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'


Child authors discuss books, world records

Four-year-old author Saeed Almheiri discussess his book, The Elephant Saeed and the Bear, and his sister Aldhabi, 8, discusses hers, Here Was the Beginning — waxing poetic about its effect on classmates. Saeed has the Guinness world record as the... Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2023-05-11 21:11:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #world records #female author


Roy Finamore, James Beard Award–Winning Author and Editor, Dies at 70

A notable author and editor of lifestyle and cookbooks, Finamore died on May 6 after a brief illness. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #winning author


Author of children’s book about grief charged with murdur-durdur.

“How’d you become a children’s book author?” The answer for Kouri Richins, a Utah mom of three who wrote Are You With Me?, a children’s book about coping with grief, is that she allegedly poisoned her husband, then wrote a book about loss. The Associated Press reports that Utah police arrested... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-09 14:02:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #press reports #children’s book


Why are biographies so popular? Because humans are enthralled by the lives of others | Caroline Knox

We seek inspiration, consolation – and the unvarnished truth. And we know that all the best stories are trueCaroline Knox is director of the Boswell book festivalMy love affair with biography began aged nine, when my subscription book club sent me a compendium of “true life” adventure stories.... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-05-09 08:00:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #unvarnished truth #travel writing #senior editor #lord byron #literary legacy #book festival #memoir #book club


Korean American Author Reconciles Faith and Family

Tasha Jun's memoir shares how she came to reconcile her complex heritage Korean and American heritage and her Christian faith. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #christian faith #memoir #american author


Illustrated children’s biography of King Charles hits No 1 on UK book chart

Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara’s book, illustrated by Matt Hunt, is the first of the Little People, Big Dreams series to top the standingsA children’s biography of King Charles III has topped the UK book chart before the coronation on 6 May.Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara’s King Charles is part of the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-05-05 09:57:25 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #illustrated children #king charles #stephen hawking #michelle obama #uk book


Stephen King Has 1 Simple Demand For Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Greene

The bestselling author urged all Republican lawmakers to stop the distractions and focus on this key issue. Continue reading at HuffPost

[ HuffPost | 2023-05-04 08:27:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #stephen king #lauren boebert #key issue #bestselling author


Book Riot’s SFF Deals for May 1, 2023

The best science fiction and fantasy book deals of the day, curated by Book Riot. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-05-01 15:35:42 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sff deals #science fiction


Jenny Odell on Timing Our Lives in Rhythm With the Earth

Emergence Magazine is an online publication with annual print edition exploring the threads connecting ecology, culture, and spirituality. As we experience the desecration of our lands and waters, the extinguishing of species, and a loss of sacred connection to the Earth, we look to emerging... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-01 08:52:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #emerging stories #jenny odell #emergence magazine #online publication #sacred connection #narrated essays


Bestselling Author Rabbi Harold Kushner Has Died

His 1981 blockbuster, 'When Bad Things Happen to Good People' and a dozen later books comforted and encouraged people of all faiths. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #good people #encouraged people


PW Picks: Books of the Week, May 1, 2023

Our favorite books coming out this week include new titles from Edmund White, Sarah Pinsker, and Ben Smith. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #edmund white #ben smith


This Week's Bestsellers: May 1, 2023

David Grann's 'The Wager' dwarfs his previous four books in first-week sales, Mary Higgins Clark has a posthumous hit, a passel of cookbooks hit the top 10 in nonfiction, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #david grann #first-week sales


Ann Patchett: Author, Bookstore Owner, and BookTok Influencer

“I have only the vaguest understanding of what TikTok is,” Patchett insists. And yet she and her bookstore, Parnassus Books, have become microcelebrities on the app thanks to the shop's savvy marketing manager, Sarah Arnold. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bookstore owner #ann patchett #parnassus books #bookstore


Book Deals: Week of May 1, 2023

HarperCollins buys world rights to a collection of journals and lyrics by Amy Winehouse, NBCC winner Isaac Butler sells a “military history of the first decade in the culture wars” to Bloomsbury, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book deals #amy winehouse #military history #culture wars #world rights #harpercollins


When Children’s Book Authors Don’t Like Children’s Books

Authors like Louisa May Alcott and A.A. Milne learned their success in children's literature didn't translate to respect for their art. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-04-27 10:33:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #children's literature #children’s book


Right to Read Act Revived In Effort to Support Librarians and School Libraries

Among its provisions, the bill would ensure all U.S. students have access to a school library staffed by a certified school librarian and would extend liability protections to teachers and school librarians. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #school libraries #school librarians


The Morning After: Apple wins appeals court ruling against Epic Games

The long-running legal tussle between Apple and Epic Games picked up another ruling, in the former’s favor, although the three-judge panel also upheld a part of the original ruling in Epic's favor. The US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling, which rejected most of Epic's... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-04-25 11:16:04 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #regulatory issues #european commission #web browsers #kindle scribe #multi-column layout #kindle


Freedom to Read Supporters Say It's Time to Get Louder

At an American Booksellers for Free Expression session, panelists discussed different approaches booksellers can take to fight book bans. Among the ideas floated were outreach to government officials, creating library-style “request for reconsideration of materials forms,” and improving Banned... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #american booksellers #government officials


'They can't ban all the books': Why two banned authors are so optimistic

"Banned Books," one of the most popular panels at the Festival of Books, featured Angie Thomas, George M. Johnson and some sharp students from Fairfax High. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-04-24 19:40:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #banned books #fairfax high #fairfax


Can You Guess The Horror Book Based On Its 1-Star Reviews?

You've seen every movie on Shudder and have a whole bookshelf devoted to King, but can you guess the horror book based on its 1-star reviews? Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-04-20 10:34:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #1-star reviews #book based