'Wilful misreading': Lionel Shriver replies to critics in diversity row

Novelist responds to the reaction against her comments on diversity in publishing, accusing her critics of ‘malicious misinterpretation’Lionel Shriver has responded to the vituperative row that followed her recent comments about Penguin Random House’s diversity scheme, saying that it was not diversity but quotas that she was objecting to and calling out what she described as the “malicious misinterpretation” of her original essay.In a piece for the Spectator this month, Shriver objected to the publisher’s goal for its staff and authors to represent UK society by 2025. “Drunk on virtue, Penguin Random House no longer regards the company’s raison d’etre as the acquisition and dissemination of good books,” she wrote. “Rather, the organisation aims to mirror the percentages of minorities in the UK population with statistical precision.” Related: Diversity in publishing is under attack. I hear the sound of knuckles dragging | Hanif Kureishi Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2018-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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WNDB Launches Virtual Community for Mid-Level Diverse Publishing Professionals

The We Need Diverse Books nonprofit organization advocating for more inclusion in the industry is launching a virtual community platform for mid-level diverse publishing professionals in an effort to improve retention rates. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-03-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Stop moaning about sensitivity readers – if there was diversity in publishing we wouldn’t need them | Juno Dawson

Since 2011, all my book editors have been white. Why wouldn’t I want another perspective on the characters I invent?Until a few years ago, only publishing industry insiders would have understood the role of the sensitivity reader. Then came American Dirt. The Jeanine Cummins novel sold to a US... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-03-08 09:00:06 UTC ]
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Hitting the Books: 'Miracle Rice' fed China's revolution but endangered its crop diversity

Feeding the planet's 8 billion people is challenge enough and our current industrialized commercial practices are causing such ecological damage that we may soon find ourselves hard-pressed to feed any more. For decades, scientists have sought out higher yields and faster growth at the expense... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-02-05 16:30:43 UTC ]
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Academic Publishing Edition: Amsterdam’s Michiel Kolman on Diversity in STM

In scholarly and academic publishing, Elsevier's Michiel Kolman says, more female leadership is a new and promising development. The post Academic Publishing Edition: Amsterdam’s Michiel Kolman on Diversity in STM appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-01-28 13:07:42 UTC ]
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An AI loop that ensnares consumers and critics alike

Jacob Ward warns about technology's dangers, but we've heard such alarms before. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-01-28 13:00:08 UTC ]
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Kate Clanchy ‘parts company’ with publisher after discrimination row

Author whose Orwell prize-winning Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me sparked online controversy last summer will no longer be published by Pan Macmillan Kate Clanchy and her publisher Pan Macmillan will no longer be working together, and distribution of all of her titles is to cease,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-01-20 12:43:07 UTC ]
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‘Muslims of the Heartland’ Highlights the Midwest’s Diverse History

Religious studies professor Edward Curtis, who is a descendent of Syrian Midwesterners, collects portraits of Muslim life in the American Midwest starting in the 1900s, revealing how individuals were able to establish their Syrian Muslim American identity in a region often thought of as... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-01-20 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Kidd made diversity and inclusion manager in Hachette UK HR team expansion

Hachette UK is boosting its HR team with Kim Kidd (pictured) from the British Council joining as diversity and inclusion manager. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-20 02:58:38 UTC ]
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Pinterest Names New Global Head of Inclusion and Diversity

Nichole Barnes Marshall joined Pinterest as global head of inclusion and diversity, succeeding Tyi McCray, who left the company last June after less than one year in the role. Marshall had been chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at Bath & Body Works, integrating DEI programs and... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2022-01-07 22:00:00 UTC ]
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As a black literary agent, I despair at UK publishing's lack of diversity | Natalie Jerome

For decades, I sat in meetings with all-white teams. The industry needs an independent body to advise on equalityI’m a literary agent and at the height of last year’s Black Lives Matter protests I was sent a list, with accompanying photographs, of the top editors working across the major... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-01-01 10:00:46 UTC ]
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Romantic fiction writers creating a more diverse happily ever after

How book-loving communities on social media are helping authors break barriers to become bestsellersTalia Hibbert was rewatching a Spider-Man film and eating a meal in her living room when she received life-changing news. Her romance novel Act Your Age, Eve Brown, which she wrote at the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-12-30 08:00:44 UTC ]
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12 books I should have reviewed this year: A critic’s lament

There were too many worthy books, but I had too little time — and, alas, too many excuses. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-12-28 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Trailblazing Black feminist and social critic bell hooks dies at 69

She wrote more than 30 books, drawing on history, politics and her own life while examining race, class and gender in America. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-12-15 17:25:58 UTC ]
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Greg Tate, Celebrated Author, Critic, Musician, Dies at 64

Greg Tate, acclaimed author, journalist, cultural critic, musician, activist, and professor, died on December 7 in New York City. He was 64. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-12-13 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Greg Tate, musician and leading hip-hop generation cultural critic, dies at 64

As a Village Voice critic, he became one of the leading chroniclers of the emergence of hip-hop and had a powerful influence on later critics. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-12-09 00:26:12 UTC ]
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Penguin Business lands diversity guide for 'straight, white male leaders'

Penguin Business has landed a guide to diversity and inclusion aimed at "straight, white male leaders" by Suki Sandhu and Felicity Hassan. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-08 16:21:21 UTC ]
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Diversity means everybody

The Bradford Literature Festival was created out of imperatives that were unashamedly simple. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-26 07:02:52 UTC ]
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Carthew plans UK tour to address publishing diversity and inclusion

Natasha Carthew, the artistic director of The Festival for Working Class Writers, is planning a UK tour in 2022 to address diversity and inclusion issues in the industry. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-25 12:09:19 UTC ]
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The Book Biz Learns to Embrace Our Diverse Reality

Publishers and editors discuss their efforts to broaden their lists to reach those in underrepresented communities. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-19 05:00:00 UTC ]
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AAP to Amp Up Sustainability, Diversity Efforts

Following a recent board meeting, the Association of American Publishers has committed itself to amplifying its activities fostering sustainable publishing and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-18 05:00:00 UTC ]
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