The Bookseller.com

2nd December 2008

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Summit fails to end age guidance row

10.07.08 Caroline Horn

Publishers and authors have failed to find common ground over age guidance, despite a summit meeting last week which was intended to resolve the high-profile and damaging conflict.

The continuing clash had prompted Borders to put its plans to age-range shelves of children's books on hold. "The story has moved on [since age guidance plans were announced], and to reflect that we have frozen our plans," said children's buyer Becky Stradwick. "We will see what happens."

At last Thursday's meeting between the Publishers Association, the Society of Authors and Philip Pullman (on behalf of almost 3,000 signatories of the online statement at www.notoagebanding.org, which now include J K Rowling), both sides presented conflicting research into the issue. The SoA said that 77% of authors were against age guidance, while publishers insisted that 75% of authors have agreed to it.

The sticking point in the dispute remains whether authors should be able to refuse to have age banding on their books. Publishers have confirmed "that there has been, and remains, no question of age guidance being added to a book without full consultation with the author". But they added: "The remaining point of difference, which is to be considered further, was that those speaking for authors feel strongly that authors should have the right to refuse to have age guidance on their books."

In an email to signatories to his petition against age guidance, Pullman wrote: "We pointed out that every author in the world knows what ‘consultation' means: it means the publishers saying: 'This is the cover of your new book', and our saying: 'Well, it's horrible', and their replying: 'Well, tough.' 'Full' consultation, I suppose, would mean that plus lunch."

The SoA has pressed the PA to provide more information about what it means by "full consultation". Publishers traditionally have a contractual agreement to make the final decision about book covers, but Pullman said that existing agreements needed to be reconsidered.

An SoA poll of 800 children's authors, to which 50% responded, found that 77% disagreed with age guidance and just 8% agreed.

PA c.e.o. Simon Juden said: "Children's publishers report that upwards of 75% (and in one case 95%) of their new fiction titles will carry age guidance in the New Year with the authors' agreement. Conversations are still ongoing with the authors of the remaining 25%."

He said that publishers' priority has been to consult authors with titles due to be published or reprinted this autumn and in the New Year. "Those with books further off in the schedule will of course have the opportunity to discuss the scheme with their publishers well ahead of the print decision date," he added.

Caroline Horn Philip Pullman publishers pa children's Home age guidance