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 ]
Amazon is pursuing more direct relationships with literary agents and authors, targeting them... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Plympton—a startup publisher of serialized digital fiction—was created as 'a nimble alternative to the major publishers and online markets,' as the founders explain. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon's Jeff Belle announced in a letter to literary agents that Amazon Publishing will begin building a European publishing division in 2013. Hiring will begin in January. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It’s been a year since Steve Jobs passed away, and yet it’s still easy to be reminded of his legacy in the publishing industry. It’s omnipresent in the equipment used to create content, especially the operating system th ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi founded the Emirates Publishers Association and pushed for it to become a full member of the IPA. Here, she explains it was so important. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-11-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Finns’ love of books has bolstered the publishing industry in spite of global economic challenges. Read our interviews with prominent Finnish publishing pros. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2012-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A week ago, Salon.com published an interview with the novelist Jeffrey Eugenides titled, “Jeffrey Eugenides: I don’t know why Jodi Picoult is belly-aching.” Eugenides was asked a question about gender bias in the publishing world (a topic about which Picoult, along with other novelists like... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2012-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It’s almost here, the publishing industry’s annual literary Oktoberfest: the Frankfurt Book Fair. This year’s edition officially kicks off on October 10, with more than 150,000 professional visitors representing some 7,500 companies and 110 countries expected to gather to trade rights, network,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-09-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The price-fixing case turns out well for Amazon but unsettles many others in the industry.Publishing insiders worry that a decisive court ruling benefiting retailer Amazon.com Inc. will undermine an industry already struggling with the transition to ebooks. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-09-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a move that could reshape the publishing industry, a federal judge has approved a settlement with three of the nation's largest book publishers over alleged collusion in the pricing of ebooks. Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2012-09-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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John Wiley & Sons work to sell off unwanted assets as Google makes its foray into the publishing industry. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-08-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sen. Charles Schumer wrote in an op-ed that the Department of Justice's lawsuit could 'wipe out the publishing industry as we know it.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Despite challenges faced by the publishing industry and past predictions, the written word has not seen its last day Continue reading at The Atlantic
[ The Atlantic | 2012-06-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tim Brooks, the former managing director of Guardian News & Media, identifies a new sense of optimism setting into the publishing industry, after two years of concern amid sweeping change. Continue reading at Media Week
[ Media Week | 2012-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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By Robert M. Sacks In any given year, I give about a dozen “talks” about the publishing industry. Sometimes it is to interested companies and sometimes it is to the industry at large during publishing conventions... Continue reading at Publishing Executive
[ Publishing Executive | 2012-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Unresolved conflicts among publishers, sellers, libraries, and the U.S. Justice Department cloud the future of the publishing industry. Continue reading at The Atlantic
[ The Atlantic | 2012-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple Inc. says the accusation that it conspired with major book publishers to raise the price of ebooks is untrue.Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr says that, contrary to allegations in lawsuits by the Justice Department and 15 states, Apple fostered innovation and competition by introducing its... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2012-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Alleged collusion aside, the publishing industry's agency pricing model may actually protect the long-term interests of everyone in the ebook value chain. Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2012-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple responds to antitrust charges: "The launch of the iBookstore in 2010 fostered innovation and competition, breaking Amazon's monopolistic grip on the publishing industry." Continue reading at AllThingsD
[ AllThingsD | 2012-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Not that we were expecting Apple and Macmillan to simply fess up and say, "you're right, totally tried to circumvent the free market," but both companies have come out swinging pretty hard against the allegations of price fixing. Apple has rejected the charges, calling them "simply not true." A... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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