The author was repeatedly told that no one wanted to read fun books with disabled heroes. Now she has won the £5,000 Waterstones children’s book prize for her debut, A Kind of SparkWhen Scottish author Elle McNicoll was first trying to enter the publishing world, she was repeatedly told that people didn’t want to read about an autistic heroine. “In job interviews, I was saying that I wanted to see more books with disabled characters in them that were not traumatic, boring or educational, but fun and full of life. A lot of the reactions were, ‘Waterstones don’t like books like that’,” she says.Now McNicoll’s debut novel A Kind of Spark has won the Waterstones children’s book prize. Published by tiny independent Knights Of, it follows Addie, an 11-year-old autistic girl, as she campaigns for a memorial to the witch trials that took place in her Scottish village. The novel has been praised by Waterstones’ booksellers as “eye opening, heart-wrenching, sad [and] inspiring”. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2021-07-01 05:01:05 UTC ]
Booksellers take stand against influence of conservative billionaire by limiting orders of his company’s books and placing them on lower shelvesA conservative Catholic billionaire and media owner is facing an independent bookshop rebellion in France over his influence in the publishing... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2025-03-22 06:00:42 UTC ]
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Growing consumer caution and uncertainty surrounding federal government support for education resulted in results falling below expectations at the children’s book publisher’s last quarter. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-03-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Chinese children’s publishers are creating original works, quality translations, and tweaking their programs to meet rapid market changes. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-03-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Barbara Marcus, one of the most prominent and influential figures in children’s book publishing for decades, will step down as president and publisher of Random House Children’s Books on May 1. She will be succeeded by Mallory Loehr, currently EVP and publisher of the Random House Books for... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-03-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
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During Bologna Children's Book Fair, IBBY's annual International Children's Book Day will be observed, this year sponsored by the Netherlands. The post At Bologna: IBBY’s International Children’s Book Day appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2025-03-19 23:32:04 UTC ]
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Two Dollar Radio has been quietly rocking the publishing world since its inception in 2005. The Ohio-based indie publisher and “family outfit” turns twenty this year, and we at Lit Hub want to extend a hearty happy birthday. In a literary landscape that’s often knocked for a fear of risk-taking,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-14 18:01:37 UTC ]
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The Bologna Children’s Book Fair, scheduled from March 31 to April 3, will once again bring the book world to Italy as it continues to grow beyond its traditional remit focused on children’s books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-03-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Estonia will serve as Guest of Honor at the 2025 Bologna Children’s Book Fair, marking the Baltic nation’s first time in this prominent role at the world’s largest children’s publishing event. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-03-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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His memoir “Growing Up” depicted her hometown “like a shining city on a hill.” Other authors who mean a lot to the musician (and now childrens’ book writer): Kevyn Aucoin and Hilary Mantel. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2025-03-13 09:00:09 UTC ]
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Spend any time scanning a list of banned books and you’ll find some head-scratchers: picture books challenged for including seemingly gay characters in the background, or describing a difficult moment in history, or revealing a naked goblin butt. Among the most banned picture books of the last... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-03-10 08:58:37 UTC ]
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A Caldecott Medal winner, he turned childhood memories of fleeing the Nazis in Poland into magical stories. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2025-03-07 19:00:38 UTC ]
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In this land of opportunities, being an immigrant can often feel like playing a round of Twister. A certain contortion of mind, language, and will power seems written into the script; a lot of territory remains untouchable. Shubha Sunder’s debut novel Optional Practical Training is named after... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2025-03-07 12:05:00 UTC ]
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Fifteen years ago, Kathryn Stockett’s debut novel became a best seller, but was also heavily criticized for its portrayal of Black characters. Now, she has written second novel, “The Calamity Club.” Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2025-03-07 10:04:33 UTC ]
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Emily St. James’s debut novel Woodworking chronicles the developing friendship between a 16-year-old trans girl and her recently-out-to-herself English teacher in Mitchell, South Dakota in the months leading up to the 2016 election. In a town like Mitchell, secrets are few and far between,... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2025-03-06 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Electric Literature is pleased to reveal the cover of These Memories Do Not Belong to Us, the highly-anticipated debut novel by Yiming Ma, which will be published by Mariner Books in the US and McClelland & Stewart in Canada on August 12, 2025. You can pre-order here in US or here in Canada.... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2025-03-04 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Andreé Blouin was erased from history despite her pivotal role in African independence. Today she has a book prize named after her. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2025-02-28 12:12:55 UTC ]
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Dan Houser will publish his debut novel A Better Paradise Volume One: An Aftermath, an adaptation of his hit podcast, this fall. The book is the first title from the new publishing arm of his entertainment company, Absurd Ventures. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2025-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Georgia Hunter's debut novel about a Polish Jewish family that survived the Holocaust was turned into a Hulu series. Her second novel, 'One Good Thing,' revisits WWII Europe but is a more conventional work. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2025-02-24 11:00:28 UTC ]
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This week on The Lit Hub Podcast: How the publishing world can respond to Trump, and “What energizes you?” | Lit Hub Radio “When in doubt, leave the reaction out.” Eric Puchner on how to be funny when writing a novel. | Lit Hub Craft Ted Hamm on how Jimmy Breslin and Langston Hughes each […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2025-02-21 11:30:16 UTC ]
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Children’s books fall into six main categories based on age groups and format: board books (ages 0-3), picture books (3-8), ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-02-20 11:00:00 UTC ]
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