Waterstones prize winner Elle McNicoll: ‘I never saw autistic girls in books’

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 ]

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Sweet Cherry Publishing: Life for Leicester children’s indie after Nibbies Small Press triumph

"We want to be recognised as one of the leading children’s book publishers in the industry: we want not only to be recognised, we want to be respected.” Sanjee de Silva (pictured), the new publisher at Sweet Cherry, recently named Small Press of the Year at the British Book Awards, has big... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-28 22:25:53 UTC ]
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'Three Women' author Lisa Taddeo's debut novel is fearless. So what is she afraid of?

Lisa Taddeo, whose book "Three Women" broke the mold of immersive journalism, talks about her first novel, "Animal," and the struggle to write and live. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-05-27 13:00:06 UTC ]
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Bodour Al Qasimi Launches Her Book at Sharjah Children’s Book Fair

The new release is 'World Book Capital' and proceeds from is sales go to damaged bookshops and libraries in Gaza. The post Bodour Al Qasimi Launches Her Book at Sharjah Children’s Book Fair appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-05-26 19:57:39 UTC ]
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Her Book Doesn’t Go Easy on Publishing. Publishers Ate It Up.

Zakiya Dalila Harris, a former editorial assistant, is making a splash with “The Other Black Girl,” her debut novel about an African-American woman navigating a nearly all-white workplace. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-05-23 20:21:45 UTC ]
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World Literature Today Announces 2021 Student Translation Prize Winners

News and Events Mariah Rust and Xin Xu recently were named the recipients of the fourth annual translation prize for students sponsored by World Literature Today at the University of Oklahoma. Consistent with World Literature Today’s commitment to... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2021-05-20 16:07:11 UTC ]
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Bologna Children’s Book Fair: More Programming Details

The June digital edition of the trade show for younger readers' content outlines some of its plans for an expanding stretch on the calendar. The post Bologna Children’s Book Fair: More Programming Details appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-05-19 17:29:01 UTC ]
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Republic of Consciousness prize shares £20,000 pot among longlist

Shola von Reinhold wins the award for small publishing houses with their novel LOTE, but financial reward split among 10 publishersThe Scottish author Shola von Reinhold has won the Republic of Consciousness prize for small presses for their “dazzling” queer debut novel LOTE. But the £20,000... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-05-19 12:17:35 UTC ]
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How women conquered the world of fiction

From Sally Rooney to Raven Leilani, female novelists have captured the literary zeitgeist, with more buzz, prizes and bestsellers than men. But is this cultural shift something to celebrate or rectify?In March, Vintage, one of the UK’s largest literary fiction divisions, announced the five debut... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-05-16 06:00:48 UTC ]
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Fraser and Hindley win £10k Oscar's Book Prize

The Littlest Yak by debut author Lu Fraser and illustrator Kate Hindley (Simon & Schuster Children’s Books) has won the £10,000 Oscar’s Book Prize 2021. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-11 04:12:57 UTC ]
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CCBF to welcome international delegates if travel restrictions allow

The Shanghai Children’s Book Fair, scheduled to take place this year from 19th-21st November, will welcome international delegates to an in-person event as long as travel restrictions are not in place, the organisers have confirmed.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-05-07 10:39:23 UTC ]
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Being An Intellectual Won’t Pay the Bills

In Christine Smallwood’s debut novel The Life of the Mind, protagonist Dorothy escapes the stifled environment of an academic conference for one she finds even more depressing: the slot machines. There, she runs into her former dissertation advisor, Judith, a woman who caused her significant... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2021-05-06 11:00:00 UTC ]
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‘Jaws at 35,000 feet’: the flight attendant whose thriller debut sold for seven figures

TJ Newman dreamt up her terror-in-the-skies novel Falling while guarding the cockpit as the pilots took a toilet break. She reveals how she kept going through furlough and 41 rejectionsFlight attendant Torri Newman was working on the red-eye flight from Los Angeles to New York when the idea for... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-05-04 05:00:21 UTC ]
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New York Post Reporter Who Wrote False Kamala Harris Story Resigns

The front-page article in the Murdoch tabloid claimed that copies of a children’s book by the vice president were given to migrant children as part of a “welcome kit.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-04-29 12:20:17 UTC ]
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Defusing the culture war over masks outdoors

Yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an update to their coronavirus masking guidance. Fully vaccinated people can now go maskless outdoors, apart from in crowds, and even people who aren’t fully vaccinated can exercise maskless outdoors alone or with their household.... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2021-04-28 12:29:35 UTC ]
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The Books That Led Her to Her Art

A children’s book illustrator and author describes her path through classics like “Blueberries for Sal” and “Where the Wild Things Are.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-04-16 17:02:03 UTC ]
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Book Deals: Week of April 19, 2021

Pamela Dorman buys a debut novel by a longtime Knopf editor, Holt signs a memoir by Ronnie Spector, Hanya Yanagihara re-ups with Doubleday, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-04-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Knopf's Jackson Sells Debut Novel for Rumored Seven Figures

In a deal rumored to be in the seven figure-range, Knopf editor Jenny Jackson sold her debut novel to Pam Dorman, who has an eponymous imprint at Penguin Random House. 'Pineapple Street' follows three sisters who are members of a wealthy family, and is slated to be released in early 2023. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-04-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Time to rewatch this iconic performance of Where the Wild Things Are.

Today, April 9th, marks the fifty-eight publication anniversary of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are. Perhaps the most beloved children’s book of the latter half of the 20th century, Sendak’s gorgeously-illustrated tale of a young boy in a wolf suit who, upon being sent to bed with no... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-04-09 16:58:23 UTC ]
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A Potion Made of Stolen Gold to Achieve the Indian American Dream

Sanjena Sathian’s debut novel Gold Diggers is set in the Indian American suburbs of Atlanta—a world of competitive debate and spelling bees, of racing to get into the most prestigious academic summer camps, of Miss Teen India pageants—all roads leading to the promised land of America’s most... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2021-04-09 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Bologna Children’s Book Fair Cancels Its Physical 2021 Fair

The Bologna International Children's Book Fair announces a digital-only edition for 2021, cancelling its physical fair over the COVID-19 pandemic. The post Bologna Children’s Book Fair Cancels Its Physical 2021 Fair appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-04-09 05:12:11 UTC ]
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