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 ]

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Amazon revealed as mystery £250,000 donor to UK bookshops

Fundraiser for retailers facing hardship during the coronavirus pandemic reveals that benefactor is internet giant widely blamed for trade’s declineAmazon, the internet retail giant vilified for years as public enemy No 1 to booksellers, has been revealed as the surprise mystery benefactor that... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-04-23 11:37:33 UTC ]
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Who should star in the upcoming BBC adaptation of Conversations With Friends?

Sally Rooney’s takeover of the world continues apace today with the announcement that the Irish literary phenom’s debut novel Conversations With Friends will be adapted into a twelve-part series for the BBC. Like the upcoming BBC/Hulu adaptation of Rooney’s 2019 juggernaut Normal People, which... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-02-25 18:39:10 UTC ]
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BBC to film series based on Sally Rooney's hit debut novel

Conversations with Friends will follow Rooney’s Normal People that will air in April The BBC has commissioned a 12-part series based on Sally Rooney’s hit debut novel Conversations with Friends in the hope that fans of the young Irish author will bring in younger audiences.The BBC is to show its... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-02-25 10:19:05 UTC ]
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Mackesy's The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse re-takes top spot

Charlie Mackesy’s The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse (Ebury) has cantered back into the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, boomeranging back up after Val McDermid’s How the Dead Speak (Sphere) knocked it from the top a week ago.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-24 23:13:36 UTC ]
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McDermid's How the Dead Speak hits the top spot

Val McDermid’s How the Dead Speak (Sphere) has knocked Charlie Mackesy’s The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse (Ebury) from the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, with 16,856 copies sold for its first full week on sale. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-18 10:19:09 UTC ]
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US Book Industry Study Group Announces James Daunt Keynote

The annual meeting of BISG in April will hear Barnes & Noble and Waterstones' James Daunt in a keynote address around supply chain issues. The post US Book Industry Study Group Announces James Daunt Keynote appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-01-14 15:25:18 UTC ]
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What to read in 2020 based on the books you loved in 2019

Sally Rooney and Elizabeth Gilbert may not have new books coming out just yet, but we have some worthy alternatives. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-12-23 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Daunt on the double in The Bookseller's most influential list

Waterstones and Barnes & Noble c.e.o. James Daunt has become the first trade figure to be named person of the year for the second time in The Bookseller's annual listing of the most powerful and influential people in the British book trade. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-13 05:14:10 UTC ]
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James Daunt at FutureBook Live: Barnes & Noble’s ‘Crucifyingly Boring’ Stores

Seeing Barnes & Noble stores' character 'crushed' by the corporate 'opulence' of American business, James Daunt says the chain must 'rip out the boring.' The post James Daunt at FutureBook Live: Barnes & Noble’s ‘Crucifyingly Boring’ Stores appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-11-25 05:05:12 UTC ]
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Daunt tells booksellers 'don't be boring' to survive Amazon era

Bookshops need to avoid being “boring” and apply a “bookseller's mind” to data if they want to survive in an era dominated by Amazon, Waterstones m.d. and Barnes & Noble c.e.o. James Daunt has said. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-24 17:39:21 UTC ]
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Go Beyond Sally Rooney With These 13 Irish Women Novelists

It’s a confusing thing, being Irish. We’re European with none of the sophistication, and for a tiny island, we have an impressive lack of consistency. That said, we also have an impressive literary output. Our politics, social movements, and religions have born enough conflict to make a canon... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2019-11-15 12:00:00 UTC ]
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FutureBook Live 2019 Ramps Up: Maintaining ‘the Cultural Caché of Books’

With four program tracks, the upcoming 2019 FutureBook Live conference in London includes Barnes & Noble and Waterstones' James Daunt among its keynotes. The post FutureBook Live 2019 Ramps Up: Maintaining ‘the Cultural Caché of Books’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-11-12 16:00:23 UTC ]
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US trade urges Daunt to be independent in spirit to revive ailing Barnes & Noble

After Elliott Advisors’ takeover of Barnes & Noble in August, the firm sought the man who turned Waterstones around to right its US acquisition. But what exactly is in James Daunt’s in-tray in New York? Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-08 05:47:49 UTC ]
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Announcing the Sunday Times PFD Young Writer of the Year Award shortlist

From meditations on the d/Deaf experience to short stories blurring the mythic and the gothic with the everyday, from mixing the personal and political to a young woman uncover the truth about her family’s past – four outstanding writers have today been named on the shortlist for The Sunday... Continue reading at British Council global

[ British Council global | 2019-11-04 12:55:09 UTC ]
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Detection Club A-list for Howdunit title

More than 50 crime authors and members of the Detection Club, including Ian Rankin, Mick Herron and Val McDermid, will contribute to a HarperCollins-published title about crime writing. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-18 00:21:04 UTC ]
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International Literature Showcase: writers of colour

The International Literature Showcase is a partnership between the National Centre for Writing and British Council. It aims to showcase amazing writers based in the UK to programmers, publishers and teachers of literature in English around the world. To do so, we have invited six leading writers... Continue reading at British Council global

[ British Council global | 2019-10-05 10:05:02 UTC ]
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Akua Agyemfra to deliver third keynote at FutureBook Live 2019

Cultural strategist Akua Agyemfra is announced as the third keynote for FutureBook Live 2019, following Waterstones m.d. James Daunt and Bookstat founder Paul Abbassi.   Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-19 07:17:19 UTC ]
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James Daunt to deliver keynote at FutureBook Live 2019

James Daunt will give the opening keynote at FutureBook Live 2019, The Bookseller’s annual publishing conference. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-12 00:54:13 UTC ]
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McDermid unveils her pick of the top 10 LGBTQI+ writers in UK

Val McDermid has revealed her choice for the 10 most compelling LGBTQI+ writers working in the UK today, with a list including Fiona Mozley and Kirsty Logan. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-08-10 10:59:42 UTC ]
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International Literature Showcase: LGBTQI+ writers

The International Literature Showcase is a partnership between the National Centre for Writing and British Council. It aims to showcase amazing writers based in the UK to programmers, publishers and teachers of literature in English around the world. To do so, we have invited six leading writers... Continue reading at British Council global

[ British Council global | 2019-08-10 10:05:02 UTC ]
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