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 ]
Working-class lives are unlikely to be properly represented in fiction if the publishing industry is run by middle-class graduates, says Nick MossKeiran Goddard is right to say that too many novels that claim to portray working-class life just give us “recent arts graduate feels emotionally,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-04-30 16:40:05 UTC ]
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There were 669m physical books sold in the UK last year, according to new figures from the Publishers AssociationThe UK publishing industry had a “record-breaking year” in 2022, with a total income of £6.9bn.A Year in Publishing, a look at the state of the book market by trade body the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-04-17 11:26:08 UTC ]
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Gloucester-based bookseller bought by the retail giant in 2011 will shut at the end of AprilThe online shop Book Depository is due to close at the end of April, vendors and publishing partners have been told. This comes after the bookseller’s parent company Amazon announced it had decided to... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-04-04 11:07:43 UTC ]
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Among the week's headlines: bomb threats over Juno Dawson's 'This Book Is Gay' highlight the increasing threat level librarians and teachers are facing; Missouri lawmakers vote to defund the state's public libraries; and PEN America's Nadine Farid Johnson tells Congress that the country is... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-03-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For writers at every stage, the publishing industry can feel inaccessible. There are so many steps between drafting a book and seeing it out in the world. Especially for debut hopefuls, it’s more than a little intimidating: how do we know what we don’t know? Meanwhile, those who’ve already... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2023-03-24 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Dosdoce's Javier Celaya challenges the Spanish-language publishing industry to expand its share of a fast-widening audio 'ecosystem.' The post Audiobooks in Spanish: Dosdoce Hands Publishers a ‘Map’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-03-23 14:51:07 UTC ]
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Filippo Bernardini impersonated hundreds of people in the publishing industry to obtain work by Margaret Atwood, Sally Rooney and Ian McEwan, but never intended to leak the booksThe former publishing employee who stole manuscripts of books by Margaret Atwood, Sally Rooney and Ian McEwan has said... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-03-13 11:30:25 UTC ]
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On paper, the publishing industry seems glamorous. But this façade belies the deep problems that persist, and one of them is the low pay. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-02-23 11:36:00 UTC ]
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Following a down year for print book sales, NPD Group's publishing industry analyst, Kristen McLean, predicts that 2023 will be a year of transition for the publishing industry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-27 05:00:00 UTC ]
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DBW's final day looked at a recent study of publishing industry startups and found that innovation takes all forms, from wildly successful ideas that took time to take off, like Audible, to cutting edge innovations, like blockchain book retailing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-18 05:00:00 UTC ]
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DBW's final day looked at a recent study of publishing industry startups and found that innovation takes all forms, from wildly successful ideas that took time to take off, like Audible, to cutting edge innovations, like blockchain book retailing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-18 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Vampires and ghosts have long haunted popular fiction, but now a string of new releases is focusing on marginalised women with hidden powersSomeone, or something, shadowy has put a strong spell on popular literature aimed at women, once cheekily labelled “chick lit”. This perky genre, packaged... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-01-08 12:00:47 UTC ]
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With sales in the adult books and children’s/young adult categories falling 16.4% and 9.9%, respectively, total industry sales dropped 9.3% in October from a year ago for the 1,370 publishers that report results to AAP’s StatShot program. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Our first salary and jobs survey in three years found that the publishing industry’s lack of racial diversity and gender pay gap haven’t improved much. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-16 05:00:00 UTC ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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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 ]
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