Sorry for the mess

Apologies for the brief hiatus, but I’m snowed under with preparations for the Frankfurt bookfair and also for my cycling holiday across Wales (don’t ask). I’ll update soon, but sorry for the boring blank pages!

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I’m trying to work, but all I can think of is that old Boyzone song ‘Let the Reason be Love’. Extremely vexing.

Tags:   distraction · me me meNo Comments.

I went to a Digital Skills evening, organized by the SYP, last night. There were three speakers, Nicholas Blake (Editorial Manager, Picador and Digital), Ros Kindersley (Managing Director, JFL Search & Selection) and Chris Meade (Director, if:book/Future of the Book, London).

While the other two people certainly had interesting things to say, Chris Meade’s talk really fascinated me, as I’m interested in the research Future of the Book are doing. He even managed to avoid using the phrase “two point oh” which is one of my pet hates… [Read more →]

Tags:   books · me me me · publishing · web stuff · work4 Comments

I’m going to some digital publishing event tonight, so I googled the one speaker I hadn’t heard of and discovered if:book, a “a small think-and-do tank investigating the evolution of intellectual discourse as it shifts from printed pages to networked screens.” Which, if you peer through the pretentious language, means that they are interested in how publishing is changing in the digital age. Well, as it happens, so am I. I’ll report back tomorrow on what topics came up, and how many times the words “two point oh” were said with no good reason.

But I digress. What I really wanted to post was a link to one of if:book’s upcoming projects, a “world-wide, interactive reading group for Doris Lessing’s The Golden Notebook.” Basically, the deal is that they are going to put the whole book online, have a bunch of people read it, have a few people annotate it, then have a forum for discussion. Sounds fun, and I’ve been meaning to read The Golden Notebook for a while anyway. It’ll be interesting to see how many people take part, and how it will work. Join in!

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Nancy Hicks Maynard, pioneering journalist and general all-round source of inspiration, died yesterday at the age of 61. She was the first black woman to be a reporter on the staff of The New York Times, and went on to buy the Oakland Tribune in conjunction with her husband, Robert C. Maynard.

The New York Times’ obituary lists some of her awe-inspiring acheivements. Very sad news.

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Today I read this article on the BBC about the growing trend for ‘designer vaginas’. I’ve been meaning to blog on the subject for a while, but, y’know, I’ve got Frankfurt book fair coming up and we’re crazy busy at work right now, so I’ve been relaxing in front of Season One Buffy instead of actually doing anything that requires turning my brain on. However, this particular article got my goat so badly that I felt the need to blog about it. Yes, I know how lame that sounds. Shutupandleavemealone.

So. Professor Linda Cardozo, from Kings College London, has spoken out against the dangers of vaginal cosmetic surgery. So far so awesome. We need professionals to take a stand against this kind of thing. However, two things the BBC quoted her as saying really made me growl: [Read more →]

Tags:   beauty myth · feminism · gender · insecurity · plastic surgery · porn2 Comments

Bitch made their target! I’m so happy that they’ll be printing the next issue and will live to fight another day. Basically, yay! I was afraid that I’d have to start reading Bust and take up knitting *shudder*.

Tags:   Bitch · feminism · publishing1 Comment

I’ve been trying to read a lot more recently, and I’ve managed to plough through quite a few books in the last couple of weeks. I’ve listed them below, with some comments on how I found them, and some quotes I dog-eared.

DISCLAIMER: I work at an indie publisher. Two of the below books are books we’ve published. However, I’ve tried to be honest about my opinions here, and am not just trying to sell you stuff. For srs. [Read more →]

Tags:   books · food · me me me · publishing · workNo Comments.

So now that my official period of self pity (I got dumped) is over, I’m going to kick off by urging all three of you that read this blog to donate to Bitch. I love Bitch. I love Bitch almost as much as I hate Heat and Grazia. It’s one of those magazines that you can read and learn something, but actually really enjoy at the same time. Working in the publishing industry myself, for a small independent, I appreciate that the print media are going through a really tough time right now. It ain’t the vapid Cosmos of this world or the scores of ‘chick-lit’ books that will suffer though, it’s the indies. The best of the bunch. The publishers with a soul, the magazines with a message. Anyway, before I get too trite (oh, wait, too late!) here’s the deal. Bitch is in financial trouble, for srs, and they need your dosh to be able to print the next issue. Click on the banner below for more info.

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I was browsing the Guardian in my lunch break today while listening to vintage Queen Latifah, and two stories caught my attention. I don’t have a lot of time today, so I’ll keep it short, but here they are:

This article reports on a new study that highlights institutionalized racism in British schools. It turns out that teachers routinely under-estimate black pupils, letting assumptions about behavioural issues overshadow academic talent. Quelle surprise.

This article talks about another recent study, revealing that gender equality in the UK workplace is actually getting worse.

Back to work now.

Tags:   class · feminism · inequality · media · race · racismNo Comments.