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 ]
Authors including Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, R. F. Kuang, and Molly McGhee rally with HarperCollins union workers outside the company's headquarters on December 16. Meanwhile, nearly 80% of literary agents responding to a recent poll said they support the ongoing strike. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-16 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
PW looks back at the library stories that captivated the publishing world this year, and what they portend for 2023 Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Total publishing industry sales fell 4.5% through September compared to 2021, with trade sales down 3.3%, at the 1,368 publishers who report revenue to the AAP’s StatShot program. Lower hardcover sales and higher returns were the main drivers in pushing down trade sales. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
More than 150 literary agents signed a letter promising to stop submitting new books to HarperCollins to support striking workers. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-11-30 17:34:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this
We all know books have the power to move us to tears, and that those tears have the power to move books. Last year, with the sudden rise on popularity of certain titles, the publishing industry realized that BookTok might have the ability to shape the market. One reader cries on camera about... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-11-18 18:44:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this
I guess if you’re a publisher whose stated mission is to disrupt the publishing industry, you have to move fast and break things, no matter how ghoulish that makes you. Such is apparently the case for “hybrid publisher” Ballast Books (“More Than A Publisher, A Brand Builder”), who is... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-11-11 16:17:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The government’s case blocked the merger of two of the United States’ largest publishers and reflected a more aggressive approach to curbing consolidation. It was closely watched by the publishing industry. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-11-01 01:28:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The sole Canadian press that deals exclusively in theatrical works evolves to keep pace with changes in the publishing industry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-10-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Literary agents and rights directors describe the 2022 Frankfurt Book Fair with phrases like 'splendid,' 'beautiful,' and 'exhilarating'. The post So How Did It Go? Literary Rights Pros on Frankfurt 2022 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-10-25 16:36:14 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Ahead of the Frankfurter Buchmesse, we asked some of the most seasoned literary agents what issues and titles are top-of-mind this season. The post International Rights Pros at Frankfurt: Trends and Titles appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-10-20 15:25:26 UTC ]
More news stories like this
This year's honorees come from all parts of the publishing industry and will be saluted at an event set for November 15 in New York City. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-10-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The publisher and writer – who has died aged 84 – was a pioneering champion of female writers. Virago’s chair Lennie Goodings remembers her long-time colleague and friendMore than 40 years ago when Carmen and I were working late in the first Virago office on Wardour Street I asked her why she... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-10-18 15:06:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Jane Campbell on why more angry, sexy old ladies is exactly what the publishing industry needs. Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2022-10-15 09:50:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
A crop of recent novels strains against the expectations of a publishing industry attempting to embrace diversity. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-10-13 09:00:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this
PW’s annual ranking of the world’s largest publishers in 2021 shows little change from 2020 among the top 10 Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-10-07 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
As Tony Montana would probably say if he were a literary agent: In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the memoir. That’s right! Al Pacino is reportedly in talks to sell his first memoir […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-10-05 14:49:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Colombian-American author's new book "Lightlark" was rejected numerous times — until she went directly to her readers for support. Continue reading at HuffPost
[ HuffPost | 2022-09-15 09:45:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this
With its stellar track record of retail success—including more than 50 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers—Greenleaf has been a proven innovator within the hybrid publishing world for 25 years and counting. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-11 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The uniquely enduring literary agent who worked for years to find a publisher for Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road” and over the following decades arranged deals for everyone from true crime writer Joe McGinniss to the creators of the Berenstain Bears has died Continue reading at ABC News
[ ABC News | 2022-09-04 21:08:59 UTC ]
More news stories like this
As houses across the industry start recalling staff to their offices, publishing professionals are pushing back against low pay, heavy workloads, and an increasingly stifled corporate environment. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this