in children's books in the UK are BAME. The publishing industry has made big claims about its push for inclusivity both on and off the page, but some believe progress is... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-10-29 10:10:28 UTC ]
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Follow these 25 literary agents on Twitter to learn about their interests specifically and the business of writing in general. The post 25 Literary Agents to Follow on Twitter by Robert Lee Brewer appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2019-10-28 22:31:24 UTC ]
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Welcome to Ad Age’s Wake-Up Call, our daily roundup of advertising, marketing, media and digital news. If you're reading this online or in a forwarded email, here's the link to sign up for our Wake-Up Call newsletters. You can get an audio version of this briefing on your Alexa device; sign up... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-28 10:22:02 UTC ]
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The weather is cooler, the pumpkins are here, and it’s time for people with opinions to start publishing articles announcing what to watch for in the media and publishing industry in the coming year. There are many others like it, but this one is mine. The media industry is experiencing a flood... Continue reading at Publishing Executive
[ Publishing Executive | 2019-10-24 12:50:31 UTC ]
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Welcome to Ad Age’s Wake-Up Call, our daily roundup of advertising, marketing, media and digital news. If you're reading this online or in a forwarded email, here's the link to sign up for our Wake-Up Call newsletters. You can get an audio version of this briefing on your Alexa device; sign up... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-24 10:29:51 UTC ]
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Podcasts are ever so slowly pivoting to subscriptions. The broad move to consumer revenue in the publishing industry is spreading to podcasts, as publishers like Slate and The Athletic look to use the loyal audiences podcasts attract to drive paying subscribers and monetize this platform in new,... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2019-10-24 04:01:40 UTC ]
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Guide to Literary Agents editor Robert Lee Brewer shares his simple two-step process on how to get a literary agent. The post How to Get a Literary Agent: A Simple Two-Step Process by Robert Lee Brewer appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2019-10-22 17:30:09 UTC ]
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Literary agents at the 2019 Frankfur Book Fair tell us which books they have on offer and about rights deals for their hot new titles. The post Rights Buzz as 2019 Frankfurter Buchmesse Opens appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-10-16 07:01:47 UTC ]
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It’s clear that the publishing world needs more diversity. Why do some see this as compromising quality?Let me tell you a story. A few years ago, months after this riven old island voted to leave the European Union, and days after an ex-reality TV host became the leader of the free world, a... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-10-11 15:37:44 UTC ]
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As an abashed former News Corp employee (thankfully at HarperCollins, one of the Murdoch portfolio’s least-offensive holdings), HBO’s "Succession" is my straight shot of Sunday-night dopamine. The show’s great even if you aren’t attuned to the devastating, thinly veiled media and publishing... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-11 11:22:17 UTC ]
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As an abashed former News Corp employee (thankfully at HarperCollins, one of the Murdoch portfolio’s least-offensive holdings), HBO’s "Succession" is my straight shot of Sunday-night dopamine. The show’s great even if you aren’t attuned to the devastating, thinly veiled media and publishing... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-11 11:22:17 UTC ]
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The debut novel ‘A Kindness,’ which literary agent Helen Heller received a little over a week ago after responding to an unsolicited pitch letter, is gaining pre-Frankfurt Book Fair buzz after being preempted in the U.S. by Pamela Dorman for high six figures. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-10-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Literary agents are gatekeepers of the publishing industry. Find literary agents open to submissions from under represented and unique voices in this post. List will be updated regularly. The post Literary Agents Seeking Under Represented and Unique Voices by Robert Lee Brewer appeared first on... Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2019-10-02 14:41:00 UTC ]
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Literary Agent Jesseca Salky opens her own literary management company in New York, and Toronto's Wattpad announces a deal with Wise in Rio. The post Industry Notes: Jesseca Salky Opens New Agency; Wattpad Partners in Latin America appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-09-26 06:37:07 UTC ]
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