Age Banding - the story continues

Over 2,000 signatures now on the website. www.notoagebanding.org

the following is from Peter's Library Services newsletter:
BOOK NEWS : "Age" concern continues

The Society of Authors has called for age-guidance plans to be temporarily suspended pending a review, following the unprecedented author revolt last week. Novelist Celia Rees, chair of the children’s writers and illustrators group at the Society of Authors, told the Bookseller that if publishers go ahead it should only be with individual authors’ approval.

“Not all writers are against age guidance, but given the strong opposition that has emerged in recent days, we have proposed to the Publishers Association that the Children’s Book Group’s plans should be put on hold, pending a review, which would include a number of authors,” she said. A spokesperson for the CBG said that publishers were continuing to discuss author concerns on an individual basis. “Publishers are getting lots of valuable feedback from authors, which in turn is helping them address the specific issues and concerns that authors are raising.

The CBG remains committed to the principle of age guidance, which it sees as one of several tools that will help more adults choose and buy a book for the children in their lives.” Walker and Usborne said that they were among those playing a “wait and see” game. Usborne, said that publishers were “never as united as the first statements indicated”. Whilst Walker has indicated it is in “no hurry” to join the age guidance movement.

This week’s “Publishing News” carries a full page listing of authors and book trade people, who feel age banding is ill-conceived – together with a further full page article on page 10. Incidentally last week’s most popular and most read article in Egazette was the “Age raging angst.”