10.02.17
www.thebookseller.com
THE LEAD STORY PUBLISHING AND POLITICS
05
view that has taken root not just in the US, but in the UK and a number of countries across Europe. Book publishing can play a role in forming an alternative, more progressive cultural narrative.” At Melville House, co-founder Dennis Johnson said: “We’re experiencing a really extreme-right takeover. It’s a place we’ve never been before and I think it’s really up to us in the book industry to supplement the way the rest of the media is covering this. I personally have a renewed sense of mission.” In children’s publishing, Mairi
Kidd, m.d. of Barrington Stoke, said: “We believe that children and young people are asking questions they were not asking a year or two ago, and that there is more support for books on themes of refuge and migration, and for books that encourage empathy and discussion around human rights.” But while some will be looking
for politically themed books at the upcoming Bologna and London book fairs, others will be “looking to acquire some escapism, comfort and balm for troubled young minds”, Kidd said, and others echoed that theme. Robert Caskie, of new agency Caskie Mushens, said: “I want to read about activism and hope. We need stories about human compassion and love. There will be a surge in books that galvanise people to stand up [for their beliefs] or believe in human kindness.” Sam Eades, editorial director at Orion, said: “The instinctive response during unsettling and tumultuous times is fight or flight. I think there is a growing market for escapist fiction. I am actively looking for a big, sweeping love story as, like many people out there, I want to be reminded of all the good in the world.” Bonnier Zaffre senior editor
Katherine Armstrong noted: “I’m expecting to see more crime fiction that focuses on issues around racial equality and xenophobia. Crime writers are often the first to get to grips with the social issues of the day and traditionally readers have looked to crime fiction not only for escapism, but as a way to learn safely about the
challenges society faces.” Meanwhile in literary publishing,
Michal Shavit, publishing director of Vintage, commented: “Our authors respond to what is happening in the world in different and diverse ways. Sometimes it’s with a sense of urgency and humour, such as Howard Jacobson with his upcoming Trump satire Pussy, written in a frenzy of rage. Sometimes it’s part of a longer-term project that has been brewing for a while and suddenly seems incredibly prescient, such as Martin Amis in his brilliant upcoming essay collection
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THE BOOK TRADE IN 2017: A NEW REALITY
Philip Pullman President of the Society of Authors
“Last year’s double whammy of Brexit and Donald Trump seemed to change the rules of politics somehow. I think many writers will be feeling both profound misgivings and intense curiosity as to how it will all turn out. However, a few things remain important. We must defend the value of free and honest reporting, we must continue to insist that there is such a thing as reality, we must hold politicians to their promises and challenge cruel and destructive folly, and we must continue to work with words and sentences and paragraphs as if language, the inheritance of us all, was still capable of beauty, consolation and truth.”
Because book publishers are liberal and left-wing, nothing is being published which is pro-Trump or even fair to Trump . . . The fact that the books are all anti-Trump, I think, does a disservice to the book-buying public
IAIN DALE MANAGING DIRECTOR BITEBACK PUBLISHING
The Rub of Time. We all need good books that change the way we view the world, now more than ever. And the art of listening, which writers are so very good at, can be a lesson to us all as we navigate these strange and frightening political times.” David Roth-Ey, executive publisher
for Fourth Estate and William Collins, said: “At a time when the Fourth Estate—and the whole notion of truth itself—is under attack, our role as publishers to find and promote books that reveal those truths couldn’t be more important. “ He cited Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s upcoming feminist manifesto Dear Ijeawele as one such example.
LOSS OF BALANCE A strong point emerging from the discussion is publishing’s role in reflecting a broad range of views. Trevathan said: “As an industry we are international, we’re about being open. One of the aspects of that is we have to try to understand our readership. We have to acknowledge
Charlie Redmayne C.e.o., HarperCollins UK
“The political polarisation that we are seeing in the US, UK and across Europe presents challenges for publishers. It is more important than ever that we shine a light on the issues. But it is also imperative that we present voices from all sides of the argument. We must publish books that are interesting, informative, sometimes challenging but, most of all, relevant.”
Jo Glanville Director, English PEN
“Brexit is putting us in a wholly new position. Prime Minister Theresa May is going around the world meeting with the most unsavoury world leaders . . . The core work of PEN, defending the freedom of expression of writers and publishers, and the notion of literature as something that crosses frontiers, which is in PEN’s Charter, is thrown into sharp relief by Brexit, Donald Trump and the hostility to refugees. It highlights a fundamental mission of PEN and puts a new urgency behind it.”
Nick Poole Chief executive, CILIP
“Propaganda, mistruth and downright lies have always been part of politics and public life. However the rapid rise of social media as a news source, “filter-bubbles”, more sophisticated editing technologies, distrust in the establishment and traditional media and a febrile political environment in the UK and US has blurred the commonly held distinction between facts and fiction. But facts matter, and librarians make an ethical commitment to help people find the truth. Librarians in communities, schools and universities help people dig deeper, ask questions and understand the credibility of what they are seeing by teaching research skills.”
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