Waterstones says it can't pay living wage, as 1,300 authors support staff appeal

Managing director says book chain ‘simply not profitable enough’, as Sally Rooney, Val McDermid and other authors write to protestMore than 1,300 writers including Kerry Hudson, David Nicholls, Sally Rooney, Michael Rosen and Val McDermid have backed a campaign for Waterstones booksellers to be paid the living wage.The support follows a petition from staff at Waterstones, signed by more than 6,000 people, which calls on the book chain’s managing director, James Daunt, to pay booksellers a starting living wage of £9 an hour, or £10.55 for the Greater London area. “Working for a rate of pay that is below the living wage results in booksellers who are stressed, preoccupied and who have little spare time and energy to devote to buying books, reading them, and keeping up with news and trends in the industry – all of which activities are undertaken outside contracted hours, and which many staff consider to be (and are encouraged to view as) integral to their role,” says the petition. Related: Balancing the books: how Waterstones came back from the dead Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2019-03-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #sally rooney #val mcdermid #david nicholls #michael rosen #living wage #book chain #james daunt #spare time

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Waterstones' midnight openings for Harper Lee

Waterstones stores across the country will host midnight openings to celebrate the release of Harper Lee’s forthcoming novel Go Set a Watchman (William Heinemann), while the company’s flagship Piccadilly shop will host a festival. M.d. James Daunt has called the launch a "thrilling"... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In Europe, VAT Changes Hit Self-Published Authors

Changes in VAT designed to force Amazon to pay higher tax rates is complicating direct sales for self-published authors, potentially strengthening Amazon. The post In Europe, VAT Changes Hit Self-Published Authors appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-06-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New Novel From 'The Shack' Author Among Spirituality and Religion Highlights at BEA

A new novel from 'The Shack' author and debuting imprints at HarperOne and New World Library gave publishers lots to talk about. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Vt. Author Teams Up with Local Bookstores to Promote Serial E-novel

When children's author Michael Daley decided to self-publish his YA race car thriller as a six-installment serial, he turned to area bookstores for help. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The State of Jewish Digital Publishing (Part 1)

Ben Denckla outlines the challenges of creating reflowable digital texts that incorporate challenging elements present in a wide variety of Jewish books. The post The State of Jewish Digital Publishing (Part 1) appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-06-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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40k reprint for Baileys winner 'with broad appeal'

Penguin Random House is printing 40,000 paperbacks of Ali Smith’s How to be Both (Hamish Hamilton) following its triumph at the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction. Smith was named the 20th winner of the prize last night at a ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall in London.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Why YA fiction is a dark mirror reflecting our own real lives

Did you know every two days, humans generate as much data as we did from the dawn of history up until 2003? AJ Steiger on how the internet means teenagers are more connected and empowered than ever before… but more vulnerable too – and how our books reflect this dualityThink about this for a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors on the Air June 5, 2015: Jesse Goolsby

Jesse Goolsby, author of 'I'd Walk with My Friends If I Could Find Them' (HMH, 9780544380981), will appear on NPR’s 'Weekend All Things Considered' on Sunday, June 7. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Thomas and Waterstones winners at Cross Sports Book Awards

Books illuminating the lives of gay sportsmen have been honoured at the Cross British Sports Book Awards, with Gareth Thomas' Proud and a biography of John Curry both picking up prizes. Proud, the memoir of Welsh rugby international Gareth Thomas [pictured], published by Ebury, was named... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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WH Smith sales increase 1%

WH Smith's total group sales for the last quarter grew slightly by 1% compared to the same period in 2014, although high street sales were down. The high street division saw both total sales and like-for-like sales fall 4% compared to last year in the 13 weeks ending 30th May. However, the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#FiftyShades: E.L. James' latest book: How authors keep their franchises fresh (+video)

#FiftyShades: 'Fifty Shades of Grey' writer E.L. James recently announced she's releasing a new version of 'Fifty Shades of Grey' that will be told from character Christian's point of view. Some authors choose to focus on different characters for new books, while others opt for all-new... Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sagan is Waterstones first 'Rediscovered Classic'

Waterstones has launched a new promotion on classic literature entitled Rediscovered Classics: The Best Books You’ve Never Read, with Francoise Sagan's Bonjour Tristesse its first choice. The promotion will see a new classic title every month promoted by Waterstones shops throughout the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New Fifty Shades Hits #1, as Vintage Heads to Press for 1.25 Million Copies

In a matter of hours, pre-orders pushed 'Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian,' to the top of the Barnes & Noble and Amazon bestseller lists. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Fair Contract Initiative' from Authors Guild

The Authors Guild of America has launched a Fair Contract Initiative to “address the major inequities in many boilerplate contract terms today” and educate authors on what terms they can negotiate on. The initiative, announced on Friday (28th May) at BEA, aims to “restore balance to the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2015: Spotlight on African-American Children's Authors and Illustrators

Illustrators gathered on Thursday to talk about promoting children's books by African-Americans, and about striving toward a future where readers, writers, and publishers do not feel confined or limited by labels. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookCon 2015: Bestselling Authors Feel the Power of Grassroots

Three bestselling authors discussed how book clubs have helped propel their careers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookCon 2015: YA Authors: We’re All Hungry for Diversity

As anyone knows who’s read anything by the five authors on today’s diversity panel, none has ever shied away from controversy. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA debates 'power shift' to authors and readers

The theme of the International Digital Publishing Forum conference on day one at Book Expo in New York was “Putting Readers First,” but whether power has shifted from publishers and retailers to readers - asserted in a keynote by Canelo Publishing’s Michael Bhaskar - was quickly challenged by... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A Lively BEA

BookExpo America ended its Wednesday–Friday run last week at New York City’s Javits Center before giving way to the consumer-oriented BookCon, held at Javits over the May 30–31 weekend. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Would You Pay to Read Entertainment News Online? Time Inc. Sure Hopes So

Since Time Inc. became an indepedent publicly traded company last June, executives at the nation's large magazine publisher have tried to convince Wall Street investors that it's quickly transforming into a digital-first media company. It's certainly made strides, introducing video series,... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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