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 ]
News tagged with: #waterstones children #book prize #publishing world #people didn #disabled characters #witch trials #eye opening #debut novel #children’s book

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Waterstones prize winner Elle McNicoll: ‘I never saw autistic girls in books’'


Waterstone's sold, Daunt in, Myers out

Written By: Lisa Campbell, Philip Jones and Graeme Neill Publication Date: Fri, 20/05/2011 - 08:50 Waterstone's has been sold to Alexander Mamut's A&NN Group for £53m. In a surprise move, James Daunt will run the bookseller as its managing director when the deal completes, with current... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #james daunt #dominic myers #lisa campbell #philip jones #alexander mamut #ann group #surprise move


Excitement and relief over Waterstone's future

Written By: Benedicte Page and Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 20/05/2011 - 12:00 Publishers, writers, agents and trade bodies have responded with relief to today’s news of the acquisition of Waterstone’s by Alexander Mamut’s A&NN Group, welcoming the surprise arrival of James... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #benedicte page #trade bodies #james daunt #retail chains #dominic myers


E-Book Sales Pass Print on Amazon

While the Rapture isn’t scheduled to occur until Saturday, according to members of certain religious fringe groups, it looks like doomsday has come early for publishers of print books. Amazon announced Thursday that sales of ebooks on the site have finally surpassed combined sales of hardcovers... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2011-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mike shatzkin #mortar stores #forrester research #e-book reading #big deal #forrester analyst


QOTD: About Those Amazon E-Book Sales…

“As a former Amazon Associate, I can tell you that a great many sales of Kindle Books are for the 99¢ complete Dickens, etc.” –Movie critic and Web publisher Roger Ebert, providing some context for Amazon’s stat about Kindle ebooks outselling print books. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #kindle books


No role for Waterstone after Mamut takeover

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Fri, 20/05/2011 - 12:08 Tim Waterstone will take no role in the chain bearing his name and had no involvement in the Alexander Mamut-led acqusition of Waterstone's, The Bookseller can reveal. The HMV Group announced this morning Waterstone’s that... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #london bookseller #close friend #hmv group


Sphere acquires Seal Team Six book

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 19/05/2011 - 09:02 Sphere is capitalising on the interest surrounding the US Navy Seals following the assassination of Osama bin Laden and has acquired Seal Team Six by Howard E Wasdin and Stephen Templin. Sphere non-fiction publishing... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #navy seals #claire roberts #trident media #scott miller #23rd june


Roth awarded Man Booker International Prize

Publication Date: Wed, 18/05/2011 - 09:31 Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Philip Roth has been awarded the £60,000 Man Booker International Prize 2011. The author of The Human Stain and American Pastoral was chosen from a list of 13 contenders including Marilynne Robinson, Anne Tyler and John... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #american pastoral #anne tyler


The late Tom Bingham awarded Orwell Prize

Written By: Katie Allen Publication Date: Wed, 18/05/2011 - 09:18 The late lord chief justice Tom Bingham has been awarded the Orwell Prize for political writing for his book The Rule of Law (Penguin). Bingham, a former master of the rolls, lord chief justice, and senior law lord, died in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #lady bingham #orwell prize #political writing #law penguin


Myers wants joined-up thinking over book events

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Wed, 18/05/2011 - 09:33 Dominic Myers has called on the book industry to collaborate in creating more nation-wide events like World Book Night in order to enhance the dialogue around books. The Waterstone's m.d told the Book Industry Conference forum... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book industry #book events #book sales


Number of US physical books printed increases despite digital

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Wed, 18/05/2011 - 15:57 Traditional US print book output in 2010 increased 5% in 2010, despite the huge growth in ebooks, though there was a continuing fall in the number of fiction titles published. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #huge growth


E-book price-fixing law passed in France

Written By: Barbara Casassus Publication Date: Wed, 18/05/2011 - 14:45 The French National Assembly yesterday (17th May) voted into law a bill allowing publishers to fix prices of all ebooks sold in France. The text says that retailers inside or outside France must respect the fixed prices.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fix prices #ebooks sold #retailers inside #fixed prices #european commission #european court


The late Tom Bingham award Orwell Prize

Written By: Katie Allen Publication Date: Wed, 18/05/2011 - 09:18 The late lord chief justice Tom Bingham has been awarded the Orwell Prize for political writing for his book The Rule of Law (Penguin). Bingham, a former master of the rolls, lord chief justice, and senior law lord, died in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #lady bingham #orwell prize #political writing #law penguin


WBN giveaway to be cut to 500,000 books

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Tue, 17/05/2011 - 15:59 World Book Night in 2012 will see 500,000 rather than 1m books given away, WBN founder Jamie Byng told Book Industry Conference (BIC) delegates this morning, as he also discussed incorporating digital and audio elements... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Blackwell and Faber double winners at The Bookseller Industry Awards

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Mon, 16/05/2011 - 22:30 Quercus has been crowned 2011's best publisher at The Bookseller Industry Awards, as Sainsbury's scooped the Bookseller of the Year award. Quercus was presented with the Bonnier Publisher of the Year Award at the black-tie... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bonnier publisher


Bidders given two weeks to make Waterstone's move

Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Mon, 16/05/2011 - 09:10 Bidders for Waterstone's have a reported two weeks to express a formal interest in the chain, as parent HMV Group said it was in "advanced discussions" over a sale. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #advanced discussions


Getting the Word Out: Audio Book Marketing 2011

The Audio Publishers Association is set to kick off its 14th annual June Is Audiobook Month campaign, designed to celebrate the industry and bring greater awareness of audiobooks. As formats and consumer habits have changed over the past 10 years—sometimes dramatically—audio publishers have kept... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #consumer habits


Sticking with Books

As publishers worry about the shrinking number of physical bookstores, Levy Home Entertainment is making the case that mass merchants will be a viable alternative not only to showcase books but to sell them as well. In a presentation at the Book Industry Study Group's May 5 "Making Information... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishers worry #showcase books #shrinking number #physical bookstores #mass merchants #viable alternative #units sold #online bookstores


HMV in 'advanced' talks over Waterstone's sale

Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Fri, 13/05/2011 - 18:25 HMV has confirmed that it is in "advanced discussions regarding a potential sale of Waterstone's". The announcement, made late on Friday, follows a day of increased speculation with reports that Russian investor Alexander... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #advanced discussions #potential sale #bookselling chain


Spoof kids' book to Canongate

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Fri, 13/05/2011 - 10:47 Canongate has bought a foul-mouthed gift book for exhausted parents, which has been the subject of intense hype in the United States. M.d. Jamie Byng and senior editor Francis Bickmore bought UK and Commonwealth rights,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #jamie byng #adam mansbach #akashic books


Publishers battle for Townshend and Walliams books

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Fri, 13/05/2011 - 08:30 The Who guitarist Pete Townshend and "Little Britain" star David Walliams are the latest figures to have memoirs put in front of publishers, as the trade shows no sign of losing its appetite for celebrity autobiographies. Ed... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishers battle #latest figures #trade shows #celebrity autobiographies #ed victor