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 ]
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Publishers express support for Gardners Hive

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 02/03/2011 - 15:24 Gardners has received backing for its Hive consumer website from publishers including Hachette UK's c.e.o. after it presented its new initiative to more than 300 publishers. The wholesaler has yet to confirm a live date for the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HMV issues second profit warning

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 01/03/2011 - 09:28 The HMV Group has issued its second profit warning of the year and will breach a bank covenant test when it announces full year results in April. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author proposes WBN alternative

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Mon, 28/02/2011 - 15:43 A Carnegie-nominated author has proposed an alternative to World Book Night, suggesting readers buy one book from a bookshop this week and give it away. Writing on her blog, Nicola Morgan said she believed there were better... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers Look Beyond Bookstores

The clothing boutique Kitson sold twice as many books in 2010 as the year before. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers' school budgets under threat

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Fri, 25/02/2011 - 15:56 Almost three quarters of primary head teachers are expecting funding for books to be inadequate in 2011–12, as the Publishers Association has warned of a “challenging year” for book sales to schools. As schools begin to... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fourth Estate to publish Someday

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Fri, 25/02/2011 - 11:35 Fourth Estate has bought a début novel from a permissions manager at Faber. Editorial director Clare Reihill bought UK and Commonwealth rights excluding Canada to Someday Find Me by Nicci Cloke through Jo Unwin at Conville and... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishing proliferates thanks to POD and digital

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Wed, 23/02/2011 - 09:35 Print on demand, digital and self-publishing are continuing to push up the number of books published in the UK and overseas, according to new output data issued by Nielsen Book. The statistics also reveal that the number of new... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PPA chief warns of looming 'penalty tax on magazine publishers'

The Royal Mail's request to increase the amount it can charge for bulk mail has been slammed as a "shortsighted" move that could cause long-term damage to the magazine business by Barry McIlheney, chief executive of the Professional Publishers Association (PPA). Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2011-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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IPA concerned about publisher "blacklist" in Iran

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 22/02/2011 - 09:08 The International Publishers Association is urgently trying to locate an Iranian publisher on women's issues after she was named in an alleged blacklist of Iranian publishers. The blacklist, reportedly circulated by a chapter... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Michael O'Mara to publish book on sitcom pioneers

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 21/02/2011 - 08:47 Michael O'Mara has acquired an anthology about the writers of "Hancock's Half Hour" and "Steptoe and Son", dubbed "the fathers of the British sitcom". Commissioning editor Kate Moore bought world rights with Elly James of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Virago to publish newly discovered Daphne du Maurier stories

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 18/02/2011 - 08:18 Virago is publishing a new collection of 13 early short stories by Daphne du Maurier, including five discovered by a Cornish bookseller and du Maurier enthusiast. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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CUP publishing staff reject 2% pay increase

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Fri, 18/02/2011 - 08:15 Publishing staff at Cambridge University Press (CUP) have voted to reject a pay increase of 2%. The proposed pay increase, which CUP has described as reasonable and in line with other pay settlements, has led the Unite union to... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lure of IPad Subscriptions May Outweigh Pain for Publishers

There may not be a ton of enthusiasm in the publishing world for Apple's new policy for subscription services--particularly when it comes to giving Cupertino a... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple App Store subscription plan gouges publishers, eats their young

By Joe Wilcox, Betanews Somebody call the cops -- eh, antitrust authorities. Apple's subscription plan is here, and it's as bad for many, if not most, publishers as rumored. The first of several key sentences from Apple's press announcement: "Publishers may no longer provide links in their apps... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2011-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Salt launches digital romance imprint

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Tue, 15/02/2011 - 09:39 Indie publisher Salt has launched a digital imprint, Embrace Books, comprising four series of erotica and romance titles. Red Velvet is billed as "sexy, sophisticated romance", while After Dark is an "intense,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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ABM Announces Recipients of Crain, Timothy White, and McAllister Fellowship Awards

ABM has announced the 2011 recipients for its Crain, Timothy White and McAllister Fellowship Awards, honoring editorial excellence. Wyatt Kash, content director/editor for 1105 Events and executive director at the FOSE Institute, will receive the Crain Award, which honors an individual who has... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publisher demands delaying Borders liquidation

Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Tue, 15/02/2011 - 08:53 Publishers' demands for control of pricing in Borders' closing sales are delaying its impending bankruptcy ruling. Reuters reports the retailer is in discussions with liquidators over a plan to close around 20 of its 650... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Xcite to launch "one-stop shop" for romance

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 14/02/2011 - 15:25 Accent Press imprint Xcite Books is launching a "one-stop shop" for romantic and erotic ebooks and audio formats. The site, www.erotica-romance-ebooks.com, will launch on 1st March and replaces Xcite's three current sites... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors calls for moratorium on library closures

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Fri, 11/02/2011 - 08:28 An open letter to culture secretary Jeremy Hunt and culture minister Ed Vaizey calling for a halt to library closures after the success of last weekend's protests has been signed by high-profile authors including Sarah... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barbara Cartland is latest author to be wooed by digital

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Fri, 11/02/2011 - 07:59 The estate of the romance writer Barbara Cartland has fallen to the embrace of digital, in a move that sees her print publisher suffering a painful rejection. About a quarter of Cartland's extensive ouevre is to be published... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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