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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Douglas Preston on Amazon, Authors United, and What’s Next

Throughout the months-long dispute between Amazon and Hachette over ebook sales terms, Douglas Preston was one of the most outspoken authors on the matter. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author C.J. Daugherty on Adapting Book-to-Web Series

Author CJ Daugherty discusses the release Night School the Web Series based on her bestselling YA novels — the first of its kind in the UK. The post Author C.J. Daugherty on Adapting Book-to-Web Series appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors on the Air December 4, 2014: Pat Hackett

Pat Hackett, editor of 'The Andy Warhol Diaries' (Twelve, 9781455561452), will appear on Bravo’s 'Watch What Happens: Live' on Thursday, December 4. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cheaper books make for wealthier authors, insists Amazon's Jeff Bezos

'The Kindle is trying to reduce friction for reading a whole book, and it’s working,' Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said at a conference yesterday. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Four Questions for... 'Foxcatcher' Author Mark Schultz

PW talked to Mark Schultz about his new memoir, 'Foxcatcher: The True Story of My Brother's Murder, John du Pont's Madness, and the Quest for Olympic Gold.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Daunt: 'Waterstones could break even this financial year'

Waterstones will “break even” this year if the retailer has a good Christmas, according to its m.d James Daunt. In an interview with the Guardian, the Waterstones boss said the chain’s intention was to eradicate its losses by the end of its financial year. “We are heading towards break-even in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Miniaturist named Waterstones Book of the Year

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton has been named as the Waterstones Book of the Year. Burton's debut novel, published by Picador, beat a shortlist that also included Man Booker Prize winner The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Samuel Johnson Prize winner H is for Hawk. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Big Rights Deals for Barcelona Author’s Debut Novel

The 26 rights deals for Milena Busquets' short debut novel have raised eyebrows — but looking at the author's passion and personal history, it makes sense The post Big Rights Deals for Barcelona Author’s Debut Novel appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-12-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple, DoJ Spar Ahead of December E-book Appeal

With an appeal date approaching, attorneys for Apple and the DoJ traded fire over whether Judge Denise Cote improperly weighed the evidence presented to her. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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News Briefs: Week of December 1, 2014

HC to provide books for JetBlue’s Content Hub and more in this week's publishing news briefs. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Blake Society urges support for 'Jerusalem' cottage buy

The Blake Society is asking people to donate funds via text to help buy the cottage William Blake lived in, as it races to meet a deadline later this week. Blake’s cottage in Felpham, on the Sussex coast, is the location where he wrote the words for the hymn "Jerusalem". The charity has been... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Half of C&R staff have now left Little, Brown

More than half of staff at Constable & Robinson have left the publisher since Little, Brown Book Group bought the company, it has emerged. The formerly independent publisher was purchased by the Hachette division in February, with the Constable & Robinson team moving into Little,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iBooks Bestsellers: Day Hits #1

Sylvia Day’s 'Captivated By You' jumped seven spots to hit #1 on Apple’s iBooks bestseller list, for the week ended November 24. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales Rose 1% at Books-A-Million

Revenue at Books-A-Million rose 1.3%, to $101.2 million, compared to the third quarter last year, while the net loss stayed at $6.9 million. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Orchard Books acquires debut YA author Hunt

Orchard Books has acquired Thirteen Days of Midnight by debut YA author Leo Hunt. The book is about a boy called Luke Manchett who, when his father dies, acquires $6m and a collection of ghosts. The eight spirits want revenge for their enslavement by Manchett senior and Luke has just 13 days to... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Int’l Voices, NBA Authors Star at Miami Book Fair

The Miami Book Fair featured numerous international voices — from Haiti to Germany — as well as all of the 2014 National Book Award winners and finalists. The post Int’l Voices, NBA Authors Star at Miami Book Fair appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-11-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Angry Robot signs Strange Chemistry author

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[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Canongate to publish Turkish author Altan

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[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Preston: 'Authors United will fight on'

Campaign group Authors United will continue its “efforts to persuade” the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department in the US to look into Amazon’s market practices, saying there are "still many open questions about Amazon's market power". The group was set up by American author Douglas... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors on the Air November 21, 2014: James Patterson

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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