Print vs Ebooks: confusing and irrelevant?

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A confusing picture of whether 'traditional' or ebooks are winning the 'format war' is further cluttered by a report about slowing Kindle sales.The report(paywall) by the Sunday Times, revisited by theMail Online, suggests that traditional books are now on the rise as ebook sales fall. The news is backed by word of an 8.9 percent increase in paperback sales, and a fall of 7.5 percent in ebooks (in the United States).

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Joanne Harris' 10 tweets highlight book world sexism

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Joanne Harris, author of the Rune series of titles, Chocolat, and a host of other works has used a #TenTweets set of posts on Twitter to highlight the sexism she's suffered in the world of books. Needless to say we applaud Harris' comments and willingness to post them; particularly as Twitter can be (ridiculously) combative for anyone rightfully speaking out on such an issue.

We hope the book world at large takes note, and anyone (still, somehow) ignorant of sexism properly consider their future interactions. With female authors, but more generally too.

The author was asked "What are interview questions that you respect?" Her response? A rather excellent, "Respectful ones".

The Young Atheist's Handbook sent to schools

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The Young Atheists Handbook

Free copies of The Young Atheist's Handbook: Lessons for Living a Good Life Without God have been sent to every school in England and Wales by The British Humanist Association (BHA). The news, which first emerged in the TES, comes at a time when the former Archbishop of Canterbury has called Britain 'Post-Christian', as the debate about British religious sensibilities drives on.

The Young Atheist's Handbook was written by Alom Shaha, a science teacher, who relays his story as a child growing up in a strict Muslim community in SE London.  It's description tells:

Shaha recounts how his education and formative experiences led him to question how to live without being tied to what his parents, priests, or teachers told him to believe...

The report suggest the idea is inspired by Michael Gove's 2011 decision  to send copies of the King Jame Bible to schools - marking the book's 400th anniversary. Yet the idea clearly carries a significant additional point.

BHA's Sara Passmore has said the organisation wants to provide a "bit of balance", and that, "Alom's book will help schools to be places where pupils can encounter the broad rangeof religious and non-religious worldviews in modern Britain.”

We can't help but think that healthy representation of British religious and non-religious beliefs within schools is fair regardless of belief. Yet Trevor Cooling, professor of Christian Education at Canterbury Christ Church University, told the TES he thought the sending of the book was unnecessary:

The evidence suggests that most children’s understanding of science is already largely atheistic. The BHA itself says that most children have non-religious beliefs, so why do they feel it is so important to send out this book?

The BHA's chief executive, Andrew Copson, explained his thoughts about the decision by saying title could help young people "think critically about the world around them", while making it clear it is "possible to live a compassionate, fulfilling, and meaningful life without God or religion.

Save Kew Bookshop petition launched

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We're not the first to break this news, but we'd urge all readers to consider signing the Kew Bookshop petition. The petition was started, with a deadline of June 1st, after landlords submitted planning permission to demolish the "beautiful century-old wooden" property, and replace it with a two-level brick structure.

A report by The Bookseller tells that Isla Dawes, the shop owner, strongly rejects the terms of the planning permission:

 “The applicant has made a case that the present building is not fit for purpose, but this is not true, and all this building needs is to be re-clad in wood and it would be fit for purpose for a further 100 years without destroying its character and with it the character of Kew Village.”

We're not ones to stand in the way of genuine, well-considered progress. But the shop, which currently does business to the tune of £300,000 per year through retail, is fighting fit in terms of its business.

Further, unsympathetic demolishing of a century-old building could be argued to show a lack of interest in heritage while setting a dangerous precedent.

And what if the plans were to go ahead? Dawes tells that she wouldn't be able to afford the rent of the new property and would be forced to close the shop. With independent stores across the country closing due to ailing enterprise, what sense to close one that is going strong?

The petition reads, "Before long, only the big chains and estate agents who can afford the high rents will move into Kew, destroying its village character for ever."

We firmly believe bookshops are more than buildings. And when the buildings are as well-regarded and long-standing as Kew Bookshop, we stand fully supportive. In fact, we've already signed the petition.

Pussy Riot member joins campaign to reverse prison book ban

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Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, a member of the Russian punk rock band  Pussy Riot has given heartfelt support to the campaign looking to overturn a policy banning books for UK prisoners.

Tolokonnikova is among several new international artists supporting the English PEN and Howard League for Penal Reform backed campaign, and has written strongly of her own experiences of incarceration.

Three members of the band were imprisoned in 2012 over charges of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred". And Tolokonnikova tells how her 21 month period behind bars was enlivened by her access to books:

Books make up your entire world when you are a prisoner. Because you have books you know that every day you spend behind bars is not a day spent in vain.

In a letter posted on the English PEN website, Tolokonnikova also writes, "Prison is probably one of the most text-centric places in this, our contemporary reality."

The campaign has fostered international support from Europe, Africa and South-east Asia, and among those joining the campaign is Belarusian journalist Iryna Khalip.

Khalip was detained and charged for organising protests against the  Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, following his 2010 re-election. She has likened a lack of books to a lack of air.

WhenI was arrested and brought to a prison cell I noticed almost automatically that there were books on one of the shelves...‘It’s possible to live here,’  I thought,  ‘there is something to read.’

