THIS WEEK
News Review The headlines: in brief
Open letter to the trade warns of ‘industry transphobia’
THE OPEN LETTER WAS SUPPORTED ANONYMOUSLY BY A NUMBER OF PUBLISHERS
An open leter from a group of industry individuals this week warned “transphobia is still perfectly acceptable in the British book industry”, and argued what is needed is “quiet state- ments of acceptance from companies and organisations within our industry”. The leter had anonymous support from a number of publishers, writers, illustrators and booksellers, though this could not be independently verified by The Bookseller. It read: “It is easy to express abhorrence of discrimination in literature, but we all need to express it in our own day to day lives too.” Discussing previous forms of discrimi- nation in regards to “homosexuals, Jews, disabled people, people of colour, Muslims, suffragetes, even leſt-handed people in our past”, the leter’s authors said: “Let’s not make this a time when we repeat our history.”
Rights deal
of the Week
£0
Amazon paid no corporation tax on its European operations in Luxembourg in 2020, despite reporting record sales income of €43.8bn (£38bn). Figures filed in Luxembourg for Amazon EU Sarl revealed the company paid no tax because it reported a loss of €1.2bn (£1bn). A spokesperson said: “Corporate tax is based on profits, not revenues, and our profits have remained low given our heavy investments and the fact that retail is a highly competitive, low-margin business.”
Rights deal
Viking cleans up Dirty Laundry pre-empt Viking has bagged Dirty Laundry, a “page-turning tale of the dark side of suburbia” from début writer Disha Bose, in a six-figure pre-empt. Publisher Katy Loftus acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from agent Marianne Gunn O’Connor, for release in spring 2023. American rights were pre-empted shortly after by Andra Miller at Ballantine. The novel is about three mothers who are all part of the same clique, whose secrets and lies lead to the murder of one of them.
08 7th May 2021 Stat The Publishers Association c.e.o.
Stephen Lotinga told The Bookseller in response: “Publishers recognise our dual responsibilities: to create inclusive workplaces where all employees feel valued and respected; and to publish a diverse range of views and voices, within the confines of the law. There is of course more that this industry can do to ensure that people who have experi- enced prejudice, both historically and in the present, feel welcome and included, and we will continue to strive to ensure that is the case.” The leter comes aſter Hachete UK c.e.o. David Shelley and literary agent Clare Alexander last week spoke to the Communications & Digital Commitee in the House of Lords, investigating freedom of expression online, which included a discussion of “cancel culture”.
PMJ on song with lockdown début Penguin Michael Joseph has pre-empted “an emotional roller-coaster of a novel”, written in lockdown by début author Fran Littlewood. Publisher Jessica Leeke secured world rights to two novels by Littlewood from Hellie Ogden at Janklow & Nesbit UK. Michael Joseph described Amazing Grace as “an emotional roller-coaster of a novel” and “a tender, relatable exploration of a woman’s late coming of age and breaking free”. It follows one-time TV star Grace Foster who has lost everything but wants to reunite her family.
Letter to the Editor
The Bookseller @thebookseller
The @ocrexams board has joined PRH’s @RunnymedeTrust supported #LitinColour campaign to make English Literature teaching more inclusive
This [LGBTQ+ edition of The Bookseller] is life-affirming and shows that life continues to change for the better.. Towards the end of 1978, I was interviewed for an export sales trainees’ position at Sphere Books, then part of Thomson Books. Towards the end of my first interview, it was suggested that if I was queer (Gay had yet to make it into general use) it would be best if I denied it, should I be asked in my second interview. The interviewer, who was straight, was in fact being helpful; I got the job and he became a good friend. Move forward to March 2017 (I deliber- ately don’t use “fast forward” here) and I’m at what will be my last sales conference before retiring from corporate life. It was the Penguin Random House UK Sales Conference, and in Tom Weldon’s keynote address, he emphasised, at length, just how important he considered diversity to be and why. My eyes started to water and finally, I felt I truly belonged.
Sincerely, David Parrish The Indigo Literary Agency, Dorset
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