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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Yang Hongying: One of China’s Bestselling Children’s Book Authors

One of Yang Hongying's most successful series now is 12 years old and has sold more than 70 million copies. Her total unit sales exceed 160 million units. The post Yang Hongying: One of China’s Bestselling Children’s Book Authors appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-11-01 05:30:25 UTC ]
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Benjamin Percy, owner of the most distinct voice in literature, reads Goodnight Moon.

On this All Hallow’s Eve eve, let Benjamin Percy, who has the most notable voice in American letters (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, smash that play button), lull you to sleep with a reading of the surprisingly controversial classic children’s book Goodnight Moon, which he posted on... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-10-30 15:15:53 UTC ]
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Oneworld signs Frances Macken debut about complex female friendships

Oneworld has bought a debut novel from Irish writer Frances Macken, billed as “a major voice in contemporary fiction”. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-30 07:19:30 UTC ]
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An Interview With Rena Barron, Author Of KINGDOM OF SOULS

We chatted with Rena Barron about her debut novel KINGDOM OF SOULS, the process of writing it, the story and the excitement behind it. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2019-10-29 10:40:44 UTC ]
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LVMH bids for Tiffany and Disney media review causes controversy: Monday Wake-Up Call

Welcome to Ad Age’s Wake-Up Call, our daily roundup of advertising, marketing, media and digital news. If you're reading this online or in a forwarded email, here's the link to sign up for our Wake-Up Call newsletters. You can get an audio version of this briefing on your Alexa device; sign up... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-28 10:22:02 UTC ]
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The Trouble with “Adam”

WHEN YA PUBLISHER Houghton Mifflin Harcourt put out Ariel Schrag’s Adam in 2014, it felt predetermined that this debut novel would eventually become a movie. Indeed, the promotional materials included a trailer for an imagined film, a digital elevator pitch. Moreover, as a preexisting YA... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books

[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2019-10-26 17:00:36 UTC ]
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H.G. Parry: When We Read Books, We Bring Their Worlds Into Life

While all fiction writers can pull characters from their imaginations and commit them to the page, most readers can’t do what Charley Sutherland can: pull characters from the page and commit them to the real world. Sutherland’s fantastical ability is at the center of H.G. Parry’s debut novel The... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-10-25 08:46:30 UTC ]
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Zuckerberg faces Congress as Facebook prepares to debut news tab: Thursday Wake-Up Call

Welcome to Ad Age’s Wake-Up Call, our daily roundup of advertising, marketing, media and digital news. If you're reading this online or in a forwarded email, here's the link to sign up for our Wake-Up Call newsletters. You can get an audio version of this briefing on your Alexa device; sign up... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-24 10:29:51 UTC ]
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Beano launches monthly children’s book club

Beano has launched a new book subscription service for children offering newly published books across a wide range of authors and genres. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-23 16:43:46 UTC ]
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Granta signs Daisy Lafarge in two-book deal

Granta Books has snapped up the debut poetry collection and debut novel of Betty Trask and Eric Gregory award-winning poet and writer Daisy Lafarge. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-23 10:48:08 UTC ]
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Legend bags 'warm and poignant' Morrall debut

Legend Press has bagged a “warm and poignant” debut novel exploring identity, race and mental illness by writer and painter Alex Morrall. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-22 16:25:02 UTC ]
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W&N lands 'virtuoso' debut novel from Riviere at auction

W&N has landed the "virtuoso" debut novel from poet Sam Riviere in a multi-publisher auction. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-18 05:10:37 UTC ]
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Puffin to publish Wreck this Picture Book

Puffin has acquired the first children’s book from author–illustrator Keri Smith, Wreck this Picture Book, due to publish in autumn 2020 as part of a global release. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-16 10:22:48 UTC ]
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I was proud my literature award. Then came the talk of ‘box-ticking’ | Chitra Ramaswamy

It’s clear that the publishing world needs more diversity. Why do some see this as compromising quality?Let me tell you a story. A few years ago, months after this riven old island voted to leave the European Union, and days after an ex-reality TV host became the leader of the free world, a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-10-11 15:37:44 UTC ]
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What HBO’s ‘Succession’ can teach us about advertising

As an abashed former News Corp employee (thankfully at HarperCollins, one of the Murdoch portfolio’s least-offensive holdings), HBO’s "Succession" is my straight shot of Sunday-night dopamine. The show’s great even if you aren’t attuned to the devastating, thinly veiled media and publishing... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-11 11:22:17 UTC ]
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Advertising lessons learned and reaffirmed by HBO’s ‘Succession’

As an abashed former News Corp employee (thankfully at HarperCollins, one of the Murdoch portfolio’s least-offensive holdings), HBO’s "Succession" is my straight shot of Sunday-night dopamine. The show’s great even if you aren’t attuned to the devastating, thinly veiled media and publishing... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-11 11:22:17 UTC ]
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Zephyr pre-empts debut from Aardman's Hawkins

Head of Zeus imprint Zephyr has pre-empted the debut novel from Aardman Animations creative director Finbar Hawkins in a two-book deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-11 03:38:34 UTC ]
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An Unsolicited Manuscript Becomes a Hot Pre-Frankfurt Property

The debut novel ‘A Kindness,’ which literary agent Helen Heller received a little over a week ago after responding to an unsolicited pitch letter, is gaining pre-Frankfurt Book Fair buzz after being preempted in the U.S. by Pamela Dorman for high six figures. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-10-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Transworld scoops 'heartwarming' debut from Paris in two-book deal

Transworld has scooped the debut novel from performer, writer and Faber Academy alumna Helen Paris in a two-book deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-09 13:58:41 UTC ]
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