Poland joins CAA as agent in books department
thebookseller.com – Thursday October 12, 2023
Harriet Poland has joined the books department at the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) as an agent.
Poland will be working across a range of books, including narrative, voice-driven non-fiction, pop culture, memoir and journalism.
She comes to the agency from Hodder & Stoughton, where she was editorial director and published several titles from authors including Rob Delaney, Garth Marenghi and Jessie Ware. Prior to Hodder, she held positions at Hodder Studio, Audible and The Hanbury Agency.
AnyBook is aiming to be “the Netflix or Spotify” of publishing
calcalistech.com – Monday October 9, 2023
The company has raised a total of $2 million to help revolutionize the publishing industry
“The book industry is lagging behind while other content-based industries are flourishing and revolutionizing themselves,” explained AnyBook co-founder and CEO Eliran Navon. “While other industries have been completely disrupted and changed by digitization, like Netflix and Spotify in the entertainment and music industries, 80% of book sales are still physical books.”
AnyBook was founded to tackle this. Alongside his partners, he decided to create a model that would provide a new experience that would expand usage and encourage consumers to read more. “Thanks to AnyBook’s technology, workplaces can provide employees with a continuous supply of books they’ll find compelling and enjoyable,” he said.
A New Trend Shows AI Generated Books Are Plagarising Famous Authors’ Writing
techround.co.uk – Monday October 2, 2023
Artificial intelligence- although a great development- continues to cause worries across career paths. This now includes the publishing industry. The rise of AI has introduced a new trend in the literary world – AI-generated books. This has created a mix of emotions among authors, readers, and publishing platforms alike.
Rory Cellan-Jones, a writer-journalist, was surprised to find a biography about him on Amazon. The book, which he had not authored, featured a poorly designed cover and was written by an unknown individual. Cellan-Jones stated, “I thought: ‘This is strange — who’s writing a biography of me?’”.
Stop 'tampering with literature'! Publishers warned against cancelling classic authors after woke rewrites
gbnews.com – Saturday September 30, 2023
Woke rewrites of classic books "deprive children of valuable lessons on right and wrong", the Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport has warned.
Lucy Frazer claims "tampering with literature" denies people "precious cultural heritage" as she warns publishers against cancelling authors.
Her comments come after books by authors such as Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton have recently been altered by their publishers.
In some instances, certain words and phrases which they now deem to be offensive have been removed.
However, the MP for South East Cambridgeshire says rewriting old texts is "infantilising".
Kumar joins David Godwin Associates as a literary agent
thebookseller.com – Friday September 29, 2023
Aparna Kumar is joining David Godwin Associates as a literary agent on 2nd October. She will be helping to manage David Godwin’s long list of clients as well as acquiring her own.
Kumar, who has recently completed her MSc in Media and Communications at the London School of Economics, has worked in publishing for six years. Most recently, she was an editor at Penguin Random House India, where she commissioned literary fiction, creative non-fiction and poetry.
Children's Books North launches directory for authors, illustrators and publishing professionals
thebookseller.com – Thursday September 28, 2023
The Children’s Books North (CBN) network is launching a directory listing published children’s authors, illustrators and publishing professionals based in the north-east, north-west, Yorkshire and Scotland.
Tilda Johnson, CBN co-founder, said: "The directory is a key resource in our aim to connect the children’s book professionals living in our regions, to promote our members’ work, and to champion the importance of regional diversity in children’s books and the publishing industry."
CBN members will be listed with their details, with the aim of enabling booksellers, librarians, schools, festivals, literacy organisations, agents and publishers to get in touch. The directory, which will be updated annually, is also aimed at authors and illustrators looking to connect with other creatives working in their region and to forge new networks.
The Hollywood writers’ strike is over — and they won big
vox.com – Thursday September 28, 2023
Hollywood’s longest and most costly labor strike has ended.
Late in the day on Sunday, September 24 — after 146 days of labor stoppage, the longest strike in Hollywood history by a long shot — the Writers Guild of America (WGA), which represents Hollywood’s writers, and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), an association of Hollywood’s largest studios and production companies, announced that an agreement had been reached. On Tuesday, September 26, the union’s leadership announced that they’d voted to end the strike and recommended the membership vote in favor of ratifying the contract.
The strike officially ended in the wee hours of Wednesday, September 27, and the union’s membership will begin their vote on Monday, October 2. For many, this moment is one for celebration. President Joe Biden, who is set to join striking auto workers on their picket line on Tuesday, issued a statement applauding the writers’ tentative deal. “There simply is no substitute for employers and employees coming together to negotiate in good faith toward an agreement that makes a business stronger and secures the pay, benefits, and dignity that workers deserve,” he said.
The White Review literary magazine ceases publishing
theguardian.com – Tuesday September 26, 2023
A statement cited increased costs and removal of UK state funding as the magazine, which featured writers including Paul Murray, Caleb Azumah Nelson and Sally Rooney, is to consider its future
Literary magazine the White Review will not be published “for an indefinite period” according to a statement from its board.
This comes after the not-for-profit journal’s applications for funding were rejected by Arts Council England for three consecutive years. The charity relied on this funding for “a substantial portion of its annual budget” between 2011-2021, read the statement.
“Despite our best efforts, the associated effects of the cost of living crisis and the increase in production costs, in tandem with reduced funding, has meant that the White Review has not been able to publish a print issue since No 33 in June 2022,” the board said.
This teenage novelist is $1,400 out of pocket to self-publisher — but still doesn't have a book
cbc.ca – Saturday September 23, 2023
After spending about $1,400 through a U.S.-based self-publishing company and no books to show for it, a mother and daughter from Gander are cautioning people before taking the self-publishing route.
Lindsay Whiteway, 14, said it was a dream to have her book — which she compared to American author Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson & the Olympians series — published.
"I kind of wanted to publish them and get them out. Because it's just all the stories I built up in my mind…. I need other people to read it, you know," she told CBC News.
While looking for publishers online, Lindsay's mother, Jessica Pritchett, came across Premium Book Publishing, which is based in Florida.
Northern Fiction Alliance launches 'environmentally responsible' online book fair
thebookseller.com – Saturday September 23, 2023
The Northern Fiction Alliance is launching the online Green Book Fair which will take place between Wednesday 27th and Friday 29th September.
The pilot book fair aims to offer an "environmentally responsible way for international publishers to conduct business".
Funded by Arts Council England, the initiative is set to take place online, in line with its aim to be more sustainable than traditional festivals that require airplane travel. The goal is to reduce the carbon footprint of the festival while also ensuring that it is accessible to attendees from across the world.
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