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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Authors on the Air February 10, 2015: David and Jason Benham

David and Jason Benham, authors of 'Whatever the Cost: Facing Your Fears, Dying to Your Dreams, and Living Powerfully' (W Publishing Group/HarperCollins, 9780718032999), will appear on 'Fox & Friends' on Tuesday, February 10. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Evergreens mark 1,000 weeks in TCM

Last week two books—Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Puffin) and Michael Rosen’s We’re Going on a Bear Hunt (Walker)—achieved a unique feat, notching up their 1,000th week in BookScan’s Total Consumer Market Top 5,000. The two books are the UK book trade’s only remaining Evergreens:... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Waterstones cuts losses as Daunt looks ahead with 'optimism'

Waterstones cut its losses in its last financial year with managing director James Daunt describing it as year of “significant progress” and insisting that the business was edging towards profitability. It is the second consecutive year of reduced losses at Waterstones under Daunt, and includes... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Go Set a Watchman': more discussion, questions about 'To Kill a Mockingbird' author Harper Lee's new book

It was recently announced that 'To Kill a Mockingbird' writer Harper Lee, who famously only released her classic novel, will publish a second book this summer. 'If you read the book ... only Harper Lee could have written this novel,' said Jonathan Burnham, senior vice president and publisher of... Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Harper Lee, author of 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' to publish second novel

The AP reports that Harper Lee will publish her second novel this summer, a sequel to the Pulitzer Prize-winning classic To Kill a Mockingbird. The book, entitled Go Set a Watchman was completed in... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2015-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Minimum Wage Law to Shutter SF Indie

With the law set to its increase its payroll by 39%, 18-year-old Borderlands Books said it will have to close its doors by March 31. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The ebook is dead. Long live the ebook

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[ The Guardian | 2015-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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ABA Winter Institute 2015: Authors and Books to Watch For at WI 10

More than 80 writers will participate in the Tuesday and Wednesday evening author receptions (February 10 and 11). Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Trade supports Harris on TV books

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[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Murdered Charlie Hebdo staff to be honoured at 42nd Angoulême comic book festival

The Festival de Bande Dessinée has opened and will award a Charlie Freedom of Speech prize among other honoursThe celebrated Angoulême comic book festival opened on Thursday to laughter and tears three weeks after some of France’s best known cartoonists were gunned down in a terrorist... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Living With My Fear of Amazon, Destroyer of Worlds

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[ Advertising Age | 2015-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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blinkbox Books to close after Waterstones talks fail

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[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Library scheme to support dementia sufferers

Government ministers will today (26th January) launch a scheme to provide books for people with dementia via public libraries. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Review of the Year: Authors - A broad spectrum

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[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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So You Want to Be a Famous Self-Published Author?

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Many authors’ earnings fall below $500pa, survey finds

Research shows median income for all authors is now below $5,000, though ‘hybrid’ authors who use both traditional and self-publishing are doing bestAlmost a third of published authors make less than $500 (£350) a year from their writing, according to a new survey, with around a half of writers... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2015-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Biblical Scholar, Author Marcus J. Borg Dies

Marcus J. Borg, author of key books on the historical Jesus and champion of progressive Christianity, has died. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Kindle Textbook Creator turns authors into teachers (and vice versa)

While ebooks are everywhere, electronic textbooks never really caught on, despite their potential to bring immersive learning at a lower cost. Amazon is trying to change that with the Kindle Textbook Creator, a free app from its newly formed Kindle ... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2015-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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