Khalip adds in her letter that in prison books "become the air. Your body needs air to breathe. No books — you cannot breathe. And if you cannot breathe there is no life."

To find out more about the campiagn to overturn a ban on books in British prisons, visit English PEN's website, here.

Writer dubs World Book Night "World Bollocks Night"

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Tomorrow's World Book Night is ruffling  feathers, with For Books' Sake's Beulah Devaney lambasting the event's organisers - the Reading Agency - for a lack of titles by female authors. This years WBN event has cast its focus on engaging male readers, following a study reporting 63% of men hardly read. The way that focus is being applied is by having 14 of this year's 20 WBN titles from male authors.

In a piece definitely worth viewing, the decision has brought Devaney to write:

Basically, they’ve decided the best way to get men reading more is to reinforce the idea that men should only read books by male authors.

The balance of the comment may be questioned, but it again raises the issue of gender stereotypes, reading preferences and 'relevant content'; topics brought to the fore recently as author and illustrator Jonathan Emmett voiced views on feminine influence in the book industry.

For our part, we're fairly sure that men aren't only interested in reading the works of male authors. Yet in a situation where many men in the UK don't read much (if at all) might it be plausible that new readers - rightly or wrongly - are swayed by the gender of the author as one of several factors?

And if that author is of the same gender as the reader surely it doesn't necessarily follow that all future reading will be of same-gender authors.

Ultimately, whether the Reading Agency's approach is justified - or will be effective - is up for debate. It's probably even quite hard to quantify.

Devaney though clearly feels strongly about the situation. In her view, "WBN are reinforcing the gender divide between men and women readers", and "doing more of what’s already been shown not to work".

What do you think?

Boys not reading because women are "gatekeepers" to children's books

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Author and illustrator Jonathan Emmett has added his thoughts to the conversation about why boys (and later, men) don't read. And, with a view guaranteed to carry the debate further, he believes it's due to female influence.

In comments offered to the The Times, Emmett believes that there isn't enough to hold young boys interest in books, with one of the key reasons being that the the "industry is dominated by female gatekeepers".

To illustrate his point - and referencing the known gap in literacy levels between girls and boys - Emmett looked at 450 reviews of children's books in national papers. He found that while men wrote 47% of picture books, 87% of reviewers were women.

Of course reviewers may be employed in such roles for their balance and appreciation of readers' likes, yet Emmett draws on further examples to add weight to his view.

He tells how just two of the 50 editors he has worked with have been men, and how he feels that has directly affected his own work in, "The number of times I have tried to get technical information into a book and it is deemed inappropriate."

Emmett also offers comment on the content which makes it into published titles. Titles which are then bought by a group which - according to an unnamed publisher - is 95% women.

'Mums and grans buy books - that’s what’s driving the market. They read the book also and then there’s a tendency for the book to reflect their tastes as well. So there may be a pirate but that pirate will not be engaged in a battle.'

In views which touch upon ideas of stereotypical gender interests, and which claim that "boys and girls with 'boy-typical' tastes", prefer the content of computer games, Emmett admits his opinions aren't easy to present.

"It is a really difficult argument to make", he concedes "because 99 times out of 100 it is women that are under-represented."

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What are your thoughts? Tell us below.

63% of men hardly read; we should act

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If you're a man the chances are that you don't really read much at all. In fact, a new study suggests you'd prefer to watch...say, Game of Thrones over reading A Song of Ice and Fire.

The study, commissioned by The Reading Agency and carried out by OnePoll, uncovered the rather saddening revelation of male disinterest, reporting that 63% of men were not reading as much as they might do.

Why? Reasons include a lack of time, a feeling of finding it difficult, or simply because they don't enjoy it.

The results form part of the research into the reading habits of 2,000 British men and women and Sue Wilkinson, CEO of the Reading Agency, highlights the key factors affecting male interest:

“It seems that men recognise the value of reading books but admit that they don’t do it as much as they might for several reasons. TV shows and films, and the Internet, are competing for people’s time these days, especially that of young men, and our focus is to remind them of the pleasure that can be derived from reading a book as well.

That's a sentiment we'll certainly support. And, to its credit, the Reading Agency has already thought about addressing the problem. Ms Wilkinson reminds us, "This year’s World Book Night list of 20 books was selected with these young men in mind.’’

Authors, understandably, are disappointed with the findings. Novelist and former SAS sergeant Andy McNab has highlighted his own experiences as further proof of the issue, speaking to The Guardian:

"When I joined the Army straight out of juvenile detention I had the reading age of an 11-year-old, and I meet kids at the schools where I'm doing talks who are just the same."

Saying he himself has "years of books to catch up on", McNab says he is enjoying doing just that. Matt Haig, author of The Humans, makes clear that if the trend continues it would be very bad news:

"...the danger is that the fewer books men buy, the less incentive publishers and booksellers will have to reach out of them. Without books, civilisation falls into the dark ages. It wouldn't just be a shame, but a catastrophe if half the population stopped reading."

Haig has a point, but on a more positive note adds,  "There are as many books being written as ever for men to enjoy. It's just about making them feel relevant"

Knowing about time and attention pressures ourselves, we'd have to agree that revelance is the first step on the road to getting guys reading again.

Hopefully this year's World Book Night can go some way towards doing that, but perhaps we can all do a little more to help the cause.