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

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Waterstones says it can't pay living wage, as 1,300 authors support staff appeal'

Bill Seeks to Grant FCC Authority to Stop Blackouts

Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House subcommittee on communications and technology, just made Wednesday's upcoming hearing interesting by publishing a discussion draft of a bill intended to eliminate TV blackouts caused by retransmission consent disputes. The bill, nicknamed... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2013-09-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #good faith #pay-tv providers #national association #spending millions

Hybrid Author Hugh Howey on Self vs. Traditional Publishing

Hybrid author Hugh Howey previews his CONTEC seminar at the Frankfurt Book Fair by offering his hard won views on self vs. traditional publishing. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-09-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #traditional publishing

Sherman Alexie to authors: Work at an indie bookstore on Small Business Saturday

Alexie, author of books including 'The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,' wrote a letter urging his fellow writers to handsell their books on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. 'The most important thing is that we’ll all be helping Independent bookstores, and God knows they’ve helped us... Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #author wrote #sherman alexie #books including #indie bookstore #letter urging #fellow writers #important thing

What Do Authors Owe to Indie Booksellers?

Sherman Alexie is encouraging authors to spend a day working in a bookstore handselling their own books, but some authors already feel overstretched. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #indie booksellers #sherman alexie #day working

Ether for Authors: Is the Dust-Up Over Kobo’s Devices Fair?

In Publishing Perspectives' Ether for Authors, Porter Anderson looks at controversy over Kobo's new push, at ebook pricing, Frankfurt Academy's CONTEC, and more. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-09-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #porter anderson #ebook pricing #frankfurt academy

Author Who Died in Syria Wins Arab American Book Award

The late New York Times Reporter Anthony Shadid, who died in Syria last year, is among the winners of the 2013 Arab American Book Awards. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-09-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

New Doctor Who ebook author revealed

Comedian and writer Charlie Higson is confirmed as the latest name to pen a short story celebrating the BBC sci-fi series. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2013-09-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Xbox One indie program will support free-to-play games, microtransactions

Looking into Microsoft's ID@Xbox program for independent developers? You'll be happy to hear that the company won't be placing any restrictions on your desired distribution model. Speaking to Joystiq at PAX Prime, Microsoft portfolio director for digital games Chris Charla explained that... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2013-09-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #growing popularity

Bill McGowan Works to Make Authors Pitch-Perfect

In the early 2000s, while working as a producer at ABC’s 20/20, Bill McGowan put together a branding video for a dot-com entrepreneur. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-08-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #early 2000s

Humble Comedy Bundle lets you pay what you want for laughs, big spenders get Louis CK

The Humble business model can apply to anything. Now, you can pay what you want for stand-up comedy in addition to ebooks, music and video games. For the next two weeks, you can get comedy specials from Maria Bamford, Tig Notaro, Hannibal Buress and Jim Norton for as little or as much as you... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2013-08-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #good friend #humble mumble #humble bundle

Authors Guide to the Frankfurt Book Fair

Many authors wonder if attending the Frankfurt Book Fair is a worthwhile expense. Our downloadable guide explains the steps you need to take to know if it's right for you. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #authors guide

Cressida Cowell to live-stream schools event

Author Cressida Cowell will make a free virtual author appearance for schools and libraries on... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #cressida cowell

Pratchett Kindle cases from Waterstones

Waterstones is to launch two exclusive limited edition Terry Pratchett Kindle cases, including a... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Ether for Authors: And Would You Just Save the Libraries, Too, Please?

In his overview of the week's web buzz, Porter Anderson looks at an authors-for-libraries effort, DRM debates, Ewan Morrison's provocations, and more. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #web buzz #porter anderson

21st Century Fox pays $70m for 5% stake in Vice

21st Century Fox has bought a 5 per cent stake in Vice Media, the digital media company that evolved from Vice magazine, in a deal which values it at $1.4 billion (£895 million). Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2013-08-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #vice media #vice magazine #5% stake

Movie 'How I Live Now,' based on a YA novel set during World War III, gets a trailer

'How I Live Now' is being adapted into a film starring 'The Host' actress Saoirse Ronan. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Amazon imprint holds author conference

Amazon imprint Thomas & Mercer is flying authors out to a party and conference in Seattle... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Why Americans, Especially Men, Continue to Pay So Much for ESPN

Following up on a story on ESPN's global dominance, The Atlantic has published a series of charts that show why the sports network remains so expensive––and why men continue to pay for its premium. The network's internal research, which polls its subscribers (take from that what you will), finds... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2013-08-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #nate silver #tv companies #include advertising

Ether for Authors: How Clear a View of Publishing Do We Have?

At Publishing Perspectives, Porter Anderson looks at Bowker's new market research, at grassroots survey efforts, and at questions around ebooks' potential. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #porter anderson #market research

Can Foreign Authors Use China’s Social Media to Acquire Readers?

China's Douban is experimenting with crowdsourced translations of English literature, including SF and short stories by David Mitchell. Can it help authors enter the market? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #foreign authors #english literature #short stories #david mitchell