Industry & Advocacy News
January 29, 2021
In this week’s edition, The New York Times Book Review turns 125; ALA announces its Caldecott, Newbery and other children’s book award winners for 2021; making sense of the latest class-action lawsuit filed against Amazon alleging e-book price fixing and more.
ALA Announces 2021 Youth Media Award WinnersAmerican Library Association BlogOn January 25, the American Library Association (ALA) announced the top books, digital media, video, and audiobooks for children and young adults—including the Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Newbery, and Printz awards—at its Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits taking place virtually from Chicago.As Political Divide Widens, Will Big Houses Rethink Conservative Publishing?Publishers WeeklySome in the industry believe book publishers have a responsibility to publish a wide range of viewpoints, seeing it as a First Amendment issue. But others, mostly younger industry members, argue that certain conservative figures, whose messages they say are harmful to society at large, should not be given a platform.
Bracing for Another E-book Price-Fixing CasePublishers WeeklyFor industry observers, there was a feeling of déjà vu on January 14 when a prominent class-action law firm announced it had filed suit against Amazon over alleged price-fixing in the e-book market—the second e-book price-fixing suit in a decade. What to make of this new lawsuit?
Fiction Prize Renamed in Honour of Margaret Atwood and Late Partner Graeme GibsonThe GuardianThe Writers’ Trust of Canada has relaunched its annual fiction award as the Atwood Gibson prize, which Atwood says would have left him ‘very tickled.’
25 Great Writers and Thinkers Weigh In on Books That MatterNew York TimesTo celebrate the Book Review’s 125th anniversary, the Times dips into its archives to revisit the Review’s most thrilling, memorable and thought-provoking coverage.
Peter Ho Davies On Writing a Book That Hovers Between Fiction and FactLiterary HubFirst Draft: A Dialogue of Writing is a weekly podcast featuring in-depth interviews with fiction, nonfiction, essay writers, and poets, highlighting the voices of writers as they discuss their work, their craft, and the literary arts. This latest podcast features an interview with Peter Ho Davies.