A new survey commissioned by the Publishers Association (PA) has shown that children's reading for pleasure remains a priority for adults across the country, despite a decline in reading.
He has written hit films like 24 Hour Party People and cooked up the Queen's Olympic skydive. But now, having been crowned Children's Laureate, he's on a mission to show kids that books will change their lives
Children in the UK and Ireland are reading fewer books than they did last year, according to a new report, as post-Covid absences from school and a lack of dedicated reading time contribute to lower reading abilities.
The annual "What Kids Are Reading Report" has shown a drop of 4.4% in the number of books being read by children with "reading decline particularly acute in secondary schools". Read more
Nikkolas Smith knows a thing or two about book bans. The illustrator has created five picture books over the last three years-four of which have been yanked off library shelves. There's I am Ruby Bridges, about the civil rights icon; That Flag about the confederate flag; Born on the Water, which explores slavery; and The Artivist which features a child supporting trans kids.
After the largely successful London Book Fair in March, this past week's Bologna Children's Book Fair confirms that, at least for the books sector, such events are back in business. Bologna is usually both busy and buzzy-yes, the alliteration plays its part-but this year it was positive and energetic too, its new April date providing the longer run-up that London, for some, lacked. Read more
The 61st edition of the Bologna Children's Book Fair opened on Monday, April 8, drawing 1,523 exhibitors from 100 countries and regions around the world. Slovenia is this year's Guest of Honor. Read more
The Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) has described Artificial Intelligence (AI) company Anthropic's alleged use of "pirated books" to train AI chatbot Claude as "egregious" and "typical of a wider trend."
‘You can offend somebody in the 21st century with something you said in 1970... By the end of the process I was questioning myself, that was the problem. I wrote innocently and I wrote to make people laugh but when I read the book through I thought, gosh, really, is this offensive? And that? And that? Am I all these things?
Index on Censorship said 53% of librarians polled had been asked to remove books - and that in more than half of those cases books were taken off shelves
One of the persistent themes to emerge from the ongoing nationwide surge in book banning is that the bans are being pursued by a vocal, politically motivated minority. Read more
The New Zealand author channelled her experience of tragedy and mental illness with dazzling results. Now centenary celebrations will ensure her extraordinary vision lives on
Writing and publishing a nonfiction book is a big investment-of time, energy, and often money. In our work with authors, we find that people often approach the process with passion and ambition but without any sense of what it really takes to get the attention of an agent or editor, especially in today's crowded market. That's why we've created these five ways to test your book idea. Read more
In a spirited five-day celebration, held August 8-12 at the Scottish Events Campus in Glasgow, Scotland, crowds converged from all over the globe for the 82nd World Science Fiction Convention, known as Worldcon. Show organizers said that more than 8,000 membership badges were purchased in total, with over 7,200 issued at the venue and upwards of 600 in attendance online.
'I'm always on the lookout for stories that are escapist and inclusive; that carve out a space for all readers. As an editor, ensuring representation for all in the truest and most authentic way is something I am always working towards'
'Every writing career starts as a personal quest for sainthood, for self-betterment. Sooner or later, and as a rule quite soon, a man discovers that his pen accomplishes a lot more than his soul.'