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

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AWP 2016: Writers Walking the Talk About Diversity in Children's Publishing

This year's AWP, held at the Los Angeles Convention Center from March 31–April 2, was a vibrant mélange of multicultural voices. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Britain's GCHQ spies helped stop Harry Potter spoilers ending up online - publisher

Britain's spy agency stopped Harry Potter spoilers from leaking to the internet in the lead-up to a book release, its publisher has told ABC Radio. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2016-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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AWP 2016 in Photos: Publishers, Writers, and Readers Meet Up in L.A.

Photos from the book fair and panels at the Association of Writers and Writing Programs annual conference, held this year at the L.A. Convention center in downtown Los Angeles. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple Opens Mobile News App to All Publishers in Bid for Readers

Apple will make its mobile news app available to publishers of all sizes starting this week, increasing the pool of content as the tech giant competes with rivals Facebook and Google for the attention of smartphone readers.Smaller media companies, even independent bloggers, can obtain editing... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2016-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Can Simon & Schuster's new Muslim imprint ease publishing's diversity problem?

The new Salaam imprint, focused on Muslim characters and stories, is expected to launch in 2017 with nine books, from picture books for children to Young Adult titles for tweens and teens. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2016-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishing's future lies in diverse audiences, Chi tells IPG

Publishers need to do a “much better job of catering to underrepresented groups” as they have a responsibility to “represent the experiences of their broad readership”, Elsevier chariman Youngsuk Chi has told the IPG Conference. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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3 Reasons UK Publishers Are Not Buying into Diversity

Trying to instill diversity into the UK publishing industry is like “working on a car while it is still running,“ says Bobby Nayyar. The answer, he asserts, can only be entrepreneurship. The post 3 Reasons UK Publishers Are Not Buying into Diversity appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Beauty of Belonging? Diversity in UK Publishing

Bobby Nayyar offers a statistical analysis of diversity — or lack thereof — in the catalogs of major UK publishing houses, as well as initiatives to improve. The post The Beauty of Belonging? Diversity in UK Publishing appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Literary Magazines As Training Ground for Readers, Writers and Publishers

South African writer and literary magazine publisher Nick Mulgrew discusses how literary magazines are perfect training for pursuing more ambitious projects. The post Literary Magazines As Training Ground for Readers, Writers and Publishers appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-01-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hong Kong bookshops pull politically sensitive titles after publishers vanish

Suspected abduction of five booksellers prompts fears of mounting self-censorship in face of mainland crackdown on ‘salacious’ publicationsOne of Hong Kong’s leading international bookshop chains has removed politically sensitive books from its shelves in the wake of the mysterious disappearance... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-01-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How do we stop UK publishing being so posh, white and male?

The absence of any black, Asian or minority ethnic writers on next year’s World Book Night list provoked an outcry and a Twitterstorm. We asked writers and leading figures within the industry what can be done to encourage greater diversity in British publishingLatest work: Meatspace (Friday... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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James: 'publishers must go further to reach diverse groups'

Man Booker Prize winner Marlon James says there are "huge sections of the population who don’t read because no one is telling the stories that they want to read". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-12-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Where are the brown people?': authors slam lack of diversity in UK publishing

Nikesh Shukla calls industry’s backtracking ‘a perfect loop-de-loop of blame’ as he is joined by Jon McGregor in a groundswell of readers and authors demanding more diverse representationMan Booker winner Marlon James: ‘Writers of colour pander to the white woman’Authors Nikesh Shukla and Jon... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Scholastic Promotes Diversity in Books for Young Readers

The Scholastic Reading Club and We Need Diverse Books are promoting a list of 75 titles for middle-grade readers featuring diverse characters and plots. The post Scholastic Promotes Diversity in Books for Young Readers appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-11-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW Asks, You Answer: On Diversity in Publishing

This week, we asked our readers what the publishing industry could do to encourage diversity within its ranks. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW Asks: What Can Publishing Do to Make Its Workforce More Diverse?

According to our 2015 salary survey, publishing is 89% caucasian. What can the industry do to make the workforce more diverse? Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Playboy to stop publishing fully nude photos of women

Playboy will no longer publish photos of nude women as part of a redesign of the decades-old magazine, according to a news report Monday. Executives for the magazine company told the New York Times that the change will take place in March 2016. The paper reported that the print edition of Playboy... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-10-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google Is Making the Mobile Web Faster for Publishers and Their Readers

Every second counts with often impatient mobile users, so Google wants to help publishers reduce the time it takes their articles to load when viewed on smartphones. On Wednesday, Google launched a program called Accelerated Mobile Pages, or AMP, which speeds up load times by plugging a piece... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2015-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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publishers stop the ad blocking wave?

Apple’s new iPhone tweak empowers users and marks an advertising watershedLast Wednesday Apple rolled out the latest version of its iOS operating system, and it came with a very nasty sting in the tail for newspapers, magazines and online publishers everywhere. A relatively small tweak means... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-09-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Twitter publishes targets for a 'more diverse' workforce in 2016

Aims to increase proportion of women and underrepresented minorities, with no African American or Hispanic staff currently in US leadership positionsTwitter has outlined its ambitions to boost the proportion of women and underrepresented minorities in its workforce, publishing targets for “a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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