Stop moaning about sensitivity readers – if there was diversity in publishing we wouldn’t need them | Juno Dawson

Since 2011, all my book editors have been white. Why wouldn’t I want another perspective on the characters I invent?Until a few years ago, only publishing industry insiders would have understood the role of the sensitivity reader. Then came American Dirt. The Jeanine Cummins novel sold to a US publisher for a seven-figure advance, was chosen for Oprah’s Book Club, and was touted as “the new Grapes of Wrath”. On release in 2020, early readers noted that the white author’s depiction of Mexican people was, at best, flawed, inaccurate, and riddled with stereotypes and, at worst, simply racist.A sensitivity reader is an additional editor who works alongside the publishing house staffer who acquired the rights to your book. This individual will conduct a very specific read of the manuscript, and offer notes on characters from marginalised groups, or elements which may cause offence. The argument goes that if American Dirt had been sufficiently scrutinised by a reader of Mexican heritage, some of the furore could have been avoided. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2022-03-08 09:00:06 UTC ]
News tagged with: #juno dawson #american dirt #jeanine cummins #seven-figure advance #marginalised groups #publishing industry

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Stop moaning about sensitivity readers – if there was diversity in publishing we wouldn’t need them | Juno Dawson'

Stop moaning about sensitivity readers – if there was diversity in publishing we wouldn’t need them | Juno Dawson

Since 2011, all my book editors have been white. Why wouldn’t I want another perspective on the characters I invent?Until a few years ago, only publishing industry insiders would have understood the role of the sensitivity reader. Then came American Dirt. The Jeanine Cummins novel sold to a US... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-03-08 09:00:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #juno dawson #american dirt #jeanine cummins #seven-figure advance #marginalised groups #publishing industry

Publishers are cynically using ‘sensitivity readers’ to protect their bottom lines | Zoe Dubno

As books become intellectual property assets, publishers become asset managers trying to future-proof their toxic investmentsThe news that many of Roald Dahl’s books had been edited by the publisher Puffin to excise “offensive references to gender and race” has unleashed a brouhaha among the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-03-09 11:20:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sensitivity readers #roald dahl #publisher puffin #literary establishment #future generations #puffin

The Sensitive Question of Sensitivity Readers

Agent Jeffrey Hermann argues that changing a book based on a sensitivity read can make it less authentic. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-03 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Diversity in the House: The State of Diversity in Publishing

Three voices on the challenge of making publishing less white and more representative of the world at large. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-04-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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At Sharjah Publishing City, the Emirates Publishers Association Opens a ‘One Stop Shop’

Assistance on licensing, printing permits, ISBNs for new titles, trade inquiries, and more are available now to publishers in the UAE at a centralized resource hub located at Sharjah Publishing City. The post At Sharjah Publishing City, the Emirates Publishers Association Opens a ‘One Stop Shop’... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Canadian Publishing 2018: Is Diverse, Data-Driven Wattpad Publishing's Future?

The Canadian digital platform is using machine learning to discover what readers want. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-09-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers stop Facebook ad spending over policy that treats publishers as political advertisers

The Financial Times and New York Media suspended their paid media on Facebook over concerns about how news publishers are treated under its new ad policy. The post Publishers stop Facebook ad spending over policy that treats publishers as political advertisers appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tara Westover | 'My biggest fear wasn't that it wouldn't get published but that it would get published when it didn't deserve to be'

A remarkable tale of the importance of education by Tara Westover is destined for big things, predicts Caroline Sanderson. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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San Diego Reader Launches eBook Publishing Program to Re-Introduce Great Writing to New Readers

The San Diego Reader is mining gold from its rich archives and releasing the treasures as a collection of six eBooks, the first installment of a series that will showcase the literary quality and historic value of a collection spanning more than 40 y ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Five Publishers Join Lawsuit to Stop Iowa Book Banning Bill

Five more publishers, including the remaining Big Five publishers, have now joined as plaintiffs to help defend against the state’s bid to lift the block on appeal on Iowa's book banning law, SF 496. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Ask an Expert: Sensitivity Reading and Diversity

BookLife talks with Renee Harleston, founder of Writing Diversely, about the value of sensitivity readers Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
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CCBC Releases Statistics Regarding Diversity in Children's Literature Published in 2022

The Cooperative Children's Book Center has released its annual statistics on diversity in children's literature, and the results are heartening: 40% of books published in 2022 have a BIPOC author, illustrator, or compiler. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Literary Luminaries Debate Diversity, Publishing's Moral Obligations at PEN Town Hall

During a panel, "Do Publisher’s Have a Moral Obligation to Diversify American Literature?", authors Min Jin Lee, Chris Beha, Roxane Gay and publishing veteran Erroll McDonald weighed in on a central issue in the book business. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-16 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Agate Publishing's 20-Year Commitment to Diversity

Publisher Doug Seibold’s personal and professional goals haven’t changed since he incorporated his company in Illinois in the fall of 2002: he Seibold wants to publish books that he is passionate about and that fill a niche, and he wants to make the industry more inclusive. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-16 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishing Perspectives Forum: ‘What Young Readers Need’

The pandemic, branding, and geopolitical politics were on the table in Juergen Boos' conversation with CEOs of Scholastic and Ravensburger. The post Publishing Perspectives Forum: ‘What Young Readers Need’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-11-03 14:51:13 UTC ]
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‘This must be stopped’: US begins court battle against publishing giants’ merger

The justice department is seeking to block the $2.2bn merger between Penguin Random House and Simon & SchusterThe government and publishing titan Penguin Random House exchanged opening salvos in a federal antitrust trial Monday as the US seeks to block the biggest US book publisher from... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-08-01 16:24:36 UTC ]
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Meta to Stop Paying U.S. Publishers for News Content

Facebook's parent company Meta is telling its U.S. publishing partners that the company will no longer pay for news content that aggregates on Facebook's news tab. Facebook's News Tab and Bulletin newsletters will be put on the back burner as Meta moves forward with investing in AI-based video... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2022-07-29 17:11:09 UTC ]
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Hong Kong publishers excluded from book fair over politically sensitive material

At least three booksellers say they were banned from the annual jamboree as the city embarks on ‘new form of censorship’Hong Kong publishers have decried a “new form of censorship” after vendors selling books deemed politically sensitive were allegedly excluded from the industry’s traditional... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-07-22 04:39:34 UTC ]
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Heading to London Book Fair: Diversity in UK Publishing

As the UK publishing industry prepares for its annual encounter with many colleagues from other markets, a look at UK book business diversity. The post Heading to London Book Fair: Diversity in UK Publishing appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-04-01 19:24:36 UTC ]
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WNDB Launches Virtual Community for Mid-Level Diverse Publishing Professionals

The We Need Diverse Books nonprofit organization advocating for more inclusion in the industry is launching a virtual community platform for mid-level diverse publishing professionals in an effort to improve retention rates. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-03-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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