From The Bookseller:
Hachette UK has launched a new diversity initiative, a creative writing hub called The Future Bookshelf, to make publishing more accessible for writers who feel they aren’t well represented by the industry.
The initiative aims to “demystify publishing”, by guiding users of the website through the process of writing, editing, submitting and publishing, and will offer monthly tips and shareable infographics from its own authors and other experts.
It will also hold an open submissions period from 1st – 7th December this year for writers who are both unpublished and unagented and “feel the industry doesn’t adequately represent people from their background or with their experiences”. They may be authors of either novels or non-fiction.
. . . .
“Publishing has long suffered from a perception that it is a closed shop. But things are changing. There is increased room for diverse new voices. Authors from non-traditional backgrounds and communities bring colour and stories from all over the world – there is a new appetite in the publishing industry for this sort of work. I was delighted to be asked to contribute to The Future Bookshelf initiative as I am a living breathing example of how the winds of change are sweeping through the industry. Helping Hachette nurture other writers from similar backgrounds gives me immense personal satisfaction … I am truly excited to see what comes out of the box.”
Link to the rest at The Bookseller and thanks to Dave for the tip.
Hatchett: “we’ve realized our left leg had been cut off and is bleeding profusely, so we’re going to get a hairdo!”
The goal is not to just find “diverse new voices,” but to find diverse new voices that are so utterly clueless about the internet, technology and the current state of publishing that they think this is a good idea.
Hey, guys! April Fool’s isn’t until Sunday. Seems like your article broke through the gate too early.
I’m so glad I decided to self publish. I can’t imagine having to deal with this sort of idiocy every day.
Saturday.
I have a couple doozies planned.
LOL. Looks like Hachette has already lapped you! 🙂
accessible for writers who feel they aren’t well represented by the industry.
Sure as hell, some cis-gendered white guy will use it.
Under an asian pen name, perchance? 😉
“The initiative aims to “demystify publishing”, by guiding users of the website through the process of writing, editing, submitting and publishing, and will offer monthly tips and shareable infographics from its own authors and other experts.”
How utterly condescending. Once again they push the perception that writers need help and nurturing to manage the terribly difficult process of publishing (and possibly help with tying their shoelaces).
“will offer monthly tips and shareable infographics…”
Ooooooh! Shareable infographics! How cool is that? I’m about to have an orgasm here.
(Actually, I couldn’t care less about this exciting, pseudo state-of-the-art endeavor. Won’t affect me in the slightest. And ditto, I’m sure, with other self-pubbed authors doing their own thing, exercising total control of their IP, and collecting the money sans benefit of a parasitic Big Pub middleman.)
*eyes* Watch the submission get funneled over to a vanity press…
No thanks. If I screw up, I’d like it to be my fault, not because I trusted a giant dinosaur of the lumbering variety to be nimble.
A lot of corporate investments are simply about “collecting data.” Data is king. But how could an enterprise profit from collecting data on thousands and thousands of struggling writers who think tradpub is the holy grail of publishing success? Hmm. I can’t think of anything. Leave it up to you guys…
Things are definitely changing. 7 days down, 358 to go.
Or, you could, you know, go around the gate.
“Authors from non-traditional backgrounds and communities bring colour…”
Wonder if that is intentional? Let’s ghettoize the writers of color again, so those people who want to can find them easily. And we can check off ‘diversity’ from our list.
Just struck me as odd.
Clumsy, certainly. “Variety” or “diversity” would have the same meaning without the unfortunate implications. Also “breadth”, “depth”, “insight”, or “viewpoints” among others.
Dinosaur Industry Looks to Future!
Someone must have figured out that “people from their background or with their experiences” are self-publishing and making money.
LOL
It only took them until 2017 to figure that out?
How about promoting the books of authors already published with them? If they’d discount some of my first in series with them, like I do with my indie stuff, they might actually sell some.
Unfortunately, I doubt the interns who will be reading those “diverse” submissions are diverse themselves. I would guess that they are all young, all inexperienced, and all unable to make a living off whatever Hachette is paying them.
Why self-publish now when you can wait around until December to submit your precious book to one of those interns and then get to wait another six months for a rejection slip? Thanks Hachette, for keeping the “getting-published” dream alive in the 21st century.
Way too little done too badly far too late.
Last one out please kill the lights and air-con.
See, that’s where they ruin it.
Submitting…
🙂
Yes, but then if you are lucky you also get to submit to their nurturing.