Fast-Growing Independent Publishers, 2016
publishersweekly.com – Saturday March 5, 2016
Though this year’s list of fast-growing independent houses counts only seven publishers, entrepreneurs looking to crack into publishing should not be too discouraged. The two fastest-growing publishers on the list are relatively new, proving that even in an era when publishing models are in flux, people with good ideas and the ability to execute them can make a mark on the industry.
Prue Leith: Women writers are underrated by publishers, says author
independent.co.uk – Friday March 4, 2016
The restaurateur-turned-novelist Prue Leith has hit out at the publishing industry for “underrating women’s writing” Love stories by female authors were not taken as seriously as those written by men, she said.
Leith told the audience at The Independent Bath Literature Festival: “I don’t want to sound carping and over-feminist but I do think there is something in publishing which underrates women’s writing.”
Publishing's future lies in diverse audiences, Chi tells IPG
thebookseller.com – Wednesday March 2, 2016
Publishers need to do a “much better job of catering to underrepresented groups” as they have a responsibility to “represent the experiences of their broad readership”, Elsevier chairman Youngsuk Chi has told the IPG Conference.
Giving the first keynote speech at the Independent Publishers Guild’s Spring Conference today (2nd March), Chi told delegates that discussions about the future of publishing tend to focus on the publisher and the “digital revolution” of the industry but should instead “focus on the reader”.
Samhain Publishing to Shut Down Operations
publishersweekly.com – Saturday February 27, 2016
In an email sent to authors Friday, Christina Brashear, publisher of Samhain Publishing, a mostly digital romance publisher, said the publisher will begin to shut down its publishing operations due to a steady decline in e-book sales.
Simon and Schuster Launches Muslim Imprint for Children's Books
publishersweekly.com – Friday February 26, 2016
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing announced the launch of Salaam Reads, the first imprint at a major publisher focused on Muslim characters and stories. The imprint, which takes its name from the Arabic word for “peace,” plans to publish books for readers of all ages, including picture books, as well as middle grade and YA titles.
'We need small presses': author launches new award to support fiction from small publishers
theguardian.com – Monday February 22, 2016
The award-winning novelist Neil Griffiths is launching a new literary prize celebrating the “small presses producing brilliant and brave literary fiction” in the UK and Ireland – and is preparing to “guilt trip” some of the country’s bestselling writers into supporting it.
Novelists, get your pitch on at the International Literature Festival
irishtimes.com – Friday February 19, 2016
Aspiring authors with a book burning a hole in their desk drawer might want to take note of this latest literary event. (This opening sentence is a bit tortured; lose the clichés.)
The International Literature Festival (formerly the Dublin Writers Festival) is hosting a meet-the-agent event, when selected writers will pitch their work to five leading literary agents. (Break this sentence into two. Keep it concise.)
Hunger for the new – the engine which powers publishing
thebookseller.com – Wednesday February 17, 2016
If you could time-travel five years back to a typical publishing presentation at a major house, the talk would have been exclusively of brands. What do we seek to publish? Brands. What do we want from agents? Brands. The word delivered with the finality of the Ten Commandments. An unknown author had little chance of competing in that landscape. So went the prevailing theory.
New Screenwriting Contest Emphasizes the Art of the Rewrite
thewrap.com – Friday February 12, 2016
The Finish Line Script Competition offers development notes as well as prizes and mentorship
An innovative new film and TV script competition that emphasizes the art of the rewrite launched this week courtesy of two Hollywood veterans — a longtime literary manager turned script consultant and a well-known music and film producer Michael Patterson.
David Roche appointed chair of New Writing North
thebookseller.com – Thursday February 11, 2016
David Roche has been appointed chair of the board at New Writing North, the development agency for creative writing and reading for the North of England.
Roche has previously worked as c.e.o. of Borders and as group sales and marketing director of HarperCollins. Roche chaired the Booksellers Association and Publishers Association Liaison Group from 2003 to 2005 and was president of the Booksellers Association from 2005 to 2007. He now runs his own company, David Roche Enterprises Ltd, and acts as a consultant, literary agent and non-executive director.
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