New Year's Resolution #7: Stop buying YA from Bloomsbury.

[bookshop]

I've been looking forward to the debut YA novel Magic Under Glass for months. I ordered it before the first of the year! it came! The author, fabulousfrock, sent me a bookplate! I was excited!

And then I wasn't.

This is the description of the main character of Magic Under Glass from the review of the book by The Book Smugglers:

Nimira is a performer, dancing

Comments

[soundczech]

honestly i wouldn't be surprised if the marketing / design people hadn't even read the book when the cover was finalised.

[bookshop]

Neither would I.

[soundczech]

feel kind of bad sticking up for them but the poor kid that designed it was probably just given a brief that said like, illustration of girl in period clothes, something about glass, young adult fantasy audience and some technical specs. i'd be including the commissioning editors in that email you sent, as (in most companies) it is their responsibility to ensure the cover represents the book accurately.

[bookshop]

No, again, that doesn't surprise me, but that's the publisher's fault and responsibility. And I'll be more than happy to send my email to the editors too.

[cheshyre]

Thanks for posting about this.

I'm going to be at ALA Midwinter this weekend (in Boston).
Just checked the exhibitor list and Bloomsbury will be there.
I'll mention my disapproval to their booth people.

[bookshop]

Thank you for boosting the signal and speaking out.

[cheshyre]

When I spotted a copy of the book in the Bloomsbury booth at ALA, I pointed it out to one of the gals in the booth and said that the protagonist was not Caucasian, despite the misleading cover.
I mentioned the issues raised with the cover of Liar -- which (a) she was familiar with, and (b) was displayed rather prominently in the booth -- and the fact that Bloomsbury was responsible for both has got people rather upset with them as a publisher.
Obviously, the people working the booth aren't terribly high-ranking, but she promised to mention this to folks higher-up.

We'll see what happens.

As a total aside, which I have to share somewhere folks might appreciate it, I spotted an older white-haired suited man striding across the exhibit hall and caught a glimpse of his badge before he passed. Arthur Levine of Scholastic - the guy who first read Harry Potter and decided to buy the US rights...

[glockgal]

*teethgrind*

Posted this to racebending, let me know if that's okay? <3

[bookshop]

it is more than okay, thank you for passing the word!

[imaginarycircus]

This is so depressing.

[bookshop]

i don't really know what to say except yeah, yeah it is.

[evewithanapple]

Sent my e-mail

[bookshop]

this is an excellent, excellent letter. Thanks for sharing it.