Luna’s Prose Ramblings

Today the No To Age Banding organisation has spoken again. The message read;

The age-banding of children’s books was discussed at an eagerly-awaited and packed session held on 31st August at the Society of Authors’ Conference at Robinson College, Cambridge.

On the No To Age Banding website, authors Philip Pullman and Anne Fine have posted their respective address and report. I agree especially with Philip Pullman’s address and am very pleased that he has stepped up as the organisation’s spokesperson. Even for someone who might not agree, his address is an excellent read. I think he brings up very valid points as to the potholes in the research (hey, if you let actual scientists read the report, you’re asking for it !) and ignorance of the publishing establishment and does so with flair.

See the research report here, and see what The Guardian and Fidra Books – an independent publisher ran by scientists – had to say about it;
Publishers Association’s resources on Age-banding and download the actual report here
The Guardian on Age-banding
Fidra Books on Age-banding

At the moment it’s for an outsider still difficult to read the influence and consequences of these meetings especially because Kate Wilson of Scholastic was the only representative of the publisher’s band that had enough bravado to participate, but I am very confident that the Publishers Association will do exactly as Philip Pullman suggests;

(…) put this age-guidance idea into a dark cupboard, shut the door, and forget it. Leave it to gather dust and fade away. We won’t say any more about it if you don’t. It was a bad idea to start with, and now that you’ve roused all this opposition, it’s an impossible one. It will not work, so walk away and have done with it.

Yesterday I received this word from No To Age Banding;

“The Society of Authors has added an extra session at their Cambridge Children’s Writers & Illustrators Conference, 29-31 August, to include a discussion on age guidance. They are keen to air all views.

The session will be chaired by R4’s Libby Purves and will include Philip Pullman and Anne Fine, prime movers behind the No to Age Banding appeal, Graham Marks from Publishing News and Becky Stradwick UKHQ Children’s Buyer from Borders. Publishers have also been invited to take part. “

I’m looking forward to the outcome.

A while ago some nitwit in the United Kingdom had thought up that it would be a good plan to sell publishers on the idea of Age Banding of books.

The idea was born of the notion that it would be easier for the publishers to sell to supermarkets. As we all know supermarkets are nothing more than stocking piles of random products and the sales people often know as much about their goods as they can read off of the product label while their customers are waiting. So if books were to have an age indication on books, publishers would have no problem getting supermarkets to stock a lot more books than they are doing now since their employees can just shelve them according to age.

Fortunately, even with the push on Age Banding by the Publishers Association, there are people out there that possess the art of reasoning. A joint effort has been mustered in the form of NoToAgeBanding.com with author Philip Pullman spear-heading the campaign. Over 3000 signatories have undersigned the campaign and these people include writers, illustrators, librarians, teachers, booksellers, publishers, educationalists, psychologists, readers, parents and grandparents. The signatory authors include Philip Pullman, Jonathan Stroud, Neil Gaiman, Nigella Lawson, Anthony Horowitz, Terry Pratchett and J.K. Rowling. And yours truly, of course.

The situation at the moment is divided amongst publishers;

Walker Books: not age banding any titles
Bloomsbury: not age banding any titles
David Fickling Books: not age banding any titles
Usborne: not age banding any titles
Barn Owl Books: not age banding any titles
Orion will apparently be offering authors a choice.
OUP are clearly offering authors a choice.
The Chicken House will be offering authors a choice.
HarperCollins: certain authors know they will not be age banded.
Macmillan: evidence of a choice offered here.
Puffin: at least one author has been assured banding will not take place without express permission
Random House Children’s Books: it is hard to believe that although some of their high-profile authors have made their positions crystal clear both privately and in the press, will be age banded by this publisher.

There have been meetings between representatives of publishers and the Publishers Association and the representatives of the Society of Authors to discuss the matter.