Romance so white? Publishers grapple with race issues amid author protests

New report exposes decline in diversity in romance writing, as editor resigns after telling author they avoid putting non-white characters on covers ‘because we like the book to sell’Readers, writers and editors of romance books are grappling with the genre’s record on diversity, after a week where a report found that books by authors of colour were on the decline, an imprint specialising in diverse romances closed, and another publisher was forced to apologise for telling a writer they avoided putting people of colour on book covers because they didn’t sell.Queer romance writer Cole McCade came forward last week to reveal conversations with editor Sarah Lyons of the New Jersey-based publisher Riptide. McCade, who also writes as Xen Sanders, described Riptide as “at all levels hostile to me as a person of colour”. He published an email from Lyons in which she told him: “We don’t mind POC But I will warn you – and you have NO idea how much I hate having to say this – we won’t put them on the cover, because we like the book to, you know, sell :-(.” Related: 'Women are having different fantasies': romantic fiction in the age of Trump Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2018-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #romance writing #editor resigns #report found #romantic fiction

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Cockleberry Bay author Nicola May moves to traditional publishing with Hodder

Bestselling self-published author Nicola May has signed with Hodder & Stoughton to publish a new character-driven series, based around a fictitious street market in Cornwall. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-12 13:40:29 UTC ]
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Christian Publishers Grapple with Diversifying the Industry

PW speaks with evangelical publishing houses about the representation of people of color among both their staff and authors. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-11-11 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Review: You won't find a romance darker than Susie Yang's 'White Ivy'

Yan's debut novel overturns the tropes of the romance novel in this story about an immigrant's doomed pursuit of marriage and the American dream. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-11-02 15:00:30 UTC ]
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Children's authors sign open letter protesting outcome of school meals vote

More than 200 children's authors and illustrators, including Malorie Blackman, Philip Pullman and Cressida Cowell, have signed a letter condemning the government’s vote rejecting the extension of its free school meal scheme over the holidays. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-26 00:51:58 UTC ]
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Black & White to publish Burns poetry selection

Black & White Publishing has acquired Burns for Every Day of the Year from Robert Burns expert Dr Pauline Mackay.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-23 10:57:29 UTC ]
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Amazon Publishing launches first UK ad campaign for celeb author

Amazon Publishing is launching its first ever ad campaign for a celebrity in the UK, rolling out digital signage across 100 London bus stops for essay collection Nothing Like I Imagined by US actress Mindy Kaling. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-13 00:14:33 UTC ]
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Publishers and authors show support for Tsitsi Dangarembga

A growing number of publishers and prominent authors have added their voices of support for Booker Prize-shortlisted author Tsitsi Dangarembga, who was arrested in Harare in July.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-24 09:46:55 UTC ]
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Sphere to publish true crime exploring murder of author's stepsister

Sphere has acquired a book in which the author tells the story of her own investigation into the long-unsolved murder of her stepsister.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-17 23:03:19 UTC ]
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Story of ‘bloodthirsty unicorns’ brings debut author record publishing deal

Annabel Steadman’s fantasy series Skandar and the Unicorn Thief has won a seven-figure book contract, with film rights also sold to Sony PicturesA 28-year-old first-time author from Canterbury has landed what is believed to be the world’s largest ever book advance for a debut children’s writer,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-09-16 13:34:54 UTC ]
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Publishing must make room for disabled authors - for its own good

Attention to diversity has yet to pay much heed to us, but we are the biggest minority in the world, so if space is cleared everyone stands to win As a disabled writer, it has been a little strange to watch publishers rush to put on online events during the pandemic. Authors have been... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-09-04 14:00:57 UTC ]
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Trade-Published Romance Sees a Coronavirus Boost in the States

Unit sales of romance ebooks 'increased 17 percentage points from January through May 2020' in the US market, NPD Books reports. The post Trade-Published Romance Sees a Coronavirus Boost in the States appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-08-20 14:14:36 UTC ]
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Publishing Leaders Issuing Warning over Amazon’s Market Power

If Amazon's market power over book publishing is left unchecked, competition in the industry will continue to diminish, the heads of the AAP, ABA, and Authors Guild wrote in a letter to the chairman of the House Antitrust Subcommittee. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-08-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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US Publishers, Authors, Booksellers Call Out Amazon’s ‘Concentrated Power’ in the Book Market

American professional associations for authors, publishers, and booksellers write to the House subcommittee on antitrust issues about Amazon. The post US Publishers, Authors, Booksellers Call Out Amazon’s ‘Concentrated Power’ in the Book Market appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-08-17 14:51:35 UTC ]
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US publishing bodies protest against Amazon tactics

Key trade bodies in the US – the Association of American Publishers, the Authors Guild and the American Booksellers Association – have sent a letter to Capitol Hill to protest against "anti-competitive tactics" which they say give Amazon "extraordinary" market dominance in the digital books market. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-17 13:53:48 UTC ]
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SFF authors are protesting Saudi Arabia’s cynical bid to host the 2022 WorldCon.

The science fiction world is having a bit of a week. Today, New Zealand, the host of this year’s World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon), virtually kicked off one of the world’s most popular sci-fi events. New Zealanders had been preparing for the international convention, which normally... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-07-29 17:44:32 UTC ]
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Post-pandemic Publishing for Indie Authors

Indie authors are well positioned to survive and thrive in the post-pandemic publishing landscape Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-07-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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In Europe, Efforts at Pandemic Relief for Publishing; New Funds for Authors

Industry notes: The Federation of European Publishers is backing efforts to see the cultural sector included in EU Special Council meetings, while Bonnier donates to open a ‘Reading Fund’ in Germany. By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson FEP’s Manifesto: ‘European Publishing... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-07-17 17:40:53 UTC ]
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Led By Donald Trump Books and Race Issues: Summertime US Nonfiction Heats Up

As a trio of books on Donald Trump from Simon & Schuster punctuate the summer lists, titles on racism fill out a soaring sector ahead of the November 3 presidential election. The post Led By Donald Trump Books and Race Issues: Summertime US Nonfiction Heats Up appeared first on Publishing... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-06-16 16:45:41 UTC ]
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NBCC Board Gutted as Fallout Over Leaked Emails, Race Issues Widens

The turmoil that roiled the National Book Critics Circle last week continued throughout the weekend and into Monday morning as concerns over matters of race and privacy continue to split the organization's board of directors. As of press time, at least 13 members have resigned from the typically... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-06-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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For publishers, books on race and racism have been a surprising success

Their popularity was rising even before the George Floyd protests, Mark Whitaker writes. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-06-12 12:00:00 UTC ]
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